Environmental awareness of the permanent inhabitants of towns and villages on the shores of Lake Balaton with special reference to issues related to global climate change

Lake Balaton, one of the largest lakes in Europe, is an important centre for summer tourism in Hungary. The appearance of the water is, however, influenced by a number of physical and biological factors such as the frequency of storms, the hydrological balance, the water level and the growth of algae. Here we report the results of a survey designed to test the reaction of the local population to these seasonal and inter-annual variations. This survey was based on a questionnaire completed by 960 permanent inhabitants of the shoreline villages and was designed to explore their awareness of the local and regional factors responsible for the changes. About one-quarter of the respondents considered that the drying effects of global climate change had already had an effect on the Lake Balaton area. Although younger (16–26) and middle-aged (27–50) respondents benefit most from good water quality, those in the oldest age group (51–92) were more concerned about the quality of the water and broader issues such as biodiversity and the conservation of the landscape. Considering that the future of the lake depends on the youngest generation, this suggests that their environmental education could be improved to strengthen their understanding of environmental issues.     

Expression of the Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 4 in Intact and Inflamed Pulmonary Tissues

Somatostatin released from capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves of the lung during endotoxin-induced murine pneumonitis inhibits inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, presumably via somatostatin receptor subtype 4 (sst₄). The goal of the present study was to identify sst₄ receptors in mouse and human lungs and to reveal its inflammation-induced alterations with real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. In non-inflamed mouse and human lungs, mRNA expression and immunolocalization of sst₄ are very similar. They are present on bronchial epithelial, vascular endothelial, and smooth-muscle cells. The sst₄ receptor protein in the mouse lung significantly increases 24 hr after intranasal endotoxin administration as well as in response to 3 months of whole-body cigarette smoke exposure, owing to the infiltrating sst₄-positivite mononuclear cells and neutrophils. In the chronically inflamed human lung, the large number of activated macrophages markedly elevate sst₄ mRNA levels, although there is no change in acute purulent pneumonia, in which granulocytes accumulate. Despite mouse granulocytes, human neutrophils do not show sst₄ immunopositivity. We provide the first evidence for the expression, localization, and inflammation-induced alterations of sst₄ receptors in murine and human lungs. Inasmuch as tissue distribution of this receptor is highly similar, extrapolation of murine experimental results to human conditions might be possible. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:1127–1137, 2009)     

A Simple and Rapid Method Enhancing of Lipoxygenase-1 to Lipoxygenase-2+Lipoxygenase-3 Isoenzyme Activity Ratio in Soybean Meal Extracts

Lipoxygenase-2 and lipoxygenase-3 isoenzymes can be eliminated from soybean (Glycine max) meal extract by a simple selective heat treatment. The optimum conditions were: 70 °C, for 5 min at pH 5.2 with an ionic strength of 0.05. The activity ratio of lipoxygenase-1 to lipoxygenase-2 + lipoxygenase-3 was enhanced from 5 to about 21. The resulting enzyme can be used immediately for hydroperoxidation or frozen without loss of activity.