Changes of adolescents' defence mechanisms during the first year of high school education

The goal of this study was to analyse the defence mechanism's changes during adolescent's adaptation to the new schooling terms at the first year in high school. Sample of 266 students, mean age 15, have been included in the research. Kellerman's Life Style Questionnaire (LSQ) was administred for measuring defence mechanisms at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Results show that regression and reactive formation are changing at most; regression raises (p < 0.005) while reactive formation decreases (p < 0.000). Boys used repression, while girls reactive formation more frequently in both measuring. Displacement was 'male" defence in the first measuring; but at repeated measuring this difference in sex vanished. The sources of anxiety can be found partly in new school environment and in adolescent's effort to "solve the problem" with sexual impulses and aggression using different sets of defences.     

When do meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) become sexually dimorphic? – ontogenetic patterns of sexual size dimorphisms

Contrary to an increasing number of papers that document sexual dimorphism in size (and/or shape) in adults, studies dealing with sex differences in newborn and juvenile snakes are surprisingly scarce. Data about ontogenetic shifts in sexual dimorphism are generally lacking and hence, it is unclear whether sex differences are set at birth or arise post‐natally. In this study, we analyzed patterns of sexual dimorphism in body size, head dimensions and tail length (TL) among newborn, subadult and adult meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) from the Bjelasica Mt. in Montenegro. Patterns of sexual size dimorphisms differed among traits. There was no significant difference in head dimension of males and females, but adult snakes were sexually dimorphic in body size. Sexual differences in TL were evident since birth but changed in degree throughout ontogeny. Neonate meadow vipers presented highly significant inter‐litter variation in the sexual dimorphism of all traits we have measured. Such family effects may have an important influence on extent of inter‐sexual differences in snakes and should be included in analyses of sexual dimorphism.     

Lower lobe pulmonary tuberculosis in immunocompetent male

We present a case of 23-year-old student misdiagnosed for two months. Radiological finding showed a pneumonial infiltrate of left lung lower lobe. Antibiotical therapy was not resulting in a radiological regression. Biopsy of the lung infiltrate by transthoracic computed tomography guided histology needle, showed granulomatous inflammation with necrosis. Bronchial aspirate received by bronchoscopy was positive in culture on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. After 6 months of antituberculotic therapy advance the complete regression of lung infiltrate. Tuberculosis of lower lung lobe is difficult to diagnose, particularly in persons who are not immunocompromised or without associated diseases. Lower lobe localization of tuberculosis is between 0.6 to 10.5% in all cases. Early diagnosis and therapy of pulmonary tuberculosis depends on bronchoscopic samples. The biopsy of the lung infiltrate by transthoracic computed tomography guided histology needle in histopathological and bacteriological diagnosis of tuberculosis was also useful.     

Effect of alternating the magnetic field on phosphate metabolism in the nervous system of Helix pomatia

The effect of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (50 Hz, 0.5 mT) - ELF-MF, on phosphate metabolism has been studied in the isolated ganglions of the garden snail Helix pomatia, after 7 and 16 days of snail exposure to ELF-MF. The influence of ELF-MF on the level of phosphate compounds and intracellular pH was monitored by 31P NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the activity of enzymes involved in phosphate turnover, total ATPases, Na+/K+-ATPase and acid phosphatase has been measured. The exposure of snails to the ELF-MF for the period of 7 days shifted intracellular pH toward more alkaline conditions, and increased the activity of investigated enzymes. Prolonged exposure to the ELF-MF for the period of 16 days caused a decrease of PCr and ATP levels and decreased enzyme activity, compared to the 7-day treatment group. Our results can be explained in terms of: 1. increase in phosphate turnover by exposure to the ELF-MF for the period of 7 days, and 2. adaptation of phosphate metabolism in the nervous system of snails to prolonged ELF-MF exposure.     

ABA promotes quiescence of the quiescent centre and suppresses stem cell differentiation in the Arabidopsis primary root meristem

It is well known that abscisic acid (ABA) can halt meristems for long periods without loss of meristem function, and can also promote root growth at low concentrations, but the mechanisms underlying such regulation are largely unknown. Here we show that ABA promotes stem cell maintenance in Arabidopsis root meristems by both promoting the quiescence of the quiescent centre (QC) and suppressing the differentiation of stem cells and their daughters. We demonstrate that these two mechanisms of regulation by ABA involve distinct pathways, and identify components in each pathway. Our findings demonstrate a cellular mechanism for a positive role for ABA in promoting root meristem maintenance and root growth in Arabidopsis.     

Stereospecific ligands and their complexes. V. Synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of palladium(II) complexes with some alkyl esters of (S,S)-ethylenediamine-N,N′-di-2-propanoic acid

Three new ligands and their palladium(II) complexes of general formula [PdCl₂(R₂-S,S-eddp)] (R = n-propyl, n-butyl and n-pentyl) have been synthesized and characterized by microanalysis, infrared and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity of these ligands and complexes was tested by microdilution method and both minimal inhibitory and microbicidal concentration were determined. These tested complexes demonstrated the significant antifungal activity against pathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus. On the other hand, these complexes demonstrated moderate antibacterial activity.     

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography system for online top-down mass spectrometry

An online metal-free weak cation exchange-hydrophilic interaction LC/RPLC system has been developed for sensitive, high-throughput top-down MS. Here, we report results for analyzing PTMs of core histones, with a focus on histone H4, using this system. With just ～24?μg on-column of core histones (H4, H2B, H2A, and H3) purified from human fibroblasts, 41 H4 isoforms were identified, with the type and location of PTMs unambiguously mapped for 20 of these variants. Compared to corresponding offline studies reported previously, the online weak cation exchange-hydrophilic interaction LC/RPLC platform offers significant improvement in sensitivity, with several orders of magnitude reduction in sample requirements and a reduction in the overall analysis time. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first online 2-D LC-MS/MS characterization of core histone mixture at the intact protein level.     

Tinea Incognito

Fourteen cases are described in which the local application of corticosteroid preparations to ringworm infections of the skin have resulted in unusual clinical pictures. A kerion-like lesion due to Trichophyton rubrum, intertriginous infections simulating candidiasis and due to Epidermophyton floccosum, and pictures resembling poikiloderma, papular rosacea, and indeterminate leprosy are among the changes that were seen in these patients.     

The structure of body measurements for the determination of shoe sizing for young Croatian men

The determination and promotion of the system of shoe sizing requires accurate knowledge of morphological properties of the foot and lower leg of the tested population. Similarly it is necessary to establish the occurrence and regional distribution of definite sizes in the tested population. Possible regional differences in morphological properties must not be ignored because it has been established by means of anthropological measuring that both foot dimensions and foot shapes differ between populations and within the same population. This has been proven by the investigation of body measures, carried out for the purpose of establishing a system of footwear sizes, which was executed on a randomly selected sample of 4,268 healthy and normally developed males aged 18-22. The investigation was carried out in 1993 on five locations each of which representing a definite region of the Republic of Croatia: Jastrebarsko (central), Koprivnica (northwestern), Pula (southwestern), Sinj (southern) and Pozega (northeastern). The measuring instrument was 31 foot and lower-leg sizes according to the existing ISO standards for footwear. Interregional differences are significant in all body measures. The role and the contribution of individual measures to these differences has been established by means of discriminatory analysis with regions as a priori defined samples. In order to constitute a convenient and purposeful standard for the footwear size system it is necessary to work out a database with referent values for the same system.     

Proteomic analyses using an accurate mass and time tag strategy

An accurate mass and time (AMT) tag approach for proteomic analyses has been developed over the past several years to facilitate comprehensive high-throughput proteomic measurements. An AMT tag database for an organism, tissue, or cell line is established by initially performing standard shotgun proteomic analysis and, most importantly, by validating peptide identifications using the mass measurement accuracy of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry (MS) and liquid chromatography (LC) elution time constraint. Creation of an AMT tag database largely obviates the need for subsequent MS/MS analyses, and thus facilitates high-throughput analyses. The strength of this technology resides in the ability to achieve highly efficient and reproducible one-dimensional reversed-phased LC separations in conjunction with highly accurate mass measurements using FTICR MS. Recent improvements allow for the analysis of as little as picrogram amounts of proteome samples by minimizing sample handling and maximizing peptide recovery. The nanoproteomics platform has also demonstrated the ability to detect >10(6) differences in protein abundances and identify more abundant proteins from subpicogram amounts of samples. The AMT tag approach is poised to become a new standard technique for the in-depth and high-throughput analysis of complex organisms and clinical samples, with the potential to extend the analysis to a single mammalian cell.