Depression, somatization and anxiety in female patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

The aim of this research was to determine the possible differences in degrees of depression, somatization and anxiety between the acute and chronic female patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and whether these differences exist in healthy female patients. Ninety female patients were involved in this research; 60 of them were TMD patients of the Dental Polyclinic, while other 30 females came for a routine recall visit and had no problem related to TMD. Patients were aged 22 to 67 years, the average age being 38.5 +/- 12 years. All patients were asked to fill in the RDC/TMD protocol and three psychological tests (Emotions Profile Index, Somatization Scale and life Events Scale). Following the analysis of the RDC/TMD protocol and psychological tests, it was determined that the chronic female patients had higher depression and somatization scores in comparison with the acute patients (p < 0.01); the acute patients self-perceive higher levels of anxiety in relation to the control group; furthermore, the patients reporting higher levels of depression were more inclined to somatization and had experienced a greater number of stress events in the past six months. It is beyond doubt that patients suffering from the TMD's exhibit higher levels of depression, somatization and anxiety compared to the healthy ones, which proves that physiological factors may play a predisposing role in combination with reduced level of body tolerance to pain, and a decreased tolerance to stress.     

Interactions of weed-bed invertebrates and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratophyllum demersum</Emphasis> stands in a floodplain lake

This investigation reports on weed-bed invertebrate abundance associated with the submersed macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum L. in Lake Sakadaš within Kopački rit Nature Park (Croatia). Twenty five taxonomic groups, with the dominance of chironomids (79%), were recorded at three stations during the investigation from July 14 to September 8, 2004. Nematodes and large predatory larvae of Zygoptera with 6% were second in dominance, followed by oligochaetes with 5%. Weed-bed invertebrates on C. demersum were more abundant than on Myriophyllum spicatum L. due to different morphology of the host plants. Environmental parameters within C. demersum stands were found in the same range at all stations, but they changed during the season. They indicated eutrophy with the tendency to hypertrophy which is reflected by the composition of the weed-bed invertebrate community.     

Antiglioma action of xanthones from Gentiana kochiana: Mechanistic and structure-activity requirements

The present study identifies xanthones gentiakochianin and gentiacaulein as the active principles responsible for the in vitro antiglioma action of ether and methanolic extracts of the plant Gentiana kochiana. Gentiakochianin and gentiacaulein induced cell cycle arrest in G(2)/M and G(0)/G(1) phases, respectively, in both C6 rat glioma and U251 human glioma cell lines. The more efficient antiproliferative action of gentiakochianin was associated with its ability to induce microtubule stabilization in a cell-free assay. Both the xanthones reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and increased the production of reactive oxygen species in glioma cells, but only the effects of gentiakochianin were pronounced enough to cause caspase activation and subsequent apoptotic cell death. The assessment of structure-activity relationship in a series of structurally related xanthones from G. kochiana and Gentianella austriaca revealed dihydroxylation at positions 7, 8 of the xanthonic nucleus as the key structural feature responsible for the ability of gentiakochianin to induce microtubule-associated G(2)/M cell block and apoptotic cell death in glioma cells.     

The advantages of end-to-side arteriovenous anastomosis over the other two types of arteriovenous anastomosis in dialysis patients

The functional duration of vascular access in dialysis patients depends on the emergence of threatening complications. Discussions are constantly being held in an attempt to discover their causality and decrease their emergence. In 260 patients undergoing haemodialysis, we have studied the potential existence of a cause-and-effect relation between the emergence of complications in the vascular access and the applied type of arteriovenous (av.) anastomosis in the arteriovenous (AV) fistula. We have observed the incidence of all complications, both that of the thrombosis incidence as well as the primary and secondary fistula patency (survival). The complications--The examinees with the end-to-end anastomosis showed the incidence of 8.08%, 6.15% of the patients with the end-to-side anastomosis and 7.31% of the patients with the side-to-side anastomosis. The differences regarding incidences are statistically significant (chi2-test = 29.25; P = 0.0001). Thrombosis--it has been found that thrombosis was the most frequent complication developing in 30.00% patients with the end-to-end av. anastomosis, in 2.31% patients with end-to-side av. anastomosis and in 5.56% patients with side-to-side av. anastomosis. The difference between the highest and the lowest assessment is 27.69%, and it is statistically relevant (chi2-test = 33.920; P = 0.0001). The primary patency (primary survival): within a 6-month interval following the establishment of vascular access, the first complications arose in 62.50% of patients with end-to-end av. anastomosis, 10.76% in those with end-to-side av. anastomosis and 18.88% in those with side-to-side av. anastomosis. The difference between the highest and the lowest assessment is 51.74%, which is statistically significant (chi2-test = 49.009; P = 0.0001). The secondary patency: 24 months subsequent to the establishment of vascular access, the AV-fistula was still functional in 52.50% of the patients with end-to-end av. anastomosis, 89.23% in those with end-to-side av. anastomosis and 81.11% in those with side-to-side av. anastomosis. The difference between the highest and the lowest assessment is 36.73%, which is also statistically significant (chi2-test = 26.579; P = 0.0001). According to our research, the end--to-side type of av. anastomosis in vascular access provides better results both in relation to the duration as well as the maintenance of the functionality of the Av-fistula and in the lower incidence of the complications than the other types, and hence it shows a definite advantage.     

Glycosylation of Immunoglobulin G: Role of Genetic and Epigenetic Influences

Objective

To determine the extent to which genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to variations in glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in humans.

Methods

76  N-glycan traits in circulating IgG were analyzed by UPLC in 220 monozygotic and 310 dizygotic twin pairs from TwinsUK. A classical twin study design was used to derive the additive genetic, common and unique environmental components defining the variance in these traits. Epigenome-wide association analysis was performed using the Illumina 27k chip.

Results

51 of the 76 glycan traits studied have an additive genetic component (heritability, h ²)≥  0.5. In contrast, 12 glycan traits had a low genetic contribution (h²<0.35). We then tested for association between methylation levels and glycan levels (P<2 x10^-6). Among glycan traits with low heritability probe cg08392591 maps to a CpG island 5’ from the ANKRD11 gene, a p53 activator on chromosome 16. Probe cg26991199 maps to the SRSF10 gene involved in regulation of RNA splicing and particularly in regulation of splicing of mRNA precursors upon heat shock. Among those with high heritability we found cg13782134 (mapping to the NRN1L gene) and cg16029957 mapping near the QPCT gene to be array-wide significant. The proportion of array-wide epigenetic associations was significantly larger (P<0.005) among glycans with low heritability (42%) than in those with high heritability (6.2%).

Conclusions

Glycome analyses might provide a useful integration of genetic and non-genetic factors to further our understanding of the role of glycosylation in both normal physiology and disease.     

Contributions to molecular systematics of water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae,Coleoptera)

Phylogenetic relationships within Hydrophilidae were examined by analyses of separate and combined nuclear and mitochondrial markers (28S rRNA, 18S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 12S rRNA, COI and COII genes). The preferred (Bayesian) tree topology suggests a sister group relationship between Spercheidae and Hydrophilidae, supporting the ‘hydrophilid lineage’; Epimetopidae are placed on the base of the ‘helophorid branch’, the monophyly of Sphaeridiinae is highly supported, nested deeply within Hydrophilidae closest to Enochrus, making Hydrophilinae and Acidocerini paraphyletic; Hydrobius appears as sister taxon to (Hydrochara + Hydrophilus) without a closer relationship to Acidocerini; the hydrophiloid–histeroid sister group relationship is confirmed. The topology of several taxa remains contradictory, and requires further investigations with a larger taxon sampling and additional molecular markers.     

Carabid beetle diversity and mean individual biomass in beech forests of various ages

Carabid beetle diversity and mean individual biomass (MIB) were analysed in three different successional stages of beech tree stands (60, 80 and 150 years old). Carabid beetles were captured using pitfall traps placed at nine sites (three per age class) in the Papuk Mountain of East Croatia during 2008. A cluster analysis identified three groupings that corresponded to the beech age classes. MIB values increased with stand age, ranging from 255 in 60-year-old stand to 537 in the oldest forests. The 80-year-old stand showed the highest species richness and diversity values. With respect to species composition, large species such as Carabus scheidleri and Carabus coriaceus were dominant only in the oldest forests. Furthermore, species that overwinter in the larval stage were more abundant in the oldest forests (45% of the total number of individuals from the 150-year-old stand) than in the younger ones (20% of individuals from 60-year-old, and 22% of individuals from 80-year-old stands). Our results showed that the analyses of species composition and life history traits are valuable for estimating the conservation values of older forests. Although the investigated sites form part of a continuous forested area and are only a couple of kilometres apart, MIB values detect significant differences associated with forest age and can be a useful tool in evaluating the degree to which a forest reflects a natural state.     

Determination of the botanical origin of starch using direct potentiometry and PCA

A new approach for the determination of the botanical origin of starch is presented based on the formation of starch-triiodide complexes. The starch samples were extracted from wheat (Srpanjka), potato, maize, rye (Barun), barley (Conduct), rice, tapioca and a commercial modified starch. The amylose/amylopectin ratios of starches, among various other properties, differ between starches of different botanical origins. Triiodide ions bind characteristically to the amylose and amylopectin of the starch depending on the starch's origin. The new technique includes direct potentiometric measurements of the response of free triiodide ions in starch-triiodide solutions where the data is analysed by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA gave graphical results for statistical differentiation between starches of different botanical origins.     

Xanthones from Swertia punctata

Isolation of 1-O-primeverosyl-3,8-dihydroxy-5-methoxyxanthone and 1-O-gentiobiosyl-3,7-dimethoxy-8-hydroxyxanthone, along with five known xanthones, isobellidifolin, methylbellidifolin, isoswertianin, methylswertianin and norswertianin-1-O-beta-D-glucoside, from the roots of Swertia punctata is reported. In the aerial parts four xanthones, bellidifolin, methylbellidifolin, swertianolin and mangiferin, and flavone-C-glucoside, isoorientin were identified. The chemotaxonomic and pharmacological significance of these results is discussed.