Risk Assessment at the Beginning and the End of Strouma River in Bulgaria Using Integral Indices

The present work considers Strouma River on the Bulgarian territory using the integral method for evaluation of climatic and anthropogenic impacts on the average annual water volume and maximum and minimum water flow. The level of this impact and risk assessment is determined by the index Mmax, i for the deviation of the maximum water flow from the maximum flow norm Qmax, 0 and the index Mmin, i for the deviation of the minimum water flow from the minimum flow norm Qmin, 0. Using the dynamics of the integral indices Mmax, i, Mmin, i and information on extreme events from the past, a preliminary risk assessment of future extreme events such as floods and draughts could be made. This is done for the first time in risk assessment of extreme events and has been checked at Pernik (in the beginning) and Marino pole (at the border in Greece) for the period 1948 - 2006

Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis - Diagnostic Strategies and Prognostic Models: A Review

In 1825, Ribes described a case of a 45-year old man who died after a 6-month history of epilepsy, seizures and delirium. The autopsy examination revealed thrombosis of the superior sagittal sinus, the left lateral sinus and a cortical vein in the parietal region. This was probably the first detailed description of extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Since then, the literature describing this disease has comprised of case reports, series and some newer prospective studies, including recent reviews and guidelines (statement) on the diagnosis and management of CVST (Siddiqui \u26 Kamal, 2006; Stam, 2005; Saposnik et al, 2011; Brown \u26 Thore, 2011). The cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a challenging condition and it is most common than previously thought. CVST accounts for 0.5% to 1.0% of all strokes and usually affects young individuals. Important advances have been made in the understanding of the pathophysiology of this vascular disorder. The diagnosis of CVST is still frequently overlooked or delayed as a result of the wide spectrum of clinical symptoms and the often sub-acute or lingering onset. Patients with CVST commonly present with headache, although some develop a focal neurological deficit, decreased level of consciousness, seizures, or intracranial hypertension without focal neurological signs. Uncommonly, an insidious onset may create a diagnostic challenge. The main problem of this disorder is that it is very often unrecognised at initial presentation. In particular, a prothrombotic factor or a direct cause is identified in approximately 66% of the CVST patients (a list of most important causal and risk factors are listed in Table 1). Cerebral venous thrombosis is more common in women than men, with a female to male ratio of 3:1 (cited in Ferro \u26 Canhao, 2011). The imbalance may be due to the increased risk of CVST associated with pregnancy and puerperium and with oral contraceptives. The female predominance in CVST is found in young adults, but not in children or older adults

The effects of quercetin on liver regeneration after liver resection in rats

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of quercetine (QE) on liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) in rats. A total of 24 male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: sham-operated (SH), PH and PH+QE; each group contain 8 animals. The rats in QE-treated groups were given QE (15 mg/kg body weight) once a day i.p., for 7 days starting 3 days prior to hepatectomy operation. At 7 days after resection, liver samples were collected. The malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH) levels were estimated in liver homogenates. Moreover, histopathological examination, mitotic index (MI), proliferating cell nuclear antigen labelling, proliferation index (PI), transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labelling assay, apoptotic index (AI) were evaluated at 7 days after hepatectomy. As a result, QE significantly increased MI, PI, and significantly decreased AI in PH rats. Additionally, QE remarkably inhibited the elevation of MDA, restored impaired antioxidant SOD activity and GSH level, and also attenuated hepatic vacuolar degeneration and sinusoidal congestion. These results suggested that QE treatment had a beneficial effect on liver regenerative capacity of the remnant liver tissue after hepatectomy, probably due to its antioxidative, antiapoptotic and proliferative property

Agricultural Academy

Abstract ATANASSOVA, I., M. TEOHAROV and P. IVANOV, 2009. Characterisation of a fire affected catena sequence from Lyulin Mountain, Bulgaria. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., We analysed the effects of a forest fire having occurred in the late summer of 2007 on major characteristics and properties of surface soils and soil profiles characterised as a catena sequence. The objectives of our study were to carry out a detailed morphological description of the individual soil profiles on the ridge and slopes of Lyulin mountain and analyse other chemical, physico-chemical and mineralogical characteristics in the surface horizons mostly affected by fire. Our key findings are: (1) changes were observed in the surface depths and concern mainly the soil organic carbon, primary minerals mineralogy and texture; (2) no major changes in the cation exchange capacity and exchangeable Ca and Mg cation composition between the surface and the lower depths of the soil profiles were found and no additional release of bases as a result of burning was accounted for; (3) total organic carbon increased in all the burnt soils, due to partially combusted organic remnants. As a result of the detailed analysis of the catena sequence we conclude that the fire that occurred was not of high severity and had mainly affected the ridge of the mountain and the surface depths of the higher parts of the hillslope

State-of-the-artery: periadventitial adipose tissue (tunica adiposa)

Traditional view considers that the arterial wall is composed of three concentric tissue coats (tunicae): intima, media, and adventitia. However, large- and medium-sized arteries, where usually atherosclerosis develops, are consistently surrounded by periadventitial adipose tissue (PAAT). Here we update growing information about PAAT, and  conceptualize it as the fourth coat of arterial wall, that is, tunica adiposa (in brief, adiposa, like intima, media, adventitia). Recent evidence has revealed that adipose tissue expresses not only metabolic, but also secretory (endo- and paracrine) phenotype, producing/releasing a large number of signaling proteins collectively termed adipokines. Through paracrine ("vasocrine") way, adiposa-derived mediators may contribute to various arterial functions such as contraction-relaxation, smooth muscle cell growth, inflammation, hemostasis, and innervation, hence to "outside-in" signaling pathway of atherogenesis.Biomedical Reviews 2009; 20: 41-44

Inhibition of Fungi and Gram-Negative Bacteria by Bacteriocin BacTN635 Produced by Lactobacillus plantarum sp. TN635

The aim of this study was to evaluate 54 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from meat, fermented vegetables and dairy products for their capacity to produce antimicrobial activities against several bacteria and fungi. The strain designed TN635 has been selected for advanced studies. The supernatant culture of this strain inhibits the growth of all tested pathogenic including the four Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella enterica ATCC43972, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 49189, Hafnia sp. and Serratia sp.) and the pathogenic fungus Candida tropicalis R2 CIP203. Based on the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of the strain TN635 (1,540 pb accession no FN252881) and the phylogenetic analysis, we propose the assignment of our new isolate bacterium as Lactobacillus plantarum sp. TN635 strain. Its antimicrobial compound was determined as a proteinaceous substance, stable to heat and to treatment with surfactants and organic solvents. Highest antimicrobial activity was found between pH 3 and 11 with an optimum at pH = 7. The BacTN635 was purified to homogeneity by a four-step protocol involving ammonium sulfate precipitation, centrifugal microconcentrators with a 10-kDa membrane cutoff, gel filtration Sephadex G-25, and C18 reverse-phase HPLC. SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified BacTN635, revealed a single band with an estimated molecular mass of approximately 4 kDa. The maximum bacteriocin production (5,000 AU/ml) was recorded after a 16-h incubation in Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) medium at 30 °C. The mode of action of the partial purified BacTN635 was identified as bactericidal against Listeria ivanovii BUG 496 and as fungistatic against C. tropicalis R2 CIP203

Adipose-derived stem cells as a remedy

Adipobiology of stem cells is reaching enthusiastic proportions in today's regenerative medicine. Current interest in the adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) stems from their multilineage differentiation potential, and ease of derivation in larger quantities using less invasive methods, compared with other stem cell types. The possible benefits of ADSC-based therapy may be mediated by both cell proliferation/differentiation and paracrine secretion. Adipose tissue's secretome includes adipokines (growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, neuropeptides, hypothalamic hormones/releasing factors), steroid hormones, free fatty acids, prostaglandins, and endocannabinoids. The present review, focusing on adipose tissue secretory activity, also highlights the possible implication of ADSC in the therapy of various disorders, particularly neurodegenerative diseases, myocardial infarction and stroke as well as gut, liver and skin diseases.Adipobiology 2010; 2: 51-56

Metabolic syndrome severity score: range and associations with cardiovascular risk factors

Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome Severity Score (MSSS) is a new clinical prediction rule (CPR) for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions and employs available components (sex, age, race, systolic blood pressure, waistline circumference, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides and fasting blood glucose). The aim of our work was to perform cross-sectional pilot trial on middle-aged healthy volunteers and patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for studying feasibility and implementation of MSSS and its associations with cardiovascular risk factors.Material and methods: We approached 64 eligible participants from Bulgaria. The MSSS values, together with demographic, anthropometric, medical history, laboratory findings, CVD risk factors, QRISK2 score for 10-year cardiovascular risk and predicted heart age, were analysed. Descriptive statistics with tests for comparison (e.g., t-test, c2) between groups as well as ANOVA and logistic regression were applied. Results: We analysed data from 56 participants (aged 50.11 ±3.43 years). The MSSS was higher in MetS patients (including 6 T2DM patients) than in controls (n = 29; 51.8%) presented as percentiles (69.97% and 34.41%, respectively) and z-scores (0.60 and –0.45, respectively) (p < 0.05). The logistic regression model of MSSS indicated a positive association with MetS/T2DM cases (correctness > 85%, p < 0.01). For further validation purposes, positive correlations of MSSS with CVDrisk factor as diastolic blood pressure (Rho = 0.399; p < 0.003) and QRISK2 score (Rho = 0.524; p < 0.001) or predicted heart age (Rho = 0.368; p < 0.007) were also found.Conclusions: The pilot study of MSSS in Bulgaria indicated feasibility and consistency of its implementation among patients with metabolic syndrome and/or T2DM and healthy volunteers