Gyeptelepítés elmélete és gyakorlata az ökológiai szemléletű gazdálkodásban

Az utóbbi években egyre nagyobb az igény mind hazánkban, mind Európában a szántóföldi művelés alól kivett területek alternatív, fenntartható hasznosítására, melyre jó lehetőséget biztosít az ökológiai szemléletű gyepgazdálkodás. A gyepesítéssel szemben támasztott legfontosabb elvárás egy főképp füvek dominálta évelő gyep létrejötte, amely visszaszorítja a nemkívánatos gyomfajokat. Ökológiai célú gyeptelepítés esetén rendkívül fontos a megfelelő szaporítóanyagok, a megfelelő fűfajok kiválasztása és a természetkímélő technológia alkalmazása. A telepítendő fajokat a terület ökológiai jellemzőinek (talajtípus, vízgazdálkodás, hőmérséklet és csapadék viszonyok) figyelembe vételével és a későbbi hasznosítás (legeltetés, kaszálás) szempontjait szem előtt tartva kell kiválasztani. A telepítés időpontját és technológiáját szintén össze kell hangolni a termőhelyi adottságokkal és a későbbi hasznosítással. Legújabb kiadványunk olyan tudományos igényességgel kidolgozott, de a mindennapi gazdálkodásban alkalmazható szakanyag, amely felhívja a figyelmet az ökológiai szempontú gyeptelepítés legfontosabb szempontjaira, a gyeptelepítéshez használt magkeverékkel szemben támasztott kívánalmakra, a telepítés gyakorlati kivitelezésére, valamint várható gép- és költségigényére. A kiadvány a Debreceni Egyetem Ökológiai Tanszéke közreműködésével, Dr. Török Péter szerkesztésében valósult meg. A projekt a Magyar Nemzeti Vidéki Hálózat Elnökségének értékelése és javaslata alapján, az Európai Mezőgazdasági és Vidékfejlesztési Alap társfinanszírozásában, a Nemzeti Vidékfejlesztési Program Irányító Hatóságának jóváhagyásával válhatott valóra

Cell-targeted vaccines: implications for adaptive immunity

Recent advancements in immunology and chemistry have facilitated advancements in targeted vaccine technology. Targeting specific cell types, tissue locations, or receptors can allow for modulation of the adaptive immune response to vaccines. This review provides an overview of cellular targets of vaccines, suggests methods of targeting and downstream effects on immune responses, and summarizes general trends in the literature. Understanding the relationships between vaccine targets and subsequent adaptive immune responses is critical for effective vaccine design. This knowledge could facilitate design of more effective, disease-specialized vaccines

Environmental dimensions of additive manufacturing: mapping application domains and their environmental implications

Additive manufacturing (AM) proposes a novel paradigm for engineering design and manufacturing, which has profound economic, environmental, and security implications. The design freedom offered by this category of manufacturing processes and its ability to locally print almost each designable object will have important repercussions across society. While AM applications are progressing from rapid prototyping to the production of end-use products, the environmental dimensions and related impacts of these evolving manufacturing processes have yet to be extensively examined. Only limited quantitative data are available on how AM manufactured products compare to conventionally manufactured ones in terms of energy and material consumption, transportation costs, pollution and waste, health and safety issues, as well as other environmental impacts over their full lifetime. Reported research indicates that the specific energy of current AM systems is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher compared to that of conventional manufacturing processes. However, only part of the AM process taxonomy is yet documented in terms of its environmental performance, and most life cycle inventory (LCI) efforts mainly focus on energy consumption. From an environmental perspective, AM manufactured parts can be beneficial for very small batches, or in cases where AM-based redesigns offer substantial functional advantages during the product use phase (e.g., lightweight part designs and part remanufacturing). Important pending research questions include the LCI of AM feedstock production, supply-chain consequences, and health and safety issues relating to AM

Breast fibroblasts modulate epithelial cell proliferation in three-dimensional in vitro co-culture

BACKGROUND: Stromal fibroblasts associated with in situ and invasive breast carcinoma differ phenotypically from fibroblasts associated with normal breast epithelium, and these alterations in carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) may promote breast carcinogenesis and cancer progression. A better understanding of the changes that occur in fibroblasts during carcinogenesis and their influence on epithelial cell growth and behavior could lead to novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. To this end, the effect of CAF and normal breast-associated fibroblasts (NAF) on the growth of epithelial cells representative of pre-neoplastic breast disease was assessed. METHODS: NAF and CAF were grown with the nontumorigenic MCF10A epithelial cells and their more transformed, tumorigenic derivative, MCF10AT cells, in direct three-dimensional co-cultures on basement membrane material. The proliferation and apoptosis of MCF10A cells and MCF10AT cells were assessed by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeling and TUNEL assay, respectively. Additionally, NAF and CAF were compared for expression of insulin-like growth factor II as a potential mediator of their effects on epithelial cell growth, by ELISA and by quantitative, real-time PCR. RESULTS: In relatively low numbers, both NAF and CAF suppressed proliferation of MCF10A cells. However, only NAF and not CAF significantly inhibited proliferation of the more transformed MCF10AT cells. The degree of growth inhibition varied among NAF or CAF from different individuals. In greater numbers, NAF and CAF have less inhibitory effect on epithelial cell growth. The rate of epithelial cell apoptosis was not affected by NAF or CAF. Mean insulin-like growth factor II levels were not significantly different in NAF versus CAF and did not correlate with the fibroblast effect on epithelial cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: Both NAF and CAF have the ability to inhibit the growth of pre-cancerous breast epithelial cells. NAF have greater inhibitory capacity than CAF, suggesting that the ability of fibroblasts to inhibit epithelial cell proliferation is lost during breast carcinogenesis. Furthermore, as the degree of transformation of the epithelial cells increased they became resistant to the growth-inhibitory effects of CAF. Insulin-like growth factor II could not be implicated as a contributor to this differential effect of NAF and CAF on epithelial cell growth

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Estradiol Valerate Affects Hematological and Hemorheological Parameters in Rats

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrinological diseases in women. Although the risk of cardiovascular diseases is high in PCOS, the number of scientific publications describing hemorheological changes is not significant. We aimed to perform a comprehensive hematological and micro-rheological study on experimentally induced PCOS in rats.Wistar rats were divided into control (n = 9) and PCOS groups (n = 9), in which animals received single-dose estradiol valerate. Measurements were carried out before treatment and monthly for four months. Bodyweight, blood glucose concentration, hematological parameters, red blood cell (RBC) deformability, and aggregation were measured. A histological examination of the ovary was performed at the end of the experiment. The blood glucose level and the bodyweight were significantly elevated vs. base in the PCOS group. A significant decrease was seen in RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. The maximal elongation index showed a significant increase. PCOS also resulted in a significant increase in RBC aggregation index parameters. The histological and hormone examinations confirmed developed PCOS. The administration of estradiol valerate caused significant changes during the examined period in hematological and hemorheological parameters. Our results draw attention to the possible usefulness of micro-rheological investigations in further studies on PCOS

Interspecies Diversity of Osmotic Gradient Deformability of Red Blood Cells in Human and Seven Vertebrate Animal Species

Plasma and blood osmolality values show interspecies differences and are strictly regulated. The effect of these factors also has an influence on microrheological parameters, such as red blood cell (RBC) deformability and aggregation. However, little is known about the interspecies differences in RBC deformability at various blood osmolality levels (osmotic gradient RBC deformability). Our aim was to conduct a descriptive–comparative study on RBC osmotic gradient deformability in several vertebrate species and human blood. Blood samples were taken from healthy volunteers, dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, rats, and mice, to measure hematological parameters, as well as conventional and osmotic gradient RBC deformability. Analyzing the elongation index (EI)–osmolality curves, we found the highest maximal EI values (EI max) in human, dog, and rabbit samples. The lowest EI max values were seen in sheep and cat samples, in addition to a characteristic leftward shift of the elongation index–osmolality curves. We found significant differences in the hyperosmolar region. A correlation of mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration with osmoscan parameters was found. Osmotic gradient deformability provides further information for better exploration of microrheological diversity between species and may help to better understand the alterations caused by osmolality changes in various disorders

Interspecies Diversity of Osmotic Gradient Deformability of Red Blood Cells in Human and Seven Vertebrate Animal Species

Plasma and blood osmolality values show interspecies differences and are strictly regulated. The effect of these factors also has an influence on microrheological parameters, such as red blood cell (RBC) deformability and aggregation. However, little is known about the interspecies differences in RBC deformability at various blood osmolality levels (osmotic gradient RBC deformability). Our aim was to conduct a descriptive–comparative study on RBC osmotic gradient deformability in several vertebrate species and human blood. Blood samples were taken from healthy volunteers, dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, rats, and mice, to measure hematological parameters, as well as conventional and osmotic gradient RBC deformability. Analyzing the elongation index (EI)–osmolality curves, we found the highest maximal EI values (EI max) in human, dog, and rabbit samples. The lowest EI max values were seen in sheep and cat samples, in addition to a characteristic leftward shift of the elongation index–osmolality curves. We found significant differences in the hyperosmolar region. A correlation of mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration with osmoscan parameters was found. Osmotic gradient deformability provides further information for better exploration of microrheological diversity between species and may help to better understand the alterations caused by osmolality changes in various disorders