Acute or chronic stress induce cell compartment-specific phosphorylation of glucocorticoid receptor and alter its transcriptional activity in Wistar rat brain

Chronic stress and impaired glucocorticoid receptor (GR) feedback are important factors for the compromised hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity. We investigated the effects of chronic 21 day isolation of Wistar rats on the extrinsic negative feedback part of HPA axis: hippocampus (HIPPO) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). In addition to serum corticosterone (CORT), we followed GR subcellular localization, GR phosphorylation at serine 232 and serine 246, expression of GR regulated genes: GR, CRF and brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), and activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and Cdk5 kinases that phosphorylate GR. These parameters were also determined in animals subjected to acute 30 min immobilization, which was taken as ‘normal’ adaptive response to stress. In isolated animals, we found decreased CORT, whereas in animals exposed to acute immobilization, CORT was markedly increased. Even though the GR was predominantly localized in the nucleus of HIPPO and PFC in acute, but not in chronic stress, the expression of GR, CRF, and BDNF genes was similarly regulated under both acute and chronic stresses. Thus, the transcriptional activity of GR under chronic isolation did not seem to be exclusively dependent on high serum CORT levels nor on the subcellular location of the GR protein. Rather, it resulted from the increased Cdk5 activation and phosphorylation of the nuclear GR at serine 232 and the decreased JNK activity reflected in decreased phosphorylation of the nuclear GR at serine 246. Our study suggests that this nuclear isoform of hippocampal and cortical GR may be related to hypocorticism i.e. HPA axis hypoactivity under chronic isolation stress

The role of glucocorticoid hormones in diet-induced metabolic diseases

Summary. Excessive fructose intake promotes the development of metabolic syndrome through the deregulation of metabolic pathways in the hypothalamus, liver and adipose tissue, which play crucial roles in metabolic homeostasis by responding to the body’s nutritional and energy requirements. Variable amounts and modes of fructose intake have been shown to result in different patterns of expression of metabolic disturbances, which generally include adiposity, insulin and leptin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension. We explored the possible mediatory role of glucocorticoid signaling on the effects of two different dietary fructose loads on hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and hepatic and adipose tissue lipid metabolism, which are responsible for the development of signs of metabolic syndrome. Experimental rats were provided with 10% and 60% fructose solutions ad libitum over a period of nine weeks. Our results revealed that the applied fructose had different impacts on leptin and glucocorticoid signaling and different consequences on visceral adiposity and hepatic lipid metabolism. Only rats maintained on the high-burden 60% fructose diet accumulated visceral fat through the activation of adipogenic transcription factors and adipogenesis. This was paralleled by diminished glucocorticoid signaling in the adipose tissue and the establishment of the state of hypothalamic leptin resistance. The high-burden dietary fructose triggered hepatic de novo lipogenesis and a concomitant inhibition of β oxidation. Consumption of 10% fructose enhanced glucocorticoid signaling and lipolysis in the adipose tissue, creating a circulatory influx of free fatty acids and providing substrates for enhanced β oxidation and triglyceride synthesis in the liver. In summary, our results show that a long-term high dietary fructose load leads to hypothalamic leptin resistance, the development of visceral adiposity and increased hepatic de novo lipogenesis. Glucocorticoids regulate adipocyte storage functionality and thus may indirectly contribute to the observed changes in hepatic lipid metabolism, aggravating the metabolic disturbance

THE INFLUENCE OF THE ANTHROPOGENIC FACTOR ON THE BIODIVERSITY OF CODLING MOTH NATURAL ENEMIES

The human role in bioecological examinations of codling moths is of crucial importance for the integral protection of pome fruit and the production of healthy and safe food. The codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) is one of the most significant apple pests in terms of causing the diminished yield and poorer fruit quality in apples. As such, the codling moth requires daily monitoring by agricultural producers. The aim of this research was defined by the need for establishing the presence of codling moth natural enemies and the estimation of their codependence in apple plantations with various methods of protection. The examinations were carried out on the territory of Southern Serbia from 2005 to 2008. During the research, the standard entomological methods, such as pheromone traps, branch beating and placing bands around tree trunks, were used to track the presence, number and population dynamics of the codling moth and its natural enemies. The research results revealed the dominant role that the anthropogenic factor has in many segments of the integral apple protection and the production of high-quality apple fruit. Faunistic researches are inevitable for the correct determination of human actions, due to the clear composition of autochthonous natural enemies of the codling moth. The natural enemies of the codling moth whose presence was determined during the research belong to the following orders: Hymenoptera, Diptera, Dermaptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera and Heteroptera. The analysis that has examined the human influence on the autochthonous natural enemies of the codling moth also contributes to the preservation of biodiversity and agrobiocenosis, as well as to the production of high-quality, safe food

The effects of deletion of the Mif gene on the development of obesity and hepatic steatosis in mice on fructose enriched diet

Hronična inflamacija niskog intenziteta ima važnu ulogu u patogenezi metaboličkih poremećaja, kao što su gojaznost i dislipidemija, koji su često izazvani ishranom obogaćenom fruktozom i predstavljaju faktore rizika za razvoj steatoze jetre i dijabetesa tipa 2. Faktor inhibicije migracije makrofaga (MIF) je plejotropni citokin koji pored uloge u regulaciji imunskog odgovora može da reguliše metaboličke procese i oslobađanje insulina iz pankreasa, međutim njegova uloga u metaboličkoj inflamaciji nije još uvek dovoljno razjašnjena. Dodatno, pokazano je da se miševi sa deletiranim genom za Mif odlikuju izmenjenom osetljivošću na insulin i glukozu. Stoga, fokus ovog rada je bio usmeren ka boljem razumevanju molekularnih mehanizama metaboličkih efekata MIF-a, kao i ka rasvetljavanju kontroverzne uloge ovog citokina u ra-zvoju poremećaja lipidnog metabolizma u jetri i visceralnom masnom tkivu miševa na režimu ishrane obogaćene fruktozom.Chronic low-grade inflammation plays an important role in the development of metabolic disorders such as obesity and dyslipidemia, which are often induced by a fructose-enriched diet and are risk factors for the development of hepatic steatosis and type 2 diabetes. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that, in addition to its role in regulating the immune response, can regulate metabolic processes and the release of insulin from the pancreas; however, its role in metabolic inflammation is not well understood. In addition, mice with a deleted Mif gene were found to have altered sensitivity to insulin and glucose. Therefore, the focus of this work was to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the metabolic effects of MIF and to elucidate the controversial role of this cytokine in the development of dyslipidemia in the liver and visceral adipose tissue of mice on fructose-enriched diet

A new resource to understand how countries have responded to COVID-19

Some countries have been better positioned to limit the spread of COVID-19 than others. Roosa Tikkanen, Ana Djordjevic, Reginald D Williams II (Commonwealth Fund) and George A Wharton and Elias Mossialos (LSE) introduce the 2020 International Profiles of Health Care Systems, which help to understand how 20 countries, including Germany, Norway and Taiwan, have made decisions about health care

Neonatal outcome following exposure to organophosphorous pesticides

The aim of our study was to determine the neonatal outcome in mothers and children exposed to organophosphorous pesticides (OP). We found that 22.4% pregnant women were exposed to organophosphorous pesticides. OP pesticide concentration was higher in breast milk, newborn sera than maternal sera. Newborn parameters such as birth weight, birth length, head circumference, Apgar score and presence of meconium, as well as gestational age of delivery, showed no significant difference between the two groups. However, postpartum weight loss, hospitalization duration, levels of newborn bilirubin and glycaemia differed significantly between the two groups. Morbidity and presence of CNS disorders were six times and more than twelve times higher, respectively, in the OP-exposed than in the OP pesticide non-exposed group

PARENTERAL IRON THERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA

Objective – The aim of the study was to determine the efficacy and safety of intravenous iron preparations in a group of children with iron deficiency anemia who did not respond to oral iron supplementation. Materials and methods – We conducted a retrospective study on children who received intravenous iron sucrose and iron gluconate at University Children's Hospital Rijeka between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011. The response to therapy was determined by the difference in the hemoglobin values prior to parenteral treatment and after two months. Results – A total of 76 intravenous iron infusions were administered to twelve children. Patients had a good response to parenteral iron therapy, with a median hemoglobin rise of 2.7 g/dl within two months. There was only one mild adverse reaction. Conclusion – Parenteral iron therapy should be considered in a group of children with iron deficiency anemia who fail to respond to oral iron preparations due to malabsorption, intolerance or poor compliance. The possible occurrence of severe adverse reactions emphasizes the need for close medical observation

Department store’s role in modernization and “demodernization” of city centers in ex-Yugoslavia

The period between 1966 and 1995 is characterized by a constant need for the modernization of society and cities. Department store, introduced as a Western economic model of consumer culture, was established in Yugoslavia after the 1960’s economic reform. This typology had great influence on the market and consumer society in Yugoslavia but had also changed the image and the way central areas in the former Yugoslavia functioned. This paper has two goals. On one hand, it should examine the influence of consumerism in the socialist society of Yugoslavia on the positioning, function, design and construction of the “Belgrade” Department Stores buildings. On the other hand, we believe that the politics of consumer society, mass production and consumerism, integrated into the objects of department stores, significantly influenced the planning and design of city development which can be followed through morphogenic approach. Today, “Belgrade” department stores, built in more than 30 cities with 44 buildings in total, cannot satisfy newest demands in shopping and trade, remain as such in central positions, but with marginalized function. They cannot be perceived only as an economic model, as it was done during the 2009 reconstruction, since this approach cannot provide an adequate solution for reuse, nor can their meaning be understood in the history of city development. These buildings have been printed on postcards, and as such presented a symbol of modernization and tradition, as well as a hallmark of a time and ideology that is still insufficiently known. Research on department store’s previous role in modernization and today’s unfortunate contribution to demodernization of city centers can not only help establish a different approach in a contemporary design and reconstruction but can also address the need to bring them back the significance that they had for society and city or give them new one

"Plot by plot urbanism". Mapping post-socialist changes in urban tissues. Case of Krakow and Belgrade. A comparative study

This paper presents the final findings of the project on the post-socialist urban form undertaken over the last two years with the support of ISUF, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture, and Cracow University of Technology. Historical evolution, a general review of the planning contexts, analysis of urban tissues, and field visits to Krakow and Belgrade, conducted in the first year, have shaped the selection of cases and the general study that has been undertaken for five case studies from both cities. The cases vary from peripheral areas to major city streets and modernistic settings specific for both cities. The final phase implied a review of three pairs from both cities, preparation of the GIS database, and comparison on several grounds: land use pattern, year by year establishment of new plots, FAR and BAR. Plot by plot development is mainly observed through the analysis of interdependences between construction year and plot size, number of buildings on the plot, and the increase of urban parameters and built and unbuilt ratio. The project highlights parallels of conditions to which similar urban tissues in different countries have been exposed in the post-socialist period and reveals the variety of problems and challenges of urban regulation, land ownership and housing investments in relation to postsocialist urban form