Cell Stress during Development and Disease - Special Issue, Review article Balancing DNA repair to prevent ageing and cancer

DNA damage is a constant stressor to the cell. Persistent damage to the DNA over time results in an increased risk of mutation and an accumulation of mutations with age. Loss of efficient DNA damage repair can lead to accelerated ageing phenotypes or an increased cancer risk, and the trade-off between cancer susceptibility and longevity is often driven by the cell's response to DNA damage. High levels of mutations in DNA repair mutants often leads to excessive cell death and stem cell exhaustion which may promote premature ageing. Stem cells themselves have distinct characteristics that enable them to retain low mutation rates. However, when mutations do arise, stem cell clonal expansion can also contribute to age-related tissue dysfunction as well as heightened cancer risk. In this review, we will highlight increasing DNA damage and mutation accumulation as hallmarks common to both ageing and cancer. We will propose that anti-ageing interventions might be cancer preventative and discuss the mechanisms through which they may act

The Target of Rapamycin Signalling Pathway in Ageing and Lifespan Regulation

Ageing is a complex trait controlled by genes and the environment. The highly conserved mechanistic target of rapamycin signalling pathway (mTOR) is a major regulator of lifespan in all eukaryotes and is thought to be mediating some of the effects of dietary restriction. mTOR is a rheostat of energy sensing diverse inputs such as amino acids, oxygen, hormones, and stress and regulates lifespan by tuning cellular functions such as gene expression, ribosome biogenesis, proteostasis, and mitochondrial metabolism. Deregulation of the mTOR signalling pathway is implicated in multiple age-related diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and auto-immunity. In this review, we briefly summarise some of the workings of mTOR in lifespan and ageing through the processes of transcription, translation, autophagy, and metabolism. A good understanding of the pathway’s outputs and connectivity is paramount towards our ability for genetic and pharmacological interventions for healthy ageing and amelioration of age-related disease

The content of heavy metals in the leaves of Hypericum perforatum L. on serpentinite soils in Serbia

St John's wort is one of the best known and used medicinal plants. The demands for St John's wort in Serbia is still supplied by the collection of native plants. Therefore it was necessary to examine the concentration of heavy metals in the soil and in plant material on serpentinites and to assess the potential safe harvesting and further utilisation of this plant species. The research was performed on three serpentinite sites in Serbia: Zlatibor, Divčibare and Goč. The main soil types were determined and the contents of 7 chemical elements were analyzed in the soil and in the plant material. It was determined that the soils of all three localities had increased concentrations of nickel, chromium and manganese. The St John's wort plant material (leaves) showed the increased concentrations of iron, nickel and chromium. It was concluded that St John's wort was a tolerant species regarding the heavy metal content, and it was recommended to avoid its harvesting on the investigated localities

ATTITUDES OF CROATIAN PSYCHIATRISTS TOWARDS LONG-ACTING INJECTABLE ANTIPSYCHOTICS

Background: Despite many advantages of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIA), this type of therapy is still underused in routine practice. Since psychiatrists\u27 attitudes play an important role in prescription rate of LAIA, we found it valuable to examine their attitudes because, according to our knowledge, there hasn\u27t been similar research in Croatia so far. Subjects and methods: In this research, we included the total of 48 psychiatrists. For research purposes, we created a questionnaire modeled on standardized questionnaire. Results are described with descriptive statistics and Likert scale was used to measure respondents\u27 attitudes to statements. Results: The number of years of their experience in practice is expressed with median of 13.50 years with minimal value of 1.00 and maximum value of 36.00 years. Most of psychiatrists find that LAIA play an important role in treatment of schizophrenia (n=44, 93.62%) and that they tend to prescribe that type of therapy (n=39, 81.25%). Almost all of psychiatrists (n=45, 93.75%) agree or strongly agree that it is easier to control patients\u27 disease if they are treated with LAIA rather than with oral therapy and 32 of them (68.08%) think that doctor-patient relationship is more successful when patients are treated with LAIA than with oral antipsychotics. According to their experience (n=32, 68.08%) patients prefer to be treated with oral antipsychotics instead of LAIA. We expressed approximate percentage of their patients treated with LAIA with median of 20%, with minimum value of 0.00% and maximum value of 70.00%. Conclusion: According to the results of our research, attitudes of psychiatrists towards LAIA are mostly positive, but considering the fact that there is a small number of their patients who are treated with them, we emphasize that psychiatrists still prescribe oral antipsychotics much more often than LAIA. Despite positive attitudes of patients towards LAIA, majority of psychiatrists think that patients would rather choose oral therapy

Utjecaj veličine tijela i obojenosti prilikom odabira partnera kod prugastog smrdljivca (Graphosoma lineatum L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Female as well as male mate choice has already been recognized in many insects. The traits responsible for the mate choice in a striped stink bug (Graphosoma lineatum L.) are not yet explored. This works concentrates on few possible traits responsible for mate choice in a striped stink bug. For this analysis free living copulating individuals as well as the single ones were collected. On two different locations animals were collected and their body length, pronotum broadness and coloration were measured. No differences were found in all measured traits between copulating and control individuals, showing no preferences when choosing copulation partner. Results also show no evidence of assortative mating, referring to the body length and the pronotum broadness of both sexes. All three measured traits seem not to have an influence on the mate choice of both sexes. Further experimental testing is needed to fully excluded importance of body size and coloration in mate choice of a striped stink bug.Odabir partnera od strane ženke, kao i mužjaka, već je prepoznat kod mnogih kukaca. Evoluirale su različite strategije odabira partnera na temelju veličine tijela i zabilježene su kod mnogih vrsta kukaca, uključujući i neke smrdibube (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Osim veličine tijela kod kukaca je zabilježen i utjecaj obojenosti na odabir partnera. Osobine odgovorne za odabir partnera prugastog smrdljivca (Graphosoma lineatum L.) nisu detaljno istražene. Ovaj se rad usredotočuje na utjecaj veličine tijela i obojenosti oba spola kod odabira partnera prugastog smrdljivca. Ukupno 10 dana su na dvije lokacije prikupljane kopulirajuće jedinke, kao i slobodne (nekopulirajuće) jedinke. Životinjama je determiniran spol, izmjerena duljina tijela, širina pronotuma i zabilježena boja. Jedinke u kopulaciji su brojevno označene u svrhu izuzimanja iz analize podatke ponovljenih parenja. Podaci uključuju ukupno 65 različitih kopulacijskih kombinacija, 44 jedinki kontrolnih ženki i 53 kontrolna mužjaka. Za sve tri mjerene osobine nisu pronađene statistički značajne razlike između kopulirajućih i kontrolnih (nekopulirajućih) jedinki, što ukazuje da ne utječu na preferencije prilikom odabira partnera. Rezultati također ne pokazuju dokaze asortativnog parenja, barem što se tiče duljine tijela i širine pronotuma. Kod oba spola čini se da sve tri mjerene osobine nemaju utjecaja na izbor partnera. Unatoč dobivenom, potrebna su daljnja ispitivanja kako bi se u potpunosti isključila važnost veličine tijela i boje u odabiru partnera prugastog smrdljivca, kao i ispitivanja vezana uz mogući utjecaj kemijskih i vibracijskih signala

The impact of within-party and between-party ideological dispersion on fiscal outcomes: evidence from Swiss cantonal parliaments

International audienceThe impact of the fragmentation of executive and legislative bodies on the level and composition of government expenditure is a political feature that attracted considerable attention from economists. However, previous authors have abstracted from two important concepts : ideology and intra-party politics. In this paper, we explicitly account for these two phenomenons, and make two main contributions. First, we show that both intra-party and interparty ideological dispersion matters in the level of public spending. Therefore, it is incorrect to consider parties as monolithic entities. We also show that ideological dispersion matters especially for current expenditures, and not so much for investment expenditures. To do so, we construct a panel database (2003 to 2011) including data from a survey that quantifies the policy preferences of individual party members that were candidates to federal elections in Switzerland

The Attitude to the New Approach to Teaching Cases Proposed by the Croatian Language Curriculum

U radu se iznose rezultati istraživanja stavova učitelja o novomu poretku poučavanja padeža. Ispitano je 334 od ukupno 498 učitelja Hrvatskoga jezika istočnoga dijela Republike Hrvatske u višim razredima osnovne škole pet županija: Osječko-baranjske, Vukovarsko-srijemske, Brodsko-posavske, Požeško-slavonske i Virovitičko-podravkse. Obrađen je veći dio njihovih odgovora koji je obuhvatio obaviještenost o promjeni, poučavanje proširenim padežnim pitanjima, unaprijedni stav prema promjeni, zatim primjenu novoga poretka poučavanja padeža u sklonidbi imenica te ostalih vrsta riječi u V. razredu - pridjeva i brojeva, prednosti i nedostatke novoga poretka te odnos prema promjeni nakon provedbe u praksi. Rezultati su prikazani skupno i po županijama, a na kraju se odgovori uspoređuju prema sljedećim kriterijima obaviještenosti, zainteresiranosti, povjerenja, voljnosti, dosljednosti i promjene stava.The paper is based on the questionnaire of teachers\u27 attitudes towards a new approach to Croatian language Case teaching which has been proposed in the new Croatian curriculum. There were 498 participants who are teachers of Croatian in primary schools (5-8 grade, ages 10-15) in eastern Croatia, its five counties (županija) with their capital towns Osijek, Vukovar, Slavonski Brod, Požega and Virovitica. Part of the questionnaire was analysed, especially on the participants attitudes after the new approach was introduced to them, their own application of it in their teaching (the questions for nouns and other declinable word were asked separately), and the change of their attitude after their own experience in class. Teachers answered about the positive and negative effects they presupposed and experienced. The results were analysed according to the five counties. They were compared according to the following criteria: being informed, interest, inclination to trust the curriculum makers, willingness to take the challenge, consistency and change of attitudes. It was interesting to find not only that counties differed according to the mentioned criteria (some were by far more interested in answering, willing to try and positively oriented after their personal experience), but a minority of the teachers were not aware of their own prejudices. They had answered the part concerning the change of the attitudes after their own personal experience of the new approach in teaching, and given that they did not apply it in teaching, according to their own words, were in effect ineligible to answer at all. Although a lot of teachers still have either an ambiguous attitude or cannot characterise their attitude easily, many of the teachers that have applied the new approach have changed their attitude into positive one

Development of technological processes TI in order to prevent the occurrence of footpad lesions in broiler chickens

U okviru doktorske disertacije prikazani su rezultati ispitivanja razliĉitih tehnoloških postupaka u cilju prevencije nastanka oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića brojlerskih pilića. Istraţivanja su sprovedena u 4 ogleda i to u jednom u kome su vršena ispitivanja fiziĉko – hemijskih i higroskopnih osobina materijala koji se mogu koristiti kao prostirka, kao i tri biološka ogleda koji su imali za cilj da ispitaju uticaj razliĉitih faktora na oštećenja tabanskih jatuĉića kod brojlerskih pilića. Cilj bioloških ogleda je bio da odgovore na pitanje da li se razliĉitim tretmanima prostirke, primenom razliĉitih preparata i ishranom moţe uticati na prevenciju nastanka tabanskih lezija kod brojlerskih pilića. Pored toga, cilj ovih ogleda je bio da se utvrdi kako primenjene tehnologije utiĉu na proizvodne rezultate brojlera. Od fiziĉkih karakteristika materijala koji se mogu koristiti kao prostirka u tovu brojlera ispitivane su sposobnost vezivanja i otpuštanja vode, a od hemijskih sadrţaj suve materije, sadrţaj sirovih vlakana kao i pojedine frakcije (NDF, ADF, hemiceluoza, celuloza i lignin). Biološki ogledi su sprovedeni u objektima eksprimentalne farme (mikro ogled) i u proizvodnim uslovima (makro ogled). U biološkim ogledima kao prostirka je korišćena pšeniĉna slama, a tretmani kojima je pokušano poboljšanje njenih karakteristika su bili seckanje, kao i dodatak mikrobiološko-enzimskog preparata (Micropan Complex®) i lignina. Uticaj ishrane na oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića ispitivan je u biološkom ogledu, ishranom brojlerskih pilića smešama sa smanjenom energijom i dodavanjem enzima koji poboljšava varenje hrane. Kao rezultat uticaja pomenutih tretmana ispitivani su kvalitet prostirke (vlaga, pH i emisija amonijaka), proizvodnih parametri u tovu brojlera (telesna masa, utošak hrane, konverzija, mortalitet i proizvodni indeks), ponašanje brojlera, kao i nastanak i stepen oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića. Ocena oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića je vršena makroskopski (primenom skale od 0-3, a u skladu sa zahvaćenom površinom) i mikroskopski, histološkom analizom koţe tabanskih jastuĉića. Rezultati ispitivanja fiziĉko-hemijskih karakteristika razliĉitih materijala pokazuju da pšeniĉna slama upija velike koliĉine vode, a usled niskog sadrţaja NDF slabo optušta vodu te shodno tome predstavlja loš izbor za prostirku u pogledu nastanka oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića. MeĊutim, rezultati su pokazali da seckanje slame, kao tehnološki postupak, moţe uticati na nastanak i stepen oštećenja tabanskih jastiĉića, ali da dovodi i do povećanja telesnih masa brojlera kao i promena u ponašanju pilića. Dodatak mikrobiološko-enzimskog preparata dovodi do smanjenja pojave i stepena oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića brojlera gajenih i na seckanoj i na nesckanoj slami. Rezultati takoĊe pokazuju da se, u proizvodnim uslovima, primenom lignina u prostirci od neseckane slame moţe smanjiti oštećenje tabanskih jastuĉića. Upotreba smeša koje sadrţe smanjene koliĉine energije uz primenu enzima dovodi do prevencije u pogledu nastanka tabanskih lezija, bez znaĉajnog uticaja na proizvodne rezultate. Histološka analiza tabanskih jastuĉića je pokazala da sistem ocenjivanja koji se zasniva na zahvaćenoj površini tabanskih jastuĉića u saglasnosti sa stepenom i ozbiljnošću oštećenja koţe tabanskih jastuĉića i da moţe predstavljati standardi model za ocenjivanje na liniji klanja. Na osnovu rezultata ove disertacije se moţe zakljuĉiti da primenjeni tehnološki postupci mogu znaĉajno uticati na prevenciju oštećenja tabanskih jastuĉića, bez negativnog uticaja na proizvodne rezultate u tovu brojlera.Within this dissertation, the results of various technological processes are shown in order to prevent the occurrence of damage to the foot pads of broiler chickens. The study was conducted in four trials, one in which we investigated the physical - chemical and hygroscopic properties of materials that can be used as litter, as well as three biological trials which were aimed to examine the influence of various factors on the damage to the foot pads in broiler chickens. The objective of the biological experiments was to answer the question whether the various treatments of litters, usage of different preparations and nutrition can prevent occurrence of foot lesions in broiler chickens. In addition, the aim of this experiment was to determine how the applied technology affects performance of broiler chickens. Among physical properties of materials that can be used as litter in fatting broilers, absorption and release of water were investigate, and among chemical properties there were content of dry matter, crude fiber content as well as individual fractions (NDF, ADF, hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin). Biological experiments were conducted in the facilities of experimental farm (micro experiment) and in production conditions (macro experiment). In biological experiments wheat straw was used as litter and treatments which attempted to improve its characteristics were chopping and addition of microbial-enzyme preparation (Micropan Complex®) and lignin. Feeding influence on damage to the foot pad was tested in a biological experiment, by feeding broilers with reduced energy diet and by adding enzymes that improve digestion. As a result of the impact of the above mentioned treatments there were tested the litter quality (moisture, pH and ammonia emissions), production parameters in fattening broilers (body weight, feed consumption, conversion, mortality and production index), the behavior of broilers, as well as the onset and degree of damage to the foot pads. Assessment of the damage to the foot pads was done macroscopically (on a scale from 0-3, and according to the affected area) and microscopically, by histological analysis of skin of foot pads. Test results of physic-chemical characteristics of different materials indicate that wheat straw absorbs large amounts of water, due to the low content of NDF it releases water slowly and consequently represents a bad choice for a litter in terms of damage to the foot pads. However, the results showed that chopping straw as a technological procedure may influence the onset and degree of damage to the foot pads, but it also leads to an increase in body weight of broilers as well as changes in their behavior. Addition of microbial-enzyme preparation leads to a decrease in the occurrence and level of damage to the foot pads in broilers grown on both chopped and unchopped straw. The results have also shown that, under production conditions, using lignin in the unchopped straw litter it can reduce the damage to the foot pads. The use of mixtures containing a reduced amount of energy with the use of the enzyme leads to prevention in terms of occurrence of foot lesions, without significant impact on performance. Histological analysis of foot pads have showed that the grading system that is based on the affected area of foot pads in accordance with the extent and severity of damage of the skin of foot pads and that it can represent a model for the assessment of standards on the slaughter line. Based on the results of this dissertation it can be concluded that the applied technological procedures can significantly influence the prevention ofdamage to the foot pads, with no negative impact on production results in fattening broilers

THE GREAT WAR IN THE 1910 – 1924 PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLUB OF CROATIAN WRITERS AND ARTISTS IN OSIJEK

Klub hrvatskih književnika i umjetnika u Osijeku djelovao je od 1909. do 1941. godine. Tijekom toga razdoblja izdao je četiri književne publikacije od kojih se u dvije, Književni prilog (1910. – 1915.) i Jeka od Osijeka (1918. – 1924.), mogu pratiti reakcije na Prvi svjetski rat. Riječ je o razdoblju u kojemu je sve vidljivija i kriza monarhije koja će, kao što se zna, završetkom Prvoga svjetskog rata i nestati. To je ujedno vrijeme masovnoga iseljavanja Hrvata u Ameriku, koje svoju kulminaciju doživljava između 1907. i 1911. godine kada zemlju napušta prosječno petnaest tisuća ljudi godišnje. U to vrijeme traje i intenzivno naseljavanje Nijemaca i Mađara u Slavoniju, što je za jednu malu zemlju kakva je Hrvatska sigurno bio društveni šok. S obzirom na to da je Klub djelovao u tom vrlo burnom razdoblju u kojemu je nestalo i nastalo nekoliko država i društvenih sustava, zanimljivo je proučavati kako je književnost reagirala na aktualne društvene promjene. Tekstovi koji se bave ratnom tematikom, mogu se po pojedinim izdanjima pratiti i proučavati te na taj način govoriti o odnosu poetike i politike lokalne sredine. Osim toga, takvi tekstovi ukazuju na paralelnu svjetonazorsku paradigmu koja nalazi put do javnosti. Kako bi rekli novohistoristi – ukazuju na nered u prividno jedinstvenoj epohi. To su također tekstovi u kojima se mogućim pokazuje „proces stvaranja subverzivnih uvida unutar prividno pravovjernih tekstova“(Greenblatt). Za potrebe je ovoga rada provedeno dokumentacijsko istraživanje u Državnome arhivu u Osijeku i u Muzeju Slavonije u Osijeku. Državni arhiv u Osijeku čuva fondove pojedinih članova i suradnika Kluba hrvatskih književnika u Osijeku kao i fond samoga Kluba (signatura fonda HR-DAOS-422). Periodika, koja prati navedeno razdoblje djelovanja Kluba, pohranjena je u Muzeju Slavonije u Osijeku: Hrvatski list, Narodna obrana, Die Drau, Vijenac, Suvremenik, itd. U Muzeju Slavonije nalaze se i primjerci publikacija Kluba: Zbornim Mi, časopis Književni prilog, zabavnik i kalendar Jeka od Osijeka i Jubilarni almanah. Rezultati su istraživanja pokazali da je Klub hrvatskih književnika i umjetnika u Osijeku Klub hrvatskih književnika i umjetnika u Osijeku djelovao je od 1909. do 1941. godine. Tijekom toga razdoblja izdao je četiri književne publikacije od kojih se u dvije, Književni prilog (1910. – 1915.) i Jeka od Osijeka (1918. – 1924.), mogu pratiti reakcije na Prvi svjetski rat. Riječ je o razdoblju u kojemu je sve vidljivija i kriza monarhije koja će, kao što se zna, završetkom Prvoga svjetskog rata i nestati. To je ujedno vrijeme masovnoga iseljavanja Hrvata u Ameriku, koje svoju kulminaciju doživljava između 1907. i 1911. godine kada zemlju napušta prosječno petnaest tisuća ljudi godišnje. U to vrijeme traje i intenzivno naseljavanje Nijemaca i Mađara u Slavoniju, što je za jednu malu zemlju kakva je Hrvatska sigurno bio društveni šok. S obzirom na to da je Klub djelovao u tom vrlo burnom razdoblju u kojemu je nestalo i nastalo nekoliko država i društvenih sustava, zanimljivo je proučavati kako je književnost reagirala na aktualne društvene promjene. Tekstovi koji se bave ratnom tematikom, mogu se po pojedinim izdanjima pratiti i proučavati te na taj način govoriti o odnosu poetike i politike lokalne sredine. Osim toga, takvi tekstovi ukazuju na paralelnu svjetonazorsku paradigmu koja nalazi put do javnosti. Kako bi rekli novohistoristi – ukazuju na nered u prividno jedinstvenoj epohi. To su također tekstovi u kojima se mogućim pokazuje „proces stvaranja subverzivnih uvida unutar prividno pravovjernih tekstova“(Greenblatt). Za potrebe je ovoga rada provedeno dokumentacijsko istraživanje u Državnome arhivu u Osijeku i u Muzeju Slavonije u Osijeku. Državni arhiv u Osijeku čuva fondove pojedinih članova i suradnika Kluba hrvatskih književnika u Osijeku kao i fond samoga Kluba (signatura fonda HR-DAOS-422). Periodika, koja prati navedeno razdoblje djelovanja Kluba, pohranjena je u Muzeju Slavonije u Osijeku: Hrvatski list, Narodna obrana, Die Drau, Vijenac, Suvremenik, itd. U Muzeju Slavonije nalaze se i primjerci publikacija Kluba: Zbornim Mi, časopis Književni prilog, zabavnik i kalendar Jeka od Osijeka i Jubilarni almanah. Rezultati su istraživanja pokazali da je Klub hrvatskih književnika i umjetnika u Osijeku u razdoblju od 1909. do 1941. godine djelovao najčešće oportuno nastojeći se približiti svakoj aktualnoj vlasti. Književni kao i neknjiževni tekstovi koji tematiziraju rat, svjedoče o nekritičkoj svijesti i nekritičkom odnosu prema ratu.The Club of Croatian Writers and Artists in Osijek was active from 1909 till 1941. During thatperiod it has published four literary publications. In the two of them, Književni prilog (1910 -1915) and Jeka od Osijeka (1918 – 1924), we can follow reactions on the World War I. It is the period in which the crisis of the monarchy became more and more apparent. As it is well known, with the end of the World War I the monarchy will disappear. At the same time that is the time of massive imigrations of the Croats to America. The culmination of these imigrations happened between 1907 and 1911 – fifteen thousand people in average were leaving the country in a year. In this period we have an intensive settling of Germans and Hungarians in Slavonia, which, for a small country like Croatia, was definitely a social shock. Since the club was active in that very turbulent period, in which several states and social systems both came into being and disappeared, it is interesting to research how literature reacted to the modern social changes. Texts with the war themes can be followed and researched in some publications. In this way we can talk about the relation between poetics and politics in a local surrounding. Furthermore such texts point to a parallel world-view paradigm which finds its way to the public. As newhistorians would say – they point to the disorder in an ostensibly united epoch. Also those are texts in which „a process of creating subversive insights in ostensibly ortodox texts (Greenblatt) becomes possible. For the purpose of this paper a research of documents was done in the National Archives in Osijek and in the Museum of Slavonia in Osijek. The National Archives in Osijek keep the works of some members and associates of the Club of Croatian Writers in Osijek as well as the works by the Club (signature HR-DAOS-422). Periodicals, that follow the above mentioned period when the Club was active, is kept in the Museum of Slavonia in Osijek: Hrvatski list, Narodna obrana, Die Drau, Vijenac, Suvremenik, etc. In the Museum of Slavonia there are also exemplars of the Club’s publications: proceedings Mi, journal Književni prilog, magazine and calendar Jeka od Osijeka and Jubilarni almanah. The results of the research show that the Club of Croatian Writers and Artists in Osijek in the 1909 – 1941 period acted mostly timeservingly trying to get close to every government. Literary and non-literary texts with the war theme witness about absence of critical awareness and critical attitude towards the war