Kromatográfiás, kapilláris elektroforetikus és termikus módszerek kidolgozása biológiai és környezeti minták speciációs analízisére = Development of chromatographic, capillary electrophoretic and thermochemical methods for speciation analysis of biological and environmental samples

A pályázat címében és a Kutatási Szerződés munkatervében kitűzött céloknak megfelelően nyomelem-analitikai és nyomelem-speciációs módszereket dolgoztunk ki biológiai, humánbiológiai és környezeti minták elemzésére kromatográfiás, kapilláris elektroforetikus és termokémiai elvek felhasználásával és alkalmazásával. Az ismertetésre kerülő módszerek első csoportja a speciációs analitikai módszerek teljesítőképességének növelését a mintabeviteli módszerek hatásfokának javításával biztosítja. A kidolgozott módszerek egy jelentős csoportját képezik azok a gyors, viszonylag olcsó krómspeciációs módszerek, melyek nagy érzékenységüket a grafitkemencés atomabszorpciós spektrometriás detektálásnak köszönhetik. Külön ígéretesnek tekinthető a kidolgozott termospektrometriás módszer, amely új területet nyit meg mind a termoanalitika, mind a speciációs analitika, mind pedig az anyagtudomány területén. A természetes minták köre, amelyre a kidolgozott módszereket alkalmaztuk felszíni és ivóvizek, szálló és ülepedő porok, nyál, vérszérum és élelmiszer. Közlemények száma: 9 folyóiratcikk, 50 előadás | In accordance with the goals formulated in the title of the application and in the work plan of the Research Contract, trace element analytical and trace element speciation methods were elaborated for the analysis of biological, human biological and environmental samples making use of chromatogaphic, capillary electrophoretic and thermal methods. The first presented group of methods ensure the enhancement of the speciation analytical method performance by increasing the efficiency of sample introduction method. An important group of the elaborated methods are those which are fast and relatively cheap chromium speciation methods, whose great sensitivity is due to the detection by graphite furnace atomic absorption method. The elaborated thermal spectrometric method can be regarded especially promising, it opens new research fields in thermal analysis, speciation analysis and material science too. Natural samples analized with the elaborated methods range from surface and drinking water, flying and settling dust, saliva and serum to food samples. Number of Publications to OTKA ID number T 043366: 9 papers, 50 lecture

Immuno-Thrombotic Effects of Platelet Serotonin

Platelets transport and store serotonin at a high concentration in dense granules and release it upon activation. Abnormal serotonin concentrations in the blood plasma or increased platelet serotonin release promote the development of thrombosis, sepsis, allergic asthma, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Consequently, experimental data suggest possible benefits of serotonin receptor blockade or inhibition of platelet serotonin uptake in the indicated human diseases. Here, we highlight the current state of basic biological research regarding the role of platelet serotonin in normal and pathophysiological conditions focusing on thrombotic and inflammatory diseases. We also describe the possible clinical applicability of targeting thrombo-immune-modulatory effects of platelet serotonin to treat common health problems

Extracellular DNA-A Danger Signal Triggering Immunothrombosis

Clotting and inflammation are effective danger response patterns positively selected by evolution to limit fatal bleeding and pathogen invasion upon traumatic injuries. As a trade-off, thrombotic, and thromboembolic events complicate severe forms of infectious and non-infectious states of acute and chronic inflammation, i.e., immunothrombosis. Factors linked to thrombosis and inflammation include mediators released by platelet granules, complement, and lipid mediators and certain integrins. Extracellular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was a previously unrecognized cellular component in the blood, which elicits profound proinflammatory and prothrombotic effects. Pathogens trigger the release of extracellular DNA together with other pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Dying cells in the inflamed or infected tissue release extracellular DNA together with other danger associated molecular pattern (DAMPs). Neutrophils release DNA by forming neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) during infection, trauma or other forms of vascular injury. Fluorescence tissue imaging localized extracellular DNA to sites of injury and to intravascular thrombi. Functional studies using deoxyribonuclease (DNase)-deficient mouse strains or recombinant DNase show that extracellular DNA contributes to the process of immunothrombosis. Here, we review rodent models of immunothrombosis and the evolving evidence for extracellular DNA as a driver of immunothrombosis and discuss challenges and prospects for extracellular DNA as a potential therapeutic target

Szénkalitka (fullerén) és hosszú szénláncú, (C30) fordított fázisú szorbensek és szorpciós viszonyok a folyadékkromatográfiában = Carbon-cage (fullerene) and long chain reversed phase adsorbents (C30) and investigation of the sorption equilibrium in liquid chromatography

A kutatás negyedik évében a fullerén kutatások területén két területen értünk el jelentős előrelépést. Fullerének, mint kromatográfiás állófázisok vizsgálatában kimutattuk, hogy szilikagél alapú, fullerén C60 borított szorbensek kiválóan alkalmazhatók hidrofil biomolekulák (foszfopeptidek, glikált peptidek, flavonoidok) koncentrálására, sómentesítésére, frakcionálására. Vizsgáltuk ezen újszerű szorbensek terhelhetőségét, alkalmasságát fehérjeszerkezet meghatározásában. Megállapítottuk, hogy a szokásos fordított fázisú szorbensekhez hasonlítva hidrofil biomolekulák prekoncentrálására sokkal hatásosbban alkalmazhatóak. Fullerének, mint a MALDI-TOF tömegspekrometriában alkalmazható mátrixvegyületek vizsgálatánál bizonyítottuk, hogy a MALDI Tof eljárással csak nehezen analizálható szteroidhormonok (ösztrogének, androgének) ionizálására kitűnően felhasználhatók. C30-as tölteteinket további alkalmazásokban vörösboranalitikában alkalmaztuk. Nagyszámú borminta analízisével kimutattuk, hogy a vörösborok polifenoltartalma erősebben függ a borkészítés technológiájától (a borásztól), mint földrajzi, vagy időjárási körülményektől. Kísérletesen, a C30 állófázisok hatékony elválasztási tulajdonságát kihasználva, elsőként bizonyítottuk, hogy a transz rezveratrol (mely a vörösborok fő kardioprotektív hatóanyaga) oxidádációs terméke közeli UV fény hatására az eddig ismert cisz-rezveratrol mellett egy a szénláncban hármas kötéssel rendelkező polifenol (3,4',5-trihidroxidifenilacetilén). | In the fourth year of our investigations we achieved new results in two fields of fullerene research. It has been demonstrated, that C60 fullerene coated silica stationary phases are excellent for the preconcentration, desalting, fractionating of hydrophilic biomolecules (flavonoids, phosphopeptides, glycopeptides). The loadability of these new phases has been studied. The new phases were found to be excellent for sequence coverage studies of proteins and tryptic digest of proteins. Fullerenes have been used for matrix materials in MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. The ionization of estrogens and androgens were more affective by using C60 or C70 fullerenes as matrices, than any other commonly used matrix material. Our new C30 packings have been extensively used for red wine analysis. It has been found that the most important factor in wine making for high polyphenol contentof wine is the oenologist, rather than geographic or meteorological factors. Exploiting the high separation power of the new C30 phase a new oxidation product of trans-resveratrol has been found. By irradiation of trans resveratrol not only the well known cis-resveratrol has been formed but we detected and described a new tripe-bond polyphenol: 3,4',5-trihydroxy-diphenylacetylene

Insight into the own resources system of the EU through the spectacle of the Hungarian VAT based payment

The article firstly gives a short summary concerning the own resources system financing the budget of the EU and the state of the VAT based resource within this system. Afterwards, with the help of the Hungarian VAT base statement, it specifies the methodology of the calculation of the harmonised VAT base and the own resource itself. Finally it presents an overview of the reform concepts for the future of the own resources system

Platelet-Cancer Interplay: Molecular Mechanisms and New Therapeutic Avenues

Although platelets are critically involved in thrombosis and hemostasis, experimental and clinical evidence indicate that platelets promote tumor progression and metastasis through a wide range of physical and functional interactions between platelets and cancer cells. Thrombotic and thromboembolic events are frequent complications in patients with solid tumors. Hence, cancer modulates platelet function by directly inducing platelet-tumor aggregates and triggering platelet granule release and altering platelet turnover. Also, platelets enhance tumor cell dissemination by activating endothelial cell function and recruiting immune cells to primary and metastatic tumor sites. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the complex interactions between platelets and tumor cells and the host microenvironment. We also critically discuss the potential of anti-platelet agents for cancer prevention and treatment

Comparison of speckle-tracking echocardiography with invasive hemodynamics for the detection of characteristic cardiac dysfunction in type-1 and type-2 diabetic rat models

BACKGROUND: Measurement of systolic and diastolic function in animal models is challenging by conventional non-invasive methods. Therefore, we aimed at comparing speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived parameters to the indices of left ventricular (LV) pressure-volume (PV) analysis to detect cardiac dysfunction in rat models of type-1 (T1DM) and type-2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Rat models of T1DM (induced by 60 mg/kg streptozotocin, n = 8) and T2DM (32-week-old Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats, n = 7) and corresponding control animals (n = 5 and n = 8, respectively) were compared. Echocardiography and LV PV analysis were performed. LV short-axis recordings were used for STE analysis. Global circumferential strain, peak strain rate values in systole (SrS), isovolumic relaxation (SrIVR) and early diastole (SrE) were measured. LV contractility, active relaxation and stiffness were measured by PV analysis. RESULTS: In T1DM, contractility and active relaxation were deteriorated to a greater extent compared to T2DM. In contrast, diastolic stiffness was impaired in T2DM. Correspondingly, STE described more severe systolic dysfunction in T1DM. Among diastolic STE parameters, SrIVR was more decreased in T1DM, however, SrE was more reduced in T2DM. In T1DM, SrS correlated with contractility, SrIVR with active relaxation, while in T2DM SrE was related to cardiac stiffness, cardiomyocyte diameter and fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Strain and strain rate parameters can be valuable and feasible measures to describe the dynamic changes in contractility, active relaxation and LV stiffness in animal models of T1DM and T2DM. STE corresponds to PV analysis and also correlates with markers of histological myocardial remodeling

Can aquatic macrophytes be biofilters for gadolinium based contrasting agents?

The use of gadolinium-based contrasting agents (GBCA) is increasing because of the intensive usage of these agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Waste-water treatment does not reduce anthropogenic Gd-concentration significantly. Anomalous Gd-concentration in surface waters have been reported worldwide. However, removal of GBCA-s by aquatic macrophytes has still hardly been investigated. Four aquatic plant species (Lemna gibba, Ceratophyllum demersum, Elodea nuttallii, E. canadensis) were investigated as potential biological filters for removal of commonly used but structurally different GBCA-s (Omniscan, Dotarem) from water. These plant species are known to accumulate heavy metals and are used for removing pollutants in constructed wetlands. The Gd uptake and release of the plants was examined under laboratory conditions. Concentration-dependent infiltration of Gd into the body of the macrophytes was measured, however significant bioaccumulation was not observed. The tissue concentration of Gd reached its maximum value between day one and four in L. gibba and C. demersum, respectively, and its volume was significantly higher in C. demersum than in L gibba. In C. demersum, the open-chain ligand Omniscan causes two-times higher tissue Gd concentration than the macrocyclic ligand Dotarem. Gadolinium was released from Gd-treated duckweeds into the water as they were grown further in Gd-free nutrient solution. Tissue Gd concentration dropped by 50% in duckweed treated by Omniscan and by Dotarem within 1.9 and 2.9 days respectively. None of the macrophytes had a significant impact on the Gd concentration of water in low and medium concentration levels (1-256 mu g L-1). Biofiltration of GBCA-s by common macrophytes could not be detected in our experiments. Therefore it seems that in constructed wetlands, aquatic plants are not able to reduce the concentration of GBCA-s in the water. Furthermore there is a low risk that these plants cause the accumulation of anthropogenic Gd in the food chain. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd