Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the regulation of female reproductive functions

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) belong to a ligand-dependent nuclear receptor family. In the past decade, numerous studies have revealed the presence and significance of PPARs in the reproductive system. PPARs are expressed at different levels of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. They are also present in the uterus as well as in the placenta and embryonic tissues of different species. PPARs significance has been reported during the estrous/menstrual cycle and pregnancy with the gamma isoform studied most frequently. Several studies indicate that PPARs regulate proliferation of ovarian cells, tissue remodeling and steroidogenesis. In the endometrium, PPARs are engaged in the regulation of prostaglandins, steroids and cytokines synthesis. The role of PPARs in the trophoblast differentiation, maturation and invasion as well as in the embryo development has also been demonstrated. In this review, we summarize current findings concerning the role of PPARs in the regulation of reproductive functions at different levels of the HPG axis during various physiological statuses of females. In addition, the role of PPARs in the modulation of uterine functions as well as the placenta and embryo development has also been discussed

Typha latifolia paludiculture effectively improves water quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions in rewetted peatlands

Paludiculture, the cultivation of crops on wet or rewetted agricultural peatlands, sustainably integrates productive land use with the provision of multiple ecosystem services. Paludiculture crops thrive under waterlogged conditions that stimulate nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal from soil and water and convert serious drainage-induced carbon (C) losses to C sequestration. Nutrient uptake by paludicrops can prevent mobilisation after rewetting and provide opportunities for purification of nutrient-rich water. Uncertainty remains, however, if and to what extent N loading and a subsequent increase in biomass productivity affect nutrient cycling as well as emissions of the potent greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). In this study, we use mesocosms with rewetted peat to investigate the effect of different N sources in surface water on biomass production of Typha latifolia, a typical paludiculture crop, and the emissions of CH4 and N2O. Organic (Azolla filiculoides; urea) or mineral (KNO3 ; NH4NO) N was supplied either a single time (steady state) or repeatedly (pulse) to simulate a total surface water load of 150 kg N ha(-1) . We found that N stimulated aboveground and belowground biomass production and nutrient uptake by T. latifolia. These effects were absent in Azolla treatments. Whereas after two months CH4 emissions arose to substantial amounts (> 10 mg CH4 m(-2) day(-1)) in unvegetated mesocosms loaded with organic N, they remained very low (<1 mg CH4 m(-2) day(-1)) in vegetated mesocosms, despite the labile C pool in the extensive belowground biomass and organic N loading. Overall, N2O emissions were close to zero and were only detected episodically after NO(3)(- )loading, irrespective of plant presence. Our findings support that T. latifolia as a paludicrop effectively removes various forms of N and P when harvested, and strongly mitigates CH4 emission after the rewetting of agricultural peat soils compared to unvegetated conditions

Romantic experience of existence in the letters of Sigmund Krasiński to Delfina Potocka.

The main subject of my licentiate thesis i s romantic experience of existence in letters to Delfina Potocka written by Sigmund Krasiński. The starting point was romance of Sigmund and Delfina showed in these letters. My thesis is divided into four parts, in where I’m describing author’s romantic experience like: love, death and suffering, travels and poetry. Besides some kind of differences, all these parts cross each other and are making one continuous integrity. In subsection concerning love I showed image her passionate emotion, which outcome from letters. We also see figure of Potocka which Krasiński loves. Going forward to the next part, about death and suffering I described pain which was connected with that love. Suffering because separation with loved is also on pages referring to Krasiński travels. During these he recalls days spent together and dreams about these, which may come. The feeling of longing, way of experiencing it and emotions which are involved are source of Sigmund Krasiński many poetic inspirations, what I included in last part of thesis, dedicated to poetry.Przedmiotem mojej pracy licencjackiej jest romantyczne doświadczenie egzystencji w listach Zygmunta Krasińskiego do Delfiny Potockiej. Punktem wyjścia był romans epistolarny Zygmunta i Delfiny. Pracę podzieliłam na cztery części, w których po kolei opisuję romantyczne doświadczenie egzystencji autora. Są nimi: miłość, śmierć i cierpienie, podróże oraz poezja. Mimo pewnej odrębności, wszystkie te elementy przenikają się ze sobą i tworzą jedną nierozerwalną całość. W podrozdziale dotyczącym miłości pokazałam obraz gorącego uczucia, który wynika z listów. Także ukazuje się nam sylwetka Potockiej, jaką kocha Krasiński. Przechodząc do kolejnej części dotyczącej śmierci i cierpienia opisałam ból jaki był z tą miłością ściśle związany. Cierpienie z powodu rozstania z ukochaną ujęte jest także na stronach dotyczących podróży Krasińskiego. Podczas nich wspomina wspólnie spędzone dni i marzy o tych, które mają nadejść. Uczucie tęsknoty, sposób jego przeżywania oraz towarzyszące temu emocje są źródłem wielu natchnień poetyckich Zygmunta, co zawarłam w części ostatniej, poświęconej poezji

The family as the core of a small country in the poetry of Edward Kupiszewski

Przedmiotem mojej pracy magisterskiej jest analiza wierszy i życiorysu Edwarda Kupiszewskiego pod kątem więzi rodzinnej oraz miłości do prowincji, z którą zawarł dożywotnie przymierze do tego stopnia, że pozwolił wsi zakorzenić się w nim i stworzyć jego własne święte miejsca. Interpretując wiersze Kupiszewskiego, przez pryzmat rodziny, posłużę się modelem drzewa genealogicznego - zacznę od tego w jaki sposób poeta przywołuje swoje wspomnienia z okresu dzieciństwa i dorastania w domu rodzinnym. W następnych rozdziałach omówię jaką rolę odegrało w jego życiu i twórczości każde z rodziców, a na kolejnych etapach żona, dzieci i wnuki. Poeta na początku swojej drogi na mapie drzewa genealogicznego, był małą gałązka, ze świeżymi listkami, następnie jako ojciec i dziadek, stopniowo przechodził coraz niżej, do momentu jak stał się pniem, podtrzymującym całą gałąź. W jego twórczości to właśnie w dużej mierze szczęście rodzinne, którego zaznał będąc na każdym etapie życia, było elementem, tworzącym jego święte miejsca i coraz silniejsze wrastanie w prowincję.The subject of my thesis is analyze of poems and biography of Edward Kupiszewski for family ties and love for the province, which he entered into a lifelong covenant to the extent that would allow the village to take root in it and create his own holy places. Interpreting poems Kupiszewskiego, through the prism of the family, I will use the model of the family tree - I'll start with the manner in which the poet recalls his memories of childhood and growing up in the family home. In the following sections I will discuss the role played in the life and work of each of the parents, and the next stages of wife, children and grandchildren. Poet at the beginning of his way to map the family tree was a small twig with fresh leaves, then as a father and grandfather, passed gradually lower and lower until it became a trunk, supporting the entire branch. In his work it is largely family happiness he experienced being at every stage of life, was the element forming the holy places and getting stronger ingrowth in the province

Personality and temperament types and stress coping strategies of mothers of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

Wprowadzenie. Rodzice wychowujący dziecko z diagnozą autyzmu doświadczają wielu wyzwań związanych z opieką nad nim, które wpływają na poziom doświadczanego przez nich stresu. Cel. Celem pracy była analiza zależności między cechami osobowości i temperamentu matek wychowujących dzieci z diagnozą zaburzeń należących do spektrum autyzmu (ASD) a stylami radzenia sobie ze stresem. Materiały i metody. Badaniami objęto 58 kobiet wychowujących dzieci z diagnozą lekarską zaburzeń należących do spektrum autyzmu (według DSM-5). W pracy zastosowano różne narzędzia badawcze, takie jak: własna ankieta, Kwestionariusz Radzenia Sobie w Sytuacjach Stresowych CISS, Kwestionariusz Temperamentu EAS-D w wersji dla dorosłych oraz polską adaptację 10-punktowego Inwentarza Osobowości TIPI-PL. Wyniki i wnioski. Wyniki analiz statystycznych informują o występowaniu znaczących ujemnych korelacji między czynnikami osobowości matek: ekstrawersją i stabilnością emocjonalną, a stylem radzenia sobie ze stresem zorientowanym na emocjach. Dodatnie korelacje otrzymano między cechami temperamentu badanych: negatywną emocjonalnością a stylem radzenia sobie ze stresem zorientowanym na emocjach i unikaniu. Na podstawie analizy skupień wyodrębniono dwie grupy matek: z typem osobowości i temperamentu introwertywnym/niestabilnym emocjonalnie/z negatywną emocjonalnością oraz typem ekstrawertywnym/stabilnym emocjonalnie/z pozytywną emocjonalnością, które różnią się istotnie preferowanymi stylami radzenia sobie ze stresem. Cechy osobowości badanych kobiet: nasilona introwersja, nieśmiałość i neurotyczność łączą się istotnie z preferowaniem stylu radzenia sobie ze stresem skoncentrowanego na emocjach. Cechy temperamentu badanych kobiet: tendencja do reagowania niezadowoleniem, złością, agresją, czyli negatywna emocjonalność, łączy się ze stylem radzenia sobie ze stresem skoncentrowanym na emocjach oraz na unikaniu. Kobiety z typem osobowości introwertywnym/niestabilnym emocjonalnie/z negatywną emocjonalnością istotnie częściej niż kobiety z typem osobowości ekstrawertywnym/stabilnym emocjonalnie stosują w sytuacji stresu styl skoncentrowany na emocjach.Introduction. Parents raising a child diagnosed with autism experience numerous challenges related to caring for the child, which impact the levels of stress they undergo. Aim. The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between personality and temperament traits in mothers raising children diagnosed with disorders within the autism spectrum (ASD) and their stress coping strategies. The study also sought answers to the question of whether examined mothers, differing in personality and temperament types, significantly differ in their preferred stress coping strategies. Materials and methods. The study involved 58 women raising children with a medical diagnosis of disorders within the autism spectrum (acc. to DSM-5). Various research tools were applied in the study, such as a custom survey, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), the adult version of the EAS-D Temperament Questionnaire, and the Polish adaptation of the 10-item Big Five Personality Inventory (TIPI-PL). Results and conclusion. The results of statistical analyses indicate the presence of statistically significant negative correlations between mothers’ personality factors such as extraversion and emotional stability and stress coping emotions-oriented strategies. Positive correlations were found between the temperament traits of the examined mothers – negative emotionality and stress coping strategies focused on emotions and avoidance. Based on the cluster analysis, two groups of mothers were identified: those with introverted/emotionally unstable/negative emotionality personality type and those with extraverted/emotionally stable/positive emotionality personality type, significantly differing in their preferred stress coping strategies. Personality traits of the examined women, such as increased introversion, shyness, and neuroticism are significantly correlated with a preference for stress coping strategies focused on emotions. Temperament traits of the examined women, such as a tendency to react with dissatisfaction, anger, and aggression (i.e., negative emotionality) are correlated with stress coping strategies focused on emotions and avoidance. Women with an introverted/emotionally unstable/negative emotionality personality type significantly more often employ stress coping strategies focused on emotions in stressful situations than do women with an extraverted/emotionally stable personality type

Seasonal differences in the testicular transcriptome profile of free-living European beavers (Castor fiber L.) determined by the RNA-Seq method.

The European beaver (Castor fiber L.) is an important free-living rodent that inhabits Eurasian temperate forests. Beavers are often referred to as ecosystem engineers because they create or change existing habitats, enhance biodiversity and prepare the environment for diverse plant and animal species. Beavers are protected in most European Union countries, but their genomic background remains unknown. In this study, gene expression patterns in beaver testes and the variations in genetic expression in breeding and non-breeding seasons were determined by high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Paired-end sequencing in the Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencer produced a total of 373.06 million of high-quality reads. De novo assembly of contigs yielded 130,741 unigenes with an average length of 1,369.3 nt, N50 value of 1,734, and average GC content of 46.51%. A comprehensive analysis of the testicular transcriptome revealed more than 26,000 highly expressed unigenes which exhibited the highest homology with Rattus norvegicus and Ictidomys tridecemlineatus genomes. More than 8,000 highly expressed genes were found to be involved in fundamental biological processes, cellular components or molecular pathways. The study also revealed 42 genes whose regulation differed between breeding and non-breeding seasons. During the non-breeding period, the expression of 37 genes was up-regulated, and the expression of 5 genes was down-regulated relative to the breeding season. The identified genes encode molecules which are involved in signaling transduction, DNA repair, stress responses, inflammatory processes, metabolism and steroidogenesis. Our results pave the way for further research into season-dependent variations in beaver testes

Effect of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Challenge on β-Glucuronidase Activity and the Concentration of Quercetin and Its Metabolites in the Choroid Plexus, Blood Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Quercetin-3-glucuronide (Q3GA), the main phase II metabolite of quercetin (Q) in human plasma, is considered to be a more stable form of Q for transport with the bloodstream to tissues, where it can be potentially deconjugated by β-glucuronidase (β-Gluc) to Q aglycone, which easily enters the brain. This study evaluates the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute inflammation on β-Gluc gene expression in the choroid plexus (ChP) and its activity in blood plasma, ChP and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the concentration of Q and its phase II metabolites in blood plasma and CSF. Studies were performed on saline- and LPS-treated adult ewes (n = 40) receiving Q3GA intravenously (n = 16) and on primary rat ChP epithelial cells and human ChP epithelial papilloma cells. We observed that acute inflammation stimulated β-Gluc activity in the ChP and blood plasma, but not in ChP epithelial cells and CSF, and did not affect Q and its phase II metabolite concentrations in plasma and CSF, except Q3GA, for which the plasma concentration was higher 30 min after administration (p &lt; 0.05) in LPS- compared to saline-treated ewes. The lack of Q3GA deconjugation in the ChP observed under physiological and acute inflammatory conditions, however, does not exclude its possible role in the course of neurodegenerative diseases

Sequencing and quality control results.

<p>Sequencing and quality control results.</p

Abundance and distribution of Castor fiber unigenes compared with the Rattus norvegicus genome.

<p>The outer track shows the density of mapped unigenes of C. fiber to the R. norvegicus genome, in both forward (orange histogram) and reverse (green histogram) strands. The middle track represents exome density throughout R. norvegicus chromosomes in both forward (blue histogram) and reverse (red histogram) strands. The dark blue circles in the inner track depict the percentage of all unigenes aligned to each chromosome (the size of circle corresponds to the percentage of aligned unigenes), whereas the light blue circles depict the density of identified unigenes throughout chromosomes (the size of circle corresponds to the amount of aligned unigenes per chromosome length). The chromosomes length is expressed in million base pairs (Mb).</p