Újabb szenzációs őslénytani leletek a pulai alginitbányából = Further remarkable palaeontological finds at the alginite quarry in Pula

Remains of a volcanic crater from the Pliocene (4 million years ago), fi lled with alginite,were discovered near the village of Pula, Veszprém County, in 1973. Paleontological research begun at the Pula alginite mine in 2003 has yielded several hundred specimens for the collections at the Bakony Museum of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The latest collections have yielded large numbers of insects (mayfl y larvae, dragonfl ies, bugs, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, fl ies, wasps, beetles, etc.) and specimens of moss. Many of the specimens are from extant genera and the species can be identifi ed in some cases. Specimens of two groups of such insect fossils have presentday relatives in the Mediterranean basin (Isoptera; Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae: Dicladispa). The aquatic and shoreline fauna of the lake must have been extremely diverse. The climate in the area was warmer than today. With 18 figures

Off-flavour compounds in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) flesh in context of type of fish pond

The aim of our study was to survey the geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) concentrations of the sediment and that of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) flesh in three different Hungarian fish farms (clayey, marshy, and sodic ponds). Results showed that the concentrations of off-flavour compounds of the sediment and fish fillets were related to the natural environment. The GSM concentration of bottom soil samples was higher, than MIB in each fish farm. Both off-flavour compounds were the highest in the marshy fish pond and the lowest in the sodic pond. In case of fish flesh, significant differences were found between the farms in GSM level and fat content. In the fish flesh the same tendency was found as in the sediments, but surprisingly, MIB concentration was higher in the fillets, referring to accumulation

Structural water stabilizes protein motifs in liquid protein phase: The folding mechanism of short β-sheets coupled to phase transition

Macromolecular associates, such as membraneless organelles or lipid-protein assemblies, provide a hydrophobic environment, i.e., a liquid protein phase (LP), where folding preferences can be drastically altered. LP as well as the associated phase change from water (W) is an intriguing phenomenon related to numerous biological processes and also possesses potential in nanotechnological applications. However, the energetic effects of a hydrophobic yet water-containing environment on protein folding are poorly understood. Here, we focus on small β-sheets, the key motifs of proteins, undergoing structural changes in liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and also model the mechanism of energy-coupled unfolding, e.g., in proteases, during W → LP transition. Due to the importance of the accurate description for hydrogen bonding patterns, the employed models were studied by using quantum mechanical calculations. The results demonstrate that unfolding is energetically less favored in LP by ~0.3–0.5 kcal\ub7mol−1 per residue in which the difference further increased by the presence of explicit structural water molecules, where the folded state was preferred by ~1.2–2.3 kcal\ub7mol−1 per residue relative to that in W. Energetics at the LP/W interfaces was also addressed by theoretical isodesmic reactions. While the models predict folded state preference in LP, the unfolding from LP to W renders the process highly favorable since the unfolded end state has >1 kcal\ub7mol−1 per residue excess stabilization

DEVELOPMENT OF cDNA NORMALIZATION SYSTEM AND PRELIMINARY TRANSCRIPTION ANALYSIS OF KCS GENES IN APPLE TISSUES

Abstract ALBERT, ZS., DEÁK, CS., MISKÓ, A., TÓTH, M., PAPP, I.: Development of cDNA normalization system and preliminary transcription analysis of KCS genes in apple tissues. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2011, LIX, No. 3, pp. 9-12 Wax production is an important aspect of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) fruit development from both theoretical and practical point of views. The complex molecular mechanism that controls wax biosynthesis is still widely unknown but many studies focused on this topic. We aimed to develop further the experimental framework of these eff orts with a description of an improved reference genes expression system. Results in the literature show that similarities exist among the expression of some housekeeping genes of diff erent plant species. Based on these considerations and on gene expression data from Arabidopsis thaliana, some genes in apple were assigned for analysis. EST sequences of apple were used to design specifi c primers for RT-PCR experiments. Isolation of intact RNA from diff erent apple tissues and performing RT-PCR reaction were also key point in obtaining expression patterns. To monitor DNA contamination of the RNA samples, specifi c primers were used that amplify intron-containing sequences from the cDNA. We found that actin primers can be used for the detection of intron containing genomic DNA, and tubulin primers are good internal controls in RT-PCR experiments. We were able to make a diff erence between tissue-specifi c and tissue-independent gene-expression, furthermore we found tissue specifi c diff erences between the expression patterns of candidate genes, that are potentially involved in wax-biosynthesis. Our results show that KCS1 and KCS4 are overexpressed in the skin tissue, this could mean that these genes have skin-specifi c expression in apple fruit. wax, cuticle, RT-PCR, cDNA, gene expression, apple (Malus domestica

Evaluation of efalizumab using safe psoriasis control

BACKGROUND: Safe Psoriasis Control (SPC) is an important comprehensive measure that is validated for the assessment of benefit:risk of psoriasis treatments, combining efficacy, quality of life, and safety measures. The objective of this analysis was to assess the benefit:risk of efalizumab, a novel biologic agent indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, by applying the SPC to data from randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies of efalizumab. METHODS: SPC was applied to week 12 data from four placebo-controlled, Phase III studies: three retrospective and one prospective, the latter including a cohort of "high-need" patients for whom existing therapies were inadequate or unsuitable. RESULTS: In the retrospective analysis, 39.4% of patients achieved SPC after 12 weeks of treatment with efalizumab, compared with 10.4% for placebo. In the prospective analysis, 34.3% of patients achieved SPC after 12 weeks of treatment with efalizumab, compared with 7.3% on placebo. Among high-need patients, 33.0% achieved SPC, compared with 3.4% on placebo. CONCLUSION: Efalizumab has a favorable benefit:risk profile using the comprehensive outcome measure SPC

Introduction to the functional RG and applications to gauge theories

These lectures contain an introduction to modern renormalization group (RG) methods as well as functional RG approaches to gauge theories. In the first lecture, the functional renormalization group is introduced with a focus on the flow equation for the effective average action. The second lecture is devoted to a discussion of flow equations and symmetries in general, and flow equations and gauge symmetries in particular. The third lecture deals with the flow equation in the background formalism which is particularly convenient for analytical computations of truncated flows. The fourth lecture concentrates on the transition from microscopic to macroscopic degrees of freedom; even though this is discussed here in the language and the context of QCD, the developed formalism is much more general and will be useful also for other systems.Comment: 60 pages, 14 figures, Lectures held at the 2006 ECT* School "Renormalization Group and Effective Field Theory Approaches to Many-Body Systems", Trento, Ital

Diclofenac Prolongs Repolarization in Ventricular Muscle with Impaired Repolarization Reserve

Background: The aim of the present work was to characterize the electrophysiological effects of the non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drug diclofenac and to study the possible proarrhythmic potency of the drug in ventricular muscle. Methods: Ion currents were recorded using voltage clamp technique in canine single ventricular cells and action potentials were obtained from canine ventricular preparations using microelectrodes. The proarrhythmic potency of the drug was investigated in an anaesthetized rabbit proarrhythmia model. Results: Action potentials were slightly lengthened in ventricular muscle but were shortened in Purkinje fibers by diclofenac (20 mM). The maximum upstroke velocity was decreased in both preparations. Larger repolarization prolongation was observed when repolarization reserve was impaired by previous BaCl 2 application. Diclofenac (3 mg/kg) did not prolong while dofetilide (25 mg/kg) significantly lengthened the QT c interval in anaesthetized rabbits. The addition of diclofenac following reduction of repolarization reserve by dofetilide further prolonged QT c . Diclofenac alone did not induce Torsades de Pointes ventricular tachycardia (TdP) while TdP incidence following dofetilide was 20%. However, the combination of diclofenac and dofetilide significantly increased TdP incidence (62%). In single ventricular cells diclofenac (30 mM) decreased the amplitude of rapid (I Kr ) and slow (I Ks ) delayed rectifier currents thereby attenuating repolarization reserve. L-type calcium current (I Ca ) was slightly diminished, but the transient outward (I to ) and inward rectifier (I K1 ) potassium currents were not influenced. Conclusions: Diclofenac at therapeutic concentrations and even at high dose does not prolong repolarization markedly and does not increase the risk of arrhythmia in normal heart. However, high dose diclofenac treatment may lengthen repolarization and enhance proarrhythmic risk in hearts with reduced repolarization reserve