Učinak invazije vrstom Trypanosoma brucei na involuciju maternice nakon partusa.

This study investigated the effects of Trypanosoma brucei infection on post-partum (PP) uterine involution in the albino rat (Rattus norvegicus). Ninety-six rats (80 females and 16 males) were used for the study. The females were divided into 2 equal groups of 40 infected and 40 uninfected. The males which were uninfected were used for mating with the females. From each of the 2 female groups, 5 were humanely sacrifi ced daily from day 0 to day 7 PP. Body mass (BM), uterine mass (UM), uterine mass as a percentage of body mass (UMPBM), uterine histomorphology, packed cell volume (PCV), level of parasitaemia (LOP) and rectal temperature (RT) were evaluated in the females. Results showed that both the UM and the UMPBM of the infected rats were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of the uninfected between days 1 and 7 PP. Uterine histomorphology showed that between days 3 and 7 PP, involution was more advanced in the uninfected group. Uterine sections of the infected rats had more glands, which were also larger in size. Endometrial stroma was less cellular in the uninfected rats and the myometrium showed higher nuclei density for myofi brils, which suggests some loss of cytoplasm. The PCV of the infected rats was significantly lower than that of the uninfected (P<0.01) between days 9 and 14 post-infection (PI), while the RT of the infected rats was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that of the uninfected between days 5 and 14 PI. It was therefore concluded that T. brucei infection led to a significant delay in PP uterine involution, as evidenced by the higher UM and UMPBM, and the uterine histomorphological findings in the infected rats.Istraživanje je provedeno s ciljem određivanja učinka protozoona Trypanosoma brucei na postpartalnu involuciju maternice u albino štakora (Rattus norvegicus). Za istraživanje je rabljeno 96 štakora (80 ženki i 16 mužjaka). Ženke su bile podijeljene u dvije jednake skupine tako da je 40 ženki pripadalo kontrolnoj, a 40 invadiranoj skupini. Neinvadirani mužjaci su poslužili za parenje. Iz svake skupine bilo je eutanazirano pet ženki i to svaki dan (od nultog do sedmog dana). Za svaku ženku bila je određena tjelesna masa, masa maternice, odnos mase maternice i tjelesne mase, histološki nalaz maternice, ukupan broj krvnih stanica, razina parazitemije i rektalna temperatura. Rezultati su pokazali da je u invadiranih štakorica maternica bila značajno teža kao što je bila i značajno veća masa maternice u odnosu na tjelesnu masu ženke (P<0,01) u razdoblju od prvog do sedmog dana nakon partusa. Histološkom pretragom dokazano je da je involucija maternice u razdoblju od trećeg do sedmog dana bila izraženija u neinvadiranih ženki što je dokazano i većim brojem povećanih žlijezdi. Stroma endometrija neinvadiranih životinja sadržavala je manje stanica. U miometriju je dokazana veća gustoća jezgara u miofibrilima što govori u prilog gubitku citoplazme. Ukupan broj krvnih stanica u invadiranih štakorica bio je značajno manji u odnosu na neinvadirane (P<0,01) u razdoblju od devetog do četrnaestog dana nakon invazije. Invadirane štakorice imali su višu tjelesnu temperaturu (P<0,01) u razdoblju od petoga do četrnaestoga dana. Na temelju postignutih rezultata zaključuje se da invazija vrstom Trypanosoma brucei dovodi do značajnog kašnjenja involucije što je potvrđeno većom masom maternice, većom masom u odnosu na tjelesnu masu te histomorfološkim nalazom u invadiranih ženki

Sensitivity of labile carbon fractions to tillage and organic matter management and their potential as comprehensive soil quality indicators across pedoclimatic conditions in Europe

Soil quality is defined as the capacity of the soil to perform multiple functions, and can be assessed by measuring soil chemical, physical and biological parameters. Among soil parameters, labile organic carbon is considered to have a primary role in many soil functions related to productivity and environmental resilience. Our study aimed at assessing the suitability of different labile carbon fractions, namely dissolved organic carbon (DOC), hydrophilic DOC (Hy-DOC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC, also referred to as Active Carbon), hot water extractable carbon (HWEC) and particulate organic matter carbon (POMC) as soil quality indicators in agricultural systems. To do so, we tested their sensitivity to two agricultural management factors (tillage and organic matter input) in 10 European long-term field experiments (LTEs), and we assessed the correlation of the different labile carbon fractions with physical, chemical and biological soil quality indicators linked to soil functions. We found that reduced tillage and high organic matter input increase concentrations of labile carbon fractions in soil compared to conventional tillage and low organic matter addition, respectively. POXC and POMC were the most sensitive fractions to both tillage and fertilization across the 10 European LTEs. In addition, POXC was the labile carbon fraction most positively correlated with soil chemical (total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and cation exchange capacity), physical (water stable aggregates, water holding capacity, bulk density) and biological soil quality indicators (microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, and soil respiration). We conclude that POXC represents a labile carbon fraction sensitive to soil management and that is the most informative about total soil organic matter, nutrients, soil structure, and microbial pools and activity, parameters commonly used as indicators of various soil functions, such as C sequestration, nutrient cycling, soil structure formation and soil as a habitat for biodiversity. Moreover, POXC measurement is relatively cheap, fast and easy. Therefore, we suggest measuring POXC as the labile carbon fraction in soil quality assessment schemes in addition to other valuable soil quality indicators.</p

Učinak invazije vrstom Trypanosoma brucei na involuciju maternice nakon partusa.

This study investigated the effects of Trypanosoma brucei infection on post-partum (PP) uterine involution in the albino rat (Rattus norvegicus). Ninety-six rats (80 females and 16 males) were used for the study. The females were divided into 2 equal groups of 40 infected and 40 uninfected. The males which were uninfected were used for mating with the females. From each of the 2 female groups, 5 were humanely sacrifi ced daily from day 0 to day 7 PP. Body mass (BM), uterine mass (UM), uterine mass as a percentage of body mass (UMPBM), uterine histomorphology, packed cell volume (PCV), level of parasitaemia (LOP) and rectal temperature (RT) were evaluated in the females. Results showed that both the UM and the UMPBM of the infected rats were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of the uninfected between days 1 and 7 PP. Uterine histomorphology showed that between days 3 and 7 PP, involution was more advanced in the uninfected group. Uterine sections of the infected rats had more glands, which were also larger in size. Endometrial stroma was less cellular in the uninfected rats and the myometrium showed higher nuclei density for myofi brils, which suggests some loss of cytoplasm. The PCV of the infected rats was significantly lower than that of the uninfected (P<0.01) between days 9 and 14 post-infection (PI), while the RT of the infected rats was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that of the uninfected between days 5 and 14 PI. It was therefore concluded that T. brucei infection led to a significant delay in PP uterine involution, as evidenced by the higher UM and UMPBM, and the uterine histomorphological findings in the infected rats.Istraživanje je provedeno s ciljem određivanja učinka protozoona Trypanosoma brucei na postpartalnu involuciju maternice u albino štakora (Rattus norvegicus). Za istraživanje je rabljeno 96 štakora (80 ženki i 16 mužjaka). Ženke su bile podijeljene u dvije jednake skupine tako da je 40 ženki pripadalo kontrolnoj, a 40 invadiranoj skupini. Neinvadirani mužjaci su poslužili za parenje. Iz svake skupine bilo je eutanazirano pet ženki i to svaki dan (od nultog do sedmog dana). Za svaku ženku bila je određena tjelesna masa, masa maternice, odnos mase maternice i tjelesne mase, histološki nalaz maternice, ukupan broj krvnih stanica, razina parazitemije i rektalna temperatura. Rezultati su pokazali da je u invadiranih štakorica maternica bila značajno teža kao što je bila i značajno veća masa maternice u odnosu na tjelesnu masu ženke (P<0,01) u razdoblju od prvog do sedmog dana nakon partusa. Histološkom pretragom dokazano je da je involucija maternice u razdoblju od trećeg do sedmog dana bila izraženija u neinvadiranih ženki što je dokazano i većim brojem povećanih žlijezdi. Stroma endometrija neinvadiranih životinja sadržavala je manje stanica. U miometriju je dokazana veća gustoća jezgara u miofibrilima što govori u prilog gubitku citoplazme. Ukupan broj krvnih stanica u invadiranih štakorica bio je značajno manji u odnosu na neinvadirane (P<0,01) u razdoblju od devetog do četrnaestog dana nakon invazije. Invadirane štakorice imali su višu tjelesnu temperaturu (P<0,01) u razdoblju od petoga do četrnaestoga dana. Na temelju postignutih rezultata zaključuje se da invazija vrstom Trypanosoma brucei dovodi do značajnog kašnjenja involucije što je potvrđeno većom masom maternice, većom masom u odnosu na tjelesnu masu te histomorfološkim nalazom u invadiranih ženki

African Communitarianism and Difference

There has been the recurrent suspicion that community, harmony, cohesion, and similar relational goods as understood in the African ethical tradition threaten to occlude difference. Often, it has been Western defenders of liberty who have raised the concern that these characteristically sub-Saharan values fail to account adequately for individuality, although some contemporary African thinkers have expressed the same concern. In this chapter, I provide a certain understanding of the sub-Saharan value of communal relationship and demonstrate that it entails a substantial allowance for difference. I aim to show that African thinkers need not appeal to, say, characteristically Euro-American values of authenticity or autonomy to make sense of why individuals should not be pressured to conform to a group’s norms regarding sex and gender. A key illustration involves homosexuality

Информационно-аналитические программы на государственных телевизионных каналах

Assessing soil microbial functionality has the potential to reveal meaningful effects of soil management on soil processes influencing soil quality. We used MicroResp™ to assess microbial respiration upon the addition of six carbon substrates (glucose, alanine, aminobutyric acid, N-acetyl glucosamine, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, and lignin). From this, we calculated the multiple substrate induced respiration (MSIR), the microbial catabolic profile expressed as absolute and relative utilization rate, and the Shannon microbial functional diversity index (H′). We tested the effect of tillage (reduced vs. conventional) and organic matter addition (high vs. low) on these microbial parameters in soil from 10 European long-term field experiments (LTEs), and investigated their relationships with labile organic carbon fractions and various soil parameters linked to soil functions. Reduced tillage and high organic matter input increased MSIR compared to conventional tillage and low organic matter input. In addition, reduced tillage resulted in a small but significant increase in functional diversity compared to conventional tillage. An increase in soil management intensity (CT-Low > CT-High > RT-Low > RT-High) was associated with lower utilization of all the substrates expressed as absolute utilization rate, and a proportionately higher utilization of alpha-ketoglutaric acid compared to the other substrates. More intensive management systems also showed lower soil quality as measured by various soil parameters, in particular total and labile organic carbon, basal respiration, and microbial biomass nitrogen. The present work shows for the first time the key role of labile organic carbon, as affected by soil management, in determining microbial functional diversity. Aggregating results from 10 European arable LTEs, making use of a comprehensive dataset, MicroResp™ showed that reduced tillage and increased organic matter addition created a more favourable habitat for the microbial community to utilize different carbon substrates and, thereby, the potential for nutrient cycling.</p