Measurement of 60CO gamma radiation induced attenuation in multimode step-index POF at 530 nm

As optical fibres are used ever more extensively in space applications, nuclear industry, medicine and high-energy physics experiments, it has become essential to investigate the influence of ionizing radiation on their characteristics. In this work, the radiation-induced attenuation at 530 nm is investigated experimentally in step-index multimode polymethyl-methacrylate plastic optical fibres exposed to low dose-rate gamma radiation. Cumulative doses ranged from 50 Gy to 500 Gy. The radiation induced attenuation has been empirically found to obey the power law RIA= aDb, where D is the total radiation dose and a and b are the constants determined by fitting

The significance of mixture protein level and population density during pheasant breeding

Uzgoj u kontroliranim uvjetima uobičajena je mjera za održavanje optimalne veličine populacije fazana u lovištima. Za dobivanje kvalitetnih fazana u zatvorenom načinu uzgoja potrebno je osigurati njihov pravilan tretman u tijeku uzgoja, te posebnu pažnju posvetiti načinu ishrane i gustoći naseljenosti. U radu je prikazan utjecaj ishrane i gustoće naseljenosti na uzgoj fazana do ispuštanja u remize za podivljavanje, odnosno do 42. dana starosti. Korištene su smjese hrane sa 30% i 26% sirovih proteina do kraja četvrtog tjedna kako bi se omogućila ishrana bogata proteinima koja je dostupna i u prirodi, a nakon toga je razina sirovih proteina smanjena na 24 % i 20%, čime bi se u potpunosti zadovoljile prirodne potrebe te vrste. Razina proteina kao glavni tretman je sadržavala dva podtretmana, tj. gustoće naseljenosti od 550 i 450 jedinki po boksu. Mjerenje tjelesne mase živih fazana izvršeno je u tri navrata: nakon izlijeganja, nakon 15. dana i 42. dana. Između grupa dobivene su statistički značajne razlike (p<0.01), a za navedena razdoblja mjerenja prikazane su prosječne tjelesne mase po grupama, prirast fazana, dnevni utrošci hrane po fazanu, utrošci hrane za proizvodnju 1 kg prirasta te podaci o mortalitetu kao parametri koji nam upotpunjuju sliku umjetnog uzgoja te vrste divljači.The breeding in controled conditions is a usual measure for the maintaining of the optimal population size in the hunting area. The production of good quality pheasants in artificial breeding depends on the correct treatment, especially regarding their diet, and population density. The paper deals with the influence of diet on 42 day old pheasants in artificial breeding. Two mixtures with two levels of proteins (with 30% and 26% crude protein) until the age of four weks and then were used mixtures with 24%, and 20% of crude proteins. Every level of proteins is used for two densities, 550 and 450 units perbox, so pheasants was performed on four groups of pheasants. The meassurement of body mass of live pheasants was performed three times: 0. day, 15. day and 42. day after establishment of experiment and beetwen groups are statistically significant differences (p<0.01). In this work are showed body mass, body mass increase, daily consumption per pheasant and food consumption for production one kilogram of growth and mortality

Neuroophthalmologic Diagnosis of the Sella Turca Region

A chiasm n. optici is shaped by crossed optic nerves. Approximate vertical distance of 10 mm separates chiasm from dorsum sella turca and pituitary fosse. Twenty-five percent of all cerebral tumors appear in the chiasm area and almost half of them cause damages of visual function. Major and sometimes the only symptom is progressive visual loss. This damage appears because tumor masses are huge and are compressing optic nerves. Sellar region lesions must already be spreading suprasellary before patient can notice visual field defects. The sign of advanced process is symmetric or asymmetric loss of visual acuity or visual field defects. The aim of this study was to show the importance of visual field in the diagnosis of sellar disorders as well as in treatments. Eighteen patients with chiasm disorders were analyzed. Visual field was analyzed before and after treatment according to visual field classifications. The study has shown the importance of visual field testing in diagnosis of sellar processes, as well as in following therapy, surgical or conservative

STARK BROADENING OF Sn III LINES IN A TYPE STELLAR ATMOSPHERES

Abstract. Here we present Stark broadening parameters for Sn III 6s 1 S 0 − 6p 1 P o 1 spectral line obtained by using semiclassical perturbation approach and Stark widths for this transition obtained by using modified semiempirical approach. Results obtained have been compared with available experimental data and used for the consideration of the influence of the Stark broadening effect in A type stellar atmospheres

The correlation between endothelin-1 levels and spirometry in dialysis patients compared to healthy subjects

Background and Aim. Several studies demonstrated a six-fold increase in plasma concentration of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in diaysis patients (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) compared to healthy control subjects. However, the effects of ET-1 on respiratory function in these patients are less known. The aim of this study was to determine the potential differences in spirometric values in relation to ET-1 levels. Methods. The study included 28 patients (15 male, 13 female, mean age 55.9±16. 2 years) with end stage renal diseases (ESRD) receiving regular hemodialysis (HD), 23 patients (10 males, 13 females, mean age 55.8±15.8 years) with ESRD treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) without any cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, and 30 healthy volunteers (14 male, 16 female, mean age 51.8±15.6 years) in control group. In each of the three groups the participants were divided into two additional sub-groups according to the serum levels of ET-1. The spirometry values were recorded before the onset of hemodialysis and prior to emptying the peritoneal cavity in CAPD patients. The results were analyzed using standard statistical methods (Student’s t-test). Results. Patients who were treated with HD or CAPD were found to have significant difference in values of most pulmonary function parameters between subjects with ET-1 levels lower than 6,6 pg/ml and subjects with ET-1 levels higher than 6,6 pg/ml. In the control group there was no difference in pulmonary function parameters in correlation with ET-1 levels. ET-1 values in patients of both dialysis groups were significantly higher compared to healthy subjects. Conclusions. Higher levels of ET-1 in dialysis patients over healthy subjects is associated with lower parameters of lung function tests. A possible pathophysiological mechanism for deterioration of pulmonary function might be explained by progression of inflammation, pulmonary oedema also known as “uraemic lung” or/and the progression of pulmonary hypertension

Kultivacija matičnih i progenitorskih ćelija hematopoeze iz kostne srži hrčka

Hamster, a hibernating animal, is an important experimental model in research on the influence of hypothermia on different physiological processes. A simple procedure for cultivation and identification of hamster hematopoetic stem cells (HSC) and hematopoetic progenitor cells (HPC) is a premise for a successful investigation upon hypothermia effects on hematopoiesis. The aim of this work was to evaluate the utilization of commercially available methylcellulose media (MC) and recombinant mouse and human cytokines for hamster HSC and HPC assays, in order to enable further studies on these cells. Hamster bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) were plated in MC containing cytokines that support mouse or human HPC growth. Also, BMMNC were resuspended in cytokine supplemented liquid media and incubated for 5 weeks with a four day monitoring of viable cell number. We demonstrated that hamster hematopoietic progenitor cells committed for erythroid lineage and myeloid lineage successfully formed recognizable colonies in both mouse and human MC, while multipotent progenitor cells formed colonies only in mouse MC. We also defined conditions for the evaluation of hamster HSC activity in liquid cultures, based on continuous 5 weeks HSC proliferation. The obtained results verify the utilization of mouse specific MC for further research on hamster HPC biology during hypothermia.Fiziološka hibernacija u koju hrčci ulaze prilikom izlaganja niskim temperaturama, čini ove životinje zanimljivim eksperimentalnim modelom za ispitivanje hematopoeze u uslovima hipotermije. Preduslov za ovo ispitivanje je postojanje jednostavne metode za kultivaciju i identifikaciju hematopoetskih ćelija hrčka. Cilj ovog rada je bio da se ispita mogućnost kultivacije progenitorskih ćelija hematopoeze hrčka u kompletnoj metil celulozi dizajniranoj za kultivaciju mišijih i humanih hematopoetskih ćelija, kao i da se odrede optimalni uslovi za kultivaciju matičnih ćelija hematopoeze hrčka u tečnoj kulturi. Mononuklearne ćelije kostne srži hrčka su posađene u metil celulozu i u tečnu kulturu. Oba medijuma su sadržala kombinacije rekombinantnih mišijih i/ili humanih citokina. Kolonije progenitorskih ćelija opredeljenih za mijelopoezu i opredeljenih za eritropoezu su se formirale u metil celulozi dizajniranoj za kultivaciju mišijih i humanih hematopoetskih ćelija, dok su se primitivnije kolonije sastavljene od oba tipa ćelija (mijeloidna i eritrocitna loza) formirale samo u metil celulozi dizajniranoj za kultivaciju mišijih hematopoetskih ćelija. Osim toga, populacija matičnih ćelija hematopoeze hrčka je proliferisala u tečnim kulturama tokom 5 nedelja bez znakova opadanja proliferativnog potencijala. Ova istraživanja pokazuju da se primenjene metode mogu uspešno koristiti za ispitivanje hematopoeze kod hrčka

ZOONOZNI PATOGENI IZ ANIMALNOG OTPADA KAO FAKTOR RIZIKA ZA JAVNO ZDRAVLJE

Upravljanje animalnim otpadom iz stočarske proizvodnje prehrambene industrijezahteva bezbedna, ekonomski opravdana i praktična rešenja, koje su usaglašenasa propisima EU. Prema direktivi EC br. 17

Immunohistochemical expression of nestin in rhabdomyosarcoma: implications for clinicopathology and patient outcome

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a highly malignant cancer. Over the last two decades, prognosis for RMS patients has significantly improved, with the exception of those in the high-risk group. In order to identify new prognostic factors, we investigated the expression of nestin in RMS cells and its correlation with clinicopathological features and patient outcome. The analysis of overall survival for all patients (N = 30) revealed 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival rates of 93.3, 83.3, 66.7, 63.3, and 63.3%, respectively. Nestin overexpression significantly correlated with survival (P = 0.044). Survival of patients with = 50% nestin-positive cells was 90, 70, and 40% after 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively, and remained unchanged until the end of the investigation period. The study group composed of patients exhibiting nestin expression in GT 50% of cells showed 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-year survival rates of 95, 90, 80, and 75%, respectively, remaining stable at 75% for the fifth year of observation. A nestin-positive expression rate lower than 50% was observed more frequently in older patients (43.60 +/- 27.58 years; P = 0.028). In addition, higher rates of nestin expression were observed in most embryonal RMS specimens and low-grade tumors, in early stages of the disease, and among younger patients. Our results lead us to propose nestin as possible positive prognostic factor in RMS