Komplex biodiverzitás-tanulmányok kéregtelepű zuzmótaxonokon. II. További taxonok, újabb módszerek = Complex biodiversity studies on crustose lichens II. Further taxa, new methods

Összeállítottuk a hazai zuzmók (lichenizált gombák) 196 nemzetséghez tartozó 864 fajának és a zuzmólakó mikrogombák 38 nemzetséghez tartozó 54 fajának revideált fajlistáját. Florisztikai kutatásaink eredményeként Magyarország flórájára 29 zuzmófajt és 3 mikrogombafajt újként mutattunk ki. Közreműködtünk 8 zuzmófaj (Cetraria aculeata, Cladonia arbuscula, C. magyarica, C. mitis, C. rangiferina, Usnea florida, Xanthoparmelia pseudohungarica és X. subdiffluens) törvényes védelmének elérésében (23/2005(VIII.31) KvVM; 18/2008(VI.19.) KvVM). Igazoltuk 3 hazai Toninia faj (T. opuntioides, T. physaroides és T. sedifolia) különálló előfordulását, és kisebb különbségeket mutattunk ki a populációk között ITS, nucLSU és nucSSU szekvenciák alapján. A T. physaroides szekvenciái újak a GenBank adatbázis számára. E fajok élőhely-preferenciája különbözött a talajréteg-vastagság és a talajkarbonát-tartalom vonatkozásában. HPLC vizsgálatunk jelentős eltérést mutatott ki az eltérő környezetminőségű élőhelyek zuzmópopulációiban HPTLC-vel azonosított zuzmóanyagok mennyiségében. A változások genetikai hátterének kutatása azonban nem jelzett különbséget. A trópusi esőerdők bioindikációjában jelentős szerepet betöltő levéllakó kéregtelepű zuzmók újabb svéd és magyar (Thor 1985, Pócs 2003) Fiji szigeteki gyűjtéseinek feldolgozása alapján a területről igazolt 78 faj közül 70 a területre új adat, 3 faj pedig a tudományra nézve is új (Calopadia fijiensis, Porina kadavuensis, P. taveuniensis). | The checklist of Hungarian lichen-forming fungi was compiled. It contains 864 species of 196 genera. Further 54 lichenicolous fungi of 38 genera are also listed. From recent collections 29 lichen species and 3 species of lichenicolous fungi are new for the flora of Hungary. Due to our research activity 8 lichen species (Cetraria aculeata, Cladonia arbuscula, C. magyarica, C. mitis, C. rangiferina, Usnea florida, Xanthoparmelia pseudohungarica and X. subdiffluens) became protected by law (23/2005(VIII.31) KvVM; 18/2008(VI.19) KvVM). Independent occurrence of 3 Toninia species (T. opuntioides, T. physaroides and T. sedifolia) and slight differences among their populations were justified by ITS, nucLSU and nucSSU sequences. The sequences of T. physaroides are new for database GenBank. Habitat preferences of these species are different in thickness and carbonate content of soil under lichen thalli. According to HPLC investigations of lichen substances identified by HPTLC from various environmental conditions differ quantitatively. However, no molecular genetic differences affected by these conditions were detectable. Foliicolous crustose lichens important in bioindication of tropical rainforests were studied in recent Swedish and Hungarian (Thor 1985, Pócs 2003) collections from Fiji Islands. From the 78 species currently known, 70 are new for the investigated area, 3 species (Calopadia fijiensis, Porina kadavuensis, P. taveuniensis) are also new for science

Ajánlás a gyermekek tápláltsági állapotának otthoni becsléséhez – Az MTA-ELTE Egészégtudatos Gyermekekért Kutatócsoport által kidolgozott új módszer bemutatása

Regular monitoring of children’s nutritional status is essential to prevent micronutrient deficiencies, nutritional status abnormalities as stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity. Nutritional status assessment is usually performed by paediatricians by using anthropometry (body mass index, weight to height indices) and/or by body fat-mass measurement (bioimpedance analysis, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, computer tomography, etc.). Parents are also interested in but usually fail to accurately evaluate their child’s nutritional status. The main purpose of the study was to help the sufficient collaboration between the physicians and parents by developing a new nutritional status monitoring method for families. The new model – developed by the Health Promotion and Education Research Team, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University – requires age, sex, body mass, height, waist circumference and hand circumference as predictor (input) variables of nutritional status, while the centile values of the measured body dimensions, body fat percentage and the centile of body fat percentage, as well as the nutritional status category (undernutrition, normal nutritional status, overfat/obese) can be predicted (outcome variables) by the new method. The predictive accuracy of the model for nutritional status category was 94.9% in boys and 98.7% in girls. The new model was developed for nutritional status assessment in school-aged children and will be incorporated in the healthy lifestyle module of ‘Teenage Survival Guide’ educational package to be developed by the Health Promotion and Education Research Tea

Archaeometrical results related to Neolithic amphibolite stone implements from Northeast Hungary

28 amphibolite Neolithic polished stone implements deriving from different archaeological localities and cultures in Northeast Hungary (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County) were archaeometrically analysed by mainly non-destructive methods (MS, EDS/SEM, PGAA). Bulk chemistry of the samples showing subalkali characteristics. The amphibolite polished stone tools were divided into two groups based on their mineral components and metamorphic evolution. A single Ca-amphibole approach was used to calculate peak P-T conditions to determine a thermobarometric model for the amphibolite implements. Data of the studied samples were compared to those of the nearest amphibolite outcrops in Gemericum, Veporicum, Tatricum and Zemplinikum (Slovakia). The Variscan P-T loop covered the thermobarometric data of the analysed stone implements and the amphibolite outcrops. The source areas are assumed to be these fields and/or the crossing riverbeds flowing through them to Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, the archaeological collecting territory of the amphibolite stone axes

LIFEStyle, prevention and risk of Acute PaNcreatitis (LIFESPAN): protocol of a multicentre and multinational observational case-control study

Introduction Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening inflammatory disease of the exocrine pancreas which needs acute hospitalisation. Despite its importance, we have significant lack of knowledge whether the lifestyle factors elevate or decrease the risk of AP or influence the disease outcome. So far, no synthetising study has been carried out examining associations between socioeconomic factors, dietary habits, physical activity, chronic stress, sleep quality and AP. Accordingly, LIFESPAN identifies risk factors of acute pancreatitis and helps to prepare preventive recommendations for lifestyle elements. Methods and analysis LIFESPAN is an observational, multicentre international case–control study. Participating subjects will create case and control groups. The study protocol was designed according to the SPIRIT guideline. Patients in the case group (n=1700) have suffered from AP (alcohol-induced, n=500; biliary, n=500; hypertriglyceridemiainduced, n=200; other, n=500); the control group subjects have no AP in their medical history. Our study will have three major control groups (n=2200): hospital-based (n=500), population-based (n=500) and aetiology-based (alcohol, n=500; biliary, n=500 and hypertriglyceridemia, n=200). All of them will be matched to the case group individually by gender, age and location of residence. Aggregately, 3900 subjects will be enrolled into the study. The study participants will complete a complex questionnaire with the help of a clinical research administrator/study nurse. Analysis methods include analysis of the continuous and categorical values. Ethics and dissemination The study has obtained the relevant ethical approval (54175-2/2018/EKU) and also internationally registered (ISRCTN25940508). After obtaining the final conclusions, we will publish the data to the medical community and will also disseminate our results via open access

DNA methylation clock DNAmFitAge shows regular exercise is associated with slower aging and systemic adaptation

DNAmPhenoAge, DNAmGrimAge, and the newly developed DNAmFitAge are DNA methylation (DNAm)-based biomarkers that reflect the individual aging process. Here, we examine the relationship between physical fitness and DNAm-based biomarkers in adults aged 33–88 with a wide range of physical fitness (including athletes with long-term training history). Higher levels of VO 2 max ( ρ = 0.2, p = 6.4E − 4, r = 0.19, p = 1.2E − 3), Jumpmax ( p = 0.11, p = 5.5E − 2, r = 0.13, p = 2.8E − 2), Gripmax ( ρ = 0.17, p = 3.5E − 3, r = 0.16, p = 5.6E − 3), and HDL levels ( ρ = 0.18, p = 1.95E − 3, r = 0.19, p = 1.1E − 3) are associated with better verbal short-term memory. In addition, verbal short-term memory is associated with decelerated aging assessed with the new DNAm biomarker FitAgeAcceleration ( ρ : − 0.18, p = 0.0017). DNAmFitAge can distinguish high-fitness individuals from low/medium-fitness individuals better than existing DNAm biomarkers and estimates a younger biological age in the high-fit males and females (1.5 and 2.0 years younger, respectively). Our research shows that regular physical exercise contributes to observable physiological and methylation differences which are beneficial to the aging process. DNAmFitAge has now emerged as a new biological marker of quality of life

Revising mtDNA haplotypes of the ancient Hungarian conquerors with next generation sequencing

As part of the effort to create a high resolution representative sequence database of the medieval Hungarian conquerors we have resequenced the entire mtDNA genome of 24 published ancient samples with Next Generation Sequencing, whose haplotypes had been previously determined with traditional PCR based methods. We show that PCR based methods are prone to erroneous haplotype or haplogroup determination due to ambiguous sequence reads, and many of the resequenced samples had been classified inaccurately. The SNaPshot method applied with published ancient DNA authenticity criteria is the most straightforward and cheapest PCR based approach for testing a large number of coding region SNP-s, which greatly facilitates correct haplogroup determination

EZH2 is a sensitive marker of malignancy in salivary gland tumors

BACKGROUND: The immunohistochemical detection of Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) proved to be a useful tool to recognize the malignant nature of tumors in a wide variety of neoplasms. The histological diagnostics of salivary gland tumors is a challenging task, and a reliable marker of malignancy would be extremely helpful. METHODS: EZH2 expression was investigated in 54 malignant and 40 benign salivary gland tumors of various histological types by standard immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The majority (n = 52) of the malignant tumors stained positively, while all the investigated benign tumors were negative for EZH2. CONCLUSIONS: EZH2 expression in salivary gland tumors, similarly to the tumors of other organs is not characteristic for any tumor type, but is a solid marker of the malignant nature of the tumors