FACTORS AFFECTING MIGRATION FROM THE CROATIAN RURAL AREA

U radu se daju rezultati istraživanja migracija u seoskom području Republike Hrvatske. Cilj je istražiti čimbenike koji utječu na iseljavanje seoskog stanovništva Republike Hrvatske. Istraživanje je provedeno 2007. godine na uzorku od 914 ispitanika dobi od 24 do 45 godina u seoskom području Republike Hrvatske. Odabir naselja i ispitanika bio je slučajan. Provedeno istraživanje pokazuje da su najveće poteškoće života u hrvatskom seoskom području gospodarske naravi, manjak zaposlenja, slaba mogućnost izbora zanimanja i niža zarada u odnosu na zaposlenje u gradu. Petina ispitanika nije zadovoljna uvjetima seoskog života i namjerava se iseliti. To je zabrinjavajući pokazatelj budući da se radi o populaciji koja je u pravilu završila proces obrazovanja i većinom osnovala obitelj. Najviše mogućih iseljenika, što je bilo i za očekivati, je iz gospodarski nerazvijenih područja Republike Hrvatske. Daljnja depopulacija hrvatskog sela bila bi pogubna, a njene najveće posljedice bile bi: prevelika urbanizacija, posebice velikih gradova, daljnji neravnomjerni razvitak Republike Hrvatske te nedovoljno iskorištenje prostornog, proizvodnog i ljudskog potencijala. S obzirom na strateški cilj ulaska Republike Hrvatske u Europsku uniju, navedeno predstavlja bitno ograničenje njene uspješne prilagodbe europskoj ekonomskoj integraciji. Iseljavanje seoskog pučanstva može se spriječiti prvenstveno povećanjem zaposlenosti i dohotka te stvaranjem takve fizičke i društvene infrastrukture u seoskom području koja će bitno poboljšati životne uvjete seoskog pučanstva. Seoska područja, poglavito gospodarski nerazvijena, nemaju dovoljno vlastitih mogućnosti za ubrzanje razvoja odnosno za nužno smanjivanje razlika u kakvoći življenja prema gradskim područjima. Zbog toga je nužno da njihov razvojni proces više nego dosada potpomogne Država osmišljenim mjerama regionalnog razvoja, uz svekoliku potporu lokalne uprave i samouprave. U tome bi svoj znatan obol trebalo dati novo-osnovano Ministarstvo za regionalni razvoj.The paper presents results of the research study on migrations in rural areas of the Republic of Croatia. The aim was to determine factors influencing migrations of rural population in Croatia. The research was carried out in 2007 on 914 respondents from 25 to 45 years of age. The rural communities and respondents were selected on a random basis. The study results indicate that the major difficulties in rural life in Croatia are of economic nature: lack of employment opportunities, inadequate choice of profession and lower income in comparison with employment in urban areas. One fifth of the respondents is not satisfied with conditions of rural life and intends to leave villages. This is a very disturbing indicator, since it refers to population, which in general, has finished education and started a family. As we expect, the largest number of potential migrants comes from economically underdeveloped Croatian areas. Further depopulation of Croatian villages would have dramatic effects, and the worst consequences would be excessive urbanization, especially of large cities, further uneven development of the Republic of Croatia, and insufficient utilization of spatial, production and human resources. Since the strategic Croatian goal is to become a member of the European Union, this is a major obstacle to its successful adjustment to the European economic integration. The migration of rural population could be prevented primarily by increase in employment and income opportunities and creation of such physical and social infrastructure in rural areas that would considerably improve living conditions for rural population. The rural areas, particularly underdeveloped, have no adequate capacities for intensification of its development and diminishing differences in their quality of life compared to urban areas. Thus, the state support is increasingly required by introducing measures of regional development with complementary support of the local government. The newly founded Ministry of Regional Development is therefore inevitable in this process

Reduction of Endogenous Kynurenic Acid Formation Enhances Extracellular Glutamate, Hippocampal Plasticity, and Cognitive Behavior

At endogenous brain concentrations, the astrocyte-derived metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA) antagonizes the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and, possibly, the glycine co-agonist site of the NMDA receptor. The functions of these two receptors, which are intimately involved in synaptic plasticity and cognitive processes, may, therefore, be enhanced by reductions in brain KYNA levels. This concept was tested in mice with a targeted deletion of kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT II), a major biosynthetic enzyme of brain KYNA. At 21 days of age, KAT II knock-out mice had reduced hippocampal KYNA levels (−71%) and showed significantly increased performance in three cognitive paradigms that rely in part on the integrity of hippocampal function, namely object exploration and recognition, passive avoidance, and spatial discrimination. Moreover, compared with wild-type controls, hippocampal slices from KAT II-deficient mice showed a significant increase in the amplitude of long-term potentiation in vitro. These functional changes were accompanied by reduced extracellular KYNA (−66%) and increased extracellular glutamate (+51%) concentrations, measured by hippocampal microdialysis in vivo. Taken together, a picture emerges in which a reduction in the astrocytic formation of KYNA increases glutamatergic tone in the hippocampus and enhances cognitive abilities and synaptic plasticity. Our studies raise the prospect that interventions aimed specifically at reducing KYNA formation in the brain may constitute a promising molecular strategy for cognitive improvement in health and disease

Assessing and Modulating Kynurenine Pathway Dynamics in Huntington's Disease: Focus on Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase.

The link between disturbances in kynurenine pathway (KP) metabolism and Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis has been explored for a number of years. Several novel genetic and pharmacological tools have recently been developed to modulate key regulatory steps in the KP such as the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO). This insight has offered new options for exploring the mechanistic link between this metabolic pathway and HD, and provided novel opportunities for the development of candidate drug-like compounds. Here, we present an overview of the field, focusing on some novel approaches for interrogating the pathway experimentally

Quinolinate and related excitotoxins: mechanisms of neurotoxicity and disease relevance

There are many ways in which neuronal damage can be produced in the brain, including the overactivation of depolarizing receptors, exposure to high levels of pro-inflammatory proteins such as cytokines, or miscellaneous toxins, but the kynurenine pathway has emerged as a novel but potentially major factor in regulating neuronal viability or death. It is the major route for the metabolism of the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is oxidized by indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) to a series of compounds which can activate, block, or modulate conventional neurotransmitter receptors. Quinolinic acid is an agonist at N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, kynurenic acid is an antagonist at these and other glutamate receptors, and other kynurenine metabolites are highly redox-active. Superimposed on the discovery of this neuromodulatory pathway have been observations that activity in the pathway is linked to neurological and psychiatric disorders, correlating with disease state (as in Huntington’s disease) or cognitive function (as following bypass surgery). Together, the data accumulated to date make a strong case for this hitherto obscure pathway being a major factor in determining cell damage, death, or recovery in health and disease