Defense Responses in the Interactions between Medicinal Plants from Lamiaceae Family and the Two-Spotted Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)

This study aimed to determine the effects of plant species on the biological parameters of Tetranychus urticae Koch and the time of mite infestation on plant physiology in Ocimum basilicum L., Melissa officinalis L. and Salvia officinalis L. Mite infestation induced various levels of oxidative stress depending on plant species and the duration of infestation. Host plants affected T. urticae life table parameters. The low level of susceptibility was characteristic of S. officinalis, which appeared to be the least infected plant species and reduced mites demographic parameters. Infested leaves of S. officinalis contained elevated levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to control. In addition, higher membrane lipid peroxidation and higher activity of guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and lower activity of catalase (CAT) were recorded with a longer mite infestation. In contrast, O. basilicum appeared to be a suitable host on which T. urticae could develop and increase in number. In basil leaves, increasing levels of hydrogen peroxide and MDA with elevated GPX activity and strongly decreased catalase activity were recorded. Knowledge of the differences in mite susceptibility of the tested medicinal plants described in this study has the potential to be applied in breeding strategies and integrated T. urticae pest management in medicinal plant cultivations

General characteristics of the melanogenesis process with particular emphasis on the role of the PAX3 gene

Melanogenesis is a dynamic process of biological transformations leading to the formation of copolymeric dyes - melanins, which act as a protector against the ultraviolet radiation (UV) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The process of these compounds formation is carried out by an enzymatic apparatus in specialized melanocyte organelles - melanosomes. Particularly from the point of view of biochemistry, melanins synthesis occurring depend to a large extent not only on genetic but also on environmental conditions. Pax3 is an important candidate in research on genetic conditioning of animal colors pattern due to the fact that his gene expression product is a highly conserved transcription factor that during embryonic development is one of the elements responsible for regulating stem cell differentiation of the neural crest into melanocytes. Moreover during individual life Pax3 is involved in the response of melanocytic units to UV radiation. Mutations/polymorphisms of the Pax3 gene are the cause of the occurrence of some color varieties, as well as developmental disorders

Association between leptin gene polymorphisms and growth traits in Limousin cattle

Abstract A total of 181 Jersey cows were used to investigate how leptin gene polymorphisms affect somatic cell count (SCC) in milk. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped, namely the R4C polymorphism in exon 2, the Sau3AI polymorphism in intron 2 and the A59V polymorphism in exon 3. The genotype and allele frequencies for each polymorphism and the haplotype frequencies for all polymorphisms were estimated in the herd under study. Statistical analysis revealed that the R4C and Sau3AI polymorphisms significantly affected SCC (P ≤ 0.01) with C and T as a desirable allele, respectively. No associations were found between the A59V polymorphism and SCC in this study. However, all the genotype combinations (haplotypes) significantly affected this trait. The results indicate that selection for the R4C CC and Sau3AI TT animals might contribute to a reduction of SCC in Jersey cattle

Sustainable Transport: An Efficient Transportation Network—Case Study

The article describes sustainable transport principles and guides that can lead cities towards a more efficient transportation network. The authors also show good practice used in different urban areas, such as London and Copenhagen. Furthermore, Vilnius was analyzed for its sustainable transport rules and mobility. The authors took into consideration components such as public transport indicators, car use and the number of trips made by bicycle and by pedestrians. Additionally, solutions such as shared space, developing cycle routes and public transportation networks, dividing different transport modes, reducing distance and the need to travel, policy shifts and technological innovation are proposed. Moreover, already taken actions are also verified. The article, additionally, shows guidance for Vilnius, so it could be possible to develop a sustainable traffic network in the city. All analyses and guidance were based on using geographic information system (GIS) tools which allowed the authors to obtain the most reliable results. The artefacts are presented by means of a combination of graph theory algorithms in order to obtain sustainable transport using the example of a part of Vilnius City

The effects of galactosamine on UTP levels in the livers of young, adult and old rats.

Galactosamine (GalN), a well-known hepatotoxin that depletes the cellular pool of uracil nucleotides, was previously shown to have greater impact on the inhibition of protein synthesis in hepatocytes of old rats as compared with young animals (Kmieć 1994, Ann. N.Y. Ac. Sci. 717, 216-225). In the present study we compared the effects of GalN on the nucleotide content (measured by ion-exchange HPLC) in the livers of young (4 months), adult (12 months), and old (24-26 months old) rats two hours after its intraperitoneal administration. UTP content of the livers of old control rats was significantly lower (by 28%) than that of young animals. GalN administration decreased the UTP content in the livers of young, adult and old rats by, respectively, 55%, 65% and 89%, and increased the content of UDP-sugars by 189%, 175% and 305%. The hepatic content of ATP, ADP, AMP, NAD, GTP except CTP did not differ significantly among the age groups of rats studied, and was not changed by GalN treatment. The content of CTP was significantly higher in old rats (P < 0.03) upon GalN treatment. The lower hepatic content of UTP may partially explain the increased sensitivity of hepatocytes and livers of old rats to the action of galactosamine, and possibly to other hepatotoxic compounds that decrease transcription in the liver

Shelf Acetabuloplasty in the Treatment of Severe Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease: Good Outcomes at Midterm Follow-Up

The aim of the study was to retrospectively review results of operative treatment for coverage deficit of femoral head in children with severe epiphysis displacement in Legg-Calvé-Perthes (LCP) disease. The material included 23 shelf acetabuloplasty procedures for LCP disease. The average age at diagnosis was 8.1 years (range 4–12). Mean follow-up was 5.8 years (range from 2.2 to 11.2 years). Mean Reimer's index decreased statistically significantly from a mean of 32% before surgery to 10.0% at the last follow-up (P<0.00001). The mean Wiberg center-edge angle increased also statistically significantly from a mean of 17.3° before procedure to 32.3° at the last follow-up (P<0.00001). According to the Stulberg classification, type I was observed in 2, type II in 13, type III in 6, and type IV in 2 hips. There were no differences in the range of motion or leg length discrepancy in preoperative and postoperative standing. Partial, not significant, bone graft resorption was noted in 6 cases in the first 6–9 months after surgery. To conclude, shelf acetabuloplasty allows achieving good midterm results in the treatment of severe stages of LCP disease. The procedure improves coverage of femoral head and allows its remodelling

Clinical parameters of inflammatory bowel disease in children do not correlate with four common polymorphisms of the transforming growth factor β1 gene

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a cytokine affecting cell proliferation and development, which also has an immunomodulatory activity. Correlations between polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene and clinical parameters of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were reported previously in adults. Here, we tested whether such correlations occur in pediatric patients suffering from IBD. One hundred and four pediatric IBD patients were involved in this study. Among them, 36 were diagnosed with Crohn's Disease (CD) and 68 were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC). The control group consisted of 103 children, in which IBD was excluded. TGF-β1 levels were determined in plasma and intestinal mucosa samples. The presence of the TGF β1 protein and the amount of TGF β1 mRNA were estimated in intestinal mucosa by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription Real-Time PCR, respectively. Four common polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene were investigated: -800G/A, -509C/T, 869T/C and 915G/C. No significant correlation between TGF-β1 genotypes and (i) TGF-β1 levels in plasma and tissue samples, (ii) TGF-β1 gene expression efficiency in intestinal mucosa, (iii) IBD clinical parameters and (iv) inflammatory activity could be detected in children suffering from IBD. We conclude that, contrary to previous suggestions, the four common polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene do not influence the susceptibility to or clinical parameters of IBD in the tested population of children