SIRT1 Allele Frequencies in Depressed Patients of European Descent in Russia

Depressive disorder (DD) is a widespread mental disorder. Although DD is to some extent inherited, the genes contributing to the risk of this disorder and its genetic mechanisms remain poorly understood. A recent large-scale genome-wide association Chinese study revealed a strong association between the SIRT1 gene variants and DD. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of heterozygote carriers and search for rare SNP variants of the SIRT1 gene in a cohort of DD patients as compared with a cohort of randomly selected members of the Russian population. The complete coding sequences of the SIRT1 gene from 1024 DNA samples from the general Russian population and from 244 samples from patients with DD were analyzed using targeted sequencing. Four new genetic variants of the SIRT1 were discovered. While no significant differences in the allele frequencies were found between the DD patients and the general population, differences between the frequencies of homozygote carriers of specific alleles and occurrences of heterozygous were found to be significant for rs2236318 (P < 0.0001), and putatively, rs7896005 (P < 0.05), and rs36107781 (P < 0.05). The study found for the first time that two new SNPs (i.e., 10:69665829 and 10:69665971) along with recently reported ones (rs773025707 and rs34701705), are putatively associated with DD. The revealed DD-associated SIRT1 SNPs might confer susceptibility to this disorder in Russian population of European descent

Značajke metaboličkih poremećaja u kokoši nesilica infestiranih crvenom grinjom Dermanyssus gallinae

Dermanyssosis is a common ectoparasitic disease of birds. Some characteristics of metabolic disorders were identified in Hy-Line laying hens with such a disease. The disease caused by Dermanyssus gallinae, a poultry red mite, was detected during a complex parasitological survey in one of two industrial poultry buildings inspected. A high degree of mite infestation was found in the poultry building where the hens of the experimental group were kept. This condition was considered to be a stress factor for the hens, i.e. as a disturbance of their comfortable living conditions. The D. gallinae parasite infestation caused a decrease in erythrocytes and leukocytes, and in hemoglobin concentration in the laying hens. Changes in the content of some stress-associated hormones were analyzed, and they showed an increase in cortisol levels and a decrease in triiodothyronine. Multiple metabolic rate disorders in the organism of the infested hens were revealed. In dermanyssosis stimulation of gluconeogenesis occurred and an increase in the proportion of oxygen-free glycolysis in the hens. These changes were obviously due to the molecular effects of the increase in stress. The hens from the experimental group were found to have high concentrations of lipid peroxidation products as compared to the control. Increased lipid peroxidation was found, together with a decrease in the total antioxidant defense of the experimental laying hens’ organisms. The research results add to our understanding of how a high degree of infestation of a poultry building by D. gallinae impacts the organism of Hy-Line hens.Crvena grinja Dermanyssus gallinae (D. gallinae), poznata još kao tekut, česti je vanjski parazit ptica. U Hy-Line kokoši nesilica infestiranih s navedenim grinjom istražene su neke značajke metaboličkih poremećaja. Infestacija je otkrivena za vrijeme inspekcije dva industrijska objekta za peradarsku proizvodnju. Sveobuhvatnom parazitološkom obradom utvrđen je visok stupanj infestacije grinjama u jednom od dva objekta, u kojemu su držane kokoši iz pokusne skupine. Stanje je uzrokovalo narušavanje povoljnih uvjeta za uzgoj što je rezultiralo stresom za kokoši. Došlo je do smanjenje broja eritrocita i leukocita te koncentracije hemoglobina. Analizirane su promjene hormona povezanih sa stresom, koje su pokazale porast razine kortizola i smanjenje razine trijodtironina. U infestiranih kokoši nesilica otkriveni su višestruki metabolički poremećaji. Uočena je stimulacija glukoneogeneze i porast udjela glikolize bez prisutnosti kisika, a te su promjene očito uzrokovane molekularnim učincima porasta stresa. Kokoši iz pokusne skupine imale su veću koncentraciju produkata lipidne peroksidacije u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom. Porast lipidne peroksidacije uočen je s istodobnim smanjenjem ukupne antioksidacijske obrane organizma. Rezultati istraživanja pružaju bolje razumijevanje učinaka koji visok stupanj infestacije peradarskih objekata ektoparazitom D. gallinae ima na organizam Hy-Line kokoši nesilica

Quantum dot lasers and relevant nanoheterostructures

Spectral and power characteristics of QD stripe lasers operating in two-state lasing regime have been studied in a wide range of operation conditions. It was demonstrated that neither self-heating nor increase of the homogeneous broadening are responsible for quenching of the ground-state lasing beyond the two-state lasing threshold. It was found that difference in electron and hole capture rates strongly affects light-current curve. Modulation p-type doping is shown to enhance the peak power of GS lasing transition. Microring and microdisk structures (D = 4-9 mu m) comprising 1.3 mu m InAs/InGaAs quantum dots have been fabricated and studied by mu-PL and NSOM. Ground-state lasing was achieved well above root temperature (up to 380 K). Effect of inner diameter on threshold characteristics was evaluated