Gender Related Differences in the Clinical Presentation of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-An Analysis from the SILICOFCM Database

Background and Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiac disease that affects approximately 1 in 500 people. Due to an incomplete disease penetrance associated with numerous factors, HCM is not manifested in all carriers of genetic mutation. Although about two-thirds of patients are male, it seems that female gender is associated with more severe disease phenotype and worse prognosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender related differences in HCM presentation. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a part of the international multidisciplinary SILICOFCM project. Clinical information, laboratory analyses, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and genetic testing data were collected for 362 HCM patients from four clinical centers (Florence, Newcastle, Novi Sad, and Regensburg). There were 33% female patients, and 67% male patients. Results: Female patients were older than males (64.5 vs. 53.5 years, p < 0.0005). The male predominance was present across all age groups until the age of 70, when gender distribution became comparable. Females had higher number of symptomatic individuals then males (69% vs. 52%, p = 0.003), most frequently complaining of dyspnea (50% vs. 30%), followed by chest pain (30% vs. 17%), fatigue (26% vs. 13%), palpitations (22% vs. 13%), and syncope (13% vs. 8%). The most common rhythm disorder was atrial fibrillation which was present in a similar number of females and males (19% vs. 13%, p = 0.218). Levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were comparable between the genders (571 vs. 794 ng/L, p = 0.244). Echocardiography showed similar thickness of interventricular septum (18 vs. 16 mm, p = 0.121) and posterolateral wall (13 vs. 12 mm, p = 0.656), however, females had a lower number of systolic anterior motion (8% vs. 16%, p = 0.020) and other mitral valve abnormalities. Conclusions: Female patients are underrepresented but seem to have a more pronounced clinical presentation of HCM. Therefore, establishing gender specific diagnostic criteria for HCM should be considered

Genetic determinants of clinical phenotype in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BackgroundHypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiovascular disease that affects approximately one in 500 people. HCM is a recognized genetic disorder most often caused by mutations involving myosin-binding protein C (MYBPC3) and beta -myosin heavy chain (MYH7) which are responsible for approximately three-quarters of the identified mutations.MethodsAs a part of the international multidisciplinary SILICOFCM project (www.silicofcm.eu) the present study evaluated the association between underlying genetic mutations and clinical phenotype in patients with HCM. Only patients with confirmed single pathogenic mutations in either MYBPC3 or MYH7 genes were included in the study and divided into two groups accordingly. The MYBPC3 group was comprised of 48 patients (76%), while the MYH7 group included 15 patients (24%). Each patient underwent clinical examination and echocardiography.ResultsThe most prevalent symptom in patients with MYBPC3 was dyspnea (44%), whereas in patients with MYH7 it was palpitations (33%). The MYBPC3 group had a significantly higher number of patients with a positive family history of HCM (46% vs. 7%; p=0.014). There was a numerically higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the MYH7 group (60% vs. 35%, p=0.085). Laboratory analyses revealed normal levels of creatinine (85.518.3 vs. 81.3 +/- 16.4 mu mol/l; p=0.487) and blood urea nitrogen (10.2 +/- 15.6 vs. 6.9 +/- 3.9 mmol/l; p=0.472) which were similar in both groups. The systolic anterior motion presence was significantly more frequent in patients carrying MYH7 mutation (33% vs. 10%; p=0.025), as well as mitral leaflet abnormalities (40% vs. 19%; p=0.039). Calcifications of mitral annulus were registered only in MYH7 patients (20% vs. 0%; p=0.001). The difference in diastolic function, i.e. E/e ' ratio between the two groups was also noted (MYBPC3 8.8 +/- 3.3, MYH7 13.9 +/- 6.9, p=0.079).Conclusions Major findings of the present study corroborate the notion that MYH7 gene mutation patients are presented with more pronounced disease severity than those with MYBPC3

Some negative chemical properties of acid soils

Some important chemical properties of various samples of two types of acid soil fromWestern Serbia (pseudogley and brown forest) are presented in this paper.Mobile Al was found in elevated and toxic quantities (10–30 mg/100 g) in the more acid samples of pseudogley soil. All samples of brown forest soil were very acid and the quantities ofmobile Al were in the range from 12.8 to 90.0mg/100 g. In a selected number of pseudogley soils, the influence of pH and other soil properties on the mineralization and nitrification processeswas investigated. Strong inhibition of nitrification at low soil pH was found to be related to high quantities of mobile Al. At pH values less than 4.0 (in 1 M KCl), processes of chemical nitrification and denitrification of applied nitrites were registered in the pseudogley soils

Some negative chemical properties of acid soils

Some important chemical properties of various samples of two types of acid soil from Western Serbia (pseudogley and brown forest) are presented in this paper. Mobile Al was found in elevated and toxic quantities (10–30 mg/100 g) in the more acid samples of pseudogley soil. All samples of brown forest soil were very acid and the quantities of mobile Al were in the range from 12.8 to 90.0 mg/100 g. In a selected number of pseudogley soils, the influence of pH and other soil properties on the mineralization and nitrification processes was investigated. Strong inhibition of nitrification at low soil pH was found to be related to high quantities of mobile Al. At pH values less than 4.0 (in 1 M KCl), processes of chemical nitrification and denitrification of applied nitrites were registered in the pseudogley soils.Istraživanja su obavljena na dva tipa zemljišta Zapadne Srbije (pseudoglej i smeđe šumsko zemljište). Oba ispitivana zemljišta karakteriše niska pH vrednost. Kod svih uzoraka smeđeg šumskog zemljišta utvrđene su toksične količine mobilnog Al za biljke i za mikroorganizme, a kod pseudoglejnog zemljišta toksične količine Al su utvrđene samo za neke uzorke. Na proces nitrifikacije, koji je praćen u odabranim uzorcima pseudogleja, direktno su delovali niska pH vrednost (kiselost) i visok sadržaj mobilnog aluminijuma. Dodavanjem NaNO2 utvrđeno je odvijanje procesa hemijske nitrifikacije i denitrfikacije u pseudoglejnom zemljištu pri pH manjem od 4,0 u 1M KCl

Galectin-3: Roles in neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation, and behavior

© 2020 by the authors.  Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. There is a plethora of evidence to suggest that Galectin-3 plays an important role in normal functions of mammalian cells, as well as in different pathogenic conditions. This review highlights recent data published by researchers, including our own team, on roles of Galectin-3 in the nervous system. Here, we discuss the roles of Galectin-3 in brain development, its roles in glial cells, as well as the interactions of glial cells with other neural and invading cells in pathological conditions. Galectin-3 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. On the other hand, there is also evidence of the protective role of Galectin-3 due to its anti-apoptotic effect in target cells. Interestingly, genetic deletion of Galectin-3 affects behavioral patterns in maturing and adult mice. The results reviewed in this paper and recent development of highly specific inhibitors suggests that Galectin-3 may be an important therapeutic target in pathological conditions including the disorders of the central nervous system

Diabetes Mellitus Directs NKT Cells Toward Type 2 and Regulatory Phenotype / Diabetes Melitus Usmerava Diferencijaciju NKT Celija U Pravcu Tip 2 I Regulatornog Fenotipa

Diabetes mellitus is chronic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia. Hyperglycaemia induces mitochondrial dysfunction, enhances oxidative stress and thus promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Earlier studies suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Previous studies have revealed that hyperglycaemia changes the functional phenotype of monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, NK cells and CD8+ T cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether diabetes affects the functional phenotype of NKT cells

On the Development of the Automatic Weed Detection Tool

The goal of this project is to digitalize, and improve the agriculture industry in our region, in the Republic of Serbia. Agriculture is largely involved in Serbia's financial state, with the potential to be one of the main sources of revenue. Unfortunately, it lacks structure and innovation. Once we understood the significance and the importance it has on our economy, we decided to develop an application that would tackle these issues with specialized tools and services that we would provide to our user in an elegant and easy to use interface. The tool we created is used for weed detection, enabling farmers to easily locate and remove it. In this document are written the details of our current state of development and the plans we have for the future