All-Pole Recursive Digital Filters Design Based on Ultraspherical Polynomials

A simple method for approximation of all-pole recursive digital filters, directly in digital domain, is described. Transfer function of these filters, referred to as Ultraspherical filters, is controlled by order of the Ultraspherical polynomial, nu. Parameter nu, restricted to be a nonnegative real number (nu ≥ 0), controls ripple peaks in the passband of the magnitude response and enables a trade-off between the passband loss and the group delay response of the resulting filter. Chebyshev filters of the first and of the second kind, and also Legendre and Butterworth filters are shown to be special cases of these allpole recursive digital filters. Closed form equations for the computation of the filter coefficients are provided. The design technique is illustrated with examples

Laser ablation driven by femtosecond optical and XUV pulses

I investigated the behavior of different materials irradiated with intense femtosecond radiation with wavelengths in near infrared and XUV range and fluences close to the ablation threshold. Expansion of the surface irradiated with optical radiation shows distinctively different behavior for fluences below and above the ablation threshld. Few percent below the threshold, large long lasting expansions of material are observed for a wide range of materials. Contrary to the expansion induced by low fluences, these expansions can not be explained by the existing thermo-acoustical model, and they give validation to models of pressure driven spallation mechanism of material decomposition

CISPLATIN - AN OVERVIEW OF ITS EFFICIENCY AND TOXICITY

Cisplatin is the first heavy metal compound that has been found to possess antineoplastic activity. It is effective in treating testicular, ovarian, head and neck, bladder, cervical, esophageal tumors, and small cell lung carcinoma. Approximately 1% of cisplatin that enters the cell interacts with DNA, forming DNA-cisplatin bonds. Both apoptosis and necrosis can be found in the same population of cells exposed to cisplatin, and the mode of cell death depends on the cisplatin concentration and metabolic state of the target cell. In the bloodstream, the platinum component of cisplatin binds to the blood's proteins (hemoglobin, albumin and transferrin), and other significant portion binds to the glutathione and other cysteine-rich biomolecules. Cisplatin impairs the mitochondrial and cell antioxidant defense system (decreases GSH, NADPH levels, GCH/GSSG ratio, and increases GSSG levels) leading to oxidative stress. There are three main mechanisms of cell resistance to cisplatin: (1) enhanced repair of cisplatin-induced DNA lesions, (2) decrease in uptake and/or increase in efflux and (3) inactivation of cisplatin intracellularly. The usage of cisplatin is limited due to its toxicity and side effects, which include neurotoxicity (numbness and tingling, paresthesia, reduced deep tendon reflexes), nephrotoxicity (renal insufficiency, hypomagnesemia), ototoxicity (tinnitus and bilateral high-frequency hearing loss), cardiotoxicity (changes in electric heart activity, congestive heart failure), gastrotoxicity (nausea, vomiting, and dyspepsia), etc.  So far, there  has been no effective, clinically administered, therapy for cisplatin-induced toxicity

Effects of probiotics on strength and power performance in a trained population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The main purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of probiotics intake on strength and power performance in a trained population. This study was designed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. The review was registered in PROSPERO with the following registration number: CRD42021248173. PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched from their inception to the 18th March 2022 to find original research studies evaluating the effects of probiotic supplementation on strength and power performance tests in a trained population. The following inclusion criteria were applied to select studies: probiotics supplementation; trained population; strength and power performance measurements; human experimental trial; controlled with a placebo group; peer-reviewed and original articles written in English language. Random effects model and standardized mean differences (SMD) were used following Hedges’ G for the meta-analysis. Seven studies were finally included after the inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied (n=142 participants). Results of the meta-analysis identified a significant benefit of probiotics compared to placebo treatments (p=.04), with a small pooled effect size (SMD=0.36 [0.02-0.70]; I2=43%), and no funnel plot asymmetry was present. In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that probiotic supplementation could effectively enhance strength and power performance in a trained population

The Encapsulation of Lycopene in Nanoliposomes Enhances Its Protective Potential in Methotrexate-Induced Kidney Injury Model

Methotrexate is an antimetabolic drug with a myriad of serious side effects including nephrotoxicity, which presumably occurs due to oxidative tissue damage. Here, we evaluated the potential protective effect of lycopene, a potent antioxidant carotenoid, given in two different pharmaceutical forms in methotrexate-induced kidney damage in rats. Serum biochemical (urea and creatinine) and tissue oxidative damage markers and histopathological kidney changes were evaluated after systemic administration of both lycopene dissolved in corn oil and lycopene encapsulated in nanoliposomes. Similar to previous studies, single dose of methotrexate induced severe functional and morphological alterations of kidneys with cell desquamation, tubular vacuolation, and focal necrosis, which were followed by serum urea and creatinine increase and disturbances of tissue antioxidant status. Application of both forms of lycopene concomitantly with methotrexate ameliorated changes in serum urea and creatinine and oxidative damage markers and markedly reversed structural changes of kidney tissue. Moreover, animals that received lycopene in nanoliposome-encapsulated form showed higher degree of recovery than those treated with free lycopene form. The findings of this study indicate that treatment with nanoliposome-encapsulated lycopene comparing to lycopene in standard vehicle has an advantage as it more efficiently reduces methotrexate-induced kidney dysfunction

PREVALENCE OF METABOLIC SYNDROME IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND ITS IMPACT ON ASYMPTOMATIC CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROSIS

The importance of metabolic syndrome (MetSy) lies in the fact that its components are proven risk factors for early blood vessel atherosclerosis and thrombosis.Aim of the paper: Our aim was to establish the prevalence of MetSy in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and its impact on asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis. The study involved 391 examinees, divided into two groups. The study group consisted of patients with arterial hypertension (n=342; average age, 66.56 ± 09.52; with 51% of female gender). The presence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors was established for all involved patients, cardiovascular risk score was determined (SCORE risk), laboratory analyses were performed, as well as anthropometric measurements and color Doppler sonography of the great blood vessels of the neck. The patients with AH were divided into two groups according to the presence of MetSy. Metabolic syndrome was confirmed in 198 patients who comprised group I; there were 144 examinees without MetSy and these comprised group II. Those with MetSy had a greater average number of CV risk factors, a higher SCORE risk score, higher body mass index (p<0.0001), and more frequently had diabetes, hyperlipidemia and obesity. The thickness of the intimal medial complex (IMC) of the carotid arteries was significantly greater in the group with MetSy (p<0.0001) – 51% of examinees had IMC thickness ≥0.90. The patients with MetSy more commonly had one or more carotid plaques (p=0.03), a higher average number of plaques (p=0.01) and percentage of stenosis (p=0.01). As the most important factors associated with early carotid atherosclerosis, multivariant regression analysis singled out the following (for the model R=0.512. R2=0.262. adjusted R2=0.255. standard error of the estimate = 0.174; p<0.0001): age (coefficiant β=0.331. p<0.0001), number of MetSy components (coefficient β=0.158. p=0.002), level of serum uric acid (coefficient β=0.284; p<0.0001). Our results demonstrated a significant association of MetSy and its components with early atherosclerotic changes in the carotid arteries

DIFFERENCES IN COORDINATION AND ENDURANCE BEETWEEN CHILDREN SELECTED FOR ATHLETICS AND NON-ATHLETES

Abstract. Investigation was conducted in order to determine the differences in coordination and endurance between girls selected for athletics and non-athletes. The sample of 36 subjects were divided into two subsample: girls selected for athletics (18) and non-athletes girls (18), who were not included in systematic athletics training, but they only attended physical education classes. The sample of measuring instruments for assessing coordination and endurance were consisted of: agility in the air (OKV), coordination with a baton (KOP), twenty steps twirling a baton (20IP), squats (ČUČ), push-ups (SKL) and the 800m run (TR800). Based on analysis of variance led to results, which showed that there were not differences in coordination between the girls selected for athletics and non-athletes, but in endurance there were statistical differences in squats (ČUČ) and 800m (TR800) running, girls selected for athletics had a better results

A study of the distribution of phylogenetically conserved blocks within clusters of mammalian homeobox genes

Genome sequencing efforts of the last decade have produced a large amount of data, which has enabled whole-genome comparative analyses in order to locate potentially functional elements and study the overall patterns of phylogenetic conservation. In this paper we present a statistically based method for the characterization of these patterns in mammalian DNA sequences. We have applied this approach to the study of exceptionally well conserved homeobox gene clusters (Hox), based on an alignment of six species, and we have constructed a map of Hox cataloguing the conserved fragments, along with their locations in relation to the genes and other landmarks, sometimes showing unexpected layouts

Genetic Aspects of Micronutrients Important for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are complex diseases whose etiology is associated with genetic and environmental risk factors, among which are diet and gut microbiota. To date, IBD is an incurable disease and the main goal of its treatment is to reduce symptoms, prevent complications, and improve nutritional status and the quality of life. Patients with IBD usually suffer from nutritional deficiency with imbalances of specific micronutrient levels that contribute to the further deterioration of the disease. Therefore, along with medications usually used for IBD treatment, therapeutic strategies also include the supplementation of micronutrients such as vitamin D, folic acid, iron, and zinc. Micronutrient supplementation tailored according to individual needs could help patients to maintain overall health, avoid the triggering of symptoms, and support remission. The identification of individuals’ genotypes associated with the absorption, transport and metabolism of micronutrients can modify future clinical practice in IBD and enable individualized treatment. This review discusses the personalized approach with respect to genetics related to micronutrients commonly used in inflammatory bowel disease treatment

THz streak camera performance for single-shot characterization of XUV pulses with complex temporal structures

The THz-field-driven streak camera has proven to be a powerful diagnostic-technique that enables the shot-to-shot characterization of the duration and the arrival time jitter of free electron laser (FEL) pulses. Here we investigate the performance of three computational approaches capable to determine the duration of FEL pulses with complex temporal structures from single-shot measurements of up to three simultaneously recorded spectra. We use numerically simulated FEL pulses in order to validate the accuracy of the pulse length retrieval in average as well as in a single-shot mode. We discuss requirements for the THz field strength in order to achieve reliable results and compare our numerical study with the analysis of experimental data that were obtained at the FEL in Hamburg - FLASH. © 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreemen