Natura 2000 v Sloveniji, metulji (Lepidoptera)

Knjiga opisuje 13 evropsko pomembnih vrst metuljev, ki so navedene v Prilogi II Direktive o habitatih in živijo v Sloveniji, ter zanje predlagana ohranitvena območja na ozemlju Slovenije. Predstavljene so bistvene značilnosti evropskega ekološkega omrežja NATURA 2000, stopnja ogroženosti metuljev v Evropi in vzroki za upadanje številčnosti njihovih populacij v zadnjih desetletjih, vloga Slovenije pri ohranjanju ogroženih vrst metuljev in njihovih bivališč na ozemlju Evrope

Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal

Curved-rods are a ubiquitous bacterial phenotype, but the fundamental question of why they are shaped this way remains unanswered. Through in silico experiments, we assessed freely swimming straight- and curved-rod bacteria of a wide diversity of equal-volume shapes parameterized by elongation and curvature, and predicted their performances in tasks likely to strongly influence overall fitness. Performance tradeoffs between these tasks lead to a variety of shapes that are Pareto-optimal, including coccoids, all straight rods, and a range of curvatures. Comparison with an extensive morphological survey of motile curved-rod bacteria indicates that the vast majority of species fall within the Pareto-optimal region of morphospace. This result is consistent with evolutionary tradeoffs between just three tasks: efficient swimming, chemotaxis, and low cell construction cost. We thus reveal the underlying selective pressures driving morphological diversity in a wide-spread component of microbial ecosystems

Neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation are linked, but independent of a-synuclein inclusions, in a seeding/spreading mouse model of Parkinson's disease

A key pathological process in Parkinson's disease (PD) is the transneuronal spreading of α-synuclein. Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is a presynaptic protein that, in PD, forms pathological inclusions. Other hallmarks of PD include neurodegeneration and microgliosis in susceptible brain regions. Whether it is primarily transneuronal spreading of α-syn particles, inclusion formation, or other mechanisms, such as inflammation, that cause neurodegeneration in PD is unclear. We used a model of spreading of α-syn induced by striatal injection of α-syn preformed fibrils into the mouse striatum to address this question. We performed quantitative analysis for α-syn inclusions, neurodegeneration, and microgliosis in different brain regions, and generated gene expression profiles of the ventral midbrain, at two different timepoints after disease induction. We observed significant neurodegeneration and microgliosis in brain regions not only with, but also without α-syn inclusions. We also observed prominent microgliosis in injured brain regions that did not correlate with neurodegeneration nor with inclusion load. Using longitudinal gene expression profiling, we observed early gene expression changes, linked to neuroinflammation, that preceded neurodegeneration, indicating an active role of microglia in this process. Altered gene pathways overlapped with those typical of PD. Our observations indicate that α-syn inclusion formation is not the major driver in the early phases of PD-like neurodegeneration, but that microglia, activated by diffusible, oligomeric α-syn, may play a key role in this process. Our findings uncover new features of α-syn induced pathologies, in particular microgliosis, and point to the necessity for a broader view of the process of α-syn spreading

Biometrie des Auges

Das Ziel dieser Studie besteht darin, 200 Probanden an den Zeiss-Geräten i.Profiler und IOL Maser 500 zu vermessen, um ein individuelles Augenmodel überprüfen zu können. Zusätzlich wird untersucht wie das Sphärische Äquivalent (SÄ) der Probanden, mit der jeweiligen Augenlänge und der Vorderkammertiefe korreliert. Die Messungen der zufällig ausgewählten Probanden erfolgten immer am rechten Auge zwischen 9:00 und 15:00 Uhr

Parameters of Postocclusive Reactive Hyperemia Measured by Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Patients with Peripheral Vascular Disease and in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract—The main purpose of our study was to determine the parameters of the postocclusive reactive hyperemia test that could help and provide the clinician with information about the tissue oxygenation, the severity of the disease, and the results of the applied therapies. Near infrared spectroscopy �NIRS� proved to be a valid noninvasive trend monitor useful for investigating the physiology of oxygen transport to tissue. Important advantages of NIRS over transcutaneous oximetry (TcpO 2) are: �a � a more dynamic nature of the NIRS signals which reflects more closely the actual response of the peripheral vasculature to the occlusive provocation; �b � larger sampling volume; and �c � the ability of assessing tissue oxygenation at deeper tissue levels. We demonstrated that the time parameters of reactive hyperemia, the rate of reactive hyperemia, and the maximal change during reactive hyperemia, al

Research on the link between experiential avoidance, rumination and psychological and somatic symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder (EXPO study)

The course of bipolar disorder (BD) is influenced by several factors. Experiential avoidance (EA) and positive rumination (PR) are two constructs whose presence and impact on BD have been studied to a limited extent. EA refers to not wanting to face one's own experiences, e.g. emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations. In this case, one will take action to reduce, change or avoid these experiences, despite negative consequences (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, & Follette, 1996; Hayes et al., 2004). In PR, people will respond to positive affect with thoughts about their own positive experiences, traits or life circumstances (Feldman, Joormann, & Johnson, 2007). In the present longitudinal study, patients are compared to healthy controls in terms of presence of PR and EA. The antecedents of EA are examined, as well as the relationship between EA and PR. Possible negative consequences of EA and PR, such as duration of mood disturbance and current psychological and somatic symptoms are also investigated

The Effect of Propofol and Fentanyl as Compared with Sevoflurane on Postoperative Vomiting in Children after Adenotonsillectomy

A B S T R A C T Postoperative vomiting (PV) after adenotonsillectomy in children is a common problem with an incidence as high a