Ocena stopnia zaawansowania miażdżycy u dzieci i młodzieży z cukrzycą typu 1

Introduction: To evaluate the degree of atherosclerosis in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and its correlation with risk factors, traditional and other, such as anti-oxidative capacity of circulating blood and level of lipid peroxidation. Material and methods: Forty children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes with mean age 13.7 years were compared with 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Association of carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) with different risk factors measured in children with type 1 diabetes was evaluated. Results: Mean carotid IMT was higher in subjects with diabetes (p < 0.01) and was strongly associated with total cholesterol with an odds ratio of 4.08 (p = 0.016), LDL-cholesterol with an odds ratio of 2.78 (p = 0.037), length of disease with an odds ratio of 1.87 (p = 0.007) and positive family history (first- and second-degree relatives) of diabetes and early CVD (heart attack and/or stroke before the age of 60 years) with an odds ratio of 6.8 (p = 0.007). Conclusions: We found significantly increased cIMT in the diabetic patients compared to the healthy control subjects. Risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis included higher total and LDL-cholesterol, higher systolic blood pressure, positive family history of diabetes and early CVD and longer diabetes duration. In spite of the documented increased oxidative stress, we failed to establish a correlation between the oxidative stress parameters and cIMT values. (Endokrynol Pol 2012; 63 (6): 414&#8211;419)Wstęp: Ocena stopnia zaawansowania miażdżycy u dzieci i młodzieży z cukrzycą typu 1 oraz jego korelacja z czynnikami ryzyka, tradycyjnymi i innymi, na przykład potencjałem antyoksydacyjnym krwi krążącej i poziomem peroksydacji lipidów. Materiał i metody: Porównano 40 dzieci i nastolatków z cukrzycą typu 1, średnia wieku 13,7 roku, z 20 zdrowymi osobnikami stanowiącymi grupę kontrolną odpowiednio dobranymi pod względem wieku i płci. Oceniano związek pomiędzy grubością kompleksu błony wewnętrznej i środkowej tętnic szyjnych (cIMT) a różnymi czynnikami ryzyka ocenianymi ilościowo u dzieci z cukrzycą typu 1. Wyniki: Średnia wartość cIMT była większa u pacjentów z cukrzycą (p < 0,01) i wykazywała silny związek ze stężeniem cholesterolu całkowitego [iloraz szans (OR) 4,08; p = 0,016], cholesterolem frakcji LDL (OR 2,77; p = 0,037), czasem trwania choroby (OR 1,87; p = 0,007) i dodatnim wywiadem rodzinnym (krewni pierwszego i drugiego stopnia) w kierunku cukrzycy i wczesnego występowania chorób układu krążenia (zawału serca i/lub udaru mózgu przed 60. rokiem życia) (OR 6,8; p = 0,007). Wnioski: Stwierdzono znamiennie podwyższoną wartość cIMT u pacjentów z cukrzycą w porównaniu ze zdrowymi osobnikami z grupy kontrolnej. Czynniki ryzyka rozwoju miażdżycy obejmowały podwyższone stężenie cholesterolu całkowitego i cholesterolu frakcji LDL, podwyższone skurczowe ciśnienie tętnicze, dodatni wywiad rodzinny w kierunku cukrzycy i wczesnego występowania chorób układu krążenia oraz dłuższy czas trwania cukrzycy. Pomimo udokumentowanego wzmożenia stresu oksydacyjnego nie udało się ustalić korelacji pomiędzy parametrami stresu oksydacyjnego a wartościami cIMT. (Endokrynol Pol 2012; 63 (6): 414&#8211;419

OUTAGE PERFORMANCE OF COGNITIVE RF/FSO SYSTEM WITH MRC SCHEME AT THE RECEIVER

The aim of this paper is performance analysis of the hybrid radio frequency (RF)/free-space optical (FSO) system, where the transmission is performed simultaneously over FSO link and spectrum sharing cognitive RF sub-system. The FSO link is affected by Gamma-Gamma atmospheric turbulence, while in spectrum sharing cognitive RF sub-system the peak interference power constraint at the primary user's receiver is considered in Nakagami-m fading environment. Outage probability expressions are provided in the integral form for the case when the maximal ratio combining (MRC) is applied at the destination. The effects of the atmospheric turbulence strength, the number of RF antennas, allowable power and fading severity on the outage performance are observed. Numerical results are presented and verified by Monte Carlo simulations

Research correlation vegetation index of corn with speed of movement sensor and elevation of field

This paper presents field scouting of corn in order to determine the content of nitrogen in the green parts of the plants. The aim was to measure the vegetative index using two optical sensors by OptRx AGL Technology. The sensors are positioned at a distance of 3.5 m, individually observing five rows of corn. The speed of movement of the tractor and also elevation of field are varied. The measured vegetative index of the plants is correlated, in first, with the speed of the sensor on the platform. The measured vegetative index of the plants is correlated after that with elevation also. Both of that case are shown that the Normalised Difference Red Edge (NDRE) as represent of vegetative index is not correlated with speed and elevation. This Results represented with Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Spearman's Correlation Coefficient are statistical signatifical. This conclusions are valid only for short rang of speed and elevation research. Average speed was 6,39 km/hr and rang of elevation was 1.6 m (106.8-108.4 m)

Antibacterial activity of Beta vulgaris L. pomace extract

Antibacterial activity of Beta vulgaris L. (beetroot) pomace extract (concentration 100 mg/ml) was tested against five Gram positive and seven Gram negative bacterial strains (reference cultures and natural isolates). Disc diffusion method with 15 µl of extract and agar-well diffusion method with 50 and 100 µl were used. Antibiotic (cefotaxime/clavulanic acid) was used as a control sample. The tested extract showed the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, where clear zones (without growth) appeared. There was no any activity against other tested Gram-positive bacteria, except for Staphylococcus epidermidis, with a small zone of reduced growth. Growth of all tested Gram-negative bacteria was inhibited usually with 100 µl of extract. The most susceptible were Citrobacter freundii and Salmonella typhymurium. The tested antibiotic gave clear, usually large zones for all tested strains except for Staphylococcus cohni spp. cohni, where only a zone of reduced growth appeared

Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidant Supplementation in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Review of Human Studies

Being characterized by progressive and severe damage in neuronal cells, neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are the major cause of disability and morbidity in the elderly, imposing a significant economic and social burden. As major components of the central nervous system, lipids play important roles in neural health and pathology. Disturbed lipid metabolism, particularly lipid peroxidation (LPO), is associated with the development of many NDDs, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), all of which show elevated levels of LPO products and LPO-modified proteins. Thus, the inhibition of neuronal oxidation might slow the progression and reduce the severity of NDD; natural antioxidants, such as polyphenols and antioxidant vitamins, seem to be the most promising agents. Here, we summarize current literature data that were derived from human studies on the effect of natural polyphenols and vitamins A, C, and E supplementation in patients with AD, PD, and ALS. Although these compounds may reduce the severity and slow the progression of NDD, research gaps remain in antioxidants supplementation in AD, PD, and ALS patients, which indicates that further human studies applying antioxidant supplementation in different forms of NDDs are urgently needed

Outage Performance of Dual-Hop AF Relay Channels with Co-Channel Interferences over Rayleigh Fading

This paper studies the outage performance of a dual-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) relay fading channel in an interference-limited environment. The relay and destination nodes are corrupted by multiple co-channel Rayleigh interferences. New exact closed-form expressions for the outage probability for channel-state-information (CSI)-assisted relay, in which gain is dependent on previous hop CSI and interference, are derived. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to verify the obtained theoretical results. For the cases where the number of interferers at the relay and the destination node is equal, we derive novel expressions for outage probability upper and lower bounds

Plasma phospholipid changes are associated with response to chemotherapy in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients

Limited studies have been performed to associate abnormal phospholipid (PL) profile and disease activity in hematological malignancies, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The aim of his study was to evaluate the levels of plasma PL fractions in NHL patients, in response to chemotherapy. Forty non-treated patients with NHL and 25 healthy individuals were recruited. Blood samples from patients were taken before chemotherapy, after 3 cycles and after the end of the treatment, and PL fractions were resolved by one-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. To assess potential relationship between plasma PL profile and response to therapy, patients were divided according to clinical outcome in 3 groups: complete remission (CR), stable disease (SD) and progression (PG). Despite significant differences between NHL patients and healthy controls, no differences were found at baseline among patients divided according to clinical outcome. During and after chemotherapy important alterations in PL profile were observed. Levels of total PLs and all PL fractions decreased in patients with PG while in patients who responded to therapy (CR, SD) PLs significantly increased. Results of our study suggest that changes of total PLs and PL fractions during the therapy are associated with the effects of therapy and clinical outcome in patients with NHL

Determination of culture medium composition for maximizing the biomass production of Pseudomonas stutzeri

In the recent years, extensive studies have been conducted on the application of bioremediation in order to prevent and solve the global problem of nitrate accumulation especially in water and soil. In the studies related to the biological denitrification, Pseduomonas stutzeri is usually used as a model microorganism due to its ability of performing a complete reduction of nitrate. The aim of this work is to establish a culture medium at a laboratory level for maximizing the biomass production of Pseduomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588 and Pseudomonas stutzeri D1, previously isolated from the Danube (Novi Sad, Serbia) by using a Box-Bhenken experimental design and response surface methodology. The selected independent variables (+, 0, - levels) were: glucose (0, 1 and 2 g/L), KNO3 (1, 2 and 3 g/L), and peptone (0.4, 2 and 4 g/L), while the number of viable cells (log/mL) was chosen as a dependent factor (response). Based on the obtained results, it can be noticed that the maximum number of P. stutzeri ATCC 17588 viable cells is achieved when the initial content of glucose, KNO3 and peptone in the medium are 0 g/L, 2 g/L and 4 g/L, respectively. In the case of P. stutzeri D1, the most appropriate media for enhancing the biomass production consists of glucose (1 g/L), KNO3 (3 g/L) and peptone (4 g/L). Тhe obtained results can be used for further technoeconomic analysis and scale up of the P. stutzeri biomass production. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III45008

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemon balm Kombucha

Kombucha is a beverage traditionally produced by metabolic activity of yeasts and acetic acid bacteria. The antimicrobial activity of lemon balm kombucha as well as of particular control samples was determined by agar-well diffusion method. Antioxidant activity on stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals of lemon balm kombucha and lemon balm tea was determined by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Acetic acid, Kombucha samples and heat-denaturated kombucha showed significant antimicrobial activity against bacteria. However, there was no activity against yeasts and moulds. Kombucha showed higher antioxidant activity than tea sample for all applied sample volumes

MMP-1 and-3 haplotype is associated with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are a common cause of progressive chronic kidney disease that may lead to end-stage renal disease and renal replacement therapy in childhood. Altered expression or activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been found in CAKUT. The MMP-1, -3, and -8 polymorphisms studied here are located in the gene promoters and alter expression. Our aim was to investigate associations of MMP polymorphisms, solely and in haplotypes, with CAKUT in children. A case-control study with 101 pediatric patients and 281 controls was performed. The MMP-1 (-1607 1G/2G), -3 (5A/6A), and -8 (-799 C/T) genotypes were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. We found statistically significant associations of MMP-3 5A/6A polymorphism (p LT 0.0001) and 1G(-1607)-6A haplotype, with no preferences for MMP-8 -799C or T alleles, with CAKUT (OR = 2.93, 95 % CI 1.43-5.98, adjusted for gender, p = 0.003) and with obstructive uropathies in a subgroup of patients (OR = 4.57, 95 % CI 2.74-7.61, adjusted for gender, p LT 0.0001). MMP-3 genotypes and MMP-3 and -1 haplotypes encompassing either MMP-8 -799C or T alleles were associated with CAKUT and obstructive uropathies in pediatric patients. Still, functional and association studies are needed to elucidate evident roles of MMPs in CAKUT