Review on Prostaglandin and Oxytocin Activity in Preterm Labor

The principal difference between term and preterm labor is how they are activated. It has been proposed that term labor results from physiological activation of the common terminal pathway, whereas preterm labor is a pathological condition caused by multiple etiologies that activate one or more of the components of this pathway. Increased uterine contractility at preterm labor results from activation and stimulation of the myometrium. Myometrium is stimulated by increased concentrations of prostaglandins and oxytocin. Increased production of stimulatory prostaglandins by intrauterine tissues is generally considered a central component of the cascade of events leading to preterm parturition. Prostaglandins act to mediate cervical ripening and to stimulate uterine contractions and indirectly to increase fundally dominant myometrial contractility by up regulation of gap junctions, oxytocin and arginine vasopressin receptors and synchronizations of contractions. The authors tried to explain the role and influence of oxytocin in human parturition, as well as the novel therapy in inhibiting the contractions in preterm labor. The selective oxytocin inhibitor was tested in vitro on human myometrium and decidua by the author of this article among the first in the world

Element Mapping and Biomarker Analyses in an Early Byzantine City (Caričin Grad, Serbia)

Soil analyses have a high potential to contribute to the investigation of daily life in ancient settlements. They can help to locate areas of food production, areas of waste disposal, latrines, stables and further functional areas. However, the applicability of these analyses is still restricted by a limited number of studies and a limited knowledge of their validity. In a multi-disciplinary project investigating the daily life in an early byzantine city (Caričin Grad), a multi-element-mapping and biomarker analyses were performed. The study focused on a comparison of the soil data with the data from other disciplines. The Caričin Grad Caričin Grad site in southern Serbia offered excellent conditions for this methodological study. It is supposed to be identical to Iustiniana Prima, an administrative center founded by the emperor Justinian. The period of occupation covered less than 90 years from circa 530 to 615 AD. The site remained undisturbed from later settlement encroachments. Therefore, it allows a rare archaeological ’snapshot’ of a short period of very intensive use. By analyses of the amounts of total organic carbon, total phosphorus and further elements (aqua-regia extraction), it was possible to divide different functional areas within the city. Element ratios and biomarkers including faecal steroids were used to get information on the specific use of the functional areas as well as on animal husbandry within the settlement. Data of soil analyses were compared and correlated with data that were obtained by consequent single point measurement and examination of the archaeological remains, 3D photography of the structures as well as archaeobotanical and archaeozoological analyses

Dietary medicinal plants enhance the chemical composition and quality of broiler chicken meat

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗThe use of nutritional strategies to improve the quality of meat is a relatively new approach that has emerged at the interface of animal science and food science. The effects of dietary medicinal plants (Allium sativum L., Piper nigrum L., and Capsicum annuum L.) addition to chicken nutrition on quality characteristics of breast and thigh with drumstick meat, as well as caloric value of chicken meat were investigated. Quality measurements included meat sensory (colour, smell, taste, softness, chewiness, juiciness and overall impression), physical (pH, colour-CIE L*a*b* and drip-loss) and chemical (moisture, protein, fat and ash content) characteristics. Herbs showed significant (P < 0.05) influence in altering most examined quality parameters of chicken meat, especially when adding red hot pepper. Caloric value of chicken meat was improved which makes garlic, black pepper and hot red pepper valuable natural feed additives in improvement of meat quality as well as a natural growth promoter. In conclusion, herbs had positive influence on chicken meat quality, however the knowledge of their mode of action is still limited and thus requires further investigation

Histoenzymatic and Immunocytochemical Characteristics of Extravillous Trophoblast Cells of Placental Basal Plate as Parameter of Their Function in Hypertensive Pregnancy

An intense activity of enzymes which actively participate in the renin-angiotensinaldosterone system was shown in extravillous trophoblast cells which are involved in the performing of spiral arteries into uteroplacental vessels. The hydrolase activity in villous trophoblast underwent important variations, but it was constant in cells of the extravillous trophoblast. Activity of lysosomal hydrolases, of leucine aminopeptidase and N-acetyl glucosaminidase type, was markedly positive in X-cells, while negative in the villous trophoblast. Beta glucuronidase activity has shown moderate activity in cells of extravillous trophoblast, while in villous trophoblast it was weakly emphasized or negative. Intense activity of prostaglandin E2 dehydrogenase in the way of strongly emphasized microsomal reaction was noted exclusively in extravillous cells of basal plate, especially in perivascular cell groupings. Within all examined enzymes activities, only the membranous activity of alkaline phosphatase was of the same intensity in cells of extravillous trophoblast. Lacking of penetration of these cells into the spiral arteries wall in EPH-gestosis, which also means loss of their close contact with the blood of a pregnant, implicates the practical meaning of these observations

Guidelines for antimicrobial treatment and prophylaxis of urinary tract infections – year 2006

Preporuke za antimikrobno liječenje i profilaksu infekcija mokraćnog sustava (IMS) donešene su prema rezultatima ispitivanja rezistencije najčešćih uzročnika IMS na antimikrobike što ga od 1997. godine provodi Odbor za praćenje rezistencije bakterija na antibiotike u Republici Hrvatskoj. Nekomplicirani cistitis liječi se 1, 3 ili 7 dana, komplicirani cistitis 7 dana, pijelonefritis 10–14 dana, a komplicirane IMS 7 do 14 dana, rijetko duže. U liječenju cistitisa rabe se fluorokinoloni, nitrofurantoin, betalaktamski antibiotici te u područjima niže rezistencije trimetoprim/sulfametoksazol. Jednokratna terapija fluorokinolonima primjenjuje se u inače zdravih mladih žena s normalnim urotraktom u kojih su simptomi cistitisa prisutni kraće od 7 dana. Empirijska antimikrobna terapija pijelonefritisa, rekurentnih i svih kompliciranih IMS treba se revidirati nakon nalaza urinokulture. U liječenju bakterijskog prostatitisa i febrilnih IMS muškaraca lijek prvog izbora je ciprofloksacin. Asimptomatska bakteriurija (AB) liječi se u trudnica, novorođenčadi, predškolske djece s abnormalnim urotraktom, prije invazivnih uroloških i ginekoloških zahvata, u primaoca transplantiranog bubrega, u prvim danima kratkotrajne kateterizacije mokraćnog mjehura. Antimikrobna profilaksa primjenjuje se prvenstveno jedan sat prije dijagnostičkog ili terapijskog invazivnog urološkog postupka odabranim antimikrobnim sredstvima.Recommendations for antimicrobial treatment and prophylaxis of urinary tract infections (UTI) have been made according to study results on the resistance of the most frequent causative agents of UTI to antimicrobial drugs. The Committee for monitoring bacterial resistance to antibiotics in the Republic of Croatia has been conducting this study since 1997. Uncomplicated cystitis is treated for 1, 3 or 7 days, complicated cystitis for 7 days, pyelonephritis 10–14 days, and complicated UTI 7 to 14 days, rarely longer. For the treatment of cystitis the following drugs are used: fluoroquinolones, nitrofurantoin, betalactam antibiotics, and in cases of lower resistance trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. A single therapy with fluoroquinolones is administered to otherwise healthy young women with normal urinary tract in whom cystitis symptoms have been present for less than 7 days. Empirical antimicrobial therapy of pyelonephritis, recurrent and all complicated UTIs must be reviewed after urine culture finding is obtained. In the treatment of bacterial prostatitis and febrile UTIs in males, the drug of first choice is ciprofloxacin. Asymptomatic bacteriuria is treated in pregnant women, newborns, preschool children with urinary tract abnormalities, before invasive urological and gynecological procedures, in kidney transplant recipients, and in the first days of short-term urinary bladder catheterization. Antimicrobial prophylaxis is administered primarily one hour prior to diagnostic or therapeutic invasive urological procedures, using selected antimicrobial agents

Guiding principles for identification, evaluation and conservation of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris

Conservation of grapevine genetic resources is an important and long lasting task. Here, partners of the InWiGrape Activity of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources have proposed a set of descriptors that will assist in identification, conservation and study of genetic resources of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris. A distribution map of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris populations in Europe was produced, with on-line access through the European Vitis Database. The several different aspects of conservation of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris including bibliographical references, identification in the wild, in situ and ex situ conservation have been discussed. The descriptors and the map will assist different stakeholders, working on biodiversity and ecosystems in more effective conservation of wild grapevine genetic resources

Global Diversity of Sponges (Porifera)

With the completion of a single unified classification, the Systema Porifera (SP) and subsequent development of an online species database, the World Porifera Database (WPD), we are now equipped to provide a first comprehensive picture of the global biodiversity of the Porifera. An introductory overview of the four classes of the Porifera is followed by a description of the structure of our main source of data for this paper, the WPD. From this we extracted numbers of all ‘known’ sponges to date: the number of valid Recent sponges is established at 8,553, with the vast majority, 83%, belonging to the class Demospongiae. We also mapped for the first time the species richness of a comprehensive set of marine ecoregions of the world, data also extracted from the WPD. Perhaps not surprisingly, these distributions appear to show a strong bias towards collection and taxonomy efforts. Only when species richness is accumulated into large marine realms does a pattern emerge that is also recognized in many other marine animal groups: high numbers in tropical regions, lesser numbers in the colder parts of the world oceans. Preliminary similarity analysis of a matrix of species and marine ecoregions extracted from the WPD failed to yield a consistent hierarchical pattern of ecoregions into marine provinces. Global sponge diversity information is mostly generated in regional projects and resources: results obtained demonstrate that regional approaches to analytical biogeography are at present more likely to achieve insights into the biogeographic history of sponges than a global perspective, which appears currently too ambitious. We also review information on invasive sponges that might well have some influence on distribution patterns of the future

Analysis of grapevine phenology in the region of Sremski Karlovci

A comprehensive analysis of phenological timing and growth intervals for eight red and thirteen white wine grape cultivars in the region of Sremski Karlovci was performed using a long-term (1986-2011) data set. Four phenological stages of grapevine were examined: beginning of budburst, beginning of flowering, beginning of veraison and harvest. The phenological stages studied exhibited a 30 to 51 day variation between the earliest and latest years for red cultivars and 29 to 49 day variation for white cultivars. The beginning of flowering exhibited the least, while harvest showed the highest inter-annual variation. The difference between red and white cultivars was the greatest for harvest - the mean harvest date averaged over all red cultivars was 24 September and over all white cultivars 14 September. The beginning of flowering to the beginning of veraison interval showed the smallest and budburst to harvest interval the greatest year-toyear variability. The beginning of budburst to harvest period for the cultivars examined averaged 165 days for red and 156 days for white cultivars, with the mean interval range of 58 days for red and 55 days for white cultivars. In addition, it was found that a variability of the onset and duration of phenological phases was greater between years for a single cultivar than among cultivars within individual years, meaning that climatic factors are more important than genetic characteristics of cultivars for phenological timing. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 43007: Studying climate change and its influence on the environment: impacts, adaptation and mitigation