Search

Background: Pinus sibirica and Pinus koraiensis are belonging to the same subsection Strobus, within the Pinaceae family. The most abundant classes of bioactive compounds isolated from them are terpenes, phenols and fatty acids. Different forms of the abovementioned plants have been used in folk medicine for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Pinus sibirica has been used to cure rheumatism, arthritis as well as to treat infections, fungal diseases and wounds. It is also considered to exhibit a hypolipidemic, anti-allergic and antiseptic properties. Similarly, Pinus koraiensis is used tradidionaly to treat cough, infections, wounds and rheumatism. Furthermore, essential oil from Korean pine has antitumor, anti-ageing, and sedative effects. Objective: Our aim was to compile literature data regarding chemical composition and pharmacological effects of different preparations from Pinus sibirica and Pinus koraiensis plants, covering from pre-clinical data to upcoming clinical studies. Method: Articles were collected by searching databases: Medline/PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and Web of Science. There was no limitation for year of publication and search was not limited only on articles in English language. Results: Given the literature reports, both Siberian and Korean pines, rich in terpenes and phenols, are mainly used in investigations where they expressed antitumor, hepatoprotective or appetite suppressant properties. Conclusion: This review provided compilation of available data about chemical composition, biological profile and therapeutic usage of Pinus sibirica and Pinus koraiensis. Numerous ingredients found in those plants have great potential for examination of numerous pharmacological effects which can lead to production of innovative therapeutic agent.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to psychological wellbeing, but how can we predict when people suffer or cope during sustained stress? Here, we test the prediction that specific types of momentary emotional experiences are differently linked to psychological wellbeing during the pandemic. Study 1 used survey data collected from 24,221 participants in 51 countries during the COVID-19 outbreak. We show that, across countries, wellbeing is linked to individuals’ recent emotional experiences, including calm, hope, anxiety, loneliness, and sadness. Consistent results are found in two age, sex, and ethnicity-representative samples in the United Kingdom (N = 971) and the United States (N=961) with pre-registered analyses (Study 2). A prospective 30-day daily diary study conducted in the United Kingdom (N = 110) confirms the key role of these five emotions, and demonstrates that emotional experiences precede changes in wellbeing (Study 3). Our findings highlight differential relationships between specific types of momentary emotional experiences and wellbeing, and point to the cultivation of calm and hope as candidate routes for wellbeing interventions during periods of sustained stress.

In the fearful ape hypothesis, Grossmann argues that heightened fearfulness increases human-unique cooperation. We suggest that this conclusion, however, may be premature. In particular, we question Grossmann's singling out of fear as the affective trait that enhances cooperative care. Additionally, we problematize the extent to which heightened fearfulness in humans, and its association with human-unique cooperation, are supported empirically.

Both individuals with social anxiety disorder and individuals with autism spectrum disorder show alterations in the perception of others’ emotional facial expressions. Additionally, mimicry of an observed expression as well as the assessment of one’s own performance, i.e. metacognition, may be altered in these individuals. Using a non-clinical sample (N=57), we examined whether emotion recognition is linked to facial mimicry and confidence in one’s performance, as well as potential alterations in this link associated with social anxiety and autistic traits. While participants were presented with videos of spontaneous emotional facial expressions, we measured their facial muscle activity, and asked them to label the expressions and indicate their confidence levels in accurately labelling the expressions. Our results showed that confidence in emotion recognition was lower with higher social anxiety trait levels even though actual recognition was not related to social anxiety trait levels. Higher autistic trait levels, in contrast, were associated with worse recognition as well as a weakened link between performance and facial mimicry. Consequently, social anxiety might not affect emotion recognition itself but the top-down evaluation in an emotion recognition context, whereas individuals with autism may integrate information promoting emotion recognition, i.e. sensorimotor simulations, to a lesser degree.

Medicinal plants, about 10,000 species, are used in medicine to treat diseases or preserve human health because they are rich in the content of alkaloids, glycosides, resin, essential oils, etc. Phytopreparations are very important in the treatment of productive cough, both in self-medication and on the recommendation of health professionals. Medicinal preparations containing saponosides stimulate the glands to secrete bronchial secretions through a gastropulmonary reflex mechanism, which results in the production of rarer, watery mucus in the bronchial glands. They act on thick mucus as surfactants, reduce its viscosity and facilitate expectoration. Among triterpene saponosides used as expectorants, ivy leaf extract has proven therapeutic efficacy based on in vitro and in vivo studies. For other saponin expectorants (primrose root and flower, liquorice root (radix dulcis = sweet root), senega root, grindelia herb, common polypody rhizome), only the traditional application has been documented, which is confirmed by many studies. Due to the increased application, as well as the necessary confirmations of efficacy, there is a need for future research to analyze in more detail the pharmacological effects of triterpene saponins of expectorant action and their effect on the human organism.

Fusarium infection and deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in seven durum wheat lines kernel (six domestic durum lines ZP 16, ZP 34, ZP 41, ZP 74, ZP 120, ZP DSP 66, and one international durum line Cimmyt 7817) during two harvest seasons (2015-2016) has been studied. The four Fusarium species, F. graminearum, F. proliferatum, F. sporotrichioides, and F. verticillioides, were identified in 2015. A different structure of the Fusarium population, which in addition to F. graminearum, F. sporotrichioides and F. verticillioides, also comprised F. poae, F. semitectum, and F. subglutinans, was identified in 2016. F. graminearum was the predominant species in the durum wheat lines kernels and the potential producer of DON. The other Fusarium spp. were isolated sporadically and with a low incidence in the kernels. The incidence of F. graminearum and DON levels were significantly affected by the wheat genotypes and studied years and these parameters were negatively correlated. The incidence of F. graminearum was significantly higher in 2015 (75.86%) than in 2016 (63.43%), while the level of DON was significantly higher in 2016 (3.636 mg kg-1) compared to 2015 (1.126 mg kg-1). Statistically, there was a significantly higher incidence of F. graminearum in ZP DSP 66 (73.00%) and ZP 120 (72.75%) durum wheat lines than in the other durum genotypes. DON level was the highest in durum wheat line ZP 120 (3.854 mg kg-1). Considering all treatments tested, the mean DON level was 2.381 mg kg-1, while the mean incidence of F. graminearum was 69.64%. ?ested durum wheat lines showed susceptibility to F. graminearum, resulting in high DON levels in kernels. The results obtained suggest the importance of using the lines with improved resistance to Fusarium head blight in the breeding programs for new durum wheat cultivars.

Around the globe, people are living under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are experiencing curtailed opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and real-world social interactions. These conditions present a significant challenge to wellbeing1,2 and it is therefore essential to examine the factors associated with psychological wellbeing during this pandemic and other collective crises3. Here, we used survey data collected from 26,684 participants in 51 countries from 17 April to 15 May 2020 to examine the individual and societal factors that predict the degree of individuals’ suffering or thriving during the COVID-19 outbreak. We show that wellbeing is linked to an individual’s recent experiences of specific momentary positive and negative emotions, including calm, loneliness, love, and determination, as well as socioeconomic status. Around the world, calm, connection, and control were found to be central to wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results are consistent with findings from two representative samples using pre-registered analyses, and a prospective 30-day daily diary study. Our findings highlight differential relationships between socio-affective processes and wellbeing during collective crises, and point to the importance of momentary experiences of calm, love and determination, particularly for those in less privileged positions in society. Funding Statement: This research was supported by ERC Starting grant 714977 awarded to D.A.S. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: The study received approval from the University of Amsterdam Department of Psychology Ethics Committee and all participants provided digital informed consent.

This chapter will present the use of biomaterials in applications related to tissue engineering and artificial organs and examine how emerging and enabling technologies are being developed and applied, with a strong focus on fundamental and traditional tissue engineering strategies. The primary goal is to provide a systematic overview of the field from fundamentals to current challenges and opportunities in creating new functional tissue and to discuss enabling technologies such as simulation of organ-on-chip systems. This means that the first part of the chapter will be dedicated to the review of different studies on the topics of lung and liver cell line models, available methods, and discussion of current state-of-the-art. The second part will be related to in silico models of these organs—currently available in the literature as well as new models developed by the authors of this chapter. Since the main purpose of generation of organ-on-chips is to reduce and, at some point, replace experiments on the animals, several different organs were the point of interest in developing on-chip technology. This chapter will therefore present initial results of two models—one model of bioreactor for lung cells and the other of liver cell line aggregation. On the one hand, the importance of simulating flow of the fluid, containing the monocyte cells, through the bioreactor is significant for further analysis of the monocytes, meaning chemical reaction and binding of monocytes to the bottom of the bioreactor, in order to present the inflammatory process and reaction of the immune system. On the other, mathematical model of liver in the early stages of spheroidal multicellular aggregation process for particular case of hepatocytes is very interesting as the formation of aggregates has been shown to improve cell viability and functionality compared to traditional monolayer culture techniques. The chapter concludes with a discussion of our key findings and suggestions for future work.

In this paper, we first briefly describe the mechanical model of cupula deformation with the appropriate analytical solution. Then, we present the numerical solution of the same problem and compare it with the analytical one. Besides, we provide another numerical solution based on the Finite Element Method procedure, in an effort to encompass a more realistic approach to the problem such as considering the real geometry of the SCCs and the obstruction of the fluid flow during head movement due to the presence of otoconia. As a result, we obtain fifty solutions for a head rotation angle in a range from 0° to 120°, taking into account that such a manoeuvre lasts exactly 3 seconds. In the end, we present a mobile client-server application for visualising the finite element solutions in a way that is convenient for the clinical practice.

Since the main purpose of generation of organ-on-chips is to reduce and, at some point, replace experiments on the animals, several different organs were point of interest in developing on-chip technology. The paper will therefore focus on creating mathematical model of liver cell aggregation, generating a basis for creation of artificial organs in that way. Some studies have shown that in the case of hepatocytes (liver cells), improved cell viability and functionality is connected to the formation of spheroidal multicellular aggregates in comparison to the traditional monolayer culture techniques. We present one-dimensional mathematical model of liver cell aggregation, meaning how the liver cell clusters are formed on an extracellular matrix (ECM) layer. Model is based on partial differential equations in the function of space and time, which are solved numerically using finite difference method. Results show that velocity of the cells at the beginning is slow, only to increase later on during the formation of the aggregates. Material properties and initial cell seeding have great effects on the formation of the aggregates. With this model, we aim to achieve a prediction of number of cell clusters, velocity during and before/after clustering etc., which is important in experiments to examine how different parameters, such as initial cell seeding or material characteristics affect cell aggregation and viability of liver cells.

In vitro models are very important in medicine and biology, because they provide an insight into cells’ and microorganisms’ behavior. Since these cells and microorganisms are isolated from their natural environment, these models may not completely or precisely predict the effects on the entire organism. Improvement in this area is secured by organ-on-a-chip development. The organ-on-a-chip assumes cells cultured in a microfluidic chip. The chip simulates bioactivities, mechanics and physiological behavior of organs or organ systems, generating artificial organs in that way. There are several cell lines used so far for each tested artificial organ. For lungs, mostly used cell lines are 16HBE, A549, Calu-3, NHBE, while mostly used cell lines for liver are HepG2, Hep 3B, TPH1, etc. In this paper, state of the art for lung and liver organ-on-a-chip is presented, together with the established in vitro testing on lung and liver cell lines, with the emphasis on Calu-3 (for lung cell lines) and Hep-G2 (for liver cell lines). Primary focus in this review is to discuss different researches on the topics of lung and liver cell linemodels, approaches in determining fate and transport, cell partitioning, cell growth and division, as well as cell dynamics, meaning toxicity and effects. The review is finalized with current research gaps and problems, stating potential future developments in the field.

The inflammation and lipid accumulation in the arterial wall represents a progressive disease known as atherosclerosis. In this study, a numerical model of atherosclerosis progression was developed. The wall shear stress (WSS) and blood analysis data have a big influence on the development of this disease. The real geometry of patients, and the blood analysis data (cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides), used in this paper, was obtained within the H2020 SMARTool project. Fluid domain (blood) was modeled using Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with continuity equation, while the solid domain (arterial wall) was modeled using Darcy’s law. For the purpose of modeling low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and oxygen transport, convection-diffusion equations were used. Kedem-Katchalsky equations were used for coupling fluid and solid dynamics.

In this study stent deployment modeling with plaque formation and pro- gression for specific patient in the coronary arteries are described. State of the art method for the reported investigations of blood flow in the stented arteries is described. In the met- hod section, image segmentation method for arteries with stent is shortly described. Blood flow simulation is described with Navier-Stokes and continuity equation. Blood vessel tis- sue is modeled with nonlinear viscoelastic material properties. The coupling of fluid dynamics and solute dynamics at the endothelium was achieved by the Kedem-Katchalsky equations. The inflammatory process is modeled using three additional reaction-diffusion partial differential equations. Coupled method with mixed finite element and DPD (Dissi- pative Particle Dynamics) method is presented. In the results section, the examples with rigid and deformable arterial wall with stented and unstented arteries are presented. Effecti- ve stress analysis results for stent deployment have been shown. It can be seen that stent reduces wall shear stress significantly after deployment which is caused by opening the artery and reducing the narrowing. Some results for stent deployment model obtained with solver developed under PAK software package. These computer models can make better understanding and preparation of the surgeons for stent deployment in everyday clinical practice.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by dysfunction of endothelium, vasculitis and accumulation of lipid, cholesterol and cell elements inside blood vessel wall. Determination of plaque location and plaque volume for a specific patient is very important for prediction of atherosclerotic disease progression. In this study coupled computer modeling of atherosclerosis progression is analysed. Continuum approach assumed mass transport of LDL through the wall and the simplified inflammatory process coupled with three addi-tional reaction-diffusion equations and lesion growth model in the intima. Discrete modeling used dissipative particle dynamics method which individual blood constituents (e.g., platelets, RBCs, white blood cells) treated as particle interaction. Coupled continuum and discrete model was investigated with real patient baseline and follow up study for right and left coronary arteries.

Corrosion degradation of materials is an important issue that leads to depreciation of investment goods. In production of materials a huge challenge is to design ‘smart’ synthetic systems that can actively re-establish the continuity and integrity of a damaged area. Nanocontainers represent new technology for smart nanocoating interfaces. This chapter describes the solutions based on an innovative integrated modeling approach, including nano- and macro-scale in the automotive, aerospace and biomedical industry. Two different modeling approaches, discrete and continuum, are used to investigate coating substrates that contain nanoscale defects with healing agents. Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method uses three forces: repulsive, dissipative and random forces, as well as additional forces which bound healing agents to a metal substrate. Finite Element Method (FEM) is continuum modeling method with different diffusivity and fluxes. The chapter includes the real case examples from industry with different concentrations of inhibitors inside the primer layer. These findings could be used for guidelines for formulating nanocomposite coatings and healing effects of the surfaces through the self-assembly of the particles into the defects.

Computational study for plaque formation and development for the patient specific coronary arteries was performed. Transport of macrophages and oxidized LDL distribution for the initial plaque grow model inside the intimal area was implemented. Mass transport of LDL through the wall and the simplified inflammatory process was firstly solved. The Navier-Stokes equations govern the blood motion in the lumen, the Darcy law is used for model blood filtration, Kedem-Katchalsky equations for the solute and flux exchanges between the lumen and the intima. The system of three additional reaction-diffusion equations that models the inflammatory process and lesion growth model in the intima was used. Some examples of computer simulation for plaque formation and progression for the specific patient for left and right coronary arteries are presented. Determination of plaque location and plaque volume with computer simulation for a specific patient shows a potential benefit for prediction of disease progression.

Maize is considered one of the most susceptible crops to mycotoxins worldwide. Compared to other mycotoxins, the greatest attention has been paid to aflatoxins, due to their potential carcinogenicity and due to significant and longstanding problems they can cause in humans and animals. A. flavus and A. parasiticus produce aflatoxins in many economically significant crops in both fields and storages. Because of the potential aflatoxin contamination of maize grain, the toxigenic potential of A. flavus and A. parasiticus isolates, originating from Serbia, was tested in the present study. Furthermore, various applied methods for detection of these mycotoxins were compared in the study. Cultural, serological and analytical methods for the detection of mycotoxins were compared in the course of the experiment by the direct extraction of aflatoxins from the nutrient medium. The cultural methods for the detection of aflatoxin production were applied to 20 isolates of A. flavus (MRIZP Af18-20) and A. parasiticus (MRIZP Ap1-17). These methods are based on the yellow pigment formation in mycelia and nutrition media, occurrence of fluorescence on PDA (potato dextrose agar), agar containing β-cyclodextrine (CD-PDA), as well as on the red pigment formation after adding ammonium hydroxide to the existing medium. The ELISA was used to check quantitative and qualitative analyses of total aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) while the HPLC method was applied to establish ability of isolates to synthesize aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2. The yellow pigment formation, fluorescence and colony color changes of isolates into red, as a proof of toxigenicity of isolates, were confirmed in all cases by ELISA. A high potential of total aflatoxin production was determined in the majority of observed isolates. The ability of A. parasiticus isolates to synthesize aflatoxins G1 and G2 was confirmed by the HPLC method. This was essential for a better understanding of the key role of the suitability of cultural methods for preliminary evaluation of a large number of isolates. Our goal was to employ rapid biochemical approaches to prevent aflatoxin contamination of crops, and to reduce human and animal exposure to foodborne mycotoxins. Kukuruz se širom sveta smatra jednim od useva najpodložnijih za kontaminaciju mikotoksinima. Aflatoksinima se, u poređenju s drugim mikotoksinima, pridaje najveća pažnja zbog njihove potencijalne kancerogenosti, značajnih i dugoročnih problema koje izazivaju kod ljudi i životinja. Vrste A. flavus i A. parasiticus mogu produkovati aflatoksine kod mnogih ekonomski značajnih kultura u poljima i skladištima. Zbog potencijalne kontaminacije zrna kukuruza aflatoksinima u ovom radu je ispitan toksigeni potencijal izolata upravo ove dve vrste poreklom iz Srbije i upoređene su različite metode detekcije ovih mikotoksina. Tokom eksperimenta upoređene su odgajivačke, serološke i analitičke metode detekcije mikotoksina, direktnom ekstrakcijom aflatoksina iz hranljive podloge. Istraživanja su bazirana na primeni odgajivačke metode za određivanje produkcije aflatoksina kod 20 izolata A. parasiticus (MRIZP Ap1-17) i A. flavus (MRIZP Af18-20) poreklom iz Srbije. Odgajivačke metode su bile zasnovane na formiranju žutog pigmenta u miceliji i hranljivoj podlozi, na pojavi fluorescencije na PDA (krompir dekstrozni agar) i podlozi koja sadrzi β-ciklodekstrin (CD-PDA), kao i na obrazovanju crvenog pigmenta u podlozi nakon dodavanja amonijum hidroksida. ELISA test je korišćen za proveru kvantitativnih i kvalitativnih sadržaja ukupnih aflatoksina B1, B2, G1 i G 2, dok je HPLC metodom utvrđena koncentracija pojedinačnih aflatoksina B1, B2, G1 i G2. Obrazovanje žutog pigmenta, fluorescencija i promena boje kolonije izolata u crvenu, kao dokaz toksigenosti izolata, potvrđena je u svim slučajevima i ELISA testom. Kod većine izolata ustanovljen je visok potencijal produkcije ukupnih aflatoksina. HPLC metodom potvrđena je i sposobnost sinteze aflatoksina G1 i G2 od strane izolata A. parasiticus. Cilj eksperimenta bio je da se ispita efikasnost upotrebe brzih testova za detekciju aflatoksina, kako bi se sprečila kontaminacija useva i izloženost ljudi i životinja afla-toksinima.

The cochlea is the most important part of the hearing system, due to the fact that it receives sound in the form of vibrations and converts these vibrations into nerve impulses in the organ of Corti that sends information about sounds to the brain. Functioning of the cochlea components and behavior is still not investigated completely because of its complex structure. Human live cochlea is placed in almost inaccessible place. Because of that it is hard to collect experimental measurement. Cochlea works as an electro-mechanical system and it is important to investigate both electrical and mechanical behavior of the cochlea in order to improve treatment of hearing disorders. This study presents a mechanical model of the uncoiled cochlea using full 3D 8-noded finite elements, as well the electro-mechanical 1D state-space model of the cochlea. The results obtained from these two cochlea models show good matching with Greenwood function and properly simulate the behavior of the cochlea.

In this review we present scientific results from three EC FP7 projects: ARTREAT, SIFEM and EMBALANCE. The title of FP7 ARTREAT project was: Multi-level patient-specific artery and atherogenesis model for outcome prediction, decision support treatment, and virtual hand-on training. Researchers from the University of Kragujevac and BioIRC participated in this project. The original method for plaque formation and development was developed and validated on the pilot study patients for coronary and carotid arteries in EU clinical centers. Another FP7 project was SIFEM with the title: Semantic Infostructure interlinking an open source Finite Element tool and libraries with a model repository for the multi-scale Modelling and 3d visualization of the inner-ear. Methodology for cochlea model with tapered and rectangular basilar membrane with passive and active model was developed. The main part of EMBALANCE FP7 project was modelling of vertigo diseases. Three-dimensional biomechanical model of semi-circular canals was described with full 3D fluid-structure interaction of particles, wall, cupula deformation and endolymph fluid flow. The model is compared with clinical data and nystagmus measurement on the vertigo patients.

Hearing impairment is a problem faced by many people, mostly the elderly population but occurs even in newborns. Experimental tests performed on patients give information of the level of hearing impairment and the place where the problem is located. In order to understand process of hearing and hearing impairments it would be very useful to have a look inside, but it is not possible with any experimental equipment. However, it is possible to make a virtual look inside human auditory system by development of numerical model. Using data obtained by experimental research it is possible to make sufficiently detailed model and use it to gain new knowledge that can help in understanding of hearing process and problems with hearing. In this paper one such model will be presented. The model contains mechanical and fluid elements of the middle and inner ear.

Human hearing system in general, and particularly the cochlea, is very interesting for investigation. The most important reason for it is hearing loss — a health problem that affects a large part of the world's human population. The highest percentage of people with hearing problems are older people, but the problem also occurs in newborns. Experimental research in this area provides some information about the level of hearing loss. Therefore, it is very useful to have a numerical model of the hearing system that can significantly contribute to the understanding of the origin of the mentioned health problem. Two numerical models are developed to investigate hearing problems: passive 3D cochlea model and 2D cochlea cross-section model. Those models are weakly coupled in order to make an active cochlea model [1].

The primary role of the cochlea is to transform external sound stimuli into mechanical vibrations and then to neural impulses which are sent to the brain. A simplified cochlea box model was developed using the finite element method. Firstly, a mechanical model of the cochlea was analyzed. The box model consists of the basilar membrane and two fluid chambers – the scala vestibuli and scala tympani. The third chamber, the scala media, was neglected in the mechanical analysis. The best agreement with currently available analytical and experimental results was obtained when behavior of the fluid in the chambers was described using the wave acoustic equation and behavior of the basilar membrane was modeled with Newtonian dynamics. The obtained results show good frequency mapping. The second approach was to use an active model of the cochlea in which the Organ of Corti was included. The operation of the Organ of Corti involves the generation of current, caused by mechanical vibration. This current in turn causes a force applied to the basilar membrane, creating in this way an active feedback mechanism. A state space representation of the electro-mechanical model from existing literature was implemented and a first comparison with the finite element method is presented.

Cochlea is important part of the hearing system, and thanks to special structure converts external sound waves into neural impulses which go to the brain. Shape of the cochlea is like snail, so geometry of the cochlea model is complex. The simplified cochlea coiled model was developed using finite element method inside SIFEM FP7 project. Software application is created on the way that user can prescribe set of the parameters for spiral cochlea, as well as material properties and boundary conditions to the model. Several mathematical models were tested. The acoustic wave equation for describing fluid in the cochlea chambers – scala vestibuli and scala timpani, and Newtonian dynamics for describing vibrations of the basilar membrane are used. The mechanical behavior of the coiled cochlea was analyzed and the third chamber, scala media, was not modeled because it does not have a significant impact on the mechanical vibrations of the basilar membrane. The obtained results are in good agreement with experiment...

The aim of this study is the isolation, characterization and identification of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from artisanal Vlasina raw goat's milk cheese for the selection of potential starter cultures. Soft white Vlasina cheese was manufactured at a household on the Stara Planina Mountain using traditional techniques without starter cultures. One hundred and forty nine LAB isolates were collected from two samples of Vlasina cheese, designated as BGVL2 (5 days old) and BGVL2a (15 days old). The population of LAB in the cheese samples was characterized by phenotype-based assays and presumptively identified using repetitive element palindromic polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) with the primer (GTG)5. Results were confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Among the BGVL2 isolates (56), the most numerous LAB species were Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (27) and Lactococcus lactis (26). In 15-day-old BGVL2a (93 isolates), Lactobacillus plantarum (33), Enterococcus durans (26) and Pediococcus pentosaceus (14) were predominant. Lc. lactis ssp. lactis BGVL2-8 showed good acidification ability and the ability to produce antimicrobial compounds, Lb. plantarum BGVL2a-18 had good proteolytic ability and produced exopolysaccharides, while BGVL2-29 and BGVL2-63, which belonged to the species Ln. pseudomesenteroides, utilized citrate and produced diacetyl and acetoin. They appeared to be suitable candidates for inclusion in the starter culture. This study contributed to the understanding of the role of autochthonous LAB in the quality of artisanal cheese and the possibility of using the selected LAB as potential starter cultures for cheese making under controlled conditions., Svrha je ovoga rada bila izolirati, karakterizirati i identificirati autohtone bakterije mliječno-kiselog vrenja koje se mogu upotrijebiti kao starter kulture u zanatskoj proizvodnji vlasinskog sira iz svježeg kozjeg mlijeka. Meki je bijeli vlasinski sir bio izrađen u domaćinstvu na Staroj Planini tradicionalnim postupkom bez dodatka starter kultura. Iz dvaju je uzoraka vlasinskih sireva, označenih kao BGVL2 (sir star 5 dana) i BGVL2 (sir star 15 dana) prikupljeno 149 izolata bakterija mliječno-kiselog vrenja. Populacija je bakterija iz uzoraka sireva okarakerizirana pomoću fenotipskih testova i primarno identificirana primjenom metode rep-PCR s početnicom (GTG)5. Rezultati su potvrđeni sekvenciranjem 16S rDNA. Među izolatima iz sira BGVL2 (njih 56) najbrojnije su bile bakterije Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (27) i Lactococcus lactis (26). U siru BGVL2a (93 izolata), starom 15 dana, prevladavale su vrste Lactobacillus plantarum (33), Enterococcus durans (26) i Pediococcus pentosaceus (14). Izolat Lc. lactis ssp. lactis BGVL2-8 pokazao je dobru sposobnost zakiseljavanja i proizvodnje antimikrobnih spojeva. Izolat Lb. plantarum BGVL2a-18 imao je dobru proteolitičku aktivnost i sposobnost proizvodnje egzopolisaharida, dok su izolati BGVL2-29 i BGVL2-63 vrste Ln. pseudomesenteroides za rast koristili citrate, a proizvodili diacetil i acetoin. Stoga su navedeni izolati odabrani kao starter kulture. Ovo je istraživanje pridonijelo razumijevanju uloge autohtonih bakterija mliječno-kiselog vrenja u zanatskoj proizvodnji kvalitetnog sira, te je potvrdilo mogućnost primjene odabranih izolata kao starter kultura pri izradi vlasinskog sira u kontroliranim uvjetima.

The possibility that allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation performed across the ABO blood group-barrier is associated with an increase of graft-versus-host disease, in particular endothelial damage, has not been elucidated so far. For this reason, we investigated the level of endothelial cell chimerism after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in order to delineate the role of hematopoietic stem cells in endothelial replacement.The frequency of donor-derived endothelial cells was analyzed in 52 hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, in 22 normal skin biopsies, in 12 skin samples affected by graft-versus-host disease, various tissues from five autopsies and four secondary solid tumors by ABH immunohistochemistry, XY fluorescence in situ hybridization and short tandem repeat analysis of laser captured endothelial cells.Skin biopsies from two patients transplanted with minor ABO-incompatible grafts (i.e. O in A) showed 3.3% and 0.9% H antigen-positive donor-derived endothelial cells by ABH immunohistochemistry. Tumor biopsies from two recipients showed 1.2% and 2.5% donor-derived endothelial cells by combined immunohistochemistry/ fluorescence in situ hybridization. All other skin samples, heart, liver, bone-marrow, and tumor tissues failed to reveal donor-type endothelial cells up to several years after ABO-incompatible hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Endothelial cell replacement by bone marrow-derived donor cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a rare event. It does not seem to represent a major mechanism of physiological in vivo blood vessel formation, tumor neoangiogenesis, vascular repair after graft-versus-host disease episodes or acceptance of ABO-incompatible grafts.

Rosetting ofPlasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (parasitized RBC [pRBC]) with uninfected RBC has been associated in many studies with malaria morbidity and is one form of cytoadherence observed with malarial parasites. Rosetting is serum dependent for many isolates ofP. falciparum, including the strains FCR3S1.2 and Malayan Camp studied here. We identified the three naturally occurring components of sera which confer rosetting. Complement factor D alone induced 30 to 40% of de novo rosetting. Its effect was additive to that of 0.5 mg/ml albumin and to that of 15 ng/ml of naturally occurring antibodies to the anion transport protein, band 3. The three components together mediated rosetting as effectively as 10% serum. De novo rosetting experiments showed that naturally occurring anti-band 3 antibodies as well as factor D were effective only when added to pRBC. Factor D appeared to cleave a small fraction of a protein expressed on the surface of pRBC.

This chapter starts with introduction in organ-on-a-chip concept, with special interest in lung models and presents two models—model of bioreactor for simulation of immune response and monocyte behavior and model of A549 epithelial lung cells. It includes mathematical models and numerical simulations obtained by finite element method. The chapter closes with discussion and conclusion section together with plans for future models development in this area.