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Silica refractories are promising materials for high-temperature thermal energy storage (HT-TES), because they exhibit excellent thermal cycling properties, unless cooled below a critical temperature (usually assumed to be 600 °C). When cooling down to room temperature severe damage can occur, which can be conveniently monitored via the impulse excitation technique (IET). This damage is most severe when the cycling maximum temperature is low. The question is whether this damage can be healed again. In this short contribution we show that severe damage in silica refractories, caused by heating from room temperature to 300 °C and back again to room temperature, can indeed be healed by thermal cycling to 1300 °C. The healed material is actually better than the pristine material.

Abstract High‐grade serous carcinoma of the ovary, fallopian tube and peritoneum (HGSC), the most common type of ovarian cancer, ranks among the deadliest malignancies. Many HGSC patients have excess fluid in the peritoneum called ascites. Ascites is a tumour microenvironment (TME) containing various cells, proteins and extracellular vesicles (EVs). We isolated EVs from patients’ ascites by orthogonal methods and analyzed them by mass spectrometry. We identified not only a set of ‘core ascitic EV‐associated proteins’ but also defined their subset unique to HGSC ascites. Using single‐cell RNA sequencing data, we mapped the origin of HGSC‐specific EVs to different types of cells present in ascites. Surprisingly, EVs did not come predominantly from tumour cells but from non‐malignant cell types such as macrophages and fibroblasts. Flow cytometry of ascitic cells in combination with analysis of EV protein composition in matched samples showed that analysis of cell type‐specific EV markers in HGSC has more substantial prognostic potential than analysis of ascitic cells. To conclude, we provide evidence that proteomic analysis of EVs can define the cellular composition of HGSC TME. This finding opens numerous avenues both for a better understanding of EV's role in tumour promotion/prevention and for improved HGSC diagnostics.

Abstract Notwithstanding the fact that streptomycetes are overlooked in clinical laboratories, studies describing their occurrence in disease and potential pathogenicity are emerging. Information on their species diversity in clinical specimens, aetiology and appropriate therapeutic treatment is scarce. We identified and evaluated the antibiotic susceptibility profile of 84 Streptomyces clinical isolates from the Czech Republic. In the absence of appropriate disk diffusion (DD) breakpoints for antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) of Streptomyces spp., we determined DD breakpoints by correlation with the broth microdilution method and by the distribution of zone diameters among isolates. Correlation accuracy was high for 9 antibiotics, leading to the establishment of the most valid DD breakpoints for Streptomyces antibiotic susceptibility evaluation so far. Clinical strains belonged to 17 different phylotypes dominated by a cluster of strains sharing the same percentage of 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with more than one species (S. albidoflavus group, S. hydrogenans, S. resistomycificus, S. griseochromogenes; 70% of isolates). AST results showed that Streptomyces exhibited intrinsic resistance to penicillin, general susceptibility to amikacin, gentamycin, vancomycin and linezolid, and high percentage of susceptibility to tetracyclines and clarithromycin. For the remaining antibiotics, AST showed inter- and intra-species variations when compared to available literature (erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), indicating a region-dependent rather than species-specific patterns.

Sensory acceptability of the consumption of whole baked house crickets by assessors in the Czech Republic was investigated. The main aim was to observe attitudes to eating edible insects before and after their tasting and to assess the extent of the effect of prejudices. Hedonic evaluation of the overall acceptability of edible insects was carried out under laboratory conditions by trained assessors. Of the 98 panellists, 68 were willing to evaluate the sample visually and then by tasting. They showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.0001) in overall pleasantness before tasting (40 ± 22%) and after tasting (61 ± 17%). No statistically significant differences between male and female assessors were observed, either before or after tasting. Women and younger assessors were slightly more open to entomophagy, but there were no statistically significant differences between males and females or between the two age categories (18-25 and 26-45 years of age) in the results. The preferred methods of culinary preparation of edible insects that the respondents would choose were baking, roasting and frying.

Snake fruit (Salacca zalacca (Gaert.) Voss) is a fruit species traditionally cultivated in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. The edible parts of the fruits contain a certain amount of total phenolic, flavonoid, and monoterpenoid compounds, proving them to be their perfect sources. The main goal of this work was to detect, quantify, and identify various phenolic compounds present in snake fruit pulp. Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to a Q-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometer was able to detect 19 phenolic compounds in the salak pulp, including 5 flavanols, 6 phenolic acids, 2 flavonols, 1 flavone, and also 5 presumably new phenolic compounds. Among the detected compounds, 11 were reported and quantified for the first time in salak pulp. Chlorogenic acid was by far the most predominant phenolic compound. The next relatively abundant compounds in snake fruit were epicatechin, isoquercetin, neochlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid and procyanidine B2 (levels at ca 5–10 μg/g in MeOH extract), syringic acid, and caffeic acid (levels at ca 1 μg/g in H2O extract). A significant total phenolic content (257.17 μL/mL) and antioxidant activities (10.56 μM TE/g of fruit pulp) were determined. In conclusion, S. zalacca fruit has potential to serve as a natural source of phenolic compounds with antioxidative activities which may be associated with their health benefits.

Current clinical studies confirm that the consumption of oats for people suffering from celiac disease is safe. Some studies have confirmed different levels of immunoreactive gluten epitopes of oats in different cultivars, while others explain these differences due to contamination with gluten-rich species or as random cross-reactivity ELISA of homologous oat epitopes with anti-wheat gliadin antibodies. The aim of our two-year study was therefore to map cross-reactive oat epitopes in a set of 132 oat cultivars using a G12-based ELISA kit. The results were focused on the varietal and annual level of cross-reactivity (interference) of avenin epitopes with the G12 antibody on the identification of potential cultivars with significantly different interferences and assessing the degree of risk of possible false-contamination with external gluten. Although repeated evaluations confirmed high year-to-year variability (RSD ≥ 30%) in approximately 2/3 of the cultivars, the content of interfering avenin epitopes with G12 did not exceed the considered safe limit (20 mg·kg−1) for celiacs. At the same time, not only annual but, above all, significant cultivar dependences in the interference of avenins to the G12 antibody were demonstrated. Genetic dependence was further confirmed in connection with the proven avenin polymorphism as well as immunoblotting with the identification of interfering peptides with the G12 antibody in the 25 and 30 kDa regions. It was the occurrence of two bands around 30 kDa that predominantly occurred in oat cultivars with a relatively higher content of cross-reactive avenins (12–16 mg·kg−1). Due to the fact that the contents of interfering avenins ranged in several cultivars even over 16 mg·kg−1, the choice of a suitable oat cultivar may be crucial for gluten-free food producers, as it reduces the risk of a possible false-response of the commercial ELISA kits when checking the real-gluten contamination.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) function as important conveyers of information between cells and thus can be exploited as drug delivery systems or disease biomarkers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) remains the gold standard method for visualisation of EVs, however the analysis of individual EVs in TEM images is time-consuming if performed manually. Therefore, we present here a software tool for computer-assisted evaluation of EVs in TEM images. TEM ExosomeAnalyzer detects EVs based on their shape and edge contrast criteria and subsequently analyses their size and roundness. The software tool is compatible with common negative staining protocols and isolation methods used in the field of EV research; even with challenging TEM images (EVs both lighter and darker than the background, images containing artefacts or precipitated stain, etc.). If the fully-automatic analysis fails to produce correct results, users can promptly adjust the detected seeds of EVs as well as their boundaries manually. The performance of our tool was evaluated for three different modes with variable levels of human interaction, using two datasets with various heterogeneity. The semi-automatic mode analyses EVs with high success rate in the homogenous dataset (F1 score 0.9094, Jaccard coefficient 0.8218) as well as in the highly heterogeneous dataset containing EVs isolated from cell culture medium and patient samples (F1 score 0.7619, Jaccard coefficient 0.7553). Moreover, the extracted size distribution profiles of EVs isolated from malignant ascites of ovarian cancer patients overlap with those derived by cryo-EM and are comparable to NTA- and TRPS-derived data. In summary, TEM ExosomeAnalyzer is an easy-to-use software tool for evaluation of many types of vesicular microparticles and is available at http://cbia.fi.muni.cz/exosome-analyzer free of charge for non-commercial and research purposes. The web page contains also detailed description how to use the software tool including a video tutorial.

Our study was focused on the evaluation of the content of a wider spectrum of eight avenanthramides (AVNs) as unique components of oat grain under the effects of four selected factors (cultivar, locality, cropping system, and year). The weather effects on changes in the AVN content and their relationship to other important parameters of oat grain were further evaluated in more detail. A sensitive UHPLC system coupled with a QExactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer was used for AVN quantification. AVNs confirmed a high variability (RDS = 72.7–113.5%), which was dominantly influenced by the locality and year factors. While most AVN types confirmed mutually high correlations (r = 0.7–0.9), their correlations with the other 10 grain parameters were lower (r ≤ 0.48). Their significant correlations (0.27–0.46) with β-D-glucan could be used in perspective in breeding programs for the synergetic increase of both parameters. PCA analysis and Spearman correlations based on individual cultivars confirmed a significant effect of June and July precipitation on the increase of Σ AVNs. However, the results also indicated that higher precipitation can generate favorable conditions for related factors, such as preharvest sprouting evoking a direct increase of AVNs synthesis in oat grain.

Some journalistic genres can be succesfully used as a part of the therapeutic pedagogically oriented bibliotherapy. The paper deals with the specifics of their use at the beginning, during and at the end of the therapy process. It contains recommendations on how a therapeutic pedagogue or other professional with the therapeutic qualification can effectively apply journalistic genres as an element supporting the formation and strengthening of new competencies in children, pupils or students who face special developmental challenges. As well for other pedagogues how they can effectively cooperate with the help of experts for therapy in solving of developmental tasks of such children. A special part of the contribution is dedicated to the latest challenge of helping with the correct interpretation and evaluation of information provided by the media, which increasingly needs to be nowadays addressed as part of the therapeutic pedagogical care of children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptomyces sp. TR1341 was isolated from the sputum of a man with a history of lung and kidney tuberculosis, recurrent respiratory infections, and COPD. It produces secondary metabolites associated with cytotoxicity and immune response modulation. In this study, we complement our previous results by identifying the genetic features associated with the production of these secondary metabolites and other characteristics that could benefit the strain during its colonization of human tissues (virulence factors, modification of the host immune response, or the production of siderophores). We performed a comparative phylogenetic analysis to identify the genetic features that are shared by environmental isolates and human respiratory pathogens. The results showed a high genomic similarity of Streptomyces sp. TR1341 to the plant-associated Streptomyces sp. endophyte_N2, inferring a soil origin of the strain. Putative virulence genes, such as mammalian cell entry (mce) genes were not detected in the TR1341’s genome. The presence of a type VII secretion system, distinct from the ones found in Mycobacterium species, suggests a different colonization strategy than the one used by other actinomycete lung pathogens. We identified a higher diversity of genes related to iron acquisition and demonstrated that the strain produces ferrioxamine B in vitro. These results indicate that TR1341 may have an advantage in colonizing environments that are low in iron, such as human tissue.

Due to toxicity and compliance issues and the emergence of resistance to current medications new drugs for the treatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis are needed. A potential approach to developing novel anti-trypanosomal drugs is by inhibition of the 6-oxopurine salvage pathways which synthesise the nucleoside monophosphates required for DNA/RNA production. This is in view of the fact that trypanosomes lack the machinery for de novo synthesis of the purine ring. To provide validation for this approach as a drug target, we have RNAi silenced the three 6-oxopurine phosphoribosyltransferase (PRTase) isoforms in the infectious stage of Trypanosoma brucei demonstrating that the combined activity of these enzymes is critical for the parasites' viability. Furthermore, we have determined crystal structures of two of these isoforms in complex with several acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (ANPs), a class of compound previously shown to inhibit 6-oxopurine PRTases from several species including Plasmodium falciparum. The most potent of these compounds have Ki values as low as 60 nM, and IC50 values in cell based assays as low as 4 μM. This data provides a solid platform for further investigations into the use of this pathway as a target for anti-trypanosomal drug discovery.

Background/Aims: Calcium-Sensing Receptor (CaSR) significantly affects calcium-phosphate metabolism in kidneys, and it is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) due to its expression in pancreatic F-cells. The role of CaSR as one of the players in pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been speculated. Methods: 158 Type 2 diabetic patients divided into three groups according to occurrence and type of kidney complications, 66 nondiabetic patients CKD, and 93 healthy subjects were enrolled into the study to analyze the role of two CaSR polymorphisms (in the codon 990 and in the intron 4) in ethiopathogenesis of DM and CKD. The Type 2 diabetic groups consisted of 48 patients without any kidney abnormalities, 58 patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN), and 52 patients with nondiabetic renal disease (NDRD). The distribution of genotype and allele frequencies was studied using PCR with the TaqMan Discrimination Assay or followed by the Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism method, respectively. Results: We have found that the intron 4 polymorphism is a risk factor for the development of DM and CKD, except DN, while the codon 990 does not show any disease association. Conclusion: We conclude that CaSR is a general factor in pancreas and kidney pathologies. i 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

Weanling Wistar rats, males and females, were fed for 185 days with diets containing 15% of dietary fat in the form of a mixture of lard and partially oxidised cod liver oil. The proportion of cod liver oil in the dietary fat ranged from 0 to 100%, and the content of malonaldehyde from 0.3 to 19.6 mg/kg of the fat used. Animals fed with diets containing higher proportions of oxidised cod liver oil had higher concentrations of malonaldehyde in their livers. Serum lipid levels were lower in animals fed with higher proportions of cod liver oil than in animals fed control diets (milk fat or lard). The lowest concentration of serum lipid was found in the rats fed the diet containing half of its fat as fish oil. Increased intakes of cod liver oil resulted in lower body weight gains, weights of livers, kidneys, and weights of the reproductive organs. The relative weights of livers and kidneys/body weight were higher in the groups with higher intakes of cod liver oil. High intakes of cod liver oil led to a drastically impaired fertility of females, a decreased litter size, a higher postnatal mortality, and an increased incidence of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa in males.

Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-responsive, chronic inflammatory enteropathy. IL-1 cytokine family members IL-1β and IL-18 have been associated with the inflammatory conditions in CD patients. However, the mechanisms of IL-1 molecule activation in CD have not yet been elucidated. We show in this study that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and monocytes from celiac patients responded to pepsin digest of wheat gliadin fraction (PDWGF) by a robust secretion of IL-1β and IL-1α and a slightly elevated production of IL-18. The analysis of the upstream mechanisms underlying PDWGF-induced IL-1β production in celiac PBMC show that PDWGF-induced de novo pro-IL-1β synthesis, followed by a caspase-1 dependent processing and the secretion of mature IL-1β. This was promoted by K+ efflux and oxidative stress, and was independent of P2X7 receptor signaling. The PDWGF-induced IL-1β release was dependent on Nod-like receptor family containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) and apoptosis-associated speck like protein (ASC) as shown by stimulation of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDC) from NLRP3(-/-) and ASC(-/-) knockout mice. Moreover, treatment of human PBMC as well as MyD88(-/-) and Toll-interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-β (TRIF)(-/-) BMDC illustrated that prior to the activation of caspase-1, the PDWGF-triggered signal constitutes the activation of the MyD88/TRIF/MAPK/NF-κB pathway. Moreover, our results indicate that the combined action of TLR2 and TLR4 may be required for optimal induction of IL-1β in response to PDWGF. Thus, innate immune pathways, such as TLR2/4/MyD88/TRIF/MAPK/NF-κB and an NLRP3 inflammasome activation are involved in wheat proteins signaling and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CD.