First genetically verified occurrence of Ligula pavlovskii outside its native range and characteristics of its infection in Neogobius fluviatilis

In this study, we provide the first genetically verified distribution record beyond its native range of Ligula pavlovskii, a high-impact endoparasite of Ponto-Caspian gobies. According to parasitological surveys, ligulosis was detected for the first time in monkey goby individuals collected from Lake Balaton in 2004, 34 years after the first record of monkey goby in the lake. During a Lake Balaton survey in 2018, we detected tapeworms in 44.4% of the sampled monkey gobies. This prevalence is about two to ten times higher than it was reported from within the native range of the fish hosts. The same survey revealed an uneven spatial distribution of the ligulosis in the monkey gobies inhabiting different shoreline sections of the lake. We assume that the occurrence and recent distribution data of this high-impact endoparasite may provide useful information for potential biocontrol measures of invasive Ponto-Caspian gobies in the future.     

The Effect of Electroporation of a Lyotroic Liquid Crystal Genistein-Based Formulation in the Recovery of Murine Melanoma Lesions

A lamellar lyotropic liquid crystal genistein-based formulation (LLC-Gen) was prepared in order to increase the aqueous solubility of the lipophilic phytocompound genistein. The formulation was applied locally, in a murine model of melanoma, with or without electroporation. The results demonstrated that, when the formulation was applied by electroporation, the tumors appeared later. During the 21 days of the experiment, the LLC-Gen formulation decreased the tumor volume, the amount of melanin and the degree of erythema, but when electroporation was applied, all these parameters indicated a better prognosis even (lower tumor volume, amount of melanin and degree of erythema). Although hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining confirmed the above events, application of the LLC-Gen formulation by electroporation did not lead to a significant effect in terms of the serum concentrations of the protein S100B and serum neuron specific enolase (NSE), or the tissue expression of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) antibody.     

Synthesis and Cell Growth Inhibitory Activity of Six Non-glycosaminoglycan-Type Heparin-Analogue Trisaccharides

The design and synthesis of heparin mimetics with high anticancer activity but no anticoagulant activity is an important task in medicinal chemistry. Herein, we present the efficient synthesis of five Glc-GlcA-Glc-sequenced and one Glc-IdoA-Glc-sequenced non-glycosaminoglycan, heparin-related trisaccharides with various sulfation/sulfonylation and methylation patterns. The cell growth inhibitory effects of the compounds were tested against four cancerous human cell lines and two non-cancerous cell lines. Two d -glucuronate-containing tetra-O-sulfated, partially methylated trisaccharides displayed remarkable and selective inhibitory effects on the growth of ovary carcinoma (A2780) and melanoma (WM35) cells. Methyl substituents on the glucuronide unit proved to be detrimental, whereas acetyl substituents were beneficial to the cytostatic activity of the sulfated derivatives.     

Effects of microelements on soil nematode assemblages seven years after contaminating an agricultural field

Long-term effects of Cd, Cr, Cu, Se and Zn were studied 7 years after artificially contaminating plots of an agricultural field on a calcareous chernozem soil. Effects of three to four different contamination levels (originally 10, 30, 90 and 270 mg kg⁻¹) were studied. Nematode density was significantly reduced by 90 and 270 mg kg⁻¹ Se as well as by 270 mg kg⁻¹ Cr, while 90 and 270 mg kg⁻¹ Se also reduced nematode generic richness. Maturity Index values (calculated for c-p 2–5 nematodes) consistently decreased with increasing Cr and Se concentration and to a lesser extent in Zn plots as well. Structure Index showed decreasing trends in increasing Cr, Se and (to a lesser extent) in Zn treatments, while in Cd it shows a moderate increase. Distribution of c-p groups was negatively affected by the increasing Cr and Se concentration, while in Zn plots, this decrease was not significant. Response of feeding groups to pollutions was similar to other parameters: Cr and Se caused significant changes toward the loss of variability. The proportion of the most sensitive omnivorous and predatory nematodes decreased clearly as a consequence of Cr and Se treatments. Zn pollution also resulted in a slight decrease in this group, while Cd caused an increase. Nematode diversity profiles showed a significant decrease in the plots of increased Cr and Se concentrations, while increased concentrations of Cu and Zn resulted in ambiguous effects. Besides providing evidence on the harmful effects of Cr and Se on a soil nematode assemblage, our results suggest that simultaneous analysis of Maturity Index, Structure Index and diversity profiles provide a promising tool in nematological indication of soil pollution.     

Factors influencing lake recovery from eutrophication--the case of basin 1 of Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton is a large, shallow, and calcareous lake that was subject to a rapid eutrophication during the 1970s. Management measures taken from the mid-1980s decreased the phosphorus load to the lake from 0.5 to 0.3 g P m-2 yr-1. Using long-term load and water quality data, we analyse the response of the formerly hypertrophic Basin 1 of the lake by the means of simple empirical models. Several factors that are commonly neglected during studies of lake recovery modified the apparent settling velocity of total P and consequently, the biomass of the phytoplankton. These factors included the loads of calcium and suspended solids, the loading ratio of the dissolved to particulate phosphorus, and blooming of the dominant cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. Due to the rapid immobilisation of the mobile phosphorus in the surface sediments, moderate reduction (45-50%) in the external load resulted in a surprisingly fast and significant improvement of the water quality in the hypertrophic southwestern basins of the lake.     

The Irritant Effects of Pharmaceutically Applied Surfactants

Dermal or transdermal medication may lead to irritant contact dermatitis. However, little information is available on the irritant effect of surfactants which are applied in topical formulations. Our aim was to examine the irritant effect of the most frequent compounds in topical products. A murine model was applied. The following compounds were examined: sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), polyethoxylated (40EO) hydrogenated castor oil and sucrose laurate. SLS led to severe erythema, increase in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and induced necrosis and accumulation of neutrophylic granulocytes and lymphocytes. Exposure to sucrose laurate resulted in an elevation of TEWL, but histology did not reveal impairment of the skin structure. Application of polyethoxylated (40EO) hydrogenated castor oil was not accompanied by tissue damage. Special attention should be paid to the irritant effect of SLS. Polyethoxylated (40EO) hydrogenated castor oil seems to be a non-irritant agent and sucrose laurate is also a promising candidate for application in topical preparations.     

Time-Resolved and Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Complex Cognitive Processes and their Role in Disorders like Developmental Dyscalculia

The aim of this article is to report on the importance and challenges of a time-resolved and spatio-temporal analysis of fMRI data from complex cognitive processes and associated disorders using a study on developmental dyscalculia (DD). Participants underwent fMRI while judging the incorrectness of multiplication results, and the data were analyzed using a sequence of methods, each of which progressively provided more a detailed picture of the spatio-temporal aspect of this disease. Healthy subjects and subjects with DD performed alike behaviorally though they exhibited parietal disparities using traditional voxel-based group analyses. Further and more detailed differences, however, surfaced with a time-resolved examination of the neural responses during the experiment. While performing inter-group comparisons, a third group of subjects with dyslexia (DL) but with no arithmetic difficulties was included to test the specificity of the analysis and strengthen the statistical base with overall fifty-eight subjects. Surprisingly, the analysis showed a functional dissimilarity during an initial reading phase for the group of dyslexic but otherwise normal subjects, with respect to controls, even though only numerical digits and no alphabetic characters were presented. Thus our results suggest that time-resolved multi-variate analysis of complex experimental paradigms has the ability to yield powerful new clinical insights about abnormal brain function. Similarly, a detailed compilation of aberrations in the functional cascade may have much greater potential to delineate the core processing problems in mental disorders.     

Role of the Blood-Brain Barrier in the Formation of Brain Metastases

The majority of brain metastases originate from lung cancer, breast cancer and malignant melanoma. In order to reach the brain, parenchyma metastatic cells have to transmigrate through the endothelial cell layer of brain capillaries, which forms the morphological basis of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB has a dual role in brain metastasis formation: it forms a tight barrier protecting the central nervous system from entering cancer cells, but it is also actively involved in protecting metastatic cells during extravasation and proliferation in the brain. The mechanisms of interaction of cancer cells and cerebral endothelial cells are largely uncharacterized. Here, we provide a comprehensive review on our current knowledge about the role of junctional and adhesion molecules, soluble factors, proteolytic enzymes and signaling pathways mediating the attachment of tumor cells to brain endothelial cells and the transendothelial migration of metastatic cells. Since brain metastases represent a great therapeutic challenge, it is indispensable to understand the mechanisms of the interaction of tumor cells with the BBB in order to find targets of prevention of brain metastasis formation.