High average daily temperature in summer and the incidence of thrombolytic treatment for acute ischemic stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Meteorological factors can increase stroke risk; however, their impact is not precisely understood. Heat waves during summer increase total mortality. Therefore, we hypothesized that the average daily temperature in summer may correlate with the incidence of thrombolytic treatment for acute ischemic stroke in Budapest and Pest County, Hungary. METHODS: We analyzed the relationship between the average daily temperature in summer months and the daily number of thrombolytic treatments (TT) performed with the indication of acute ischemic stroke between 1st June and 31st August each year from 2007 to 2016. The analysis was also performed after the omission of the data of the last day of the months due to possible psychosocial impact reported in our previous study. Spearman's correlation was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: No significant correlation was found between the average summer daily temperature and the number of TT in the entire sample of the 10-year period. When omitting the data of the last day of each month, positive correlations were suspected in 2014 (r=0.225, P=0.034) and 2015 (r=0.276, P=0.009). CONCLUSION: Our findings did not confirm an association between the average daily temperature in summer and the daily number of TT throughout the examined 10-year period. However, importantly, in 2014 and 2015, the years with the highest average daily temperatures in this period, a positive correlation was found. The level of correlation is modest, indicating that risk factors, both meteorological and non-meteorological, other than the average temperature, play equally important roles in determining the incidence of thrombolytic treatment for acute ischemic stroke on the population level.

The genetic legacy of the Hunyadi descendants.

The Hunyadi family is one of the most influential families in the history of Central Europe in the 14th-16th centuries. The family's prestige was established by Johannes Hunyadi, a Turk-beater who rose to the position of governor of the Kingdom of Hungary. His second son, Matthias Hunyadi, became the elected ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1458. The Hunyadi family had unknown origin. Moreover, Matthias failed to found a dynasty because of lacking a legitimate heir and his illegitimate son Johannes Corvinus was unable to obtain the crown. His grandson, Christophorus Corvinus, died in childhood, thus the direct male line of the family ended. In the framework of on interdisciplinary research, we have determined the whole genome sequences of Johannes Corvinus and Christophorus Corvinus by next-generation sequencing technology. Both of them carried the Y-chromosome haplogroup is E1b1b1a1b1a6a1c ∼, which is widespread in Eurasia. The father-son relationship was verified using the classical STR method and whole genome data. Christophorus Corvinus belongs to the rare, sporadically occurring T2c1+146 mitochondrial haplogroup, most frequent around the Mediterranean, while his father belongs to the T2b mitochondrial haplogroup, widespread in Eurasia, both are consistent with the known origin of the mothers. Archaeogenomic analysis indicated that the Corvinus had an ancient European genome composition. Based on the reported genetic data, it will be possible to identify all the other Hunyadi family member, whose only known grave site is known, but who are resting assorted with several other skeletons.

Christmas, acute ischemic stroke and stroke-related mortality in Hungary.

OBJECTIVES: Risk factors for stroke include psychological effects, such as depression. Festive occasions (such as Christmas in Hungary) may carry a significant emotional impact and may therefore contribute to increased cardiovascular risk. Thrombolytic treatment of acute ischemic stroke has a narrow time window and allows for the precise assessment of stroke incidence. MATERIALS & METHODS: We analyzed anonymized national data of the number of thrombolytic treatments for acute ischemic stroke and the number of stroke-related deaths between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2016 in Hungary within 2-day, 5-day, and 1-month periods preceding and following 24 December each year. Analysis of subgroups based on age (below and over 65 years) and sex was also performed. RESULTS: The number of thrombolytic treatments was higher in all three periods preceding Christmas compared to the corresponding period that follows the feast. This increase was particularly prominent in men below 65 years of age. While overall stroke-associated mortality was increased 1 month after Christmas, the death rate was higher a month before rather than after Christmas in men below 65 years of age and in women both below and over 65 years of age 5 days before Christmas. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may predominantly relate to emotional and psychological factors. In case of women, the anxiety secondary to festive preparations, while in men below 65 years, the increased psychological stress of providing financial security for the celebration may play an important role.

Forensic investigation of war graves from WWI and WWII in Hungary.

The Hungarian war grave care professionals weren't in an easy situation when they started the work because, until 2012, the burial places of Hungarian soldiers had no legal protection. It was necessary to develop legal regulations and scientific methods. Since this is a multidisciplinary field, the work is quite compound as many professionals from different field of sciences work together. This work requires the harmonic work of military historians, archaeologists, anthropologists and geneticists. Thanks to the conscientious work of these professionals, nowadays, we can talk about a stable institutionalized, multidisciplinary war grave care in Hungary which encompasses the work of the above-mentioned professionals. Thanks to scientific development, new opportunities are available for the professionals to identify war heroic deads. In this article, the history and the formation of the Hungarian war grave care are introduced and the methodology of the Hungarian war grave care professionals work is shown. The paper also aims to illustrate the changes in laws and the standard practice currently followed by professionals during the exploration and the processing of the human remains.

High-temperature hypersonic Laval nozzle for non-LTE cavity ringdown spectroscopy.

A small dimension Laval nozzle connected to a compact high enthalpy source equipped with cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) is used to produce vibrationally hot and rotationally cold high-resolution infrared spectra of polyatomic molecules in the 1.67 µm region. The Laval nozzle was machined in isostatic graphite, which is capable of withstanding high stagnation temperatures. It is characterized by a throat diameter of 2 mm and an exit diameter of 24 mm. It was designed to operate with argon heated up to 2000 K and to produce a quasi-unidirectional flow to reduce the Doppler effect responsible for line broadening. The hypersonic flow was characterized using computational fluid dynamics simulations, Pitot measurements, and CRDS. A Mach number evolving from 10 at the nozzle exit up to 18.3 before the occurrence of a first oblique shock wave was measured. Two different gases, carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4), were used as test molecules. Vibrational (Tvib) and rotational (Trot) temperatures were extracted from the recorded infrared spectrum, leading to Tvib = 1346 ± 52 K and Trot = 12 ± 1 K for CO. A rotational temperature of 30 ± 3 K was measured for CH4, while two vibrational temperatures were necessary to reproduce the observed intensities. The population distribution between vibrational polyads was correctly described with Tvib I=894±47 K, while the population distribution within a given polyad (namely, the dyad or the pentad) was modeled correctly by Tvib II=54±4 K, testifying to a more rapid vibrational relaxation between the vibrational energy levels constituting a polyad.

Paternal genetic history of the Yong population in northern Thailand revealed by Y-chromosomal haplotypes and haplogroups.

We have determined the distribution of Y-chromosomal haplotypes and haplogroups in the Yong population, one of the largest and well-known ethnic groups that began migrating southward from China to Thailand centuries ago. Their unique mass migration pattern provided great opportunities for researchers to study the genetic links of the transboundary migration movements among the peoples of China, Myanmar and Thailand. We analysed relevant male-specific markers, such as Y-STRs and Y-SNPs, and the distribution of 23 Y-STRs of 111 Yong individuals and 116 nearby ethnic groups including the Shan, Northern Thai, Lawa, Lua, Skaw, Pwo and Padong groups. We found that the general haplogroup distribution values were similar among different populations; however, the haplogroups O1b-M268 and O2-M112 constituted the vast majority of these values. In contrast with previous maternal lineage studies, the paternal lineage of the Yong did not relate to the Xishuangbanna Dai people, who represent their historically documented ancestors. However, they did display a close genetic affinity to other prehistoric Tai-Kadai speaking groups in China such as the Zhuang and Bouyei. Low degrees of genetic admixture within the populations who belonged to the Austroasiatic and Sino-Tibetan linguistic families were observed in the gene pool of the Yong populations. Resettlement in northern Thailand in the early part of the nineteenth century AD, by way of mass migration trend, was able to preserve the Yong's ancestral genetic background in terms of the way they had previously lived in China and Myanmar. Our study has revealed similar genetic structures among ethnic populations in northern Thailand and southern China, and has identified and emphasized an ancient Tai-Kadai patrilineal ancestry line in the Yong ethnic group.

DNA identification of relics of Blessed Stephen Sándor beatified by Pope Francis 2013.

István Sándor was a monk and deeply impressed by the spirituality of the Salesian Society. On 24 July 1946 he made his perpetual votes as a Salesian brother. In 1950 the Communist Party banned the operation of religious orders including the Salesian Order. In 1951 the Internal Security Corps was informed about "illegal" activity of István Sándor. He was arrested on 28 July 1952 and sentenced to death by hanging. He was beatified by Pope Francis in 2013. On 12 November 2018 the grave was opened and bones extracted belonging to six individuals. First, forensic anthropological studies were done. For DNA analysis, teeth and right femurs were selected. DNA extraction method was developed by us. Y-chromosomal and autosomal STR profiles were determined from teeth and bones and reference samples. Based on age and height estimates, the bones that could not belong to István Sándor were excluded. The Blessed István Sándor does not have any living relatives. Envelopes and postage stamps were chosen as reference samples from the years 1942 and 1950. We have received full DNA profiles from teeth, but partial profiles from the envelope and the stamp. Genetic investigations performed support the hypothesis that the bone remains, which were exhumed from the mass grave including relics of putative István Sándor, really belong to the Blessed István Sándor who was executed on 08 June 1953 by the Communist Regime.

Identification of World War II bone remains found in Ukraine using classical anthropological and mitochondrial DNA results.

Gyula Ágner was a Royal Hungarian First Lieutenant (1st Lt.) during the World War II and died at 30 years old due to a mine shrapnel injury on 27 April 1944 in Luczky, Ukraine. In October 2014, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence exhumated the remains then transported them to Budapest in Hungary. Classical anthropological methods were used to determine morphological gender, height and age at death; furthermore, metrical and pathological characters were also analysed. Determination of maternal lineage was the only solution to examine the possible relationship of the bone fragments. Gyula Ágner did not have direct descendants, thus the living niece of the deceased (his sister's daughter) served as the reference person during the investigations. Hypervariable regions of the mtDNA control region (HV1, HV2 and HV3) were amplified by Qiagen® Multiplex PCR Kit in different monoplex reactions. The results of the anthropological and genetical analysis supported the hypothesis that the bone remains belong to Gyula Ágner.

Genetic history of Bashkirian Mari and Southern Mansi ethnic groups in the Ural region.

According to genetic studies, the Hungarian Y-chromosomal gene pool significantly differs from other Uralic-speaking populations. Hungarians possess a significant frequency of haplogroup R1a-Z280 and a low frequency of haplogroup N-Tat, which is common among other Uralic-speaking populations. Based on this evidence, we further worked to define the links between the linguistically related Hungarian, Mansi and Bashkirian Mari populations. Samples were collected from 45 Bashkirian Mari and 36 Southern Mansi males in the Ural region. We analyzed male-specific markers including 23 STRs and 36 SNPs, which reflect past and recent paternal genetic history. We found that the haplogroup distribution of the two population samples showed high genetic similarity to each other except for the N-Tat* and R1a-Z93 haplogroups in the Bashkirian Mari males. On the MDS plots constructed from Fst- and Rst-genetic distances, the Bashkirian Mari and Southern Mansi population groups showed close genetic affinities with the Khanty, Northern Mansi, Mari, and Estonian populations. For phylogenetic studies, networks were constructed for the most frequent haplogroups in both populations together with other Eurasian populations. Both populations shared common haplotypes within haplogroups R1a-Z280 or N-L1034 with Hungarian speakers, suggesting a common paternal genetic footprint that arose in prehistoric or historic times. Overall, the Hungarian, Mansi, and Bashkirian Mari populations have a much more complex genetic history than the traditional linguistic model or history would suggest. Further studies are needed to clarify the common genetic profiles may have been acquired directly or indirectly during the more or less known their history.

[Chocolate consumption and Hungarian Nobel laureates]. / Csokoládéfogyasztás és a magyar Nobel-díjasok.

INTRODUCTION: Certain dietary items contain significant amounts of flavonoids which was shown to improve cognitive function. An earlier investigation demonstrated a strong linear correlation between chocolate consumption and the number of Nobel laureates in a given country. However, Hungary and the Hungarian Nobel laureates were not included in this analysis. AIM: In this publication, we aim to complement these data by analyzing data available for Hungary. METHOD: The number of Nobel laureates per country and the international data on chocolate consumption were based on the previously published results. The amount of chocolate consumption in Hungary was based on data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. GDP per capita and Research and Development Expenditure data for the investigated countries were derived from the World Bank. RESULTS: There are 11 Nobel laureates from Hungary. Based on this, Hungary ranks the 9th amongst the 24 studied countries. However, it only ranks the 19th when it comes to chocolate consumption. Correlations were found between the number of Nobel laureates and GDP per capita (r = 0.734; p = 0.001) as well as Research and Development Expenditure (r = 0.532; p = 0.01) amongst the studied countries. CONCLUSION: The achievements of Hungarian scholars do not support the earlier notion that there is a link between the number of Nobel laureates (cognitive function) and the chocolate consumption in a given country. Their biographies highlight the importance and more possibilities of research funding in wealthier countries. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(1): 26-29.