Influence of Light of Different Spectral Compositions on Growth Parameters, Photosynthetic Pigment Contents and Gene Expression in Scots Pine Plantlets.

The photoreceptors of red light (phytochromes) and blue light (cryptochromes) impact plant growth and metabolism. However, their action has been barely studied, especially in coniferous plants. Therefore, the influence of blue (maximum 450 nm), red (maximum 660 nm), white light (maxima 450 nm + 575 nm), far-red light (maximum 730 nm), white fluorescent light and dark on seed germination, growth, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, as well as the transcript levels of genes involved in reception, photosynthesis, light and hormonal signaling of Scots pine plantlets, was investigated. The highest values of dry weight, root length and photosynthetic pigment contents were characteristic of 9-day-old plantlets grown under red light, whereas in the dark plantlet length, seed vigor, seed germination, dry weight and pigment contents were decreased. Under blue and white lights, the main studied morphological parameters were decreased or close to red light. The cotyledons were undeveloped under dark conditions, likely due to the reduced content of photosynthetic pigments, which agrees with the low transcript levels of genes encoding protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (PORA) and phytoene synthase (PSY). The transcript levels of a number of genes involved in phytohormone biosynthesis and signaling, such as GA3ox, RRa, KAO and JazA, were enhanced under red light, unlike under dark conditions. We suggest that the observed phenomena of red light are the most important for the germination of the plantlets and may be based on earlier and enhanced expression of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin and jasmonate signaling genes activated by corresponding photoreceptors. The obtained results may help to improve reforestation technology; however, this problem needs further study.

Investigating the Physiological and Molecular Responses of Solanum lycopersicum hp Mutants to Light of Different Quality for Biotechnological Applications.

The effect of the light of different spectral compositions, white fluorescent light (WFL), red light (RL, 660 nm), blue light (BL, 450 nm), green light (GL, 525 nm), and white LED light (WL, 450 + 580 nm), on the physiological parameters of Solanum lycopersicum 3005 hp-2 (defective for a DET1 gene) and 4012 hp-1w; 3538 hp-1; 0279 hp-1.2 (defective for a DDB1a gene) photomorphogenetic mutants was studied. The parameters of the primary photochemical processes of photosynthesis, photosynthetic and transpiration rates, the antioxidant capacity of low-molecular weight antioxidants, the content of the total phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, and the expression of the genes involved in light signaling and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites were determined. Under BL, the 3005 hp-2 mutant showed the highest nonenzymatic antioxidant activity, which occurred to a greater extent due to the increase in flavonoid content. At the same time, under BL, the number of secretory trichomes on the surface of the leaves of all mutants increased equally. This suggests the accumulation of flavonoids inside leaf cells rather than in trichomes on the leaf surface. The data obtained indicate the possibility of using the hp-2 mutant for biotechnology to increase its nutritional value by enhancing the content of flavonoids and other antioxidants by modulating the spectral composition of light.

L-Cysteine as a reducing/capping/gel-forming agent for the preparation of silver nanoparticle composites with anticancer properties.

The present article reports the in situ preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) homogeneously distributed in the gel matrix formed using only L-cysteine (CYS) as a bio-reducing agent. The physicochemical methods of analysis confirmed the formation of a gel-network from aggregates consisting of spherical/elliptical cystine-stabilized AgNPs (core) and cysteine/Ag+ complexes (shell) regardless of the used silver salt - AgNO3, AgNO2 or AgOOCCH3. CYS/AgNO3 and CYS/AgOOCCH3 aqueous solution systems needed the addition of electrolytes (Cl- and SO42-) for the gelation process, but the gel-formation in CYS/AgNO2 occurred in one stage without any additional components. The AgNP sizes were about 1-5 nm in diameter for CYS/AgNO3, 5-10 nm for CYS/AgOOCCH3 and 20-40 nm for CYS/AgNO2 systems. The zeta-potential values varied from +60 mV for CYS/AgNO3 to +25 mV for the CYS/AgNO2 system. The MTT-test showed that the obtained composites suppressed the MCF-7 breast cancer cells and the CYS/AgNO3 system possessed the highest activity. Flow cytofluorimetry confirmed that the cell death occurred by apoptosis and this effect was the strongest for the CYS/AgNO3 system. All systems were non-toxic to fibroblast cells. The novel simplest "green chemistry" approach, combining the knowledge of organic, inorganic, physical and supramolecular chemistry could open possibilities for the creation of the newest soft gel materials used in various fields of our life.

Stem notching decreases stem hydraulic conductance but does not influence drought impacts and post-drought recovery in Scots pine and Norway spruce.

The tight connection between the deterioration of xylem function and plant mortality under drought is well recognized. However, a lack of mechanistic understanding of how substantial conductivity loss influences plant performance under drought and during post-drought recovery hinders our ability to model tree responses to drought stress. We artificially induced a loss of 50% of xylem conducting area in Scots pine and Norway spruce saplings by stem notching and investigated plant performance under drought and during post-drought recovery. Plant mortality, xylem hydraulic conductivity, leaf water status and stomatal conductance were measured. We observed no preferential mortality of top plant parts (above the notches) compared to basal plant parts (below the notches), and no consistent trend in hydraulic conductivity loss was observed between top and basal parts of dying plants. Stem hydraulic conductivity, water status of the needles and stomatal conductance changed similarly between the top and basal parts during drought and post-drought recovery, which indicated the substantial hydraulic overcapacity of the stems. The recovery of stomatal conductance demonstrated prominent hysteresis due to non-hydraulic stomatal limitations. The results obtained are highly important for modelling the influence of plant hydraulic impairment on plant performance under drought and during post-drought recovery.

The susceptibility of the rat pulmonary and caval vein myocardium to the catecholamine-induced ectopy changes oppositely in postnatal development.

KEY POINTS: The developmental changes of the caval (SVC) and pulmonary vein (PV) myocardium electrophysiology are traced throughout postnatal ontogenesis. The myocardium in SVC as well as in PV demonstrate age-dependent differences in the ability to maintain resting membrane potential, to manifest automaticity in a form of ectopic action potentials in basal condition and in responses to the adrenergic stimulation. Electrophysiological characteristics of two distinct types of thoracic vein myocardium change in an opposite manner during early postnatal ontogenesis with increased proarrhythmicity of pulmonary and decreased automaticity in caval veins. Predisposition of PV cardiac tissue to proarrhythmycity develops during ontogenesis in time correlation with the establishment of sympathetic innervation of the tissue. The electrophysiological properties of caval vein cardiac tissue shift from a pacemaker-like phenotype to atrial phenotype in accompaniment with sympathetic nerve growth and adrenergic receptor expression changes. ABSTRACT: The thoracic vein myocardium is considered as a main source for atrial fibrillation initiation due to its high susceptibility to ectopic activity. The mechanism by which and when pulmonary (PV) and superior vena cava (SVC) became proarrhythmic during postnatal ontogenesis is still unknown. In this study, we traced postnatal changes of electrophysiology in a correlation with the sympathetic innervation and adrenergic receptor distribution to reveal developmental differences in proarrhythmicity occurrence in PV and SVC myocardium. A standard microelectrode technique was used to assess the changes in ability to maintain resting membrane potential (RMP), generate spontaneous action potentials (SAP) and adrenergically induced ectopy in multicellular SVC and PV preparations of rats of different postnatal ages. Immunofluorescence imaging was used to trace postnatal changes in sympathetic innervation, ß1- and α1A-adrenergic receptor (AR) distribution. We revealed that the ability to generate SAP and susceptibility to adrenergic stimulation changes during postnatal ontogenesis in an opposite manner in PV and SVC myocardium. While SAP occurrence decreases with age in SVC myocardium, it significantly increases in PV cardiac tissue. PV myocardium starts to demonstrate RMP instability and proarrhythmic activity from the 14th day of postnatal life which correlates with the appearance of the sympathetic innervation of the thoracic veins. In addition, postnatal attenuation of SVC myocardium automaticity occurs concomitantly with sympathetic innervation establishment and increase in ß1-ARs, but not α1A-AR levels. Our results support the contention that SVC and PV myocardium electrophysiology change during postnatal development, resulting in higher PV proarrhythmicity in adults.

Regulation of plasmodesmata in Arabidopsis leaves: ATP, NADPH and chlorophyll b levels matter.

In mature leaves, cell-to-cell transport via plasmodesmata between mesophyll cells links the production of assimilates by photosynthesis with their export to sink organs. This study addresses the question of how signals derived from chloroplasts and photosynthesis influence plasmodesmata permeability. Cell-to-cell transport was analyzed in leaves of the Arabidopsis chlorophyll b-less ch1-3 mutant, the same mutant complemented with a cyanobacterial CAO gene (PhCAO) overaccumulating chlorophyll b, the trxm3 mutant lacking plastidial thioredoxin m3, and the ntrc mutant lacking functional NADPH:thioredoxin reductase C. The regulation of plasmodesmata permeability in these lines could not be traced back to the reduction state of the thioredoxin system or the types and levels of reactive oxygen species produced in chloroplasts; however, it could be related to chloroplast ATP and NADPH production. The results suggest that light enables plasmodesmata closure via an increase in the ATP and NADPH levels produced in photosynthesis, providing a control mechanism for assimilate export based on the rate of photosynthate production in the Calvin-Benson cycle. The level of chlorophyll b influences plasmodesmata permeability via as-yet-unidentified signals. The data also suggest a role of thioredoxin m3 in the regulation of cyclic electron flow around photosystem I.

Ag/α-Ag2MoO4/h-MoO3 nanoparticle based microspheres: synthesis and photosensitive properties.

We report a new and the most simple strategy for the synthesis of silver molybdate functional composite microspheres based on low molecular weight gelators -amino acids, silver salts and heptamolybdate ions. The resulting material shows a high photocatalytic activity with respect to the methylene blue dye degradation at neutral pH.

L-Cysteine/AgNO2 low molecular weight gelators: self-assembly and suppression of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

We report a new supramolecular hydrogel based on simple amino acids and silver salt compounds with low molecular weights. The in situ formation of silver nanoparticles during the self-assembly process endows the hydrogel with high cytotoxicity towards adenocarcinoma breast cells but no toxic effects towards embryonic fibroblasts.

Rat caval vein myocardium undergoes changes in conduction characteristics during postnatal ontogenesis.

The electrophysiological properties of the superior vena cava (SVC) myocardium, which is considered a minor source of atrial arrhythmias, were studied in this study during postnatal development. Conduction properties were investigated in spontaneously active and electrically paced SVC preparations obtained from 7-60-day-old male Wistar rats using optical mapping and microelectrode techniques. The presence of high-conductance connexin 43 (Cx43) was evaluated in SVC cross-sections using immunofluorescence. It was found that SVC myocardium is excitable, electrically coupled with the atrial tissue, and conducts excitation waves at all stages of postnatal development. However, the conduction velocity (CV) of excitation and action potential (AP) upstroke velocity in SVC were significantly lower in neonatal than in adult animals and increased with postnatal maturation. Connexins Cx43 were identified in both neonatal and adult rat SVC myocardium; however, the abundance of Cx43 was significantly less in neonates. The gap junction uncoupler octanol affected conduction more profound in the neonatal than in adult SVC. We demonstrated for the first time that the conduction characteristics of SVC myocardium change from a slow-conduction (nodal) to a high-conduction (working) phenotype during postnatal ontogenesis. An age-related CV increase may occur due to changes of AP characteristics, electrical coupling, and Cx43 presence in SVC cardiomyocyte membranes. Observed changes may contribute to the low proarrhythmicity of adult caval vein cardiac tissue, while pre- or postnatal developmental abnormalities that delay the establishment of the working conduction phenotype may facilitate SVC proarrhythmia.

Extracellular ATP and ß-NAD alter electrical properties and cholinergic effects in the rat heart in age-specific manner.

Extracellular ATP and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (ß-NAD) demonstrate properties of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in peripheral and central nervous system. It has been shown previously that ATP and ß-NAD affect cardiac functioning in adult mammals. Nevertheless, the modulation of cardiac activity by purine compounds in the early postnatal development is still not elucidated. Also, the potential influence of ATP and ß-NAD on cholinergic neurotransmission in the heart has not been investigated previously. Age-dependence of electrophysiological effects produced by extracellular ATP and ß-NAD was studied in the rat myocardium using sharp microelectrode technique. ATP and ß-NAD could affect ventricular and supraventricular myocardium independent from autonomic influences. Both purines induced reduction of action potentials (APs) duration in tissue preparations of atrial, ventricular myocardium, and myocardial sleeves of pulmonary veins from early postnatal rats similarly to myocardium of adult animals. Both purine compounds demonstrated weak age-dependence of the effect. We have estimated the ability of ATP and ß-NAD to alter cholinergic effects in the heart. Both purines suppressed inhibitory effects produced by stimulation of intracardiac parasympathetic nerve in right atria from adult animals, but not in preparations from neonates. Also, ATP and ß-NAD suppressed rest and evoked release of acetylcholine (ACh) in adult animals. ß-NAD suppressed effects of parasympathetic stimulation and ACh release stronger than ATP. In conclusion, ATP and ß-NAD control the heart at the postsynaptic and presynaptic levels via affecting the cardiac myocytes APs and ACh release. Postsynaptic and presynaptic effects of purines may be antagonistic and the latter demonstrates age-dependence.

Association Between Antiarrhythmic, Electrophysiological, and Antioxidative Effects of Melatonin in Ischemia/Reperfusion.

Melatonin is assumed to confer cardioprotective action via antioxidative properties. We evaluated the association between ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) incidence, oxidative stress, and myocardial electrophysiological parameters in experimental ischemia/reperfusion under melatonin treatment. Melatonin was given to 28 rats (10 mg/kg/day, orally, for 7 days) and 13 animals received placebo. In the anesthetized animals, coronary occlusion was induced for 5 min followed by reperfusion with recording of unipolar electrograms from ventricular epicardium with a 64-lead array. Effects of melatonin on transmembrane potentials were studied in ventricular preparations of 7 rats in normal and "ischemic" conditions. Melatonin treatment was associated with lower VT/VF incidence at reperfusion, shorter baseline activation times (ATs), and activation-repolarization intervals and more complete recovery of repolarization times (RTs) at reperfusion (less baseline-reperfusion difference, ΔRT) (p < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was higher in the treated animals and associated with ΔRT (p = 0.001), whereas VT/VF incidence was associated with baseline ATs (p = 0.020). In vitro, melatonin led to a more complete restoration of action potential durations and resting membrane potentials at reoxygenation (p < 0.05). Thus, the antioxidative properties of melatonin were associated with its influence on repolarization duration, whereas the melatonin-related antiarrhythmic effect was associated with its oxidative stress-independent action on ventricular activation.

The absence of chlorophyll b affects lateral mobility of photosynthetic complexes and lipids in grana membranes of Arabidopsis and barley chlorina mutants.

The lateral mobility of integral components of thylakoid membranes, such as plastoquinone, xanthophylls, and pigment-protein complexes, is critical for the maintenance of efficient light harvesting, high rates of linear electron transport, and successful repair of damaged photosystem II (PSII). The packaging of the photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes in the membrane depends on their size and stereometric parameters which in turn depend on the composition of the complexes. Chlorophyll b (Chlb) is an important regulator of antenna size and composition. In this study, the lateral mobility (the mobile fraction size) of pigment-protein complexes and lipids in grana membranes was analyzed in chlorina mutants of Arabidopsis and barley lacking Chlb. In the Arabidopsis ch1-3 mutant, diffusion of membrane lipids decreased as compared to wild-type plants, but the diffusion of photosynthetic complexes was not affected. In the barley chlorina f2 3613 mutant, the diffusion of pigment-protein complexes significantly decreased, while the diffusion of lipids increased, as compared to wild-type plants. We propose that the size of the mobile fractions of pigment-protein complexes in grana membranes in vivo is higher than reported previously. The data are discussed in the context of the protein composition of antennae, characteristics of the plastoquinone pool, and production of reactive oxygen species in leaves of chlorina mutants.

Direct vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant treatment health care costs in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence suggesting that most thromboembolic complications could be prevented with adequate pharmacological anticoagulation. We estimated the direct health care costs of anticoagulant treatment with oral vitamin K antagonists in patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. METHODS: This observational study examined the clinical records of patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who received anticoagulant treatment with oral vitamin K antagonists. Data from clinical records were used in the study: international normalized ratio, number of monitoring visits, type of anticoagulant, hospital admissions from complications, and concomitant medication. Drug cost was calculated based on the official Spanish Ministry of Health price list. Monitoring expenses were included the cost of the medical supplies used in the procedures. Hospitalization costs were calculated using the Diagnosis Related Group price for each case. Hospital visits costs were calculated by one of four different scenarios, using either the invoice rates for the regional health care authority or cost per visit as established by analytical accounting methods. RESULTS: We collected data from 1,257 patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who were receiving oral anticoagulant therapy. Depending on the scheme used, the direct health care costs for these patients ranged from €423,695 - €1,436,038 per annum. The average cost per patient varied between €392 - €1,341, depending on the approach used. Patients with international normalized ratio values within the therapeutic range on 25% of their visits represented an average cost between €441.70 - €1,592. Those within the therapeutic range on 25%-50% of visits had associated costs of €512.37 - €1,703.91. When international normalized ratio values were within the therapeutic range on 50% - 75% of the visits, the costs ranged between €400.80- €1,375.74. The average cost was €305.23 - €1,049.84 when the values were within the therapeutic range for over 75% of visits. CONCLUSIONS: Most direct health care costs associated with the sampled patients arise from the specialist-care monitoring required for the treatment. Good monitoring is inversely related to direct health care costs.

Fluoride-Ion-Responsive Sol-Gel Transition in an L-Cysteine/AgNO3 System: Self-Assembly Peculiarities and Anticancer Activity.

Supramolecular hydrogels based on low-molecular-weight compounds are a unique class of so-called "soft" materials, formed by weak non-covalent interactions between precursors at their millimolar concentrations. Due to the variety of structures that can be formed using different low-molecular-weight gelators, they are widely used in various fields of technology and medicine. In this study, we report for the first time an unusual self-assembly process of mixing a hydrosol obtained from L-cysteine and silver nitrate (cysteine-silver sol-CSS) with sodium halides. Modern instrumental techniques such as viscosimetry, UV spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements, SEM and EDS identified that adding fluoride anions to CSS is able to form stable hydrogels of a thixotropic nature, while Cl-, Br- and I- lead to precipitation. The self-assembly process proceeds using a narrow concentration range of F-. An increase in the fluoride anion content in the system leads to a change in the gel network morphology from elongated structures to spherical ones. This fact is reflected in a decrease in the gel viscosity and a number of gel-sol-gel transition cycles. The mechanism of F-'s interaction with hydrosol includes the condensation of anions on the positive surface of the CSS nanoparticles, their binding via electrostatic forces and the formation of a resulting gel carcass. In vitro analysis showed that the hydrogels suppressed human squamous carcinoma cells at a micromolar sample concentration. The obtained soft gels could have potential applications against cutaneous malignancy and as carriers for fluoride anion and other bioactive substance delivery.

Influence of Additional White, Red and Far-Red Light on Growth, Secondary Metabolites and Expression of Hormone Signaling Genes in Scots Pine under Sunlight.

The influence of short-term additional white (WL), red (RL) and far-red (FRL) light and combined RL+FRL on the physiological morphological and molecular characteristics of two-year-old Scots pine plants grown in a greenhouse under sunlight was studied. Additional RL and RL+FRL increased the number of xylem cells, transpiration and the expression of a group of genes responsible for the biosynthesis and signaling of auxins (AUX/IAA, ARF3/4, and ARF16) and brassinosteroids (BR-α-RED and BRZ2), while the expression of genes related to the signaling pathway related to jasmonic acid was reduced. Additionally, WL, RL and RL+FRL increased the content of proanthocyanidins and catechins in young needles; however, an increase in the expression of the chalcone synthase gene (CHS) was found under RL, especially under RL+FRL, which possibly indicates a greater influence of light intensity than observed in the spectrum. Additional WL increased photosynthetic activity, presumably by increasing the proportion and intensity of blue light; at the same time, the highest transpiration index was found under RL. The results obtained indicate that the combined effect of additional RL+FRL can accelerate the development of pine plants by increasing the number of xylem cells and increasing the number of aboveground parts but not the photosynthetic activity or the accumulation of secondary metabolites.

Redox differences between rat neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes under hypoxia.

It is generally accepted that oxidative stress plays a key role in the development of ischemia-reperfusion injury in ischemic heart disease. However, the mechanisms how reactive oxygen species trigger cellular damage are not fully understood. Our study investigates redox state and highly reactive substances within neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes under hypoxia conditions. We have found that hypoxia induced an increase in H2O2 production in adult cardiomyocytes, while neonatal cardiomyocytes experienced a decrease in H2O2 levels. This finding correlates with our observation of the difference between the electron transport chain (ETC) properties and mitochondria amount in adult and neonatal cells. We demonstrated that in adult cardiomyocytes hypoxia caused the significant increase in the ETC loading with electrons compared to normoxia. On the contrary, in neonatal cardiomyocytes ETC loading with electrons was similar under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions that could be due to ETC non-functional state and the absence of the electrons transfer to O2 under normoxia. In addition to the variations in H2O2 production, we also noted consistent pH dynamics under hypoxic conditions. Notably, the pH levels exhibited a similar decrease in both cell types, thus, acidosis is a more universal cellular response to hypoxia. We also demonstrated that the amount of mitochondria and the levels of cardiac isoforms of troponin I, troponin T, myoglobin and GAPDH were significantly higher in adult cardiomyocytes compared to neonatal ones. Remarkably, we found out that under hypoxia, the levels of cardiac isoforms of troponin T, myoglobin, and GAPDH were elevated in adult cardiomyocytes, while their level in neonatal cells remained unchanged. Obtained data contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of neonatal cardiomyocytes' resistance to hypoxia and the ability to maintain the metabolic homeostasis in contrast to adult ones.

Exogenously Applied Cytokinin Altered the Bacterial Release and Subsequent Stages of Nodule Development in Pea Ipd3/Cyclops Mutant.

Regulation of plant hormonal status is one of the major targets of symbiotic signaling during nodule formation in legume plants. However, the genetic and hormonal networks that regulate transition to differentiation of nodules are not well-characterized in legume plants. Analysis of plant mutants forming nodules impaired in rhizobial infection allowed us to identify some regulators involved in the control of the later stages of nodule development. In the current work, we extend our earlier studies on the influence of exogenously applied cytokinin on the later stages of nodule morphogenesis using pea sym33 (ipd3/cyclops) mutants impaired in the gene encoding IPD3/CYCLOPS transcription factor. One of the noticeable effects of the influence of exogenously applied cytokinin on nodules in the sym33-3 mutant was an increasing size of these structures. Cytokinin treatment was shown to stimulate bacterial release and increase the percentage of infected cells in nodules. To explore the role of possible regulators of nodule differentiation, we performed searching in pea transcriptome. The transcriptome study in pea P. sativum revealed the importance of the CCS52 regulator, EFD transcription factor, SYMREM regulator, RSD, the MADS-domain/AGL, and SHORT INTERNODE/STYLISH gene families encoding transcription factors in the control of nodule differentiation. Analysis of the expression patterns was verified by real-time PCR in response to exogenously applied cytokinin treatment.

Condition "Vasa Vasorum" in Patients with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm.

It is known that vasa vasorum contributes substantially to the blood supply and nutrition of one-third of the wall of the ascending thoracic aorta. Therefore, we focused on studying the relationship between inflammatory cells and vasa vasorum vessels in patients with aortic aneurysm. The material for the study was biopsies of thoracic aortic aneurysms taken from patients during an aneurysmectomy (34 men, 14 women, aged 33 to 79 years). The biopsies belonged to patients with non-hereditary thoracic aortic aneurysm. An immunohistochemical study was carried out using antibodies to antigens of T cells (CD3, CD4, CD8); macrophages (CD68); B cells (CD20); endothelium (CD31, CD34, von Willebrand factor (vWF)); and smooth muscle cells (alpha actin). Samples without inflammatory infiltrates contained less vasa vasorum in the tunica adventitia than samples with inflammatory infiltrates, and this difference was statistically significant p < 0.05. T cell infiltrates in the adventitia of aortic aneurysms were found in 28 of 48 patients. In the vessels of the vasa vasorum, surrounded by inflammatory infiltrates, T cells that adhered to the endothelium were found. The same cells were also localized in the subendothelial area. The number of adherent T cells in patients with inflammatory infiltrates in the aortic wall dominated the number of these cells in patients without inflammation of the aortic wall. This difference was statistically significant, p < 0.0006. Hypertrophy and sclerosis of the arteries of the vasa vasorum system, the narrowing of their lumen, and, as a result, impaired blood supply to the aortic wall, were found in 34 patients with hypertension. In 18 patients (both in patients with hypertension and in patients without hypertension), T cells that adhered to the vasa vasorum endothelium were found. In nine cases, massive infiltrates of T cells and macrophages were found, which surrounded and squeezed the vasa vasorum, preventing blood circulation. In six patients, parietal and obturating blood clots were found in the vasa vasorum vessels, which disrupted the normal blood supply to the aortic wall. We believe that this indicates the importance of the state of the vessels of the vasa vasorum in the development of an aortic aneurysm. In addition, pathological changes in these vessels may not always play a primary role, but always a very important role, in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Abscisic Acid and Cytokinins Are Not Involved in the Regulation of Stomatal Conductance of Scots Pine Saplings during Post-Drought Recovery.

Delayed or incomplete recovery of gas exchange after water stress relief limits assimilation in the post-drought period and can thus negatively affect the processes of post-drought recovery. Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation and antagonistic action between ABA and cytokinins (CKs) play an important role in regulation of stomatal conductance under water deficit. Specifically, in pine species, sustained ABA accumulation is thought to be the main cause of delayed post-drought gas exchange recovery, although the role of CKs is not yet known. Therefore, we aimed to study the effects of ABA and CKs on recovery of stomatal conductance in greenhouse-grown 3-year-old Scots pine saplings recovering from water stress. We analysed both changes in endogenous ABA and CK contents and the effects of treatment with exogenous CK on stomatal conductance. Drought stress suppressed stomatal conductance, and post-drought stomatal conductance remained suppressed for 2 weeks after plant rewatering. ABA accumulated during water stress, but ABA levels decreased rapidly after rewatering. Additionally, trans-zeatin/ABA and isopentenyladenine/ABA ratios, which were decreased in water-stressed plants, recovered rapidly in rewatered plants. Spraying plants with 6-benzylaminopurine (0.1-100 µM) did not influence recovery of either stomatal conductance or needle water status. It can be concluded that the delayed recovery of stomatal conductance in Scots pine needles was not due to sustained ABA accumulation or a sustained decrease in the CK/ABA ratio, and CK supplementation was unable to overcome this delayed recovery.

Effect of Light of Different Spectral Compositions on Pro/Antioxidant Status, Content of Some Pigments and Secondary Metabolites and Expression of Related Genes in Scots Pine.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of light quality (white fluorescent light, WFL, containing UV components), red light (RL, 660 nm), blue light (BL, 450 nm), and white LED light (WL, 450 + 580 nm) on the components of the cellular antioxidant system in Pinus sylvestris L. in needles, roots, and hypocotyls, focusing on the accumulation of key secondary metabolites and the expression of related genes. The qualitative and quantitative composition of carotenoids; the content of the main photosynthetic pigments, phenolic compounds, flavonoids (catechins, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins), ascorbate, and glutathione; the activity of the main antioxidant enzymes; the content of hydrogen peroxide; and the intensity of lipid peroxidation (MDA and 4-HNE contents) were determined. RL resulted in an increase in the content of hydrogen peroxide and 4-HNE, as well as the total fraction of flavonoids in the needles. It also enhanced the expression of several PR (pathogen-related) genes compared to BL and WL. WFL increased the content of phenols, including flavonoids, and enhanced the overall activity of low-molecular antioxidants in needles and hypocotyls. BL increased the content of ascorbate and glutathione, including reduced glutathione, in the needles and simultaneously decreased the activity of peroxidases. Thus, by modifying the light quality, it is possible to regulate the accumulation of secondary metabolites in pine roots and needles, thereby influencing their resistance to various biotic and abiotic stressors.