[The effect of surgical psychoeducation on the outcome of spinal surgery]. / A mutéti felkészítés hatásának vizsgálata gerincmutétet követoen.

Background and purpose – Interdiscipli­ nary researches demonstrate that patients’ fears and anxieties about surgery play a key role in the success of postoperative recovery. Psychoeducation is a professional information transfer method that aims to increase patients’ knowledge about their dis­ ease, and how to cope with it, and to emo­ tionally process the problems associated with the disease. If patients feel competent in their own healing process after surgery, they will experience less pain and become self­sufficient sooner, thereby the number of nursing days spent in the clinic reduces.
Methods – In this study the effect of psycho-education before spinal surgery on the use of postoperative analgetics was investigated. Results – The drug consumption of the study group who had been previously administered patient education is significantly reduced in comparison the control group.
Conclusion – Cooperation of a psychologist in surgical therapy promotes early recovery of patients in physical and mental well­being and reduces the costs of rehabilitation as well.

How to characterize a strain? Clonal heterogeneity in industrial Saccharomyces influences both phenotypes and heterogeneity in phenotypes.

Populations of microbes are constantly evolving heterogeneity that selection acts upon, yet heterogeneity is nontrivial to assess methodologically. The necessary practice of isolating single-cell colonies and thus subclone lineages for establishing, transferring, and using a strain results in single-cell bottlenecks with a generally neglected effect on the characteristics of the strain itself. Here, we present evidence that various subclone lineages for industrial yeasts sequenced for recent genomic studies show considerable differences, ranging from loss of heterozygosity to aneuploidies. Subsequently, we assessed whether phenotypic heterogeneity is also observable in industrial yeast, by individually testing subclone lineages obtained from products. Phenotyping of industrial yeast samples and their newly isolated subclones showed that single-cell bottlenecks during isolation can indeed considerably influence the observable phenotype. Next, we decoupled fitness distributions on the level of individual cells from clonal interference by plating single-cell colonies and quantifying colony area distributions. We describe and apply an approach using statistical modeling to compare the heterogeneity in phenotypes across samples and subclone lineages. One strain was further used to show how individual subclonal lineages are remarkably different not just in phenotype but also in the level of heterogeneity in phenotype. With these observations, we call attention to the fact that choosing an initial clonal lineage from an industrial yeast strain may vastly influence downstream performances and observations on karyotype, on phenotype, and also on heterogeneity.

The HEXACO-100 Across 16 Languages: A Large-Scale Test of Measurement Invariance.

The HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) has become one of the most heavily applied measurement tools for the assessment of basic personality traits. Correspondingly, the inventory has been translated to many languages for use in cross-cultural research. However, formal tests examining whether the different language versions of the HEXACO-PI-R provide equivalent measures of the 6 personality dimensions are missing. We provide a large-scale test of measurement invariance of the 100-item version of the HEXACO-PI-R across 16 languages spoken in European and Asian countries (N = 30,484). Multigroup exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analyses revealed consistent support for configural and metric invariance, thus implying that the factor structure of the HEXACO dimensions as well as the meaning of the latent HEXACO factors is comparable across languages. However, analyses did not show overall support for scalar invariance; that is, equivalence of facet intercepts. A complementary alignment analysis supported this pattern, but also revealed substantial heterogeneity in the level of (non)invariance across facets and factors. Overall, results imply that the HEXACO-PI-R provides largely comparable measurement of the HEXACO dimensions, although the lack of scalar invariance highlights the necessity for future research clarifying the interpretation of mean-level trait differences across countries.

Removal of unleaded gasoline from water by multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

This article displays an efficient and cost effective technique for the removal of unleaded gasoline from water. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as the sorbent material. Nanotubes were synthesized according to a well-known procedure and successfully used avoiding cumbersome purifications from traces of catalyst. A series of lab-scale experiments was performed on dispersions of commercial unleaded gasoline (20 mL) in water (30 mL), which were subjected to the action of variable amounts of MWCNTs at room temperature. Physicochemical characteristics and sorbent capacity of nanotubes were investigated by thermal analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The highest percentage of removed unleaded gasoline was obtained using small amounts (0.7 g) of MWCNTs, over very short stirring times (5 min). The composition of residual organic materials in water was investigated by 1H and 13C high-resolution NMR spectroscopy, which confirmed the almost complete removal of unleaded gasoline hydrocarbon components from polluted waters.

The red deer Cervus elaphus genome CerEla1.0: sequencing, annotating, genes, and chromosomes.

We present here the de novo genome assembly CerEla1.0 for the red deer, Cervus elaphus, an emblematic member of the natural megafauna of the Northern Hemisphere. Humans spread the species in the South. Today, the red deer is also a farm-bred animal and is becoming a model animal in biomedical and population studies. Stag DNA was sequenced at 74× coverage by Illumina technology. The ALLPATHS-LG assembly of the reads resulted in 34.7 × 103 scaffolds, 26.1 × 103 of which were utilized in Cer.Ela1.0. The assembly spans 3.4 Gbp. For building the red deer pseudochromosomes, a pre-established genetic map was used for main anchor points. A nearly complete co-linearity was found between the mapmarker sequences of the deer genetic map and the order and orientation of the orthologous sequences in the syntenic bovine regions. Syntenies were also conserved at the in-scaffold level. The cM distances corresponded to 1.34 Mbp uniformly along the deer genome. Chromosomal rearrangements between deer and cattle were demonstrated. 2.8 × 106 SNPs, 365 × 103 indels and 19368 protein-coding genes were identified in CerEla1.0, along with positions for centromerons. CerEla1.0 demonstrates the utilization of dual references, i.e., when a target genome (here C. elaphus) already has a pre-established genetic map, and is combined with the well-established whole genome sequence of a closely related species (here Bos taurus). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that CerEla1.0 (NCBI, MKHE00000000) could serve for are discussed.

[The standardized mortality numbers of patients with gastrointestinal tumors and cardiovascular diseases in four wine regions and in one not-wine region of Hungary between 2000-2010]. / A gastrointestinalis daganatok és szív-ér rendszeri betegségek standardizált halálozási arányszámai Magyarország négy borvidékén és egy nem borvidéken 2000­2010 között.

INTRODUCTION: Eating habits act on mortalities from gastrointestinal tumors and cardiovascular diseases. AIM: To investigate the role of wine drinking on these mortalities in Hungary. METHOD: The standardized mortality data of people from 206,159 subjects died of gastrointestinal tumors and cardiovascular diseases between 2000-2010 were compared in four wine regions: Tokaj (white), Eger (red), Balaton (white), Szekszárd/Villány (red) and in Hódmezovásárhely (not-wine region). RESULTS: The significantly smallest number of tumors (664) occurred in Tokaj, but the cardiovascular mortality here was the highest (5955). On the other hand, the fewest cardiovascular mortality occurred in Szekszárd/Villány (3907), but showing here (831) and in Eger (934) the highest values of tumor death. CONCLUSIONS: The protective effect of red wine on cardiovascular mortality was verified. Surprisingly, the low value of gastrointestinal mortality in "Tokaj" - besides the higher level of selenium in tap water - shows some hidden features of these white wines. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(25): 992-998.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a Hungarian red deer (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus) from high-throughput sequencing data and its phylogenetic position within the family Cervidae.

Recently, there has been considerable interest in genetic differentiation in the Cervidae family. A common tool used to determine genetic variation in different species, breeds and populations is mitochondrial DNA analysis, which can be used to estimate phylogenetic relationships among animal taxa and for molecular phylogenetic evolution analysis. With the development of sequencing technology, more and more mitochondrial sequences have been made available in public databases, including whole mitochondrial DNA sequences. These data have been used for phylogenetic analysis of animal species, and for studies of evolutionary processes. We determined the complete mitochondrial genome of a Central European red deer, Cervus elaphus hippelaphus, from Hungary by a next generation sequencing technology. The mitochondrial genome is 16 354 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region, all of which are arranged similar as in other vertebrates. We made phylogenetic analyses with the new sequence and 76 available mitochondrial sequences of Cervidae, using Bos taurus mitochondrial sequence as outgroup. We used 'neighbor joining' and 'maximum likelihood' methods on whole mitochondrial genome sequences; the consensus phylogenetic trees supported monophyly of the family Cervidae; it was divided into two subfamilies, Cervinae and Capreolinae, and five tribes, Cervini, Muntiacini, Alceini, Odocoileini, and Capreolini. The evolutionary structure of the family Cervidae can be reconstructed by phylogenetic analysis based on whole mitochondrial genomes; which method could be used broadly in phylogenetic evolutionary analysis of animal taxa.

The aneurysmal arteriovenous fistula - morphological study and assessment of clinical implications. A pilot study.

Aneurysmal dilation of arteriovenous fistulae used for haemodialysis is a recognised complication but its clinical significance is a contentious issue. Our aims were to describe aneurysmal fistulae morphologically and clinically.Sixty patients underwent duplex scanning to measure the maximum diameter and skin thickness of their fistula. Haemodialysis function and bleeding risk were assessed clinically.The 75th percentile of maximum diameter was 2.05 cm. In addition to conventional diameter measurement, we describe a novel volume measurement technique which may be of value. No relationship was found between maximum diameter or volume and function, skin thickness or bleeding.Some studies define aneurysm at 2 cm (75th percentile); however, this definition and other arbitrary definitions lack clinical significance. This work suggests that fistula dilation should be considered together with clinical issues when determining the clinical significance of an aneurysm. Our finding that haemodialysis function, skin thickness and bleeding were not associated with diameter needs further study.

Impact of research on maize production challenges in Hungary.

Maize (Zea mays L), as a major cereal crop produced in Hungary in addition to wheat, attracts enormous research from both educational and non-educational institutions. Research is aimed at addressing the key abiotic, biotic and social economic constraints. The stakeholders and institutions involved in research are spread all over Hungary. Currently, no review has been done to comprehensively reveal the trend of maize research in Hungary, as well as key players such as institutions, universities, industry and researchers. Hence, this bibliographic review was conducted to: i) identify the major research institutions and their contribution towards maize research in Hungary; ii) evaluate the major maize research areas in Hungary between 1975 and 2022. Literature search was conducted in Web of Science (WoS) database using keywords; 'maize' OR 'maize' + 'Research' + 'Hungary'. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the VOSviewer software. Changes in the publication trend of documents was tested using Mann Kendall Test. A total of 947 publications related to the topic were published by 441 institutions between 1975 and 2022. There was a significant (p = 0.001) positive increase in the number of published documents. Hungarian Academy of Science (210 documents) and University of Debrecen (132 documents) recorded the highest number of publications contributing 58.7% of the maize research literature in Hungary. The major research areas included: increasing maize yield, hybrid development, pests and diseases, irrigation, fertilization (nitrogen), drought, temperature, gene expression and climate change. The increasing number of published documents signifies an improved response to addressing maize production challenges through research in order to boost its productivity.

Determination of Rhythmicity and Gestational Stage-Related Distribution of Blood Plasma Melatonin Concentrations in Donkey Mares.

The aim of this study is to obtain a more complete picture of blood plasma melatonin concentrations in the donkey mares. To this purpose, sampling and statistical processing were carried out in such a way that allowed the researchers to establish the annual and daily rhythms. Based on human observations, according to the hypothesis of the authors, the blood plasma melatonin concentration of pregnant individuals rises during the late gestational period, before parturition. To confirm this, the melatonin concentrations of pregnant and non-pregnant jennies were monitored and compared. In regard to the circannual rhythm, the significantly lowest midnight melatonin value (27.67 pg mL-1) was typical for the summer solstice. Under consideration of circadian changes, a significantly strongest melatonin production (45.16 pg mL-1) was observed on the night of the winter solstice (p < 0.001). Considering gestational age, the blood plasma melatonin concentration (around 38 pg mL-1) does not change as gestation progresses (p = 0.136). The results obtained in this studied population of the domestic ass usefully expand the little knowledge previously gathered about the development of the blood plasma melatonin concentrations of this species.

The effect of age and sex on carcass traits and body composition of Hungarian yearling farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus).

Carcass characteristics were studied in 80 young Hungarian red deer in different ages (12, 15, 18 and 20 months of age). In all age group 10 male and 10 female were slaughtered. The dressed carcass weight in skin varied between 53.72 and 65.66% of live weight. The first class lean meat varied between 14.3 and 16.6% of live weight. The live weight, carcass weight increased with the age and differed also between sexes. The highest dressing percentages were found at 20 months of age in both sexes (♂: 65.7%, ♀: 62.5%). Mainly the hinds had higher loin, leg and shoulder proportions of carcass at 20 months of age than the stags. The carcass muscle, bone and fat content were measured by computer tomography. These traits were grown and their proportion changed with the age. The bone to muscle ratio gradually decreased with the age while the fat to muscle ratio increased after 15 months of age (♂: from 0.13 to 0.17, ♀: from 0.15 to 0.18). At 18 month of age the hinds had higher bone to muscle and fat to muscle ratio than the stags'. The fat percentage of carcasses increased with the age in both sexes (♂: from 8.01% to 11.04%, ♀: from 8.40% to 11.28%). The hinds had higher values than the stags but it was significant just at 20 months of age. From the meat quality attributes there were found differences between ages in the case of pH, lightness, drip loss, cooking loss and shear force. The highest pH was found at 12 months of age in both sexes. There were found 5% intermediate pH (6.2 < pH < 5.8) at 12 and 15 months of age, all of them were male. The highest lightness values were observed at 18 months of age in both sexes (♂: 13.47, ♀: 14.90). There were differences between sexes in pH at all ages, except 15 months of age, and at 18 months of age in redness and lightness. Based on our results, the optimal slaughtering time for Hungarian red deer is 20 months of age, because this is when the dressing percentage is the best for both sexes. Meat quality traits changed with age, and gender differences sexes were the most pronounced for these traits at 18 months of age.

Angiotensin II increases the permeability and PV-1 expression of endothelial cells.

Angiotensin II (ANG II), the major effector molecule of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), is a powerful vasoactive mediator associated with hypertension and renal failure. In this study the permeability changes and its morphological attributes in endothelial cells of human umbilical vein (HUVECs) were studied considering the potential regulatory role of ANG II. The effects of ANG II were compared with those of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Permeability was determined by 40 kDa FITC-Dextran and electrical impedance measurements. Plasmalemmal vesicle-1 (PV-1) mRNA levels were measured by PCR. Endothelial cell surface was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and caveolae were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in HUVEC monolayers. ANG II (10(-7) M), similarly to VEGF (100 ng/ml), increased the endothelial permeability parallel with an increase in the number of cell surface openings and caveolae. AT1 and VEGF-R2 receptor blockers (candesartan and ZM-323881, respectively) blunted these effects. ANG II and VEGF increased the expression of PV-1, which could be blocked by candesartan or ZM-323881 pretreatments and by the p38 mitogem-activated protein (MAP) kinase inhibitor SB-203580. Additionally, SB-203580 blocked the increase in endothelial permeability and the number of surface openings and caveolae. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that ANG II plays a role in regulation of permeability and formation of cell surface openings through AT1 receptor and PV-1 protein synthesis in a p38 MAP kinase-dependent manner in endothelial cells. The surface openings that increase in parallel with permeability may represent transcellular channels, caveolae, or both. These morphological and permeability changes may be involved in (patho-) physiological effects of ANG II.

Standardized data on the incidence and mortality of female and male breast cancers in Hungary between 2000 and 2016. / A noi és a férfiemlorák standardizált incidencia- és mortalitásadatai Magyarországon 2000 és 2016 között.

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A rákbetegségek incidencia- (gyakorisági) értékei világszerte, így Magyarországon is folyamatosan növekednek. Az emlorákok elofordulása és kórlefolyása a két nemben azonban sajátosan különbözik. Célkituzés: Célul tuztük ki, hogy megvizsgáljuk és értékeljük a noi és a férfiemlorák incidencia- és mortalitási (halálozási) adatait Magyarországon 2000 és 2016 között. Módszer: A Központi Statisztikai Hivatalból és a Nemzeti Rákregiszterbol származó adatok standardizált, 100 000 fore számított feldolgozása. Eredmények: Magyarországon a vizsgált idoszakban az emlorákok gyakoriságának növekedése megközelítoleg ugyanolyan mértéku (39%) volt, mint az összes ráké (34%). Az emelkedés jelentos: a 2016-ban 8,7% részarányú noi emlorák esetében 39%, a 0,22%-os részarányú férfiráknál 60%. Ezzel szemben a halálozási adatok jelentos mértéku csökkenéseket mutatnak mind az összes daganat, mind a noi emlorák vonatkozásában, míg a férfiemlorák esetében a csökkenés nagyobb mértéku. A rosszindulatú daganatok incidenciája és a 2-es típusú diabetes mellitus (2DM) prevalenciája egyaránt magasan szignifikáns korrelációt mutatott az egy fore jutó bruttó nemzeti össztermék (GDP) értékének növekedésével. Új megfigyelés, hogy a 2DM-növekedés idoben megelozte a daganatok incidenciájának növekedését. Következtetés: A vizsgált idoszakban a noi és a férfiemlorákok magyarországi gyakorisági és halálozási adatai a nemzetköziekhez hasonló tendenciákat mutatnak. A férfiemlorákok sokkal ritkábbak, de kezelésük kevésbé hatékony. Új szempont, hogy a rosszindulatú daganatok gyakoribb megjelenésében a klinikailag kedvezotlenebb 2DM százalékos arányának (prevalenciájának) emelkedése is jelentos tényezo lehet az elhízáshoz kapcsolódva. A GDP növekedése kedvezoen hathatott a halálozások csökkenésében a kedvezobb gyógyítási és megelozési feltételek megteremtésével. Ugyanakkor ennek a növekedésnek szerepe lehet az elhízással összefüggo 2DM prevalenciájának emelkedésében is. Orv Hetil. 2022; 163(5): 181-186. INTRODUCTION: The incidence of malignant cancers is continuously growing. In breast cancers, the incidence and clinical course are greatly different in the two genders. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the incidence and mortality of breast cancers in females and males in Hungary between 2000 and 2016. METHODS: The data derived from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office and the National Cancer Registry were evaluated and standardized for 100 000 inhabitants. RESULTS: In Hungary, the elevation of breast cancer incidence (39%) showed a similar extent as that of total tumours (34%). In female breast cancers representing a much greater percent (8.7% in 2016) than that in males (0.22%), the increase was significant (39%) as in males (60 %). On the other hand, mortality was significantly lower for both of them regarding total malignant and female breast tumours, whereas the decrease was greater in the male breast cancers. The increase of GDP per capita showed highly significant correlation with the incidence of malignant tumours and prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 (2DM). It was a new finding that the increase in the prevalence of 2DM precedes the elevation of the incidence of cancer. CONCLUSION: In Hungary, the data of incidence and mortality of female and male breast cancers showed similar tendencies as the international ones. The breast cancers of males were rarer but their treatment was less effective. However, it was a new aspect that in the increased incidence of malignant tumours also the greater prevalence of 2DM could be an important factor related to obesity. Orv Hetil. 2022; 163(5): 181-186.

Recovery of Biophenols from Olive Vegetation Waters by Carbon Nanotubes.

In this work, the possibility of using carbon nanotubes for the treatment of olive vegetation waters (OVWs) was investigated. In general, the disposal of OVWs represents an important environmental problem. The possibility of considering these waters no longer just as a problem but as a source of noble substances, thanks to the recovery of biophenols from them, was tested. In particular, predetermined quantities of olive vegetation waters were treated with carbon nanotubes. The quantities of adsorbed biophenols were studied as a function of the quantities of carbon nanotubes used and the contact time. The experimental conditions for obtaining both the highest possible quantities of biophenol and a purer adsorbate with the highest percentage of biophenols were studied. After the adsorption tests, the vegetation waters were analyzed by UV spectrophotometry to determine, in particular, the variation in the concentration of biophenols. The carbon nanotubes were weighed before and after each adsorption test. In addition, kinetic studies of the adsorption processes were considered. Carbon nanotubes proved their effectiveness in recovering biophenols.

Analysis of Nutrient-Specific Response of Maize Hybrids in Relation to Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Remote Sensing.

Leaf area index (LAI) indicates the leaf area per ground surface area occupied by a crop. Various methods are used to measure LAI, which is unitless and varies according to species and environmental conditions. This experiment was carried out in three different nitrogen ranges (control, 120 kg N ha-1, and 300 kg N ha-1) + PK nutrient levels, with five replications used for leaf area measurement on seven different maize hybrids. Hybrids had different moisture, protein, oil, and starch contents. N (1, 2) + PK treatments had a desirable effect on protein, starch, and yield. P0217 LAI had a minimal response at these fertiliser levels. LAI for Sushi peaked at different dates between control and fertiliser treatments. This result showed that Sushi has an excellent capacity for LAI. LAI values on 15 June 2020 showed minimum average values for all hybrids, and it had a maximum average values on 23 July 2020. LAI had maximum performance between the average values treatments in Sushi, Armagnac, Loupiac, and DKC4792 on 15 June 2020. This study also provides insights for examining variably applied N doses using crop sensors and UAV remote-sensing platforms.

Nutrient Composition Analysis of Maize Hybrids Affected by Different Nitrogen Fertilisation Systems.

Maize is one of the most widely used plants in the agricultural industry, and the fields of application of this plant are broad. The experiment was conducted at the Látókép Crop Production Experimental Station of the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Three mid-ripening maize hybrids with different FAO numbers were used in the present study. The effects of different nitrogen supplies were examined as a variable rate of abiotic stress and the interrelationship among the essential nutrients through the nutrient acquisition and partitioning of the different vegetative and generative plant parts. The results showed that NPK application compared to the control treatment (no fertilizer application) increased DM in all tissues of maize, while increasing nitrogen application from 120 to 300 kg ha-1 had no significant effect on this trait. The highest protein content was obtained with the nitrogen application of 120 kg ha-1, and the higher nitrogen fertilizer application had no significant effect on this trait. Seeds and leaves had a maximum zinc and manganese value in terms of nitrogen content (protein). Dry matter was positively correlated with nitrogen, potassium, and manganese content, while the dry matter had a negative correlation with nickel content. In general, to achieve a maximum quantitative and qualitative yield, it is recommended to use NPK fertilizer with a rate of 120 kg ha-1 N for maize cultivation.

Comparison of Maize Genotypes Using Drought-Tolerance Indices and Graphical Analysis under Normal and Humidity Stress Conditions.

This study aimed to identify drought-tolerant genotypes and to evaluate and compare the response of genotypes under normal conditions and humidity stress. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) on 12 commercial single cross hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.) with three replications in two separate experiments under normal and stress conditions. GT biplot was used to compare genotypes under normal conditions and humidity stress. Based on the polygon diagrams' graphical analysis, KSC206, KSC704, KSC705 and KSC706 genotypes were identified as desirable hybrids. The ranking diagram of genotypes based on ideal genotype also showed that the KSC704 genotype had high desirability in all evaluated traits in normal and stress conditions. TOL, MP, HARM, GMP, SSI and STI indices were used to identify drought-tolerant genotypes, and the genotypes were ranked based on this index. Based on this, KSC260, SC302 and KSC400 hybrids were selected as resistant hybrids. Based on the correlation analysis between drought-tolerance indices, a positive correlation was observed between MP, GMP, HARM and STI indices. Based on the analysis of the PCA on the indices, the first and second principal components were given the titles of grain yield tolerance component under humidity stress conditions and grain yield stability component under normal humidity conditions, respectively. KSC704 was superior to other hybrids in terms of grain yield under normal conditions and stress, and the KSC260 hybrid was identified as a tolerant hybrid in terms of all studied traits under drought stress.

Parentage testing and looking for single nucleotide markers associated with antler quality in deer (Cervus elaphus).

To provide a cost-efficient parentage testing kit for red deer (Cervus elaphus), a 63 SNP set has been developed from a high-density Illumina BovineHD BeadChip containing 777 962 SNPs after filtering of genotypes of 50 stags. The successful genotyping rate was 38.6 % on the chip. The ratio of polymorphic loci among effectively genotyped loci was 6.5 %. The selected 63 SNPs have been applied to 960 animals to perform parentage control. Thirty SNPs out of the 63 had worked on the OpenArray platform. Their combined value of the probability of identity and exclusion probability was 4.9 × 10 - 11 and 0.99803, respectively. A search for loci linked with antler quality was also performed on the genotypes of the above-mentioned stags. Association studies revealed 14 SNPs associated with antler quality, where low-quality antlers with short and thin main beam antlers had values from 1 to 2, while high-quality antlers with long and strong main beams had values between 4 and 5. The chance for a stag to be correctly identified as having high-value antlers is expected to be over 88 %.

Immediately postoperative B-type natriuretic peptide and its predictive value.

BACKGROUND: Major vascular surgery involves a high risk of major cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A method of predicting perioperative myocardial events is required. Preoperative B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been evaluated for this purpose. The aims of this study were to determine the postoperative course of BNP levels and correlate these levels with the outcome. METHODS: The present study included 45 patients undergoing major vascular surgery. These patients further underwent serial venous blood sampling for troponin-T and BNP and serial electrocardiograms, pre- and postoperatively (immediately postoperatively and at days 1 through 4). RESULTS: Of the 45 patients, seven suffered myocardial damage, as defined by troponin-T. An immediate postoperative BNP (cutoff, 171 pg/mL) was better able to predict cardiac damage (p = 0.027) than BNP levels preoperatively (cutoff, 281 pg/mL, p = 0.042) and on day 1 postoperatively (cutoff, 182 pg/mL, p = 0.032). Only the preoperative BNP levels showed an effect on survival. Patients with a preoperative BNP >281 pg/mL had a mean survival of 12.7 months, as compared with 17.6 months for patients with a BNP <281 pg/mL, p = 0.044. CONCLUSION: Preoperative BNP is an accurate determinant of postoperative cardiac morbidity and all cause survival, with BNP in the immediate postoperative period being an even more accurate predictor of cardiac events. An immediate postoperative BNP might help risk stratify patients for the next 72 hours in the perioperative period (and maybe longer).

The Role of Carbon Nanotube Pretreatments in the Adsorption of Benzoic Acid.

Four different types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used and compared for the treatment of benzoic acid contaminated water. The types of nanotubes used were: (1) non-purified (CNTsUP), as made; (2) purified (CNTsP), not containing the catalyst; (3) oxidized (CNTsOX), characterized by the presence of groups such as, -COOH; (4) calcined (CNTs900), with elimination of interactions between nanotubes. In addition, activated carbon was also used to allow for later comparison. The adsorption tests were conducted on an aqueous solution of benzoic acid at concentration of 20 mg/L, as a model of carboxylated aromatic compounds. After the adsorption tests, the residual benzoic acid concentrations were measured by UV-visible spectrometry, while the carbon nanotubes were characterized by TG and DTA thermal analyses and electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the type of nanotubes thermally treated at 900 °C has the best performances in terms of adsorption rate and amounts of collected acid, even if compared with the performance of activated carbons.