[Homocysteine and cognitive functions in bipolar depression]. / Homocysteina a funkcje poznawcze w depresji w przebiegu choroby afektywnej dwubiegunowej.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate a relationship between concentrations of hoocysteine (HCY), vitamin B12 and folic acid and disturbances of cognitive functions during acute episode of bipolar depression. METHODS: 116 patients were studied (93 women, 23 men), aged 20-78 (mean 51±13) years during acute episode of bipolar depression. Depression was evaluated by the 17-item Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). The following tests measuring cognitive functions were applied: Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. In all patients, the measurements of serum homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folic acid were carried out. RESULTS: Hyperhomocystemia (HCY>15µM/l) was detected in 41 patients (35%), more frequently in men (52%) than in women (31%). Patients with hyperhomocysteinemia achieved worse results in sub-tests of WAIS-R (verbal understanding and perceptional organization). In men, negative correlation was found between HCY concentration and number of errors in Stroop Test, and WCST (total errors and non-perseverative errors). In women with bipolar disorder, type II, negative correlation between HCY concentration and time of Stroop Test, and between vitamin B12 concentration and number of errors in Stroop Test, were demonstrated. In the whole group and in men, there was positive correlation between higher folic acid concentration and the number of errors in Stroop Test. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained show higher HCY concentration in considerable proportion of patients with bipolar depression, especially in men. They also confirm a connect between high homocysteine concentration and worse performance in some neuropsychological tests. Such relationship was more marked in men.

Gastrotricha from the Poznan Palm House--one new subgenus and three new species of freshwater Chaetonotida (Gastrotricha).

Gastrotricha is a cosmopolitan phylum of aquatic and wet terrestrial invertebrates comprising about 800 described species. Gastrotrichs have never been studied in artificial habitats such as greenhouses. In this paper we present 13 species belonging to 5 genera of the family Chaetonotidae that have been found in a water body with tropical aquatic plants. Tristratachaetus subgen. nov. and Chaetonotus (Tristratachaetus subgen. nov.) rhombosquamtus sp. nov., Chaetonotus (Chaetonotus) eximius sp. nov. and Chaetonotus (Chaetonotus) pravus sp. nov. are described as a new to science. Additionally, taxonomic, biogeographic and ecological remarks for all recorded species are provided.

Fauna Europaea: Gastrotricha.

Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers about 230,000 taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000 species. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. Gastrotricha are a meiobenthic phylum composed of 813 species known so far (2 orders, 17 families) of free-living microinvertebrates commonly present and actively moving on and into sediments of aquatic ecosystems, 339 of which live in fresh and brackish waters. The Fauna Europaea database includes 214 species of Chaetonotida (4 families) plus a single species of Macrodasyida incertae sedis. This paper deals with the 224 European freshwater species known so far, 9 of which, all of Chaetonotida, have been described subsequently and will be included in the next database version. Basic information on their biology and ecology are summarized, and a list of selected, main references is given. As a general conclusion the gastrotrich fauna from Europe is the best known compared with that of other continents, but shows some important gaps of knowledge in Eastern and Southern regions.

Checklist of Gastrotricha of the Polish Baltic Sea with the first reports of Heterolepidoderma joermungandri Kånneby, 2011, and Turbanella hyalina Schultze, 1853.

Gastrotricha is a cosmopolitan phylum of aquatic and semi-terrestrial invertebrates comprising more than 800 described species. Up to now, only five taxonomic and faunistic papers have been published on the gastrotrichs of the Polish Baltic Sea and 27 taxa have been found (including three freshwater, which were found in estuaries). This article presents a complete list of brackish and estuarine Gastrotricha from the Polish Baltic Sea accompanied by localities and the first observations of gastrotrich species inhabiting the underwater macrophytes. Although the group has been studied for more than 150 years, the gastrotrich community of marine macrophytes has not been studied in any great detail. Here we provide data on gastrotrich communities living on macrophytes and also in sandy sediments. In total, nine species were found (seven from sandy sediments, two species from macrophytes). Seven of the species belong to Chaetonotida: Halichaetonotus balticus Kisielewski, 1975, H. lamellatus Kisielewski, 1975, H. schromi Kisielewski, 1975, Heterolepidoderma joermungandri Kånneby, 2011, Lepidodermella squamata (Dujardin, 1841), Xenotrichula intermedia Remane, 1934, and X. velox Remane, 1927(c). Two of species belong to Macrodasyida: Turbanella cornuta Remane, 1925, and T. hyalina Schultze, 1853. H. joermungandri and T. hyalina are new for Polish fauna. Both species correspond with the original descriptions but differ by some morphometric characters. Taxonomic, morphometric, and biogeographic remarks are provided for the new records together with differential interference contrast (DIC) microphotographs.