Biological agents of bioterrorism - preparedness is vital.

Bioterrorist threats and attacks are still an issue of concern in the world. Biological agents are divided into three categories. The highest priority agents classified in category A pose a massive risk to public health and national security. The society should be prepared for this risk. Health professionals in the Czech Republic should be aware of the diseases caused by category A agents, which are not common in the country. In this context, the project of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic “Decontamination of the injured persons” has been implemented at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University, Olomouc. The article provides an overview of selected serious infectious risks and information on the project the aim of which is to create certified methodical procedures and guidelines on situations related to bioterrorism.

Frequency of mutations in BRCA genes and other candidate genes in high-risk probands or probands with breast or ovarian cancer in the Czech Republic.

Breast cancer is currently the most common form of malignant tumour in womenboth in the Czech Republic and in most countries of the western world, and its incidence is constantly increasing. Many risk factors are known to play a major role in the development of this form of cancer. One of them is genetics, especially the BRCA1/2 genes. A higher risk of ovarian cancer is also associated with these genes. With the development of laboratory diagnostics massive parallel sequencing methods (NGS) are now routinely employed, enabling the detection of other pathogenic sequence variants, or variants of uncertain significance (VUS) not previously detected. Besides the high penetrance BRCA1/2 genes, medium and low penetrant genes also come to the fore. There were 2046 probands examined in the study, men and women, mainly from eastern part of the Czech Republic. These were selected for a genetic examination, after meeting indication criteria (probands from high-risk families or with breast or ovarian cancer). From this group only women, 2033 probands, were selected and were given a genetic examination for the possible presence of patogenic sequence variants in BRCA1/2 genes, or other candidate genes. Analyses were conducted in the laboratory using DHPLC or next generation sequencing. MLPA method is used for large rearrangements in genes. From all examined women 212 mutations were detected. The most mutations (128) were found in the BRCA1 gene (60%). In the BRCA2 gene 71 mutations (34%) were found and 13 more mutations (6%) were detected in another candidate genes (CHEK2, PALB2, ERCC4). The most frequent sequence variant was c.5266dupC in the BRCA1 gene. The results show that 72% of women with a confirmed mutation in the BRCA1 gene and 77.5% of women with the sequence variant BRCA2, already had breast cancer and 16.4% of women with BRCA1 and 7% of women with BRCA2 already had ovarian cancer. Only 21 high risk families used the possibility to be tested and had undergone targeted mutation testing. The study results suggest a reflection of the causes and needs for examination of patients and women predisposed to breast or ovarian cancer.

[Are risk factors in prenatal and perinatal period important for develompent of schizophrenia?] / Jsou rizikové faktory v prenatálním a perinatálním období dulezité pro vznik schizofrenie?

OBJECTIVE: Schizophrenia is an important psychical disease of multifactorial origin and not yet clear etiology. In prenatal and perinatal period some potential risk factors for schizophrenia are taken into consideration. DESIGN: Case-control study of 815 subjects, 407 cases and 408 controls was performed in 2013 to 2015. METHODS: In this study environmental and genetic risk factors were evaluated including potential risk factors of prenatal and perinatal period. RESULTS: Statistically important difference was found in child-birth done by cesarean section (p = 0.009) and in patients with schizophrenia were 15.7% complications in the course of childbirth (p < 0.001). Hypoxia, passed umbilical cord were the most frequent complications. In prenatal period premature childbirth, injury and psychical complications were the most frequent. On the other hand difference in weight and length of newborns, breast feeding and infection during pregnancy were found not statistically important. CONCLUSION: In this study statistically important diference were found in way of carrying childbirth and in some complications during pregnancy and delivery. Influence of infection during pregnancy and influence of weight and length of newborn were not demonstrated.

[A report of 10 cases of familial Creutzfeld-Jakob disease]. / Popis familiární formy Creutzfeldt-Jakobovy nemoci.

AIM: The analysis of the available reported data and epidemiological investigation data on the cases of Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD) that emerged in the Nový Jicín district in 2001-2011, with a focus on the familial form of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from the Regional Public Health Service of the Moravian-Silesian Region, local Public Health Centre Nový Jicín, were used for the analysis. RESULTS: This is a retrospective report of 10 cases of familial Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD) in the Nový Jicín district in 2001-2011, based on the data from the public health service. Overall eight cases were notified and seven suspected cases were identified retrospectively. Out of these 15 cases, five were concluded to be sporadic CJD and 10 to be familial CJD. The PRNP D178N mutation was found in two fatal cases from 2002 and 2003. Genetic investigation of their relatives was not performed for ethical reasons. CONCLUSION: The high incidence of familial CJD in the Nový Jicín district in 2001-2011 is surprising, but the retrospective investigation failed to provide further evidence to understand this outbreak.

Satellite nucleoli in the megakaryocytic lineage of rats.

The present study was undertaken to provide more information on the incidence of satellite nucleoli in developmental stages of the megakaryocytic lineage. Satellite nucleoli representing solitary silver stained nucleolus organizer regions (AgNORs) present in nuclei in addition to other nucleolar types were observed in all stages of megakaryocytic development. However, the incidence of satellite nucleoli was more frequent in mature megakaryocytes than in less differentiated immature megakaryoblasts and naked megakaryocytic nuclei representing the terminal stages of megakaryocytic development after loss of the cytoplasm transformed to thrombocytes. There is a possibility that the increased incidence of satellite nucleoli in mature megakaryocytes might be due to the loss of AgNORs from active nucleoli characteristic for immature cells. The decreased incidence of satellite nucleoli in naked megakaryocytic nuclei might reflect their disintegration in the terminal stages of the megakaryocytic development.

Risk assessment of the common air pollutants in Teplice, Czech Republic.

In the framework of the systematic investigation of the environment of the district of Teplice (Northern Bohemia), one of the most polluted regions in Europe, an attempt was made to estimate health risks to the inhabitants posed by the most common air contaminants (SO2, NOx, particulate matter). A meta-analysis of data published in recent papers dealing with health effects was performed. At first we weighed the number of positive and negative findings focusing on the following health indicators: prevalence of symptoms (coughing, wheezing), decreased respiratory function, prevalence of respiratory illness, and acute mortality. Only those categories in which the positive findings prevailed were taken into consideration and median values for LOAELs were calculated from the data referring to positive dose-response relationships. The exposure assessment was based upon a series of data on daily concentrations of the air contaminants in Teplice since 1975. Due to the somatic and respiration parameters, as well as to their habits, children between the ages of 8 and 10 appeared the most heavily exposed of all age groups. It was concluded that in real concentrations the risk is posed mainly from sulphur dioxide and, above all, from particulate matter.

Interaction between quercetin and heat shock. A preliminary study on the chick embryo.

A hyperthermic shock (43 degrees C/30 min) enhances in somite stages of the chick embryo development the activity of the caudal morphogenetic system, manifested by intensive growth of the embryonic trunk. The exposure also induced the synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSP 70). A single administration of a bioflavonoid quercetin dissolved in DMSO to chick embryos in stages HH 10-11 (10-14 somites) prior to heat exposure inhibited both the growth acceleration and the HSP induction.

Accumulation of activated lymphocytes in liver of Listeria factor Ei treated rabbits.

Factor Ei isolated from Listeria monocytogenes caused in rabbits 1 d after intravenous administration activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes in terms of rRNA biosynthesis. Increase of the number of these active lymphocytes was observed not only in peripheral blood, but also in spleen, lung, kidney, and liver. when the number of lymphocytes was related to the amount of the organ tissue cells, the increment appeared significant only in the liver where the number of active lymphocytes exceeded the control value by one order of magnitude. Based upon this observation we concluded that the accumulation of Listeria factor Ei activated lymphocytes occurred in liver. This characteristic is considered an additional immunomodulative property of Listeria factor Ei similar to the Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide.

Nucleoli and argyrophil nucleolus organizer regions (AgNORs) of cells of the megakaryocytic line in the rat.

The main maturation stages of Norway rat megakaryocytic series, megakaryoblasts and mature megakaryocytes, stained by silver for demonstration of argyrophil nucleolus organizer regions (AgNORs) were investigated to provide basic information on the number of nucleoli and interphasic AgNORs in these cells. The results showed that megakaryoblasts as well as mature megakaryocytes possess numerous nucleoli; their number and also the number of AgNORs is significantly higher in less mature than in more mature cells. The number of AgNORs in megakaryocytes of the Norway rat and man are virtually the same, although the numbers of nucleolar organizers per haploid chromosome set differ markedly. This fact leads to the conclusion that the number of interphasic AgNORs depends on the function and metabolic state of the cell rather than on the number of nucleolar organizers.

The effect of actinomycin D on the megakaryocytic line in rat.

Four-day administration of actinomycin D to the albino rat in daily doses of 25 micrograms/kg decreased--in relation to all blood cells of the bone marrow--the values of the more mature stages of the megakaryocytic line, i.e. megakaryocytes and naked megakaryocyte nuclei. The number of megakaryoblasts was not influenced.