Matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP2 and MMP9) are proteolytic enzymes involved with extracellular matrix degradation. They play a role in tumor invasion and metastases. Be- cause of their ability to degrade signaling molecules presented in extracellular matrix, MMPs contribute to tumor proliferation and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate expression of MMP2 (latent and both active and latent forms) and MMP9 (active, latent, active and latent forms) in different subtypes of canine lymphomas and their relationship with proliferative (mi- totic index and percentage of Ki67-positive cells) and apoptotic (apoptotic index) markers. Ex- pression of MMPs was assessed immunohistochemically using an immunoreactive score system. Expression of both MMPs was found in all 20 examined lymphomas belonging to six subtypes. Most cases showed a moderate level of all analyzed forms of MMP2 and MMP9. High expres- sion of MMPs was found in single cases. Except for a positive correlation between the active form of MMP9 and the mitotic index for all lymphoma cases, no other correlations between any remaining forms of MMPs and neither proliferative nor apoptotic markers were found, irrespec- tive of whether the analysis encompassed all cases or the most numerous lymphoma subtypes i.e. centroblastic and Burkitt-like. Our results were not able to clearly confirm the influence of MMPs on the proliferation and apoptotic activity of canine lymphoma cells. However, further studies examining MMPs activity by zymography, expression of their inhibitors and other factors in- volved in activation of cell proliferation and apoptosis inhibition are needed to clarify the role of MMPs, especially the active form of MMP9, in the behavior of canine lymphoma cells.

We used artificial hybridization to study the crossability of the noble fir (Abies procera) with Manchurian fir (A. holophylla) and Caucasian fir (A. nordmanniana), and found compatibility between A. procera of North American origin and the Asian species A. holophylla as evidenced by the 14% fraction of filled seeds obtained in A. procera × A. holophylla crossing. Crossing of A. procera with the Mediterranean species A. nordmanniana failed completely, producing only empty seeds.

Edible snails are kept in farms in many countries worldwide. As farm animals, they are an object of interest of veterinary studies and applied biology. There is a large demand for tests which would help identify their health and well-being. The objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of determining the concentration of urea in hemolymph as a marker of health of the Lissachatina fulica and Cornu aspersum edible snails. The observation covered snails from four farms marked from A to D, in which numerous deaths (farm A) and decreased body weight gain (farms B and C) were observed. In experimental farm D we observed a group of snails subjected to stress and a control group maintained in correct conditions. High concentrations of urea were found in the hemolymph of all farm animals from farms A, B and C, as well as in those subjected to food deprivation in farm D (on average from 96 mg/dl in farm D to 320 mg/dl in farm A). On the other hand, in controls from group D, the concentration of the parameter in question was much lower (< 2.0 mg/dl). The results obtained indicate that the urea concentration is a non-specific marker of pathological conditions in snails, and that the continuous monitoring of this parameter makes it possible to demonstrate irregularities in farming and introduce appro- priate and early measures to eliminate such disturbances.

Number of trace compounds (called biomarkers), which occur in human breath, provide an information about individual feature of the body, as well as on the state of its health. In this paper we present the results of experiments about detection of certain biomarkers using laser absorption spectroscopy methods of high sensitivity. For NO, OCS, C₂H₆, NH₃, CH₄, CO and CO(CH₃)₂ an analysis of the absorption spectra was performed. The influence of interferents contained in exhaled air was considered. Optimal wavelengths of the detection were found and the solutions of the sensors, as well as the obtained results were presented. For majority of the compounds mentioned above the detection limits applicable for medicine were achieved. The experiments showed that the selected optoelectronic techniques can be applied for screening devices providing early diseases detection.

We made interspecific crosses to facilitate the introgression of desirable traits of Allium roylei into the Alliumcepa genome. After hand-pollination, 906 interspecific F1Allium cepa × A. roylei plants were obtained by in vitro culture via embryo rescue. Nuclear DNA analysis showed that 97.6% of the regenerants were interspecific F1Allium cepa × A. roylei hybrids. Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) showed that each hybrid had 16 chromosomes, eight of which were identified as A. cepa and eight as A. roylei chromosomes.

Isozyme, RAPD and AFLP markers were evaluated and compared for their ability to determine genetic similarity in a set of 18 parental lines of winter oilseed rape F₁ hybrids developed using CMS ogura. Five isozyme systems, 64 RAPD starters and 23 EcoRI+3/MseI+3 AFLP primer combinations generated 597 polymorphic markers. These polymorphic fragments were chosen for estimation of genetic similarity. Of the total number of polymorphic products, polymorphic zymograms constituted only 3.0% of the markers, 57 RAPD primers 37.7%, and 23 AFLP primer combinations 59.3%. The size of RAPD polymorphic products ranged from 564 to 2100 bp. On average there were four amplified bands per primer, with 61.0% polymorphism. The AFLP polymorphic fragments ranged from 72 to 1352 bp in size. AFLP assays generated 15 bands per primer pair on average and detected roughly four times more bands than with RAPD analysis. The genetic similarity coefficients based on all marker data range from 0.52 to 0.84. The correlation of genetic similarities based on RAPD and AFLP markers was 0.58. Estimated genetic similarity based on isozyme data was not correlated with genetic similarity derived from the two DNA-based markers. The dendrogram constructed with the three types of markers taken together grouped all the winter oilseed rape parental lines into several similar clusters. The genomic distribution and frequency of the RAPD and AFLP markers can serve well as estimators of genetic similarity between parental lines of F₁ CMS ogura hybrids

The aim of the present study was to determine changes in oxidative status in plasma of sows during periparturient period using markers of lipid and protein peroxidation intensity. Plasma from 12 pregnant gilts collected on days 14 and 1 before parturition and on days 1, 7 and 14 postpartum was used in the study. As indicators of alterations in the oxidative status, plasma concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and sulphydryl groups (SH groups) were measured spectrophotometrically, as well as plasma concentrations of bityrosine and formylokinurenine were determined by the spectrofluorimetric method. Compared to the 14th day antepartum, the concentration of TBARS increased significantly on day 1 postpartum and then decreased significantly on days 7 and 14 after parturition. The concentration of SH groups increased significantly on the last day before parturition and decreased significantly on day 14 postpartum. The concentration of bityrosine increased significantly on the last day before parturition and decreased significantly on days 7 and 14 postpartum. The concentration of formylokinurenine increased significantly on the last day before parturition, remained at this level on the first day after parturition and then decreased slightly on days 7 and 14 postpartum. These results indicate that during periparturient period in sows, especially around the parturition, the oxidative/antioxidative balance is disturbed, which leads to oxidative stress. Considering that oxidative stress is potentially harmful for mothers and neonates, this may be an important factor in the increased risk of diseases occurring during this period.

Rare and endemic plant species represent important components of plant biodiversity which require protection to ensure their sustainable conservation. Cerastium banaticum (Rochel) Heuff. is such an endemic and rare species from Romania, for which the genetic variability of two natural populations was studied by SSR markers. Shannon’s information index revealed low levels of genetic diversity in both populations (I = 0.296). As the first attempt in a conservation program a reproducible micropropagation protocol was established starting from seeds, followed by multiplication, rooting, and ex vitro acclimatization. Among the various plant growth regulators tested the highest multiplication coefficient was achieved on a culture medium with 0.5 mg L-1 6-furfurylaminopurine (K) and 1 mg L-1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). On this PGRs concentration a number of 26.6 shoots/individual explant with a mean length of 7.9 cm for new generated shoots was registered. The highest number of roots/individual initiated shoot was 2.6 and it was recorded on a culture medium with 0.5 mg L-1 2-isopentyl-adenine (2iP) and 0.1 mg L-1 NAA. The outdoor acclimatization was successfully performed in a specially designed rocky area in the ‘Alexandru Borza’ Botanical Garden, Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

Habitat fragmentation is one of serious threats to biodiversity of nature in today's world. The present study of a typical steppe species Iris pumila L. (Iridaceae) has analyzed the impacts of geographical isolation and population size on genetic diversity and population structure in conditions of habitat fragmentation. The key indices of population genetic variability calculated from the ISSR markers data were on average as follows: Shannon diversity index (S) – 0.188; unbiased Nei’s gene diversity (He) – 0.123; and the average measure of Jaccard’s genetic distances between individuals within populations – 58.4%. Although the largest population had significantly higher values of S and He, the small and marginal populations also showed a comparable level of variation. Most of the genetic variation of I. pumila was distributed within the populations. A strong correlation was found between Nei’s genetic distances and geographic distances between the populations. According to the Bayesian analysis, genetic structure of the populations was highly homogeneous; however, the presence of admixed genotypes indicated the possibility of gene flow between the populations at present.

The aim of this article is to analyze the role of phraseological units (PhUs) in discourse and to investigate their co(n)textual dependency. The paper presents a typology of the lexical and phraseological units, labelled as co(n)textual supports and developed by Olza y Losada (2011): expressions that paraphrase the initial phraseological meaning; expressions that highlight a specific component of this meaning; lexical and phraseological units that are synonymous with the ‘central’ phraseological expression they co-occur with; and lexical and phraseological units that are antonymous with the ‘central’ expression. These units orient and specify the use and interpretation of PhUs. The analysis also focuses on the so-called markers of phraseological units that function as (quasi) PhUs that serve to introduce phraseology within discourse in a (more or less) explicit way and have pragmatic discursive value (cfr. Olza 2013). The last part of the article examines some PhUs whose implicatures can be affected by contextual circumstances and characterized by greater dependence on the general context of the statement despite showing some degree of conventionalization.

Bread wheat is a major food crop on a global scale. Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, has become one of the largest biotic stresses and limitations for wheat production in the 21st century. Post 2000 races of the pathogen are more virulent and able to overcome the defense of previously resistant cultivars. Despite the availability of effective fungicides, genetic resistance is the most economical, effective, and environmentally friendly way to control the disease. There are two major types of resistance to stripe rust: all-stage seedling resistance (ASR) and adult-plant resistance (APR). Although both resistance types have negative and positive attributes, ASR generally is race-specific and frequently is defeated by new races, while APR has been shown to be race non-specific and durable over time. Finding genes with high levels of APR has been a major goal for wheat improvement over the past few decades. Recent advancements in molecular mapping and sequencing technologies provide a valuable framework for the discovery and validation of new sources of resistance. Here we report the discovery of a precise molecular marker for a highly durable type of APR – high-temperature adult-plant (HTAP) resistance locus in the wheat cultivar Louise. Using a Louise × Penawawa mapping population, coupled with data from survey sequences of the wheat genome, linkage mapping, and synteny analysis techniques, we developed an amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker LPHTAP2B on the short arm of wheat chromosome 2B, which cosegregates with the resistant phenotype. LPHTAP2B accounted for 62 and 58% of phenotypic variance of disease severity and infection type data, respectively. Although cloning of the LPHTAP2B region is needed to further understand its role in durable resistance, this marker will greatly facilitate incorporation of the HTAP gene into new wheat cultivars with durable resistance to stripe rust.