Interplay Between the MicroRNA miR-152 and Quercetin in the Control of Ovarian Granulosa Cell Functions.

In the present study, we examined the functional interrelationships between microRNAs and plant polyphenols in the regulation of ovarian cell functions. For this purpose, we compared the basic functions of porcine ovarian granulosa cells with or without transfection with miR-152 mimics that were cultured with or without quercetin. The expression levels of miR-152, cell viability, cell proliferation (accumulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PCNA), apoptosis (accumulation of Bax) and the release of progesterone, estradiol, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‒qPCR), the Trypan blue exclusion test, quantitative immunocytochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).

The adipokines progranulin and omentin can directly regulate feline ovarian granulosa cell functions.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the adipokines progranulin and omentin on the basic functions of feline ovarian cells. For this purpose, we investigated the effects of the addition of progranulin and omentin (0, 0.1, 1, or 10 ng/ml) on the proliferation (accumulation of PCNA and cyclin B1), apoptosis (accumulation of Bax and caspase 3) and progesterone release of cultured feline ovarian granulosa cells by quantitative immunocytochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).

The adipokines progranulin and omentin - novel regulators of basic ovarian cell functions.

The present study aimed to examine the effects of progranulin and omentin on basic ovarian cell functions. For this purpose, we investigated the effects of the addition of progranulin and omentin (0, 0.1, 1, or 10 ng/ml) on the viability, proliferation, apoptosis and steroidogenesis of cultured rabbit ovarian granulosa cells.

CER 1 gene polymorphism in postmenopausal Roma and non-Roma Slovak women in connection with osteoporosis.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between the rs74434454 polymorphism of the CER1 gene and selected biochemical, densitometric and anthropometric markers in Slovak postmenopausal women of two ethnic groups: Roma and non-Roma.

Subjects And Methods: The scientific study included 303 postmenopausal women of the non-Roma and Roma populations who were divided into two groups based on densitometric measurements: control group (CG) and osteoporotic group (OG). Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood using a commercial NucleoSpin® Blood kit following a standard protocol.

Dose-Dependent Impact of Bee Pollen Supplementation on Macroscopic and Microscopic Structure of Femoral Bone in Rats.

Bee pollen has been successfully used as a feed additive with beneficial impacts on productive, reproductive, and immune conditions of animals. However, its effect on bone structure and bone health remains controversial. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to examine the impact of bee pollen supplementation on macroscopic and microscopic structure of a femoral bone using rats as suitable animal models.

Preliminary results of ethnic divergence of G1181C (rs2073618) and C290T (rs9525641) OPG gene polymorphisms in groups of postmenopausal Slovak women.

Objective: In this study, we focused on observation of the genetic polymorphisms of the OPG genes G1181C (rs2073618) and C290T (rs9525641), their interactions with biochemical markers and anthropometric parameters in groups of postmenopausal Slovak women (Roma and non-Roma, n = 311).

Patients And Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted and purified from peripheral blood leukocytes by the kit Ultraclean® Blood non-spin® (Carlsbad, CA, USA) using a standard protocol. Genotyping was performed by the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay.

Subacute exposure to amygdalin influences compact bone remodeling of rabbits.

Amygdalin is most commonly occurring cyanogenic glycoside. It is found in seeds of many plant species. Our study was aimed to reveal whether pure intramuscularly injected amygdalin or apricot seeds peroral exposure cause changes in bone microstructure of rabbits.

Subacute exposure to alcohol in relation to bone microstructure of mice.

Our study aimed to investigate subacute exposure to alcohol in relation to bone microstructure of mice. Animals from experimental (E) group drank a solution composed of 15 % ethanol and water for 14 days (one remodeling cycle), while those from control (C) group drank only water. In the compact bone of E group, decreased bone formation and increased porosity were observed which corresponds with lower levels of serum alkaline phosphatase and glutathione.

Sorption of citalopram, irbesartan and fexofenadine in soils: Estimation of sorption coefficients from soil properties.

The sorption of 3 pharmaceuticals, which may exist in 4 different forms depending on the solution pH (irbesartan in cationic, neutral and anionic, fexofenadine in cationic, zwitter-ionic and anionic, and citalopram cationic and neutral), in seven different soils was studied. The measured sorption isotherms were described by Freundlich equations, and the sorption coefficients, K (for the fixed n exponent for each compound), were related to the soil properties to derive relationships for estimating the sorption coefficients from the soil properties (i.e.

Maternal relationship analysis of skeletal remains from Early Medieval cemetery in Slovakia.

MtDNA from the skeletal remains of two bodies buried in the grave No. F44 from Nitra-Šindolka (woman and child) was analysed. Cemeteries in Šindolka belong to the Bijelo Brdo culture, where Slavs and Magyars were buried in the 10th - 11th centuries.

Maternal Genetic Composition of a Medieval Population from a Hungarian-Slavic Contact Zone in Central Europe.

The genetic composition of the medieval populations of Central Europe has been poorly investigated to date. In particular, the region of modern-day Slovakia is a blank spot in archaeogenetic research. This paper reports the study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in ancient samples from the 9th-12th centuries originating from the cemeteries discovered in Nitra-Šindolka and Čakajovce, located in western Slovakia (Central Europe).

The effect of A163G polymorphism in the osteoprotegerin gene on osteoporosis related traits in Slovak postmenopausal women.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays an important role in the osteoclast differentiation as an effective inhibitor of osteoclast maturation and activation. We examined a potential effect of A163G single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the OPG gene on femoral neck (FN-BMD) and lumbar spine BMD (LS-BMD), as well as circulating alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin (ALP, OC; formation markers), beta-CrossLaps (CTx; resorption marker) in Slovak postmenopausal women. In addition, fractures of spine, radius and femur were examined.

Accumulation of risk elements in kidney, liver, testis, uterus and bone of free-living wild rodents from a polluted area in Slovakia.

Free-living wild rodents are usually used as indicators of pollution, with elements being determined in either whole body or in specific organs. In the present study, the accumulation of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in kidney, liver, testis, uterus and bone of yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) trapped in a polluted area of Nováky, Slovakia was investigated. Yellow-necked mice and bank voles were collected using standard theriological methods for wood ecosystems.

Sex determination of early medieval individuals through nested PCR using a new primer set in the SRY gene.

One of the first questions asked about excavated human skeletal remains is the sex. As the morphological sex determination is complicated in cases involving fragmentary bones and in skeletons from infants and children, the development of DNA-based techniques has led to improvements in sex determination. This study is focused on sex determination from ancient DNA obtained from 25 skeletons found in Middle Aged burials in western Slovakia.

Femoral bone microstructure in 1-month-old non-transgenic versus transgenic rabbits with the WAP-hFVIII gene construct.

Differences in microscopic structure of the femur between 1-month-old transgenic rabbits carrying the hFVIII gene and non-transgenic rabbits were investigated. Bone microstructure was evaluated from the point of view of qualitative and quantitative histological characteristics. We identified fibrolamellar bone tissue only in the transgenic animals.

Histological analysis of ovine compact bone tissue.

Histological sections of femoral diaphysis from adult sheep were investigated in this study. The qualitative characteristics in microstructure of the compact bone were examined in anterior, posterior, medial and lateral views; the quantitative ones were assessed using the software Scion Image. Areas, perimeters, minimum and maximum diameters of the Haversian canals, the Haversian systems and the primary osteons' vascular canals were measured.

Differences among species in compact bone tissue microstructure of mammalian skeleton: use of a discriminant function analysis for species identification.

In order to develop an identification key for distinguishing between several mammalian species, bone structure of their compact bone tissue was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Ninety femora of adult male humans, pigs, cows, sheep, rabbits, and rats were studied. The average area, perimeter, minimum, and maximum diameter of 1863 Haversian canals and 1863 secondary osteons were measured using a digital image device.

Comparative study of compact bone tissue microstructure between non-transgenic and transgenic rabbits with WAP-hFVIII gene construct.

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in compact bone tissue microstructure between New Zealand White transgenic rabbits with human blood clotting factor VIII gene and the non-transgenic ones. The transgene was under the transcriptional control of the whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter. Altogether, 42 femora were analysed.

Changes of femoral bone tissue microstructure in transgenic rabbits.

Bone tissue microstructure of femur was investigated in transgenic New Zealand White rabbits with human factor VIII gene. Altogether 42 bones (24 from transgenic rabbits and 18 from non-transgenic ones) were analysed. Specimens were prepared using standard histological equipment, producing thin sections of approximately 80-100 microm.

Simultaneous detection of malignant hyperthermia and genetic predisposition for improved litter size in pigs by multiplex PCR-RFLP.

The ryanodine receptor gene (RYR1) and the estrogen receptor gene (ESR) are the best commercially used markers for predisposition of stress susceptibility (malignant hyperthermia--MH) and increased litter size, respectively. A simplified method of simultaneous detection of MH and ESR genotypes has been developed. The method is based on simultaneous amplification of fragments of two genes by multiplex PCR and subsequent digestion of the products with two restriction enzymes.

A simple and inexpensive DNA purification for malignant hyperthermia PCR detection in porcine hair roots.

We isolated DNA from porcine hair roots by silica matrix. Purified DNA is suitable for PCR analysis of malignant hyperthermia in the pig breeds. The using of hair roots as a source of DNA provides noninvasivity and it is also convenient for breeders.

Meat quality assessed Ante- and Post mortem by different ryanodine receptor gene status of pigs.

Different breeds and crossbreeds (total 63) of pigs with defined genotype (DNA based test on RYR 1 gene status) were divided in normal (non mutant), heterozygotes (carriers, monomutant) and homozygote positive (dimutant) animals. Muscle biopsy samples were taken at approximately 80 kg live weight using an efficient non-stress spring-loaded biopsy instrument. After incubation of muscle samples (39 °C, 1 hr) analyses pH, WHC (fluid), R value (ITP:ATP) were performed.