Tardigrade distribution in soils of high Arctic habitats.

Tardigrades are omnipresent microfauna with scarce record on their ecology in soils. Here, we investigated soil inhabiting tardigrade communities in five contrasting polar habitats, evaluating their abundance, diversity, species richness, and species composition. Moreover, we measured selected soil physico-chemical properties to find the drivers of tardigrade distribution among these habitats.

Simplified PCR-Based Quantification of Proteins with DNA Aptamers and Methylcellulose as a Blocking Agent.

Due to their unique three-dimensional structure, DNA or RNA oligonucleotide aptamers bind to various molecules with high affinity and specificity. Aptamers, alone or in combination with antibodies, can be used to sensitively quantify target molecules by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). However, the assays are often complicated and unreliable.

Enhanced Membrane Fluidization and Cholesterol Displacement by 1-Heptanol Inhibit Mast Cell Effector Functions.

Signal transduction by the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) depends on membrane lipid and protein compartmentalization. Recently published data show that cells treated with 1-heptanol, a cell membrane fluidizer, exhibit changes in membrane properties. However, the functional consequences of 1-heptanol-induced changes on mast cell signaling are unknown.

[An effect of antipsychotic and anticholinergic treatment on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia].

Objective: To reveal the relationships between antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs and cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia.

Material And Methods: The observational prospective study was conducted at the Bekhterev National Medical Center of Psychiatry and Neurology. The study involved 41 patients (22 men and 19 women) with paranoid schizophrenia, according to ICD 10 criteria, aged 30.

Post-fire forest floor succession in a Central European temperate forest depends on organic matter input from recovering vegetation rather than on pyrogenic carbon input from fire.

The predicted global increase in the frequency, severity, and intensity of forest fires includes Central Europe, which is not currently considered as a wildfire hotspot. Because of this, a detailed knowledge of long-term post-fire forest floor succession is essential for understanding the role of wildfires in Central European temperate forests. In this study, we used a space-for-time substitution approach and exploited a unique opportunity to observe successional changes in the physical, chemical, and microbial properties of the forest floor in coniferous forest stands on a chronosequence up to 110 years after fire.