Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are used in a wide range of applications. Although inhalation of NPs is one of the most important toxicologically relevant routes, experimental studies on potential harmful effects of TiO2 NPs using a whole-body inhalation chamber model are rare. In this study, the profile of lymphocyte markers, functional immunoassays, and antioxidant defense markers were analyzed to evaluate the potential adverse effects of seven-week inhalation exposure to two different concentrations of TiO2 NPs (0.00167 and 0.1308 mg TiO2/m3) in mice. A dose-dependent effect of TiO2 NPs on innate immunity was evident in the form of stimulated phagocytic activity of monocytes in low-dose mice and suppressed secretory function of monocytes (IL-18) in high-dose animals. The effect of TiO2 NPs on adaptive immunity, manifested in the spleen by a decrease in the percentage of T-cells, a reduction in T-helper cells, and a dose-dependent decrease in lymphocyte cytokine production, may indicate immunosuppression in exposed mice. The dose-dependent increase in GSH concentration and GSH/GSSG ratio in whole blood demonstrated stimulated antioxidant defense against oxidative stress induced by TiO2 NP exposure.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
V naší studii jsme se zabývali otázkou, jak u katolíků žijících v České republice souvisí jejich osobnost a prožívání spirituality. Na vzorku 152 respondentů z řad katolické církve (kteří byli dále rozděleni podle míry ztotožnění se s církví) jsme zkoumali, jak spirituální dimenze Pražského dotazníku spirituality (PSQ) a Škály spirituální inteligence (SISRI-24) korelují s osobnostními dimenzemi Big Five a také, jak lze míru spirituality zjišťovanou těmito dotazníky predikovat z osobnostních vlastností. Dvě srovnávací skupiny tvořili duchovně založení respondenti nehlásící se k žádnému světovému náboženství (n = 50) a ateisté (n = 55). Celkem tvořilo výzkumný soubor 257 respondentů, z toho bylo 126 mužů a 128 žen, ve věku od 18 do 72 let. Průměrný věk byl 33,4 let (SD = 11,1). Výsledky ukázaly, že z osobnostních škál u katolíků nejtěsněji korelovala Otevřenost vůči zkušenosti s celkovou mírou spirituality měřenou Pražským dotazníkem spirituality (r(152) = 0,35; p < 0,01) i s celkovou mírou spirituální inteligence (r(152) = 0,32; p < 0,01). Otevřenost vůči zkušenosti byla také nejsilnějším prediktorem celkové míry spirituality měřenou PSQ i celkové míry spirituální inteligence. U duchovně založených respondentů nehlásících se k žádnému světovému náboženství byla korelace Otevřenosti vůči zkušenosti s celkovou mírou spirituality měřenou PSQ (r(50) = 0,55; p < 0,01) i s celkovou mírou spirituální inteligence (r(50) = 0,74; p < 0,01) vyšší než u katolíků a Otevřenost vůči zkušenosti predikovala spiritualitu v obou případech silněji než u katolíků. Naše práce tak doplňuje předchozí výzkumy spirituality v českém prostředí a přináší nové poznatky o katolických věřících.
This study aims to explore the relationships between spirituality and personality in Catholics living in the Czech Republic. The research sample consisted of 152 Catholics (divided by the degree of their perceived identification with the Church). We examined correlations between spirituality measured by the Prague Spirituality Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI-24) and the personality traits of the Big Five. We also examined whether and how spirituality is predicted by personality traits. Two comparing groups consisted of spiritual but not religious respondents (n = 50) and atheists (n = 55). The whole sample consisted of 257 respondents (126 males and 128 females) aged between 18 to 72 years old. The mean age was 33.4 (SD = 11.1). The results revealed that among Catholics the strongest correlation was found between Openness and the whole rate of spirituality measured by PSQ (r(152) = 0.35; p < 0.01) and the whole rate of spirituality measured by SISRI-24 (r(152) = 0.32; p < 0.01). Openness was also the strongest predictor of spirituality in both cases. Among spiritual respondents not belonging to any world religion, the strongest correlation was found between Openness and the whole rate of spirituality measured by PSQ (r(50) = 0.55; p < 0.01) and the whole rate of spirituality measured by SISRI-24 (r(50) = 0.74; p < 0.01). The correlations were stronger than in the group of Catholics. Openness predicted the whole rate of spirituality measured by PSQ and the whole rate of spirituality measured by SISRI-24 stronger than in the group of Catholics. Our study complements previous research findings on spirituality in the Czech Republic and brings new knowledge about Catholic believers.
The Moravian-Silesian region of the Czech Republic with its capital city Ostrava is a European air pollution hot spot for airborne particulate matter (PM). Therefore, the spatiotemporal variability assessment of source contributions to aerosol particles is essential for the successful abatement strategies implementation. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was applied to highly-time resolved PM0.15-1.15 chemical composition (1 h resolution) and particle number size distribution (PNSD, 14 nm - 10 μm) data measured at the suburban (Ostrava-Plesná) and urban (Ostrava-Radvanice) residential receptor sites in parallel during an intensive winter campaign. Diel patterns, meteorological variables, inorganic and organic markers, and associations between the chemical composition factors and PNSD factors were used to identify the pollution sources and their origins (local, urban agglomeration and regional). The source apportionment analysis resolved six and four PM0.15-1.15 sources in Plesná and Radvanice, respectively. In Plesná, local residential combustion sources (coal and biomass combustion) followed by regional combustion sources (residential heating, metallurgical industry) were the main contributors to PM0.15-1.15. In Radvanice, local residential combustion and the metallurgical industry were the most important PM0.15-1.15 sources. Aitken and accumulation mode particles emitted by local residential combustion sources along with common urban sources (residential heating, industry and traffic) were the main contributors to the particle number concentration (PNC) in Plesná. Additionally, accumulation mode particles from local residential combustion sources and regional pollution dominated the particle volume concentration (PVC). In Radvanice, local industrial sources were the major contributors to PNC and local coal combustion was the main contributor to PVC. The source apportionment results from the complementary datasets elucidated the relevance of highly time-resolved parallel measurements at both receptor sites given the specific meteorological conditions produced by the regional orography. These results are in agreement with our previous studies conducted at this site. Graphical abstract.
- MeSH
- aerosoly analýza MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch analýza MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- pevné částice analýza MeSH
- velikost částic MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší analýza MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
The EU air quality standards have been frequently exceeded in one of the European air pollution hot spots: Ostrava. The aim of this study was to perform an air quality comparison between an urban site (Radvanice), which has a nearby metallurgical complex, and a suburban site (Plesná) to estimate air pollution sources and determine their local and/or regional origins. Twenty-four hour PM1 and PM10 (particular matter) concentrations, detailed mass size distributions (MSDs) to distinguish the sources of the fine and coarse PM, and their chemical compositions were investigated in parallel at both sites during the winter of 2014. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the PM1 and PM10 chemical compositions to investigate their sources. During the measurement campaign, prevailing northeastern-southwestern (NE-SW) wind directions (WDs) were recorded. Higher average PM10 concentration was measured in Radvanice than in Plesná, whereas PM1 concentrations were similar at both sites. A source apportionment analysis revealed six and five sources for PM10 and PM1, respectively. In Radvanice, the amount of PM and the most chemical species were similar under SW and NE WD conditions. The dominant sources were industrial (43% for PM10 and 27% for PM1), which were caused by a large metallurgical complex located to the SW, and biomass burning (25% for PM10 and 36% for PM1). In Plesná, the concentrations of PM and all species significantly increased under NE WD conditions. Secondary inorganic aerosols were dominant, with the highest contributions deriving from the NE WD. Therefore, regional pollution transport from the industrial sector in Silesian Province (Poland) was evident. Biomass burning contributed 22% and 24% to PM10 and PM1, respectively. The air quality in Ostrava was influenced by local sources and regional pollution transport. The issue of poor air quality in this region is complex. Therefore, international cooperation from both states (the Czech Republic and Poland) is needed to achieve a reduction in air pollution levels.
- MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- pevné částice analýza MeSH
- velikost částic MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
- vítr MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší analýza MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Polsko MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
SUMMARY: Here we introduce a Fiji plugin utilizing the HPC-as-a-Service concept, significantly mitigating the challenges life scientists face when delegating complex data-intensive processing workflows to HPC clusters. We demonstrate on a common Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy image processing task that execution of a Fiji workflow on a remote supercomputer leads to improved turnaround time despite the data transfer overhead. The plugin allows the end users to conveniently transfer image data to remote HPC resources, manage pipeline jobs and visualize processed results directly from the Fiji graphical user interface. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The code is distributed free and open source under the MIT license. Source code: https://github.com/fiji-hpc/hpc-workflow-manager/, documentation: https://imagej.net/SPIM_Workflow_Manager_For_HPC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Despite the wide application of nanomaterials, toxicity studies of nanoparticles (NP) are often limited to in vitro cell models, and the biological impact of NP exposure in mammals has not been thoroughly investigated. Zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs are commonly used in various consumer products. To evaluate the effects of the inhalation of ZnO NP in mice, we studied splice junction expression in the lungs as a proxy to gene expression changes analysis. Female ICR mice were treated with 6.46 × 104 and 1.93 × 106 NP/cm3 for 3 days and 3 months, respectively. An analysis of differential expression and alternative splicing events in 298 targets (splice junctions) of 68 genes involved in the processes relevant to the biological effects of ZnO NP was conducted using next-generation sequencing. Three days of exposure resulted in the upregulation of IL-6 and downregulation of BID, GSR, NF-kB2, PTGS2, SLC11A2, and TXNRD1 splice junction expression; 3 months of exposure increased the expression of splice junctions in ALDH3A1, APAF1, BID, CASP3, DHCR7, GCLC, GCLM, GSR, GSS, EHHADH, FAS, HMOX-1, IFNγ, NF-kB1, NQO-1, PTGS1, PTGS2, RAD51, RIPK2, SRXN1, TRAF6, and TXNRD1. Alternative splicing of TRAF6 and TXNRD1 was induced after 3 days of exposure to 1.93 × 106 NP/cm3. In summary, we observed changes of splice junction expression in genes involved in oxidative stress, apoptosis, immune response, inflammation, and DNA repair, as well as the induction of alternative splicing in genes associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Our data indicate the potential negative biological effects of ZnO NP inhalation.
- MeSH
- alternativní sestřih účinky léků MeSH
- aplikace inhalační MeSH
- apoptóza účinky léků MeSH
- buněčná imunita účinky léků MeSH
- buněčný cyklus účinky léků MeSH
- exprese genu účinky léků MeSH
- myši inbrední ICR MeSH
- myši MeSH
- nanočástice toxicita MeSH
- oprava DNA účinky léků MeSH
- oxid zinečnatý toxicita MeSH
- oxidační stres účinky léků MeSH
- plíce metabolismus patologie MeSH
- zánět MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- myši MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Cílem příspěvku je prezentovat českou verzi škály spirituální inteligence v pojetí D. Kinga (Spiritual Inteligence Self Report Inventory, SISRI-24), který zahrnuje čtyři dimenze spirituální inteligence (Kritické uvažování o existenciálních tématech, Nalézání smysluplnosti života, Vědomí přesahu a Schopnost rozšiřování svého vědomí). Na vzorku 502 respondentů byla zkoumána vnitřní konzistence české verze testu, která vykazovala uspokojivé výsledky v porovnání s výstupy, které uvádí autor původní anglické verze testu. Také byla provedena konfirmační faktorová analýza, která vykázala uspokojivé hodnoty a poukázala na vhodnost přeformulování jedné položky testu. Byly vytvořeny české normy. Prozkoumány byly také souvislosti míry spirituální inteligence s vybranými demografickými proměnnými. V rámci zkoumání konstruktové validity byly výsledky částečně porovnány i s osobnostními proměnnými. Ukázalo se, že dotazník je vhodné podrobit důkladnější analýze konstruktové validity, např. na položkové úrovni.
The concept of spiritual intelligence is highly discussed topic in the current field of psychology of religion. The big discussion of this concept was started by Emmons (2000). In this discussion, Gardner (2000) refuses the term spiritual intelligence, which in his view evokes too strong an inclination towards a specific religion. Instead of spiritual intelligence he therefore speaks of existential intelligence. King (2013) states that any intelligence must include mental abilities, and spiritual intelligence cannot be an exception. As a result, he speaks of four dimensions of spiritual intelligence (CET Critical existential thinking, PMP Personal meaning production, TA Transcendental awareness, and CSE Conscious state expansion).
- MeSH
- dospělí psychologie MeSH
- faktorová analýza statistická MeSH
- inteligence * MeSH
- interpretace statistických dat MeSH
- lidé středního věku psychologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- náboženství a psychologie MeSH
- osobnost MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- psychometrie * MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- senioři psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- spiritualita * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí psychologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku psychologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- senioři psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- MeSH
- kongresy jako téma MeSH
- psychologie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- zprávy MeSH
- Publikační typ
- abstrakt z konference MeSH
