The remarkable elongated upper canines of extinct sabretoothed carnivorous mammals have been the subject of considerable speculation on their adaptive function, but the absence of living analogues prevents any direct inference about their evolution. We analysed scaling relationships of the upper canines of 20 sabretoothed feliform carnivores (Nimravidae, Barbourofelidae, Machairodontinae), repr...

INTRODUCTION In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), several genetic risk factors and smoking are strongly associated with the presence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), while much less is known about risk factors for ACPA-negative RA. Antibodies against carbamylated proteins (anti-CarP) have been described in both ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative RA patients. In this study, we have analysed...

Buchtová H. , Z. Svobodová, M. Kocour , J . Vel í‰ek: Evaluation of the Dressing Percentage of 3-year-old Experimental Scaly Crossbreds of the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio, Linnaeus 1758) in Relation to Sex. Acta Vet. Brno 2006, 75: 123-132. The aim of the present study was to compare dressing percentages, with relation to sex, of three bisexual groups of hybrid carp, i.e. Hungarian mirror carp...

There is evidence that n-3 fatty acids (FA), especially EPA and DHA, are beneficial for human health. This thesis examined factors influencing FA composition in common carp flesh, sought to develop a procedure for long-term sustainable culture of common carp with improved muscle lipid quality (omega 3 carp) and studied the health benefits of eating such carp in the secondary prevention of cardi...

The technique of representational difference analysis of cDNA has been applied to screen for differentially expressed genes in a canine model of pacing-induced heart failure. We identified the canine homolog of the cardiac ankyrin repeat protein (CARP) which has been shown to be involved in the regulation of the transcription of cardiac genes. To confirm the significance for human heart failure...

Transforming growth factor1 (TGF1) is a potent regulatory cytokine with pleiotropic effects on the immune system. To examine the role of TGF1 in fish immunity, the full-length cDNA of grass carp TGF1 was isolated from grass carp spleen. The open reading frame of grass carp TGF1, 1134 bp in length, encodes a 377 amino acid protein. Tissue distribution study by RT-PCR showed TGF1 mRNA was predomi...

BACKGROUND Studies of biological shape evolution are greatly enhanced when framed in a phylogenetic perspective. Inclusion of fossils amplifies the scope of macroevolutionary research, offers a deep-time perspective on tempo and mode of radiations, and elucidates life-trait changes. We explore the evolution of skull shape in felids (cats) through morphometric analyses of linear variables, phylo...

Toothed whales (Odontoceti, Cetacea) are the only aquatic mammals known to echolocate, and probably all of them are able to produce click sounds and to synthesize their echoes into a three-dimensional "acoustic image" of their environment. In contrast to other mammals, toothed whales generate their vocalizations (i.e., echolocation clicks) by a pneumatically-driven process in their nasal comple...

Leaf teeth are conspicuous and often diagnostic features of many plant species. In mesic environments with sufficient nutrient resources, the percentage of toothed species in extant floras generally correlates negatively with temperature; consequently, fossil leaf teeth are widely used to estimate continental paleotemperatures. However, the function of leaf teeth with respect to climate is poor...

BACKGROUND Methods for the diagnosis of Pediculus humanus var. capitis are controversial and most studies are based on direct visual exam. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to compare the diagnosis efficacy of both direct visual exam and the use of a metal microchanelled fine-toothed comb. METHODS 946 children and teenagers 4 to 19 years of age were examined. Each individual's hair ...