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Biomedical subjects

Róbert Farkas

Publications and source records attributed to Róbert Farkas.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Microarray analysis of radiation response genes in primary human fibroblasts.

PURPOSE: To identify radiation-induced early transcriptional responses in primary human fibroblasts and understand cellular pathways leading to damage correction. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Primary human fibroblast cell lines were irradiated with 2 Gy gamma-radiation and RNA isolated 2 h later. Radiation-induced transcriptional alterations were investigated with microarrays covering the entire human genome. Time- and dose dependent radiation responses were studied by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: About 200 genes responded to ionizing radiation on the transcriptional level in primary human fibroblasts. The expression profile depended on individual genetic backgrounds. Thirty genes (28 up- and 2 down-regulated) responded to radiation in identical manner in all investigated cells. Twenty of these consensus radiation response genes were functionally categorized: most of them belong to the DNA damage response (GADD45A, BTG2, PCNA, IER5), regulation of cell cycle and cell proliferation (CDKN1A, PPM1D, SERTAD1, PLK2, PLK3, CYR61), programmed cell death (BBC3, TP53INP1) and signaling (SH2D2A, SLIC1, GDF15, THSD1) pathways. Four genes (SEL10, FDXR, CYP26B1, OR11A1) were annotated to other functional groups. Many of the consensus radiation response genes are regulated by, or regulate p53. Time- and dose-dependent expression profiles of selected consensus genes (CDKN1A, GADD45A, IER5, PLK3, CYR61) were investigated by quantitative RT-PCR. Transcriptional alterations depended on the applied dose, and on the time after irradiation. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented here could help in the better understanding of early radiation responses and the development of biomarkers to identify radiation susceptible individuals.

Aged↗

Ixodid tick species attaching to dogs in Hungary.

A survey was carried out to investigate the occurrence of hard tick species (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting domestic dogs in Hungary. Forty veterinary clinics from a wide geographical area were asked to collect hard ticks from dogs and to complete a questionnaire. In total, 25 veterinary clinics submitted 900 ticks from 310 dogs. Intensity of infestation ranged from one to 78 per dog. The most preferred sites of tick attachment in decreasing order were head, neck and legs. The majority of ticks (91.7%) were adults, which were identified to species level, the others were nymphs. Six species were found: Dermacentor reticulatus (48.9%), Ixodes ricinus (43.2%), Ixodes canisuga (5.6%), Haemaphysalis concinna (2%) and there was one specimen of both Dermacentor marginatus and Ixodes hexagonus. Single species infestation with I. ricinus or D. reticulatus was found on 145 (46.8%) and 120 animals (38.7%), respectively. Mixed infestation caused by these two species was detected on 24 dogs (7.7%). I. canisuga and H. concinna were found on seven and five dogs, respectively. D. reticulatus and I. ricinus were collected almost throughout the year, except for a single month. The activity peaks were in spring and in autumn for both species. Based on clinical signs, canine babesiosis was diagnosed by the veterinarians in 66 (21.3%) tick infested dogs. These dogs were more frequently infested with D. reticulatus than the others. Our data contribute to the understanding of geographical and seasonal distribution of ixodid tick species infesting dogs in Hungary. The implication of these data, for the risk of canine tick borne diseases is discussed.

Animals↗

Babesia canis canis in dogs from Hungary: detection by PCR and sequencing.

Canine babesiosis in Hungary has always been a severe and frequent disease, attributed to infection with Babesia canis transmitted by Dermacentor reticulatus. Identification of the disease agent has been based merely on size and morphology of the intraerythrocytic parasites and no evidence has been found concerning the subspecies (genotype) of B. canis. Therefore, a molecular survey on natural Babesia infection of dogs in Hungary using PCR and sequence analysis was attempted to clarify the subspecies (genotype) and to obtain information on the occurrence of B. canis. A total of 44 blood samples from dogs showing clinical signs of babesiosis were collected. A piroplasm-specific PCR amplifying the partial 18S rRNA gene yielded an approximately 450 bp PCR product in 39 (88.6%) samples. Thirteen positive samples originated from Budapest and 26 from 21 other locations. Five PCR products were chosen randomly for sequencing. The partial 18S rDNA sequences were submitted to GenBank (accession numbers AY611729; AY611730; AY611731; AY611732 and AY611733). The sequences showed 100% homology to one another or differed by one nucleotide. BLAST search against GenBank revealed the highest similarity (99.8 or 100%) with Babesia canis canis. The implication of these data, for the further study and diagnosis of canine babesiosis is discussed.

Animals↗

Development of Hydrotaea aenescens (Diptera: Muscidae) in manure of unweaned dairy calves and lactating cows.

In laboratory studies performed in the United States and Hungary, the dump fly Hydrotaea aenescens (Wiedemann) was reared successfully in manure of 1- to 8-wk-old dairy calves, and in manure from adult lactating dairy cows. Survival in manure collected from 1-wk-old calves was poor (7.2%), better in manure collected from 2- and 3-wk-old calves (53.5%), and best in manure collected from 4- to 8-wk-old calves (71.4%). Survival in cow manure was slightly lower (47.4%) than that in calf manure. Reasons for different rates of development in the United States and in Hungary, and by calf age are discussed as are implications for biological control.

Animals↗

Bioinformatical results based on statistical methods for endectocide products against fly-larvae.

The larvicide effects of three endecticide products were studied against house fly larvae. Repeated-measure design was used for the analysis of variance. The observed data followed different distributions. For this reason, instead of the repeated measure ANOVA, three fast statistical methods were applied simultaneously. First, the test for homogeneity was carried out for registered samples by using the Friedman test, and the Wilcoxon-Wilcox test was applied for pairwise comparisons. Secondly, an extended median test was applied for the same problem of test for homogeneity, and the Neményi test was used for pairwise comparisons. Thirdly, a 2 x 2 contingency table analysis was carried out, exploiting the specific feature of the database and informatical tools. The three simultaneous evaluations enabled us to come to sound, affirmative conclusions. In the course of veterinary-biological interpretation we demonstrated the statistically reliable temporal efficiency of the three products. We also presented the relative efficiency and recognizable features of the products. We highlighted the significantly prompt and long release larvicide effects of the drugs. We discussed and compared the information content of the applied statistical methods.

Analysis of Variance↗