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Molecular mechanisms of heat stress memory in plants
Zelená, Julie ; Hála, Michal (advisor) ; Konrádová, Hana (referee)
Global warming is one of the main factors contributing to the decline in crop yield and overall plant biodiversity. Increasing surface temperatures of the Earth result in heightened demands on plant to cope with heat stress. Heat stress causes various damages to plants, primarily denaturation of cellular proteins, loosening of biomembranes, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Plants cells defend against heat stress through lipid remodeling of membranes, increased production of ROS scavengers, and primarily increased production of heat shock proteins (HSP), which are molecular chaperons maintaining proteins properly folded even at temperatures that would otherwise cause denaturation. Plants have developed mechanism to cope with recurring heat stress, such as heat waves, that is referred to as acquired thermotolerance and is enabled by the plant's ability to undergo stress memory. Key to stress memory is priming, which involves preparing the plant for very strong heat stress by exposing it to milder heat stress beforehand. Following priming, there comes a memory period, that is also called recovery period, during which the cell maintains altered molecular expression and physiology. The mechanisms of heat stress memory are divided into transcriptional and post- transcriptional,...
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Ability of plants to adapt to anthropogenic pollution
Vachek, Tadeáš ; Münzbergová, Zuzana (advisor) ; Dostál, Petr (referee)
Due to global climate change and human interventions, the environment is changing rapidly. This brings many stress factors that organisms must adapt to. One of the adaptive mechanisms currently widely discussed is rapid evolution, i.e., hereditary change based on natural selection occurring at an ecologically relevant pace. This work deals with the synthesis of knowledge about rapid evolution, the methodology of its research, and its role in the adaptive processes of plants to anthropogenic pollution, focusing on heavy metals in soil and artificial light at night. The collected studies indicate that heavy metals exert strong selective pressure that can lead to the separation of a tolerant population from the original within a few generations. However, the significance of artificial light at night as a selective factor for plant evolution has not yet been studied. Although individual studies deal with adaptive evolution in phototactic insects in response to artificial light at night, extensive research has not been conducted here either. From the general examination of the effects of artificial light at night on organisms (especially animals), both direct and indirect impacts on their functioning are evident, many of which have not yet been described in detail. Thus, the direct and indirect impacts...
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Laboratory diagnostics of hepatitis E - experience from routine laboratory
Tužáková, Andrea ; Janďourek, Ondřej (advisor) ; Diepoltová, Adéla (referee)
Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove Department of Biological and Medical Sciences Study program: Specialist on Laboratory Methods Author: Andrea Tužáková Supervisor: PharmDr. Ondřej Janďourek, Ph.D. Title thesis: Laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis E - personal experience in a routine laboratory This thesis takes a comprehensive review of viral hepatitis E (VHE), including theoretical and practical aspects. In the theoretical part, the VHE is presented in detail, including epidemiology, genotypic variants, clinical symptoms, diagnostic methods, prevention and treatment. The epidemiological trends and prevalence of VHE are analysed, along with genotypic variants and their correlation with clinical manifestations. Various diagnostic modalities and therapeutic options in the context of VHE are discussed. Hepatitis E is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis E virus. It is one of the five main types of hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis E virus is transmitted mainly through the faecal-oral route, often via contaminated water or food. It can cause acute illness characterized by jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, fatigue, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. Most cases of hepatitis E resolve on their own within a few weeks to months without causing...
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The importance of the Alps as a refugium in the Quarternary climate cycle with a focus on molluscs.
Gelnarová, Barbora ; Juřičková, Lucie (advisor) ; Coufal, Radovan (referee)
The Alps are a well-known glacial refugium, an important biodiversity hotspot and a centre of endemism for many species. This is due to their topological variability and the high heterogenity of their habitats, which thus provide a home for different species of organisms. In particular, the Eastern Alps represented an important glacial refugium and contributed to the survival of countless different species during the Quaternary climate cycle. This bachelor thesis is a literature review of mainly zoological publications that focus on the study of glacial refugia of terrestrial gastropods in the Alps. A large part of the thesis is devoted to the reasons for the considerable biodiversity, and especially the endemism, of this region. Another part deals with the postglacial dispersal spread of terrestrial gastropod species from their refugia. Key words: Alps, refugium, endemism, biodiversity, Quarternary, postglacional spread, molluscs, paleobiology
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The role of galectins in skin wound healing
Přitasilová, Adriena ; Sedlář, Antonín (advisor) ; Zimolová, Miluše (referee)
Galectins are proteins that bind β-galactosides through their Carbohydrate Recogni- tion Domain (CRD). There have been 16 types discovered in mammals, with only 4 not found in humans. They are present in various cell types and tissues and are involved in numerous physiological functions, such as apoptosis and cell proliferation, as well as in several pathological conditions, including inflammatory skin diseases. For example, anti- bodies against galectin-3 cause skin inflammation in lupus erythematosus. During wound healing in a pig model experiment, an upregulation of galectin-1 in the dermis and its neo-expression in the epidermis were observed, along with an increased level of galectin- 7. Galectin-1 plays a significant role especially in the formation of hypertrophic scars (HTS), which result from excessive collagen deposition during wound healing. HTS are erythematous and thick, causing cosmetic defects that could be addressed by modulating galectin activity during healing. Therefore, the aim of this bachelor thesis is to conduct a systematic literature review on the role of galectins in wound healing, considering both their positive and negative effects, with particular emphasis on the role of galectins and their ligands in the formation and regression of hypertrophic and keloid scars.
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The effect of menstrual cycle and cortisol and testosteron levels on strenght performance in female athletes
Novotná, Kateřina ; Heller, Jan (advisor) ; Pěkný, Martin (referee)
This study provides a comprehensive insight into the physiological and hormonal changes in female athletes during the menstrual cycle and their impact on performance training and recovery. It covers an overview of menstrual cycle physiology, the effects of steroid hormones on the female reproductive system, cortisol secretion examination, and the role of testosterone in female physiology. Furthermore, it analyzes the influence of individual menstrual cycle phases on the strength capabilities of female athletes and studies the relationship between cortisol and testosterone secretion and these abilities. It discusses the influence of the follicular phase on performance in the Wingate test, negative correlation between cortisol concentration and female athletes' strength performance, and differences in maximum performance between athletes with regular and irregular cycles. It highlights general limitations of research on women that need to be considered. Overall, this work contributes to the discussion on the relationship between hormonal changes and strength performance in female athletes, with potential future applications in training and sports performance. KEY WORDS menstrual cycle, hormones, strength capabilities, cortisol, testosterone, physical exertion
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Perception of strategies for working with general-reference map among students of various ages
Poldová, Viktorie ; Trokšiar, David (advisor) ; Machová, Daniela (referee)
The main topic of this thesis are strategies used while working with a map and their perception by students of different ages. A general-reference map, which students often interact with in geography lessons, was chosen for the research. 92 students in grades 6 and 9 and in the final year of secondary school participated in an experiment involving an achievement test and a follow-up questionnaire to explore perceived strategies. The eye-tracking camera used during the test allowed to obtain real strategies. The perceived strategies were qualitatively and quantitatively processed and explored in terms of four dimensions, i.e. repertoire, distribution, adaptability and efficiency. The results showed a wide repertoire of perceived strategies and the most frequently reported types of strategies. The largest repertoire was found among final year secondary school students, while the smallest repertoire was found among 6th grade students. Based on the distribution of strategy types in the tasks and the use of the necessary elements in the mentioned strategy, final year secondary school students showed the highest ability to adapt their perceived strategies, while 6th grade students showed the lowest. The ideal fastest and most accurate strategies were determined for the efficiency evaluation. Despite the...
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Seasonal dynamics of physiological parameters of Norway spruce needles in mountain forest in relation to water balance of the forest site
Bednář, Pavel ; Albrechtová, Jana (advisor) ; Gebauer, Roman (referee)
Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is an important economic tree species in the Czech Republic, which is currently significantly weakened and dying under the impacts of climate change. In young spruce forest stand in mountain region that was artificially established after the large-scale disturbance of forests in the mid-1990s, on the "U Dvou louček" research plot represented by a small forest catchment of an area of 32.6 ha, located in the upper part of the Orlické Mountains at an altitude of 880 - 920 m a.s.l., and in site conditions of predominantly Abieti-fageta piceae - water balance measurements were carried out during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. At the same time, during the mentioned two years, in total 6 samplings of biological material were carried out according to a standardized sampling methodology, and laboratory analyzes were carried out on this material. Laboratory analyzes were focused on three established age categories of needles, namely 1, 2, and 4 or more years old. The biophysical parameters of needles were determined based on the measurement of structural parameters and concentrations of photosynthetic pigments - chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoids from samples extracted in DMF using a laboratory spectrophotometer. Optical properties of the needles...
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Effect of acute sleep deprivation in different light conditions on the quality of recovery sleep
Zeithamlová, Barbora ; Kopřivová, Jana (advisor) ; Vlček, Kamil (referee)
Sleep is regulated by homeostatic and circadian processes. The circadian process is controlled by the internal biological clock, which is regularly synchronised with the external world by so-called zeitgebers. The most important zeitgeber for humans is light, therefore incorrect timing of light signals can lead to desynchronisation of the clock and sleep disruption; however, this depends on the intensity and spectral characteristics of the light. Dimmed red light is unlikely to significantly interfere with sleep regulation, but white light with a higher intensity could. White light is typically used when people stay awake during the night and experience acute total sleep deprivation. This could potentially interfere with the compensatory mechanisms occurring during subsequent recovery sleep. We therefore decided to test whether and how different lighting conditions during sleep deprivation can affect the structure of recovery sleep. We had 12 healthy uniform volunteers undergo two acute total sleep deprivations; one under normal white light, the other under dim red light. Using polysomnography, we measured the sleep parameters of both recovery sleeps and compared them. It turned out that sleep that occurred after the sleep deprivation in constant dim light conditions was less fragmented, had...
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Fertility during the covid-19 pandemic with a focus on Czechia
Račáková, Ivana ; Šťastná, Anna (advisor) ; Kocourková, Jiřina (referee)
Fertility during the covid-19 pandemic with a focus on Czechia Abstract The aim of the thesis is to characterize the fertility change that occurred in Czechia during the health and economic crisis related to the covid-19 pandemic between 2020-2022. The analytical part is based on a discussion of theoretical assumptions and previous international studies focusing on fertility during the covid-19 pandemic. The paper is based on the following main data sources: demographic data on the number of births and fertility levels in annual and monthly detail (unique Short-Term Fertility Fluctuations database within the Human Fertility Database) and the GGP-Contemporary Czech Family Sample Survey, which was conducted in Czechia during the covid-19 pandemic and examined, among others, reproductive plans. The paper also shows how monthly fertility fluctuations during the covid-19 pandemic projected into total fertility and which groups of women were more prone to fertility changes (by age, legitimacy and parity). The results suggest a positive effect of the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic on fertility in Czechia. However, fertility has been declining below pre-pandemic levels for a long time since early 2022. Reproductive behaviour was analysed using statistical methods of contingency tables and logistic regression....
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