Jonė Venclovienė

The impacts of heavy metals on oxidative stress and growth of spring barley

Oxidative stress is accepted to play a significant role in stress symptoms, caused by different stressors in a variety of organisms. In this study seedlings of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were exposed to a wide range of copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, lead and cadmium concentrations in order to determine the relationships between heavy metals-induced oxidative stress and plant growth inhibition. All investigated heavy metals induced an essential increase in lipid peroxidation and a reduction of dry biomass along with an increase in metal concentration in the nutrient solution. A very close and statistically significant exponential relationship between lipid peroxidation and growth inhibition was detected in this study. According to the results of analysis of variance (ANOVA), the intensity of nonspecific oxidative stress is identified as the main factor of barley growth inhibition, explaining 75% of total variance. Almost 10% of growth inhibition is attributed to the specific impact of heavy metals. The most pronounced increase of malondialdehyde content and growth inhibition was observed in Cu and Cd treatments, whereas the lowest changes in observed indicators were detected after exposure to Zn and Pb.

Biochemical and agro-biological diversity of Viburnum opulus genotypes

Interest in the biochemical composition of Viburnum opulus fruit has intensified due to the food industry’s demand for natural vitamins, pigments and other substances that enhance the value of different foods. The present study was conducted to determine the agro-biological and biochemical variability of V. opulus and to select the genotypes that could best serve as sources of health promoting substances. Twelve selected genotypes were evaluated. ‘Leningradskaya Otbornaya’, V. opulus var. americanum, ‘Zarnitsa’, and local clone P2 were determined to be the best genotypes for growth in commercial plantations. Fruits of the local clone P3 were characterised by large amounts of total phenolics, ascorbic acid, and reducing sugars. V. opulus var. sargentii and V. opulus var. americanum contained exceptionally large amounts of total phenolics, 1460.0 and 1400.0 mg/100 g, respectively. The amount of ascorbic acid varied from 12.4 to 41.4 mg/100 g, the amount of carotenoids varied from 1.4 to 2.8 mg/100 g, the amount of anthocyanins varied from 23.2 to 44.6 mg/100 g, and the amount of total phenolics varied from 753.0 to 1460.0 mg/100 g. The presence of these large amounts of biologically active compounds enables their use as potent antioxidants. The data describing agro-biological characteristics, biochemical components, and health promoting activities of V. opulus fruits will increase the understanding of this plant and facilitate its use in the food and pharmaceuticals industry.

P II – 1–3 Geomagnetic storm, strong solar wind and stream interaction region affect for cardiovascular system

Background/aim Recent research shows that not only geomagnetic storms (GS), but also other space weather events affect human health. The main goal of this research is to evaluate GS, solar wind (SW) velocity, and flow of stream interaction regions (SIR) in the formation of influence patients for acute coronary syndromes. Methods In research we used daily heliophysical data from 2001 till 2003 (maximum of 23 Solar cycle). The data of 1391 patients, who were hospitalised at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, were used. Patient health variables were classified using binary state variables. The univariate associations between patients’ characteristics and space weather variables were analysed by using χ2 test and the logistic regression. The space weather variables were used as categorical: days of the events, 1–2 days before and after event. For the assessment of the impact of environmental variables on unfavourable cardiovascular characteristics, we used the percentage increase and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval, and p-values of coefficients in the logistic regression analysis. Results On days of fast solar wind (SW≥600 km/s), more than 50% increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease. SIR events increase risk of arrhythmias more than two times. In patients, hospitalised during GS or 1–2 days after their increased the risk of hyperglycemia over 1.5-fold. GS lasted more than one day at SW≥600 km/s over 2.5 times increased of myocardial infarction with ST elevation. In patients with the metabolic syndrome the risk of ACS increased over 1.5 times during GS and on 1–2 days before and after. Conclusion The results obtained suggest that the 1–2 days prior to GS, GS, 1–2 days after GS, the faster solar wind velocity (≥600 km/s), and SIR can be identified as independent risk factors in humans.