INTRODUCTION The recent studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) indicate that genetics and environmental factors may play an important role in developing of PD. Nowadays, the cell death and cell adhesion are pathogenetic mechanisms which could be related with PD. On the basis of relationship of those mechanisms with PD, the aim of this study was to identify new candidate genes for PD by integration of results of transcriptomics studies and results obtained by Biomedical Discovery Support System (BITOLA). MATERIALS AND METHODS For the detection of functional relationship between potential candidate gene and pathogenetic mechanisms associated with PD, we designed strategy of integration of results of transcriptomics studies with discovery approach in bibliographic data bases and BITOLA. Data of chromosome location, tissue-specific expression, function of potential candidate genes and their association with genetics disorders were obtained from Medline, Locus Link, Gene Cards and OMIM. RESULTS Integration and comparison of results obtained using the BITOLA system and analysis of transcriptomics studies identified six genes (MAPT, UCHL1, NSF, CDC42, PARK2 and GFPT1) that occur simultaneously in both group of results. The function of genes NSF, CDC42 and GFPT1 in the pathogenesis of PD has not been studied yet. CONCLUSIONS According to our result that aforementioned genes appeared in both groups of results and partially match the criteria set for the selection of candidate genes and their potential role in the development of PD, they should be tested by methods specifically intended for those three genes.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and the expression levels of the interleukin 13 (I1-13) in the primary breast cancer tumour tissue in relation to the unchanged breast tissue in the same patients and to the breast tissue in the patients with benign breast disease, and to investigate the correlation between the IL-13 expression levels and the pathohistological factors, and between IL-13 expression and estrogens and progesterone receptor status. MATERIALS AND METHODS 50 patients with invasive ductal breast cancer and 20 patients with benign breast diseases were included in this prospective case-control study. The three-step immunohistochemical staining was used for testing the levels of IL-13 expression and hormone receptor status. RESULTS IL-13 was present in breast cancer tumour tissue, and in the surrounding unchanged tissue in the same patients, and in breast tissue in patients with benign breast disease. The expression of IL-13 was significantly higher in breast cancer tumour compared with surrounding tissue (P < 0.05) of the same, lymph node-positive patients. In addition, IL-13 expression was significantly higher in breast cancer tumour compared with breast tissue in patients with benign breast diseases (P < 0.01). There was significant correlation between IL-13 expression and tumour size in patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer (r = 0.405, P = 0.050). There was no significant correlation between IL-13 expression and the other pathohistological factors, and no significant correlation between IL-13 expression and the lymph node status. CONCLUSION Obtained results suggest possible involvement of IL-13 in breast carcinogenesis.

According to the Code of Points (FIG, 2009) the balance beam difficulty value is determined by the sum of maximum 8 most difficult elements (including the dismount), fulfilling 5 composition requirements and by the values that exceed from the connections between the acrobatic elements, turns and acro-rhythmic elements. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of performed dance elements on the balance beam and their influence on: difficulty value, execution value and final score. The sample consisted of 109 women top junior athletes, who participated in qualifications on the European Championships in Birmingham in 2010. The results obtained showed that the gymnasts in average perform 4.28 dance elements in their balance beam routines. The highest frequency was determined to a C difficulty jump ˝switch leap˝ (N=101), to two A difficulty jumps: “wolf hop or jump from cross or side position” (N=83) and to ˝Sissone˝ (leg separation 180°) take off from both legs (N=61); and to A difficulty turn: “1/1 turn (360°) on one leg – free leg optional below horizontal” (N=66). Regression analysis revealed a statistically significant influence of some dance elements on the difficulty value of the exercise (p <0.05) and on the final score. Statistically significant influence of different dance elements on the execution value was not found.

Motivation: Ancestral genomes provide a better way to understand the structural evolution of genomes than the simple comparison of extant genomes. Most ancestral genome reconstruction methods rely on universal markers, that is, homologous families of DNA segments present in exactly one exemplar in every considered species. Complex histories of genes or other markers, undergoing duplications and losses, are rarely taken into account. It follows that some ancestors are inaccessible by these methods, such as the proto–monocotyledon whose evolution involved massive gene loss following a whole genome duplication. Results: We propose a mapping approach based on the combinatorial notion of ‘sandwich consecutive ones matrix’, which explicitly takes gene losses into account. We introduce combinatorial optimization problems related to this concept, and propose a heuristic solver and a lower bound on the optimal solution. We use these results to propose a configuration for the proto-chromosomes of the monocot ancestor, and study the accuracy of this configuration. We also use our method to reconstruct the ancestral boreoeutherian genomes, which illustrates that the framework we propose is not specific to plant paleogenomics but is adapted to reconstruct any ancestral genome from extant genomes with heterogeneous marker content. Availability: Upon request to the authors. Contact: haris.gavranovic@gmail.com; eric.tannier@inria.fr