Distribution of various types of oligodendrocytes and cellular localisation of iron in the frontal cortex of the adult rat

Oligodendrocytes, called oligodendroglia, are present in the white and grey substance of the CNS. They constitute a heterogeneous group, in which 3 types of these cells have been distinguished: those of light, medium and dark cytoplasm. They locate themselves at the neurones and blood vessels. The number of light oligodendrocytes decrease with age, while the number of dark oligodendrocytes increase. In histochemical studies the product of the reaction located itself in the body and processes, indicating the participation of these cells in the metabolism of iron

A multi-agent based simulation model of consumer behaviour : food choice and cooking attitudes during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak

PURPOSE: The primary scientific goal of the article is to present the results of research which aimed to build a multi-agent simulation model of consumer behavior during the coronavirus Covid-19 epidemic. The research investigation concerned finding an answer to the question: to what extent did consumer eating behavior change during the pandemic, and how did the risk of becoming overweight and obesity increase?DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: To gain deeper insight into consumer eating behavior amid the Covid-19 outbreak, a survey on food choice and cooking attitudes was carried out in the West Pomeranian region of Poland. Four hundred twenty respondents took part in the survey. The data obtained was used to elaborate a multi-agent model created by the author and the execution of simulation experiments. A multi-agent-based modeling and simulation (MABS) method was used to build the model.FINDINGS: The research shows that among the individuals participating in the study, three types of eating attitudes were distinguished, restrained eaters (41.9%), emotional eaters (34.8%), and external eaters (23.3%). These three groups reported different behavior, highlighting, for example, an increase in ready-made and ultra-processed food consumption within the non-emotionally responsive group. Empirical data was used to develop an agentbased simulation model that combined different eating styles represented by consumers with their food and cooking habits to simulate consumer behavior during the Covid-19 epidemic.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings could be helpful in support of practical and social solutions for the identification of excessive weight and obesity risk factors and the preparation of strategies aimed at reducing the influence of pandemics on consumer eating behavior and increasing consumer awareness on this issue.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study can stimulate sustainable consumption and consumer behavior, especially in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic.The project was financed within the framework of a Minister of Science and Higher Education program entitled the "Regional Excellence Initiative" from 2019 - 2022; project number 001/RID/2018/19; with the financing of 10,684,000PLN.peer-reviewe

The Adherence in Chronic Diseases Scale — a new tool to monitor implementation of a treatment plan

Wstęp. Celem pracy była ocena adherence z zastosowaniem nowej skali w populacji osób z chorobą wieńcową (CAD) po zawale serca (MI) w odniesieniu do parametrów socjodemograficznych i klinicznych. Materiał i metody. Badanie przeprowadzono w populacji 100 kolejnych osób (40 kobiet, 60 mężczyzn) w wieku 30–88 lat, średnio 63,4 roku, pół roku po hospitalizacji z powodu MI. Wyniki. Wyniki oceny w Adherence in Chronic Diseases Scale (ACDS) zawierały się między 6 a 28 punktów; mediana wynosiła 24 punkty (21–28). Wynik wysoki (> 26 pkt.) osiągnęły 24 osoby, 53 badanych uzyskało wynik średni (między 21 a 26 pkt.), a 23 — niski wynik (< 21 pkt.). Dla optymalnego modelu regresji wielorakiej współczynnik korelacji R wynosił 0,539, a skorygowany współczynnik determinacji R2 — 0,26 (p = 0,000002). Niezależnymi czynnikami wpływającymi na adherence ocenianymi w ACDS były: subiektywna ocena stanu zdrowia (b = 0,48 ± 0,23; p = 0,036), wiek badanych (b = –0,11 ± 0,04; p = 0,004), więcej niż jeden pobyt w szpitalu z powodu CAD (b = –1,78 ± 0,87; p = 0,044) oraz cukrzyca (b = –2,02 ± 0,91; p = 0,029). Wnioski. Subiektywna ocena stanu zdrowia, wiek pacjentów, liczba hospitalizacji z powodu CAD oraz współwystępowanie cukrzycy wpływają na adherence w terapii przewlekłej po zawale serca.Introduction. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to treatment with use of the new scale in a population of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) after myocardial infarction (MI) with respect to some socio-demographic and clinical factors. Material and methods. The study was conducted in a population of 100 consecutive patients (40 women, 60 men) aged from 30 to 88 years (mean 63.4), six months after hospitalization for MI. Results. The results of the assessment with the Adherence in Chronic Diseases Scale (ACDS) comprise between 6 and 28 points; median 24 points (21–28). Twenty-four patients had high score (> 26 pts.), 53 patients had intermediate score (between 21–26 pts.) and 23 — low score (< 21 pts.). For optimal model of multiple regression, the correlation coefficient R was 0.539; and the adjusted coefficient of determination R2 = 0.26, p = 0.000002. Independent factors affecting adherence according to the ACDS scale were: subjective assessment of health status (b = 0.48 ± ± 0.23, p = 0.036), age of the respondents (b = –0.11 ± 0.04, p = 0.004), more than one hospitalization due to CAD (b = –1.78 ± 0.87, p = 0.044), and diabetes mellitus (b = –2.02 ± 0.91, p = 0.029). Conclusions. Subjective assessment of health status, age of patients, the number of hospitalizations due to CAD and diabetes affect the adherence in the course of long-term treatment after myocardial infarction.

Relationships between body weight and percentage body fat in the body and the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis

Obesity nowadays is a significant problem in developing countries and developed ones. Both the percentage of adipose tissue in the body and the proportion of muscle tissue affect the condition of the skeletal system. The common origin of adipose tissue and muscle tissue shows that overweight and obesity are not indifferent to the metabolism of bone tissue. Both malnutrition and obesity can lead to unfavorable health effects, contributing to the development of bone disorders and the occurrence of osteopenia, osteopenia with sarcoidosis, osteoporosis or osteoarthritis. Increased percentage of adipose tissue and/or muscle tissue during menopause may have an osteoprotective effect and thus prevent or relieve the effects of menopause in women or andropause in men. Research aimed at measuring the content of adipose tissue as a supplement to other diagnostic tests may contribute to the early detection and even prevention of osteoporosis. Key words: BMI, obesity, osteoporosis, osteopeni

The readiness for hospital discharge of patients after acute myocardial infarction: a new self-reported questionnaire

Introduction. Medical care providers are responsible for adequate preparation of patients for discharge from the hospital. The purpose of this study was to validate a new self-reported questionnaire assessing the readiness of patients for hospital discharge. Methods. The Readiness for Hospital Discharge after Myocardial Infarction Scale (RHD MIS) was validated in 201 patients, 57 (29%) females and 144 (71%) males (mean age 63.3 ± 11.3), hospitalised due to myocardial infarction. Results. For the considered 23 items the a-Cronbach coefficient was 0.789, indicating a high level of reliability and homogeneity of the questionnaire. The RHD MIS fulfilled the assumption of factor analysis: the determinant of correlation matrix was 0.001, Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (K-M-O) statistic was 0.723, and the Bartlett’ test of sphericity was statistically significant. The analysis of internal consistency of the three areas confirm the rightness of the distinguishing of three subscales. Answers to each item were assigned a score from 0 to 3. The highest total score is 69 points. The total score of the scale and total scores of the subscales have skewed distributions and statistically significant results of Shapiro-Wilk test (p < 0.001). The scoring less than 44 points for the entire questionnaire indicates low readiness, obtaining between 44 and 57 points indicates medium readiness, and scores over 57 points are classified as high readiness for discharge from hospital. Conclusions. The validation procedure revealed that RHD MIS is a reliable and homogeneous tool to measure the readiness of patients for hospital discharge. The set of items divided into three subscales allows subjective and objective evaluation of the patient’s knowledge and expectations. Further investigation is needed to assess the potential impact of RHD MIS scoring on long-term outcome

Internalization of the Aspergillus nidulans AstA Transporter into Mitochondria Depends on Growth Conditions, and Affects ATP Levels and Sulfite Oxidase Activity

The astA gene encoding an alternative sulfate transporter was originally cloned from the genome of the Japanese Aspergillus nidulans isolate as a suppressor of sulfate permease-deficient strains. Expression of the astA gene is under the control of the sulfur metabolite repression system. The encoded protein transports sulfate across the cell membrane. In this study we show that AstA, having orthologs in numerous pathogenic or endophytic fungi, has a second function and, depending on growth conditions, can be translocated into mitochondria. This effect is especially pronounced when an astA-overexpressing strain grows on solid medium at 37 °C. AstA is also recruited to the mitochondria in the presence of mitochondria-affecting compounds such as menadione or antimycin A, which are also detrimental to the growth of the astA-overexpressing strain. Disruption of the Hsp70–Porin1 mitochondrial import system either by methylene blue, an Hsp70 inhibitor, or by deletion of the porin1-encoding gene abolishes AstA translocation into the mitochondria. Furthermore, we observed altered ATP levels and sulfite oxidase activity in the astA-overexpressing strain in a manner dependent on sulfur sources. The presented data indicate that AstA is also involved in the mitochondrial sulfur metabolism in some fungi, and thereby indirectly manages redox potential and energy state

The Adherence Scale in Chronic Diseases (ASCD). The power of knowledge: the key to successful patient — health care provider cooperation

Introduction. Patients’ adherence to long-term therapies is low. It translates into reduced quality of life and significant deterioration of health economics. Identification of potential barriers of medication-related adherence is a starting point allowing implementation of more advanced interventions directed to adherence improvement. Aim. The purpose of our study was to create and validate a simple instrument used to assess patients’ adherence to recommended medications. Material and methods. The Adherence Scale in Chronic Diseases is a self-reported questionnaire with 8 items and with proposed 5 sets of answers. The total score in the Adherence Scale in Chronic Diseases ranges from 0 to 32 points. Three levels of adherence were considered (low: scores of 0 to 20; medium 21 to 25; high > 26). The validation of the questionnaire was conducted in accordance with the validation procedure. Assessment of the internal consistency was performed using a-Cronbach coefficient. In order to conduct the factor analysis, we assessed: the determinant of correlation matrix, Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (K-M-O) statistic and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity. Factor analysis was conducted using principal component analysis with Oblimin rotation. The Kaiser criterion and scree plot were used in order to determine components of the questionnaire. Adherence levels were determined based on the percentiles. Results. Grand total of 413 patients with a cardiovascular disease were included in the study. The reliability and homogeneity of the questionnaire were confirmed by a-Cronbach coefficient (0.739). Factor analysis showed that in this questionnaire we can extract two components. The analysis of factor loadings indicated excluding item 2 from the questionnaire. After exclusion of the mentioned item, we repeated the validation procedure. For such a new dataset, according to the Kaiser criterion, only one component was extracted. Conclusions. The Adherence Scale in Chronic Diseases is a practical, reliable, consistent and well validated instrument for identifying specific obstacles to medication adherence. Its simplicity causes that it can be successfully applied in daily practice by health care professionals. Our survey has the potential to improve patient — health care professional communication and relationship.

Molecular and Functional Characterization of MobK Protein—A Novel-Type Relaxase Involved in Mobilization for Conjugational Transfer of Klebsiella pneumoniae Plasmid pIGRK

Conjugation, besides transformation and transduction, is one of the main mechanisms of horizontal transmission of genetic information among bacteria. Conjugational transfer, due to its essential role in shaping bacterial genomes and spreading of antibiotics resistance genes, has been widely studied for more than 70 years. However, new and intriguing facts concerning the molecular basis of this process are still being revealed. Most recently, a novel family of conjugative relaxases (Mob proteins) was distinguished. The characteristic feature of these proteins is that they are not related to any of Mobs described so far. Instead of this, they share significant similarity to tyrosine recombinases. In this study MobK—a tyrosine recombinase-like Mob protein, encoded by pIGRK cryptic plasmid from the Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical strain, was characterized. This study revealed that MobK is a site-specific nuclease and its relaxase activity is dependent on both a conserved catalytic tyrosine residue (Y179) that is characteristic of tyrosine recombinases and the presence of Mg2+ divalent cations. The pIGRK minimal origin of transfer sequence (oriT) was also characterized. This is one of the first reports presenting tyrosine recombinase-like conjugative relaxase protein. It also demonstrates that MobK is a convenient model for studying this new protein family