Contribution to knowledge of the mycobiota of "Bory Tucholskie" National Park (Northwestern Poland) : macromycetes of Central European lichen Scots pine forests of the Cladonio-Pinetum Juraszek 1927 type

This paper presents the results of mycological observations of the Cladonio- Pinetum community in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park in 2018. Active protection treatments have been performed to protect disappearing communities. This study was conducted using the permanent circular plot method, with each plot having an area of approximately 100 m2. Observations were also carried out using the route method outside the plots. Consequently, 71 fungal taxa were found. Among the identified species of macromycetes are Boletopsis grisea, which is on the list of protected fungi, and seven species (Boletopsis grisea, Cortinarius armeniacus, Dacrymyces capitatus, Deconica montana, Entoloma rhodocalix, Tricholoma equestre, and Tricholoma colossus) that are on the red list of macrofungi in Poland

Maska reumatologiczna chorób nowotworowych u dzieci — obserwacje własne

  Wstęp: Choroby nowotworowe u dzieci stanowią niewielki odsetek nowotworów występujących w całej populacji, jednak mimo ogromnego postępu medycyny nadal są jedną z głównych przyczyn zgonów wśród chorych poniżej 16. roku życia. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie różnorodności objawów klinicznych w przebiegu choroby nowotworowej, w której dominowały objawy ze strony układu ruchu bądź narządu wzroku. Materiał i metody: Badanie oparto na retrospektywnej analizie historii chorób pacjentów w wieku rozwojowym, diagnozowanych w kierunku „chorób reumatycznych“, u których ostatecznie potwierdzono chorobę nowotworową, hospitalizowanych w Oddziale Reumatologii Szpitala Dziecięcego św. Ludwika w Krakowie w latach 2007–2014. Wyniki: W analizowanej grupie pacjentów podejrzenie choroby nowotworowej postawiono 19 dzieciom, spośród których u 17 potwierdzono rozpoznanie procesu rozrostowego. Rozpoznano: ostrą białaczkę limfoblastyczną (w 6 przypadkach), chłoniaka (w 6 przypadkach; w tym 1 chłoniaka Hodgkina), pierwotnego guza kości (w 2 przypadkach; 1 łagodny i 1 złośliwy), czerniaka złośliwego błony naczyniowej oka (w 1 przypadku), naczyniaka jamistego w obrębie gałki ocznej (w 1 przypadku) oraz malformację naczyniową w obrębie rdzenia kręgowego, imitującą guz lity w badaniu metodą rezonansu magnetycznego (również w 1 przypadku). Wnioski: Diagnostyka reumatologiczna u pacjentów w wieku rozwojowym stanowi wyzwanie dla klinicysty, z uwagi na niespecyficzne i zróżnicowane objawy występujące także w chorobach onkologicznych. Najczęstszymi zgłaszanymi w wywiadzie objawami były: bóle stawów, bóle kręgosłupa oraz obrzęki i przykurcze w stawach obwodowych, zaburzenia chodu, a także gorączka lub stan podgorączkowy. Rozpoznaniem wstępnym było w 7 przypadkach podejrzenie młodzieńczego idiopatycznego zapalenia stawów. W 6 przypadkach dzieci zgłosiły bóle kostno-stawowe, w 3 przypadkach — zaburzenia widzenia, 2 pacjentów skierowano do diagnostyki z podejrzeniem nieokreślonej choroby układowej tkanki łącznej, u 2 pacjentów podejrzewano reaktywną artropatię. Forum Reumatol. 2016, tom 2, nr 3: 130–135

Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of ECG left ventricular hypertrophy criteria in obese and hypertensive patients

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular events. Even though, there are many electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria for LVH, they still provide poor performance, especially among obese patients. The aim of this study was to examine the sensitivity and specificity in obese and nonobese patients, with obesity defined using body mass index (BMI), visceral fat level (VFATL) and waist hip ratio (WHR). Material and methods: Overall, 1722 patients were included in the study. All patients underwent complete physical examination, office blood pressure measurement, analysis of body composition, 12-lead ECG, M-mode two-dimensional echocardiography. Six standard ECG criteria for LVH were analyzed, including: Cornell voltage criteria, Cornell duration criteria, Sokolow- Lyon voltage criteria, Sokolow-Lyon product criteria, R I + S III and R wave of aVL. Sensitivity and specificity of those criteria was evaluated for patients with and without obesity. Transthoracic echocardiography was used as a reference method to detect LVH. Results: In obese patients, Cornell duration criteria showed the best performance and should be used in detecting LVH. Increased amount of adipose tissue and presence of obesity, defined by different indicators, decreased sensitivity and specificity values of ECG criteria; however, only several criteria showed statistical significance. Sokolov-Lyon voltage and Cornel voltage were evaluated to have good sensitivity in nonobese women patients, but their performance was insufficient in obese women. Conclusion: LVH should not be diagnosed using ECG criteria without assessment of patients obesity. Preferred parameter, from discussed in this study, to assess patients obesity is VFATL

Using LiDAR point clouds in active protection of forest lichen communities in "Bory Tucholskie" National Park

Zespół boru chrobotkowego (Cladonio-Pinetum) jest zbiorowiskiem wykształcającym się na suchych i ubogich w biogeny obszarach piaszczystych. Najlepiej zachowane płaty tego zbiorowiska roślinnego w Europie występują w Polsce północnej, w tym na terenie Parku Narodowego "Bory Tucholskie" (PNBT). Celem badań było określenie struktury przestrzennej wybranych drzewostanów sosnowych PNBT, w których zainicjowany został program ochronny czynnej borów chrobotkowych. Obszar badań obejmował część dwóch oddziałów leśnych PNBT z wydzieleniami: 18c, 19d, 19g, 19h, 19i, 19j i 19k. Badania przeprowadzono z wykorzystaniem lotniczego (ALS) i naziemnego (TLS) skanowania laserowego (LiDAR). Dzięki zastosowaniu technologii LiDAR możliwe było wykonanie bardzo precyzyjnego opisu struktury drzewostanów w przestrzeni 2D i 3D. W wyniku przeprowadzonych analiz określono szereg cech taksacyjnych i parametrów drzewostanów, takich jak: liczba i zagęszczenie drzew w drzewostanie, średnia odległość pomiędzy drzewami żywymi, liczba drzew martwych, pierśnicowe pole przekroju drzew żywych, zwarcie poziome koron, wskaźnik penetracji koron, wysokość górna drzew w wydzieleniu, wysokość podstawy korony drzewa, długość korony drzewa, objętość warstwy koron, powierzchnia 2D i 3D koron drzew, średni promień korony, współczynnik morfometryczny koron oraz zasięg pionowy martwych gałęzi. Opracowano także mapę występowania luk w wydzieleniach o powierzchni większej niż 2 m2. Badania rozpoczęte w 2017 roku są kontynuowane w 2018 roku z wykorzystaniem skanowania z platformy BSP (UAS) oraz TLS, które posłużą precyzyjnej ocenie zmian struktury przestrzennej drzewostanów, w których przeprowadzono cięcia prześwietleniowe.Forest lichen communities develop on dry and poor in biogens sandy areas. The center of occurrence of this plant community in Europe coincides with Natura 2000 sites located in Poland, including the Bory Tucholskie National Park (BT NP). The aim of the study was to determine the spatial structure of selected Scots pine stands of BT NP, where a program of active protection of lichen communities was initiated. The research area included two forest compartments: 18 and 19. The analysis was performed in the following sub-compartments: 18c, 19d, 19g, 19h, 19i, 19j and 19 k. The research was carried out using airborne (ALS) and terrestrial (TLS) laser scanning (LiDAR). Thanks to the use of LiDAR technology, it was possible to make a very precise description of the structure of stands in 2D and 3D space. As a result of the conducted study, a number of stand parameters have been defined, such as: number of trees, tree density in the stand, number of live trees, average distance between living trees, number of dead trees, basal area, horizontal cover of tree crowns, crown penetration ratio, average height of trees, height of the crown base, tree crown length, crown layer volume, 2D and 3D crown surface, average crown radius, canopy relief ration and vertical range of dead branches. A map of crown gaps with an area of more than 2 m2 was also developed. Research activities with the use of laser scanning technology is continued in 2018 (repeated ALS and TLS scanning). The conducted research will allow to determine the influence of the stand structure on factors influencing the occurrence of lichens, including: shaping of microclimatic conditions

Allergen-induced asthmatic responses modified by a GATA3-specific DNAzyme

BACKGROUND : The most prevalent phenotype of asthma is characterized by eosinophil-dominated inflammation that is driven by a type 2 helper T cell (Th2). Therapeutic targeting of GATA3, an important transcription factor of the Th2 pathway, may be beneficial. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of SB010, a novel DNA enzyme (DNAzyme) that is able to cleave and inactivate GATA3 messenger RNA (mRNA). METHODS : We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial of SB010 involving patients who had allergic asthma with sputum eosinophilia and who also had biphasic early and late asthmatic responses after laboratory-based allergen provocation. A total of 40 patients could be evaluated; 21 were assigned to receive 10 mg of SB010, and 19 were assigned to receive placebo, with each study drug administered by means of inhalation once daily for 28 days. An allergen challenge was performed before and after the 28-day period. The primary end point was the late asthmatic response as quantified by the change in the area under the curve (AUC) for forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). RESULTS : After 28 days, SB010 attenuated the mean late asthmatic response by 34%, as compared with the baseline response, according to the AUC for FEV1, whereas placebo was associated with a 1% increase in the AUC for FEV1 (P = 0.02). The early asthmatic response with SB010 was attenuated by 11% as measured by the AUC for FEV1, whereas the early response with placebo was increased by 10% (P = 0.03). Inhibition of the late asthmatic response by SB010 was associated with attenuation of allergen-induced sputum eosinophilia and with lower levels of tryptase in sputum and lower plasma levels of interleukin-5. Allergen-induced levels of fractional exhaled nitric oxide and airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine were not affected by either SB010 or placebo. CONCLUSIONS : Treatment with SB010 significantly attenuated both late and early asthmatic responses after allergen provocation in patients with allergic asthma. Biomarker analysis showed an attenuation of Th2-regulated inflammatory responses

Disturbed Expression of Splicing Factors in Renal Cancer Affects Alternative Splicing of Apoptosis Regulators, Oncogenes, and Tumor Suppressors

BACKGROUND: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of renal cancer. One of the processes disturbed in this cancer type is alternative splicing, although phenomena underlying these disturbances remain unknown. Alternative splicing consists of selective removal of introns and joining of residual exons of the primary transcript, to produce mRNA molecules of different sequence. Splicing aberrations may lead to tumoral transformation due to synthesis of impaired splice variants with oncogenic potential. In this paper we hypothesized that disturbed alternative splicing in ccRCC may result from improper expression of splicing factors, mediators of splicing reactions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using real-time PCR and Western-blot analysis we analyzed expression of seven splicing factors belonging to SR proteins family (SF2/ASF, SC35, SRp20, SRp75, SRp40, SRp55 and 9G8), and one non-SR factor, hnRNP A1 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1) in 38 pairs of tumor-control ccRCC samples. Moreover, we analyzed splicing patterns of five genes involved in carcinogenesis and partially regulated by analyzed splicing factors: RON, CEACAM1, Rac1, Caspase-9, and GLI1. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We found that the mRNA expression of splicing factors was disturbed in tumors when compared to paired controls, similarly as levels of SF2/ASF and hnRNP A1 proteins. The correlation coefficients between expression levels of specific splicing factors were increased in tumor samples. Moreover, alternative splicing of five analyzed genes was also disturbed in ccRCC samples and splicing pattern of two of them, Caspase-9 and CEACAM1 correlated with expression of SF2/ASF in tumors. We conclude that disturbed expression of splicing factors in ccRCC may possibly lead to impaired alternative splicing of genes regulating tumor growth and this way contribute to the process of carcinogenesis