The therapeutic aspects of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) for cancer and their development: from nature to laboratory

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a group of neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors, which are widely distributed in mammalian tissues. ECS regulates various cardiovascular, nervous, and immune system functions inside cells. In recent years, there has been a growing body of evidence for the use of synthetic and natural cannabinoids as potential anticancer agents. For instance, the CB1 and CB2 receptors are assumed to play an important role inside the endocannabinoid system. These receptors are abundantly expressed in the brain and fatty tissue of the human body. Despite recent developments in molecular biology, there is still a lack of knowledge about the distribution of CB1 and CB2 receptors in the human kidney and their role in kidney cancer. To address this gap, we explore and demonstrate the role of the endocannabinoid system in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In this brief overview, we elucidate the therapeutic aspects of the endocannabinoid system for various cancers and explain how this system can be used for treating kidney cancer. Overall, this review provides new insights into cannabinoids' mechanisms of action in both in vivo and in vitro models, and focuses on recent discoveries in the field

The potential of urban agriculture for sustainability of cities in Poland

Town planners specialising in the sustainable development and self-sufficiency of urban areas have recently encouraged  a solution called urban agriculture, which means that urban inhabitants can produce food for themselves. The main objective of this  paper is to present the possibilities of food production in a city especially in the context of sustainable development. The idea of  crop cultivation as well as its implementation in the form of e.g. greenhouses, allotments or even gardens dates back centuries. Nevertheless,  with time and technology development, new forms of ecological farms have been designed. Urban agriculture can play an  important role in the sustainable development of cities.

The Role of the Mitochondrial Genome in Ageing and Carcinogenesis

Mitochondrial DNA mutations and polymorphisms have been the focus of intensive investigations for well over a decade in an attempt to understand how they affect fundamental processes such as cancer and aging. Initial interest in mutations occurring in mitochondrial DNA of cancer cells diminished when most were found to be the same mutations which occurred during the evolution of human mitochondrial haplogroups. However, increasingly correlations are being found between various mitochondrial haplogroups and susceptibility to cancer or diseases in some cases and successful aging in others

Mucosal melanoma — clinical presentation and treatment based on a case series

Melanoma is malignant disease originating from melanocytes (pigment cells that occur mainly in the skin and constitute a type of defence from ultraviolet radiation). Melanocytes also occur outside of the skin (among others — in the eyeball, the mucosal lining of the digestive tract from the oral cavity to the anus, the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses, and the urinary and reproductive tracts). Many known cases of melanoma in the aforementioned locations exist. The main factor responsible for the development of skin melanoma is ultraviolet radiation. In the case of mucosal melanoma, aetiological factors are still unknown. Mucosal melanoma most often develops in places that are hidden and not accessible through standard testing. Therefore, the disease develops without any signs for a long period of time before the proper diagnosis is established (usually at a disseminated stage, at a point where no successful localised treatment can be applied), which, in combination with a more aggressive course in comparison to more typical locations (the skin, the eyeball), a different sensitivity to systemic treatment (usually the lack of a mutation in the BRAF gene), and the lack of a separate standardised treatment procedure, is the cause of worse outcomes and poor prognosis. Mucosal melanomas occur very rarely (about 1.5 % of all melanomas); however, the knowledge that a melanoma may also develop in locations that are often omitted during routine examination (the anus, the oral cavity, the urogenital region), may increase the chances of early diagnosis and attaining better treatment results. In this paper, a brief description of the characteristics of mucosal melanoma is presented, along with a presentation of the most common locations, symptoms, diagnostic possibilities, and available treatment (including immunotherapy). Based on the available literature and personal experience, several cases of patients treated in the Institute of Oncology are described.Czerniak jest nowotworem złośliwym rozwijającym się z melanocytów, które są komórkami barwnikowymi występującymi głównie w skórze i stanowiącymi swoistą ochronę skóry przed promieniowaniem ultrafioletowym. Melanocyty występują również poza skórą (miedzy innymi – gałka oczna, błona śluzowa przewodu pokarmowego od jamy ustnej do odbytu, jamy nosowej i zatok obocznych nosa oraz w drogach moczowo-płciowych. Znane są liczne przypadki, w których czerniak rozwija się w wymienionych lokalizacjach.   Głównym czynnikiem odpowiadającym za rozwój czerniaka skóry jest promieniowanie ultrafioletowe. W przypadkach czerniaków błon śluzowych czynniki etiologiczne nie są nadal poznane. Czerniak błon śluzowych rozwija się najczęściej w miejscach ukrytych i niedostępnych standardowemu badaniu. Choroba rozwija się zatem skrycie przez dłuższy czas zanim zostanie postawione prawidłowe rozpoznanie (zwykle w chwili stadium uogólnienia i braku możliwości zastosowania skutecznego leczenia miejscowego), co w połączeniu z bardziej agresywnym przebiegiem w porównaniu z czerniakami w innej lokalizacji (skóra, gałka oczna) oraz inną wrażliwością na leczenie systemowe (zwykle brak mutacji w genie BRAF) i brakiem odrębnych standardów postępowania jest przyczyną gorszych wyników leczenia i złego rokowania.   Czerniaki błon śluzowych występują bardzo rzadko (około 1,5 % wszystkich czerniaków), jednakże świadomość, że czerniak może rozwinąć się również w lokalizacjach, które nierzadko są pomijane w czasie rutynowego badania lekarskiego (odbyt, jama ustna, okolica urogenitalna), może zwiększyć szanse wczesnego rozpoznania i uzyskania lepszych wyników leczenia.   W niniejszej pracy opisano krótką charakterystykę czerniaków błon śluzowych z przedstawieniem najczęstszych lokalizacji, objawów, możliwości diagnostycznych  oraz dostępnego  leczenia (w tym – immunoterapia).  W oparciu o dostępne piśmiennictwo i własne doświadczenie opisano kilka przypadków chorych leczonych w Centrum Onkologii-Instytucie, w którym pracują autorzy.

Ingerencje socjotechniczne w mechanizm społecznej aktywności

It is hardly a secret that modern democratic steering should melt into a natural course of events and make an impression of a cooperative partner system: the steering – the steered. In the scientific engineering approach to society a prodemocratic spark has appeared. This concerns the issue of society accommodating the changes (and not only the quality of such accommodation). What is meant here is the latest definition of social technique, developed by Piotr Pawe³czyk, who treats it as a process, i.e. a sequence of changes and states following in succession and organized in time.It is hardly a secret that modern democratic steering should melt into a natural course of events and make an impression of a cooperative partner system: the steering – the steered. In the scientific engineering approach to society a prodemocratic spark has appeared. This concerns the issue of society accommodating the changes (and not only the quality of such accommodation). What is meant here is the latest definition of social technique, developed by Piotr Pawe³czyk, who treats it as a process, i.e. a sequence of changes and states following in succession and organized in time

Mechanizmy i metody politycznej walki niezbrojnej na straconych pozycjach – alternatywa prakseologiczna

It does not always suffice to learn about natural law, the principles of social order, human behavior and an efficient course of action to make it through, to reach one’s objective, or change the reality. Being on a hiding to nothing, human beings sometimes change their line of thinking, and primarily that of hope. They discover the new realms of unarmed struggle, a certain kind of a praxiological alternative. If order lets them down, they can always turn to chaos (as understood by the humanities) to observe that certain laws govern accidents. Chaos presents us with a somewhat different variety of efficiency, yet we are able to determine particular methods of behavior even under such circumstances. Efficiency directives derived both from the assumption of order and that of chaos are applicable on a global scale, therefore, they are considered universal in the social world. It seems interesting to identify the mechanisms and methods of acting in an unarmed struggle, particularly those not derived from order. Such knowledge may even become valuable.It does not always suffice to learn about natural law, the principles of social order, human behavior and an efficient course of action to make it through, to reach one’s objective, or change the reality. Being on a hiding to nothing, human beings sometimes change their line of thinking, and primarily that of hope. They discover the new realms of unarmed struggle, a certain kind of a praxiological alternative. If order lets them down, they can always turn to chaos (as understood by the humanities) to observe that certain laws govern accidents. Chaos presents us with a somewhat different variety of efficiency, yet we are able to determine particular methods of behavior even under such circumstances. Efficiency directives derived both from the assumption of order and that of chaos are applicable on a global scale, therefore, they are considered universal in the social world. It seems interesting to identify the mechanisms and methods of acting in an unarmed struggle, particularly those not derived from order. Such knowledge may even become valuable

Changes in the preferences for the ecosystem service use and the effects in a city located along a river: a preliminary study based on the example of Toruń (Poland) compared to the Isle of Dogs in London

Ecosystem services originated from various ecological units, local as well as global, hierarchically, they depend on the structure and functions of the ecosystem under study and its human community. They are involved in controlling and maintaining the development of natural resources in the ecosystem, human activities and prosperity through the use of material and non-material benefits. The technology brought in as well as developed by the application of those benefits, enhance the ecological capacity for our human community and in consequences may depend on the decisions brought about by private and public interests. Other forms of ecosystem services also immerge as a direct and indirect product from human pressure on the environment, because the ecosystem exploited by man is most often from a sink of destructive chemical and physical factors, they result in ecosystem services out of an unhealthy environmental state.This study deals with applicability of the ecosystem service paradigm, and presents the results obtained in Toruń, a city developing close to the Vistula River from medieval times. Preference of choice among a wide variety of ecosystem services can be provided in this setting, so it is interesting to compare Toruń to other cities where exceptional results are obtained. The reference point in this comparison is a system of similar size but which has developed within a much bigger and stronger urban ecosystem. This is the Isle of Dogs on the Thames River in London.Our analysis shows that currently, there are strong differences between the two cities in their demand for ecosystem services and their interaction with the public sphere, design and art. On the Isle of Dogs, there is a stronger connection between the ecosystems and the design of space to create an interesting streetscape in comparison to Toruń. The connection between the public and private zones to achieve the attractiveness to the city and to combine art and design with environmental solutions has brought about excellent results in London