Rola apeliny w patogenezie chorób układu sercowo−naczyniowego i zaburzeniach metabolicznych

Apelin is a recently discovered biologically active peptide present in several isoforms that are agonists for orphan receptor APJ. Apelin and APJ receptor were found in the central nervous system and in different peripheral tissues. In the cardiovascular system the peptide is present both in the heart and in the endothelium and smooth muscles cells of the vascular wall. Acting on cardiomyocytes apelin exerts positive inotropic effect, in the endothelium it releases nitric oxide, which mediates its vasodilatory action, while acting directly on smooth muscles cells it causes vasoconstriction. Apelin interacts with other compounds regulating blood pressure; for instance with angiotensin II, vasopressin, and with the sympathetic nervous system. Special attention is focused on the possibility of positive role of apelin in hypertension, initial stages of heart failure and ischaemic heart disease. Synthesis of apelin in adipocytes permits to include this peptide among adipokines. In the adipose tissue its production is increased in obesity and by insulin. It appears that apelin may play essential role in pathogenesis of insulin-resistant obesity. In patients with type 2 diabetes apelin improves glucose tolerance in initial stages of the illness. However, further experimental and clinical studies are required for full evaluation of significance of positive and negative aspects of the role of apelin in the cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Kardiol Pol 2011; 69, supl. III: 89–93Apelina jest niedawno odkrytym biologicznie czynnym peptydem występującym w kilku postaciach izoformicznych, będących agonistami dla sierocego receptora APJ. Zarówno apelinę, jak i jej receptory wykryto w mózgu oraz w wielu narządach obwodowych. W układzie sercowo-naczyniowym występuje ona w sercu, w śródbłonku oraz w komórkach mięśni gładkich naczyń. Działając na kardiomiocyty, apelina wywiera wpływ inotropowy dodatni. W śródbłonku uwalnia tlenek azotu, pośredniczący w jej działaniu naczyniorozszerzającym, podczas gdy jej bezpośredni wpływ na mięśnie gładkie naczyń prowadzi do ich skurczu. Apelina wchodzi w interakcję z innymi związkami regulującymi ciśnienie tętnicze, m.in. z angiotensyną II i wazopresyną oraz z układem współczulnym. Szczególną uwagę poświęca się możliwości jej korzystnego działania w nadciśnieniu tętniczym, początkowych stadiach niewydolności serca (HF), a także w chorobie niedokrwiennej serca. Synteza apeliny w adipocytach pozwala zaliczyć ją do adipokin. Wytwarzanie apeliny w tkance tłuszczowej wzrasta w otyłości i pod wpływem insuliny, dlatego wydaje się, że może ona odgrywać istotną rolę w patogenezie otyłości z towarzyszącą insulinoopornością. U pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 2 apelina poprawia tolerancję glukozy w początkowych etapach choroby. Do pełnej oceny fizjologicznego znaczenia apeliny i jej roli w chorobach układu sercowo-naczyniowego i zaburzeniach metabolicznych konieczne są jednak dalsze badania. Kardiol Pol 2011; 69, supl. III: 89–9

The level of knowledge of the rural population on risk factors and prophylaxis of hypertension

Abstract The aim of the study: The aim of the work was to determine the level of knowledge of the rural population on the subject of prevention and risk factors for hypertension. Material and method: The research covered a group of 200 people living in rural areas. The research was carried out from May to June 2017. A questionnaire of one's own authorship was used in the work, consisting of 19 closed one-choice questions. Results: The research shows that people living in rural areas have a high level of knowledge regarding the norms of normal blood pressure. 92% of the respondents correctly indicated the upper values of systolic pressure, and 98% of the respondents were able to determine the correct values of diastolic pressure. The knowledge of the subjects regarding dietary recommendations, physical activity and stimulants such as coffee and cigarettes was at low and medium Conclusions: : The low level of knowledge about risk factors and prophylaxis of hypertension was possessed by 48.5% of respondents, the remaining 51.5% of respondents had knowledge at the secondary level Key words: hypertension, risk factors, prophylaxi

Ciężar dowodu w postępowaniu o odszkodowanie za szkodę wyrządzoną ruchem pojazdu mechanicznego

The study discusses the institution of the burden of proof in civil proceedings. The characteristics of this institution constituted an introduction to general considerations regarding the proceedings for compensation for damage caused by the movement of a motor vehicle under compulsory third-party liability insurance, in particular when it was preceded by a pre-trial proceeding concerning the determination of the facts of the event, the legitimacy of the reported claims, and the amount of benefits provided by the insurance company. The analysis made it possible to formulate the rules for the distribution of the burden of proof in the trial depending on whether the insurer awarded a specific benefit under the winding-up proceedings.W opracowaniu została omówiona instytucja ciężaru dowodu w postępowaniu cywilnym. Charakterystyka tego zagadnienia stanowi wstęp do przeniesienia rozważań ogólnych na grunt postępowania o odszkodowanie za szkodę wyrządzoną ruchem pojazdu mechanicznego dochodzone z obowiązkowego ubezpieczenia odpowiedzialności cywilnej, w tym szczególnie gdy poprzedzone ono zostało przedsądowym postępowaniem prowadzonym przez zakład ubezpieczeń, dotyczącym ustalenia stanu faktycznego zdarzenia, zasadności zgłoszonych roszczeń i wysokości świadczenia. Poczyniona analiza pozwoliła na sformułowanie zasad rozkładu ciężaru dowodu w procesie w zależności od tego, czy doszło do przyznania przez ubezpieczyciela określonego świadczenia w ramach prowadzonego postępowania likwidacyjnego

Autonomous vehicles and the issue of liability for damage caused by the movement of such a vehicle

Objectives The aim of the article was to discuss the development of a model of civil liability for damage caused by an automated or fully automated vehicle. Material and methods The article presents an overview of current national, EU and international regulations regarding autonomous vehicles and the review of the literature on the legal regulation of the autonomous vehicles. On the basis of these materials an attempt to answer the question of which model of liability for damage caused by the movement of an autonomous vehicle will guarantee the greatest legal protection to victims of traffic accidents was made. Results The conducted analysis allowed to draw the conclusion that in the context of the progressing automation of motor vehicles, the key challenge for legislators will be, for example, regulating the issue of civil liability for damage caused in the traffic of autonomous vehicles, in particular vehicles with SAE levels 3-5. Conclusions To conclude, strict liability for damage is the most advantageous solution for the victim of a traffic incident, who is not obliged to determine or prove the cause of the damage event. However, it is impossible to exclude situations in which claims for damages will be directed against other entities (in particular, the vehicle manufacturer or the software manufacturer). This will especially apply to situations where the vehicle owner or driver is the victim of a traffic incident, the course of which he or she had no influence on (e.g., a software error)

The decreased serum activity of cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase IA as a potential marker of breast cancer-associated muscle inflammation

Cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase IA (cN-IA) plays a central role in the regulation of the purine nucleotide pool in skeletal muscle, preferentially converting adenosine monophosphate to adenosine. cN-IA can act as an autoantigen in muscle diseases, including the paraneoplastic syndrome related to breast cancer (BC). As a result of myocyte damage, released cN-IA protein may trigger the production of anti-cN-IA antibodies (anti-NT5C1A). This work aimed to develop an effective method to measure cN-IA activity in the serum and analyze it in BC patients. Our study demonstrated that serum cN-IA activity was decreased in BC patients and we assumed it is due to the presence of specific autoantibodies. We found correlations between cN-IA activity and parameters of inflammatory muscle damage. Thus, cN-IA is worth further attention to clarify its usefulness as a biomarker of BC-associated polymyositis

What we can and what we cannot see with extracellular multielectrodes.

Extracellular recording is an accessible technique used in animals and humans to study the brain physiology and pathology. As the number of recording channels and their density grows it is natural to ask how much improvement the additional channels bring in and how we can optimally use the new capabilities for monitoring the brain. Here we show that for any given distribution of electrodes we can establish exactly what information about current sources in the brain can be recovered and what information is strictly unobservable. We demonstrate this in the general setting of previously proposed kernel Current Source Density method and illustrate it with simplified examples as well as using evoked potentials from the barrel cortex obtained with a Neuropixels probe and with compatible model data. We show that with conceptual separation of the estimation space from experimental setup one can recover sources not accessible to standard methods

Impact on CO2 Uptake of MWCNT after Acid Treatment Study

Greenhouse effect is responsible for keeping average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere at level of about 288 K. Its intensification leads to warming of our planet and may contribute to adverse changes in the environment. The most important pollution intensifying greenhouse effect is anthropogenic carbon dioxide. This particular gas absorbs secondary infrared radiation, which in the end leads to an increase of average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere. Main source of CO2 is burning of fossil fuels, like oil, natural gas, and coal. Therefore, to reduce its emission, a special CO2 capture and storage technology is required. Carbonaceous materials are promising materials for CO2 sorbents. Thus multiwalled carbon nanotubes, due to the lack of impurities like ash in activated carbons, were chosen as a model material for investigation of acid treatment impact on CO2 uptake. Remarkable 43% enhancement of CO2 sorption capacity was achieved at 273 K and relative pressure of 0.95. Samples were also thoroughly characterized in terms of texture (specific surface area measurement, transmission electron microscope) and chemical composition (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy)