Phenolic and Flavonoid Content in Hericium Erinaceus, Ganoderma Lucidum and Agrocybe Aegerita under Selenium Addition

The phenolic and flavonoid contents and composition and the antioxidant ability in Hericium erinaceus, Ganoderma lucidum, and Agrocybe aegerita under selenium (Se) addition to growth medium were studied. The contents of total Se in fruiting bodies of controls (0 mM of Se) were 4.58 (A. aegerita), 8.53 (G. lucidum), and 14.29 (H. erinaceus) mg kg–1 dry weight (DW), and was significantly increased by Se enrichment of substrate. The total phenolics in fruiting bodies of controls of H. erinaceus, G. lucidum, and A. aegerita were significantly lower (17.10, 28.11, and 16.05 mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of extract, respectively) than for Se-rich mushrooms (26.29, 40.29, and 20.07 mg GAE/g of extract, respectively). Total flavonoid content for H. erinaceus, G. lucidum, and A. aegerita increased after Se supplementation from 368.6 to 445.6, 469.9 to 627.7, and 318.1 to 393.9 μg g–1 of extract, respectively. The results show that the mushrooms have superior antioxidant properties after Se addition, because the scavenging ability on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals was improved

Attitudes of Polish physicians towards new antihypertensive agents — a final report from the ALMONDS survey

Introduction. Arterial hypertension is the most frequent modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature mortality globally. Availability of novel antihypertensive agents with unique pharmacological characteristics improves the efficacy and safety of antihypertensive therapy. The aim of the ALMONDS survey was to identify the attitude of Polish medical professionals towards novel pharmacological agents used in the therapy of hypertension. In particular, we sought to investigate the views regarding the “class effect” for antihypertensive agents. Material and methods. The study was conducted using a standardized survey, which was filled in by 784 specialists or trainees in cardiology, internal medicine, family medicine, and diabetology. The letter form and anonymity of the survey allowed to maximize the reliability of the collected data. Results. The majority of the study group were females 46-60 years of age. A substantial proportion of the physicians specialized in internal medicine and had more than 20 years of professional experience. The management was mostly guided by the Polish Society of Hypertension (PTNT) guidelines or the European Society of Hypertension (ESH)/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. In patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease, the most commonly chosen drug treatment included a beta-blocker and an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an ACE inhibitor and a vasodilating beta-blocker. The latter combination was also selected most frequently in patients with hypertension and heart failure. In women in reproductive age, a vasodilating beta-blocker and a calcium antagonist were selected most frequently, while a combination of nebivolol and zofenopril was indicated as the best in young men with hyperkinetic circulation. In patients with resistant hypertension, the most frequently chosen regimen included furosemide, amlodipine, zofenopril, and nebivolol. Another popular combination included torasemide, lercanidipine, telmisartan, and carvedilol. Conclusions. The results of our study indicate that Polish medical professionals have clear preferences regarding specific pharmacological agents within drug classes. Vasodilating agents are preferred among beta blockers, newer agents among ACE inhibitors, dihydropyridines among calcium antagonists, and loop diuretics among diuretics. This attitude is generally consistent with the 2015 PTNT guidelines

Antiplatelet effects of prostacyclin analogues: which one to choose in case of thrombosis or bleeding?

Prostacyclin and analogues are successfully used in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to their vasodilatory effect on pulmonary arteries. Besides vasodilatory effect, prostacyclin analogues inhibit platelets, but their antiplatelet effect is not thoroughly established. The antiplatelet effect of prostacyclin analogues may be beneficial in case of increased risk of thromboembolic events, or undesirable in case of increased risk of bleeding. Since prostacyclin and analogues differ regarding their potency and form of administration, they might also inhibit platelets to a different extent. This review summarizes the recent evidence on the antiplatelet effects of prostacyclin and analogue in the treatment of PAH, this is important to consider when choosing the optimal treatment regimen in tailoring to an individual patients’ needs

Thrombotic complications in patients with COVID-19 : pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment

Introduction Emerging evidence points to an association between severe clinical presentation of COVID-19 and increased risk of thromboembolism. One-third of patients hospitalized due to severe COVID-19 develops macrovascular thrombotic complications, including venous thromboembolism, myocardial injury/infarction and stroke. Concurrently, the autopsy series indicate multiorgan damage pattern consistent with microvascular injury. Prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment COVID-19 associated coagulopathy has distinct features, including markedly elevated D-dimers concentration with nearly normal activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and platelet count. The diagnosis may be challenging due to overlapping features between pulmonary embolism and severe COVID-19 disease, such as dyspnoea, high concentration of D-dimers, right ventricle with dysfunction or enlargement, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Both macro- and microvascular complications are associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality. Therefore, early recognition of coagulation abnormalities among hospitalized COVID-19 patients are critical measures to identify patients with poor prognosis, guide antithrombotic prophylaxis or treatment, and improve patients’ clinical outcomes. Recommendations for clinicians Most of the guidelines and consensus documents published on behalf of professional societies focused on thrombosis and hemostasis advocate the use of anticoagulants in all patients hospitalized with COVID-19, as well as 2-6 weeks post hospital discharge in the absence of contraindications. However, since there is no guidance for deciding the intensity and duration of anticoagulation, the decision-making process should be made in individual-case basis. Conclusions Here, we review the mechanistic relationships between inflammation and thrombosis, discuss the macrovascular and microvascular complications and summarize the prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of thromboembolism in patients affected by COVID-19

Use of beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers in antihypertensive therapy advised by Polish medical doctors – a final report from questionnaire ALMONDS study

Wprowadzenie: Beta-adrenolityki i antagoniści wapnia należą do podstawowych leków stosowanych w leczeniu nadciśnienia tętniczego (NT). Dostępność nowych generacji leków o unikatowych właściwościach farmakologicz­nych w obrębie tych klas stwarza możliwość zwiększenia skuteczności i poprawy tolerancji terapii hipotensyjnej. Celem ankietowego badania ALMONDS była identyfikacja postaw polskich lekarzy wobec nowych leków sto­sowanych w terapii NT, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem opinii na temat „efektu klasy” (równoważności leków w obrębie grupy terapeutycznej) w obrębie leków hipotensyjnych. Materiał i metody: Badanie przeprowadzono w formie wystandaryzowanej ankiety, którą wypełniło 784 lekarzy specjalistów lub specjalizujących się w kardiologii, internie, medycynie rodzinnej i diabetologii. Forma listowna i anonimowość kwestionariusza ankietowego pozwoliły zmaksymalizować wiarygodność uzyskanego materiału. Wyniki: Wśród lekarzy biorących udział w badaniu dominowały kobiety oraz osoby w wieku 46–60 lat. Znaczący odsetek lekarzy uzyskał specjalizację z interny i w zawodzie pracował od ponad 20 lat. W leczeniu niepowikłanego NT, NT współistniejącego z cukrzycą/zespołem metabolicznym i NT powikłanego chorobą wieńcową spośród beta-adrenolityków najczęściej wybierano nebiwolol lub bisoprolol. Według badanych, połączenie beta-adreno­lityku z diuretykiem w wytycznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Nadciśnienia Tętniczego (PTNT) powinno być ujęte jako możliwe, ale tylko w podgrupie chorych ze współistniejącą niewydolnością serca lub dopuszczone, ale tylko dla połączeń diuretyku z nebiwololem i karwedilolem. W opinii uczestników badania, spośród leków z grupy antagonistów wapnia będzie się odchodzić od amlodipiny na rzecz nowszych pochodnych dihydropirydyny III generacji, głównie lerkanidipiny. Wnioski: Wyniki badania wskazują na homogeniczność postaw lekarzy wobec zasad leczenia NT, a także na preferencje dotyczące III generacji preparatów hipotensyjnych z poszczególnych klas. Ankietowani spośród beta-adrenolityków preferowali nebiwolol, a wśród antagonistów wapnia — lerkanidipinę. Stanowisko to pozostaje w dużej mierze spójne z wytycznymi PTNT 2015.Introduction: Beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers belong to the most widely established classes of antihypertensive medications. The introduction of novel molecules from these groups, which have the unique pharmacological characteristics, has created the possibility to improve the efficacy and tolerability of antihypertensive therapy.The aim of the study: The aim of the questionnaire ALMONDS study was to identify the attitude of Polish medical professionals towards novel pharmacological agents used in the therapy of arterial hypertension. Especially, we sought to investigate the views regarding the “class effect” within antihypertensive agents.Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using the standardized survey, which was filled in by 784 medical doctors, who specialized in cardiology, internal medicine, primary health care and diabetology. All participants received the survey by post and remained anonymous, which allowed to maximize the reliability of collected data.Results: The majority of the study group was female, aged 40-60 years. Substantial part of medical doctors specialized in internal medicine and had more than 20 years of occupational experience. In the therapy of uncomplicated arterial hypertension, hypertension with concomitant diabetes mellitus/ metabolic syndrome and hypertension with coexisting coronary artery disease, nebivolol and bisoprolol were the most frequently selected beta-blockers. According to study participants, the combination of beta-blocker with a diuretic in the Guidelines of Polish Society of Hypertension should be possible, but only in patients with concomitant heart failure, or acceptable, but only for the combination of diuretic with nebivolol or carvedilol. Among the calcium channel blockers, the study participants prognosed that the clinical application of amlodipine will decrease, whereas the application of newer calcium channel blockers of the III generation, especially lercanidipine, will increase.Conclusions: The results of the study indicate the homogeneity of the views that Polish medical specialists have on antyhypertensive therapy. We conclude that medical doctors have clear preferences regarding specific pharmacological agents within the groups. Among beta-blockers, nebivolol was preferred, whereas among calcium channel blockers, lercanidipine was the most frequently selected. This attitude remains coherent with the Guidelines of Polish Society of Hypertension

Expression of miR-223 to predict outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established treatment for aortic stenosis (AS) in patients at increased surgical risk. Up to 29% of patients annually experience major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) after TAVI. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are currently widely investigated as novel cardiovascular biomarkers. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of TAVI on the expressions of selected miRNAs associated with platelet function (miR-125a-5p, miR-125b and miR-223), and evaluate the predictive value of these miRNAs for MACCE in 65 patients undergoing TAVI. Methods: Venous blood samples for miRNA expression analysis were collected 1 day before TAVI and at hospital discharge. The expression of miR-223, miR-125a-5p, miR-125b was evaluated in platelet-depleted plasma. Results: The expression of miR-223 and miR-125b increased after TAVI, compared to the measurement before (p = 0.020, p = 0.003, respectively). Among 63 patients discharged from the hospital, 18 patients experienced MACCE (29%) during the median 15 months of observation. Baseline low miR-223 expression was a predictor of MACCE in univariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–7.01; p = 0.041). After inclusion of covariates, age, gender (male), New York Heart Association class and diabetes into the multivariate Cox regression model, miR-223 did not reach statistical significance (HR: 2.56, 95% CI: 0.79–8.33; p = 0.118). Conclusions: To conclude, miR-223 might improve risk stratification after TAVI. Further studies are required to confirm the clinical applicability of this promising biomarker

Skład chemiczny roślin melisy i bazylii uprawianych w zróżnicowanych warunkach świetlnych

The aim of this study was to compare chemical composition of lemon balm and basil herbage grown in containers under fluorescent lamps (FL) and LED modules (LEDs). There were significant differences in the response of the species for the applied source of light. The content of essential oils was greater in basil herbage under fluorescent lamps, whereas the content of essential oils in lemon balm herbage was greater under LED lamps. The basil and lemon balm plants were characterised by high content of fructose and glucose and by very low content of sucrose. There were no significant differences in the nitrates content in basil and lemon balm herbage grown under either source of light. Both the basil and lemon balm herbage were found to have higher content of macroand micronutrients when they were grown under LEDs compared with fluorescent lamps. It can be concluded that the chemical composition of lemon balm and basil herbage was very varied and dependent on both the light and the species.Światło jest jednym z czynników uprawy roślin mających wpływ na ich skład fitochemiczny. Jednak reakcja roślin na światło jest bardzo różna. Celem pracy było porównanie składu chemicznego ziela melisy i bazylii uprawianych w pojemnikach w zróżnicowanych warunkach świetlnych. Jako źródeł światła użyto lamp fluorescencyjnych (FL) oraz modułów diodowych. Stwierdzono istotne różnice w reakcji obu gatunków w zależności od zastosowanego światła. Zawartość olejków eterycznych w zielu bazylii była większa w uprawie przy lampach fluorescencyjnych, z kolei w zielu melisy była większa w uprawie pod modułami LED. Ziele bazylii i melisy charakteryzowało się dużą zawartością fruktozy i glukozy oraz bardzo małą zawartością sacharozy. Nie stwierdzono istotnych różnic w zawartości azotanów w bazylii i melisie dla obu źródeł światła. Zarówno bazylia, jak i melisa charakteryzowały się większą zawartość makro- i mikroelementów w uprawie pod diodami. Zawartość badanych substancji w zielu melisy i bazylii zależała zarówno od zastosowanego źródła światła jak i od gatunku