From spring sources to springbrook : changes in environmental characteristics and benthic fauna

Spatial patterns in macroinvertebrate communities and some abiotic factors were examined in three rheocrene springs and their springbrooks (Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, southern Poland). The mean discharge of particular springs ranged from 5 to 11 L s-1, and its annual fluctuations were small. Water temperature was very stable at all sampling sites. In the eucrenon the number of benthic taxa was the smallest (9-14 determined to the family level), but the densities were the highest (approx. 14000 ind. m-2). The biggest changes in macroinvertebrate composition were observed in the modified hypocrenon, which is an artificial pond. The lowest number of taxa were found in a natural, short springbrook with a nondiversified bottom substrate. The density of crenophilic taxa (Drusus trifidus, Dugesia gonocephala, Elmidae) diminished along the springbrooks, while the opposite trend was observed for ubiquitous taxa (some Oligochaeta, Asellus aquaticus and Chironomidae). Even in a very short natural springbrook (30 m), Drusus trifidus, the only species of Trichoptera found in the springs discussed here, goes through the entire development cycle. The strongest influence of a big river was observed at the outflow of one of the natural springbrooks, where the highest number of riverine oligochaete species were found. The benthic fauna of the springs studied here differed from that found in other springs in this area - the absence of the typical crenophilic species Bithynella austriaca (Gastropoda) and the presence of Gianus aquedulcis (Oligochaeta) may indicate the autonomy of the spring fauna in the Mstów area, possibly resulting from the postglacial geomorphological formation of this region or differences in habitat conditions

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and hepatopulmonary syndrome in patient assessed prior to liver transplantation

Kardiomiopatia wątrobowa (CCM) i zespół wątrobowo-płucny (HPS) stanowią kliniczną manifestację zaburzeń w układzie krążenia w przebiegu nadciśnienia wrotnego. U pacjentów z marskością wątroby jedynym skutecznym leczeniem przyczynowym tych narządowych powikłań jest transplantacja wątroby. W artykule przedstawiono przypadek 47-letniego mężczyzny z pierwotnym stwardniającym zapaleniem dróg żółciowych, u którego w trakcie procesu kwalifikacji do transplantacji wątroby stwierdzono CCM oraz HPS. Istotność kliniczną patologii układu krążenia rozpoznano na podstawie sercowo-płucnego testu wysiłkowego, jednak — mimo podwyższonego ryzyka operacyjnego — transplantacja wątroby przebiegła pomyślnie.Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) and hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) comprise clinical manifestation of cardiovascular dysfunction associated with portal hypertension. In patients with liver cirrhosis, the only effective treatment for this organ complication is liver transplantation. In this article we present a case of 47-year-old man with primary sclerosing cholangitis, developing CCM and HPS diagnosed during pretransplant evaluation. Clinical relevance of cardiovascular dysfunction was assessed in cardio-pulmonary exercise test. Despite of increased risk for major perioperative cardiovascular complications, liver transplantation was performed successfully

Znaczenie przetrwałego otworu owalnego u pacjenta kwalifikowanego do zabiegu ortotopowego przeszczepienia wątroby

Persistent foramen ovale (PFO) is a congenital defect of interatrial septum, that in majority of patients stays asymptomatic. However, in conditions that lead to increased pressure in right atrium over left atrium, it may lead to blood shunt from the right to the left atrium. We are presenting a case report of 63-years-old male who was referred to the qualification for the orthotopic liver transplantation due to the decompensated liver cirrhosis. During transesophageal echocardiography with contrast PFO was detected. In the literature cases suggesting increased perioperative risk in patients with PFO are described. It is both related to air embolisms connected with the transplantation itself and possibility of crossed embolisms. For this reason, the patient was scheduled to the transcatheter PFO closure, after which he could have liver transplantation. The operation was performed a month later, uneventfully.Przetrwały otwór owalny (PFO) to wrodzona wada przegrody międzyprzedsionkowej, która w większości przypadków nie ujawnia się klinicznie. Jednak w warunkach doprowadzających do przewyższenia wartości ciśnienia w prawym przedsionku nad lewym przedsionkiem może stanowić przyczynę przecieku prawo-lewego. W artykule przedstawiono przypadek 63-letniego mężczyzny ze schyłkową niewydolnością wątroby marskiej, kwalifikowanego do zabiegu ortotopowego przeszczepienia wątroby. U pacjenta podczas przezprzełykowego badania echokardiograficznego z użyciem kontrastu stwierdzono PFO. W literaturze istnieją opisy przypadków sugerujące podwyższone ryzyko okołooperacyjne w grupie pacjentów z PFO, które ma wynikać z ryzyka powstawania zatorów powietrznych podczas transplantacji wątroby, jak i, dodatkowo, z możliwości powstania zatorów skrzyżowanych przez PFO. Z tego powodu podjęto decyzję o przezskórnym zamknięciu PFO przed planowanym przeszczepieniem. Po wykonanym zabiegu pacjenta zakwalifikowano do operacji transplantacji wątroby, która odbyła bez powikłań, miesiąc po zamknięciu ubytku

An overview of stygobiontic invertebrates of Poland based on published data

Based on published literature, at least eighty species of stygobiontic invertebrates are confirmed in Poland. The highest number of these species is found in interstitial waters and wells, while a lower number was discovered in caves and springs. Hydrachnidia is represented by 45 species living mainly in interstitial waters, Crustacea by 24, Annelida by eleven species, while Turbellaria and Gastropoda are each represented by one species. As many as 14 endemic species were described from Poland but the taxonomical status of some of them is unclear. The highest number of stygobionts was stated in southern part of Poland, an area onto which most of the studies were focused on

Invertebrate fauna in municipal wells in Kraków, Poland

This study of fauna in municipal wells continues our previous investigations performed in rural areas (Dumnicka et al. 2017). The invertebrate fauna of city wells was rarely studied: by Vejdovský (1882) and Řehačkova (1953) in Prague, Jaworowski (1893) in Kraków and recently by Koch et al. (2020) in Karlsruhe.In 2019-2020 studies of fauna composition and water chemistry were done twice (spring-summer and autumn period) in 91 wells situated in various parts of the Kraków city. This work evaluated fauna distribution and diversity with patchy bedrock geological structure and local water pollution.Water temperature and conductivity were measured in situ using a portable Elmetron CX-742 pH meter. In contrast, chemical analyses were done in the laboratory with DIONEX ICS 2000 unit and a DIONEX ICS 5000 unit, equipped with a DIONEX AS18 anion column and a DIONEX CS16 cation column. For fauna studies, 100 l of water was filtered by a plankton net (50 μ m mesh size), and invertebrates were sorted in vivo under a stereoscopic microscope with 10x magnification. The material was determined to family level, except for Rotifera.Our results showed that water chemistry in Kraków wells varied strongly spatially and between sample collection times – this was also stated by various authors and summarized by Chowaniec et al. (2007). The depth of the wells varied from 5.0 to 100 m. Water temperature was relatively high (average value 12.95 ±1.4 o C) and pH almost neutral (7. 13 ±0.34). Water conductivity values were very high (1324.3±572 µS) due to high concentrations of calcium (170.3±66 mg L-1), sulfates (151.8±81.4 mg L-1), and less frequently chlorides (155.5±143.7 mg L-1). In many wells, ammonium ion was present (0.354±0.764 mg L-1), whereas, in other samples, nitrate concentrations varied strongly from 0.1 to 130.5 mg L-1 (average value 21.92±27 mg L-1).The occurrence of invertebrates (at least from one taxonomic group) was stated in 74 wells. Copepoda (family Cyclopidae) were found most frequently (in 40 wells) and in highest numbers (it means that in some wells several dozens of individuals were caught). Nematods and annelids were stated in 19 and 17 wells respectively, but in small number. The remaining groups, such as turbellarians (Catenulida and Rhabdocoela), rotifers and ostracods were present in a few wells only, while amphipods (Niphargus tatrensis morphospecies) exclusively in two wells. Moreover, dipterans larvae (from families: Anisopodidae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Empididae, Limoniidae, Psychodidae and Rhagionidae) were found in 13 wells, whereas Collembola, considered to be terrestrial fauna, were found in 49 wells. In the majority of cases all springtails and fly larvae were alive. The presence of Diptera and Collembola inside the wells might result from leak of pump mechanisms therefore these invertebrates could just survive for some time inside pumps.The occurrence of invertebrates (at least from one taxonomic group) was started in 74 wells. Copepoda (family Cyclopidae) was found most frequently (in 40 wells) and in the highest numbers (it means that in some wells, several dozens of individuals were samples). Nematodes and annelids were stated in 19 and 17 wells, respectively, but in small numbers. The remaining groups, such as turbellarians (Catenulida and Rhabdocoela), rotifers, and ostracods, were present in a few wells, while amphipods (Niphargus tatrensis morphospecies) exclusively in two wells. Moreover, dipterans larvae (from families: Anisopodidae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Empididae, Limoniidae, Psychodidae, and Rhagionidae) were found in 13 wells, whereas Collembola, considered to be terrestrial fauna, were found in 49 wells. In the majority of cases, all springtails and fly larvae were alive. The presence of Diptera and Collembola inside the wells might result from the leak of pump mechanisms; therefore, these invertebrates could just survive for some time inside pumps.Statistical analysis (Student t-test) revealed that the presence of fauna was not dependent on the depth of the wells (p ˂ 0.12). The effect of water pollution (expressed as increased concentrations of ammonium and chloride ions) on the presence of fauna was also not statistically significant, except for sulfide ions (p ˂ 0.058).In wells situated close to small running waters located on karstic bedrock or alluvial sediments, the presence of stygobionts (Niphargus tatrensis morphospecies, Trichodrilus cernosvitovi and Typhlocypris cf. eremita) was stated, whereas in wells situated along Vistula River no aquatic fauna was found probably due to the impermeable clay layer, which isolated wells water from water table of the river.The only study of fauna in dug municipal wells in Kraków made by Jaworowski (1893) showed higher water pollution than was found in this study: the crustaceans were found rarely, whereas ciliates were abundant and diversified.Collected material demonstrated the occurrence of relatively rich invertebrate fauna in subterranean city waters, but the effect of various parameters on its distribution has not been firmly established

Poziom aktywności fizycznej kobiet w okresie pandemii COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: It is known that regular physical activity (PA) brings many health benefits. However, during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic the lifestyle, everyday work, social behavior, quality of life, ways and forms of spending free time changed. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the level of PA in menopausal women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study material consisted of 126 women before the onset of the pandemic and 114 women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was carried out in the area of Silesia. The research tool was a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was observed in the case of a difference in the moderate level of PA (627.32 MET-min/week before COVID-19 and 138.6 during COVID-19, p = 0.01) and walking (1952.25 MET-min/week before COVID-19 and 422.63 MET-min/week during COVID-19, p = 0.03). The results showed that the time devoted to moderate PA decreased statistically. The mean days decreased from 2.8 to 0.96 (p = 0.02) and the mean duration of moderate PA decreased from 39.92 to 15.61 minutes (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the level of PA in menopausal women. The respondents exercised much less often and the time devoted to PA was also shortened. The subjects most often chose walking as the form of PA.WSTĘP: Regularna aktywność fizyczna (physical activity – PA) niesie za sobą wiele korzyści zdrowotnych. Jednak pod-czas pandemii COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) zmieniły się styl życia, codzienna praca, zachowania społeczne, jakość życia, sposoby i formy spędzania wolnego czasu. Celem badania była ocena wpływu pandemii COVID-19 na po-ziom PA kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym. MATERIAŁ I METODY: Materiał badawczy stanowiło 126 kobiet przed wybuchem pandemii i 114 kobiet podczas pandemii COVID-19. Badania prowadzono na terenie Śląska. Narzędziem badawczym były skrócone wersje Międzynarodowego Kwestionariusza Aktywności Fizycznej (International Physical Activity Questionnaire – IPAQ) oraz Skali Oceny Menopauzy (Menopause Rating Scale –MRS). WYNIKI: Istotną statystycznie korelację zaobserwowano w przypadku różnicy w umiarkowanym poziomie PA (627,32 MET-min/tydzień przed COVID-19 i 138,6 podczas COVID-19, p = 0,01) i chodzeniu (1952,25 MET-min/ty-dzień przed COVID-19 i 422,63 MET-min/tydzień podczas COVID-19, p = 0,03). Wyniki pokazały, że statystycznie uległ skróceniu czas poświęcany na umiarkowaną PA. Średnia liczba dni zmniejszyła się z 2,8 do 0,96 (p = 0,02), a średni czas trwania umiarkowanej PA z 39,92 do 15,61 minuty (p < 0,001). WNIOSKI: Pandemia COVID-19 istotnie wpłynęła na poziom PA kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym. Kobiety ćwiczyły znacznie rzadziej, skrócono również czas poświęcany na PA. Jako formę PA badane najchętniej wybierały chód

What Promotes Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Myocardial Infarction and Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease—Contrast Media, Hydration Status or Something Else?

Multivessel coronary artery disease (MVCAD) is found in approximately 50% of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although we have data showing the benefits of revascularization of significant non-culprit coronary lesions in patients with AMI, the optimal timing of angioplasty remains unclear. The most common reason for postponing subsequent percutaneous treatment is the fear of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients with AMI undergoing PCI, and its etiology appears to be complex and incompletely understood. In this review, we discuss the definition, pathophysiology and risk factors of AKI in patients with AMI undergoing PCI. We present the impact of AKI on the course of hospitalization and distant prognosis of patients with AMI. Special attention was paid to the phenomenon of AKI in patients undergoing multivessel revascularization. We analyze the correlation between increased exposure to contrast medium (CM) and the risk of AKI in patients with AMI to provide information useful in the decision-making process about the optimal timing of revascularization of non-culprit lesions. In addition, we present diagnostic tools in the form of new biomarkers of AKI and discuss ways to prevent and mitigate the course of AKI