Wild vascular plants gathered for consumption in the Polish countryside: a review

BACKGROUND: This paper is an ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants gathered for consumption from the end of the 18(th )century to the present day, within the present borders of Poland. METHODS: 42 ethnographic and botanical sources documenting the culinary use of wild plants were analyzed. RESULTS: The use of 112 species (3.7% of the flora) has been recorded. Only half of them have been used since the 1960s. Three species: Cirsium rivulare, Euphorbia peplus and Scirpus sylvaticus have never before been reported as edible by ethnobotanical literature. The list of wild edible plants which are still commonly gathered includes only two green vegetables (Rumex acetosa leaves for soups and Oxalis acetosella as children's snack), 15 folk species of fruits and seeds (Crataegus spp., Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Fragaria vesca, Malus domestica, Prunus spinosa, Pyrus spp., Rosa canina, Rubus idaeus, Rubus sect. Rubus, Sambucus nigra, Vaccinium myrtillus, V. oxycoccos, V. uliginosum, V. vitis-idaea) and four taxa used for seasoning or as preservatives (Armoracia rusticana root and leaves, Carum carvi seeds, Juniperus communis pseudo-fruits and Quercus spp. leaves). The use of other species is either forgotten or very rare. In the past, several species were used for food in times of scarcity, most commonly Chenopodium album, Urtica dioica, U. urens, Elymus repens, Oxalis acetosella and Cirsium spp., but now the use of wild plants is mainly restricted to raw consumption or making juices, jams, wines and other preserves. The history of the gradual disappearance of the original barszcz, Heracleum sphondylium soup, from Polish cuisine has been researched in detail and two, previously unpublished, instances of its use in the 20(th )century have been found in the Carpathians. An increase in the culinary use of some wild plants due to media publications can be observed. CONCLUSION: Poland can be characterized as a country where the traditions of culinary use of wild plants became impoverished very early, compared to some parts of southern Europe. The present use of wild plants, even among the oldest generation, has been almost entirely restricted to fruits

Switching from Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin to insulin glargine 300 U/mL in older and younger patients with type 2 diabetes : a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective, observational study

INTRODUCTION: Older age and longer disease duration are key risk factors for hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who receive insulin. Previous studies have shown that insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) improves glycemic control and reduces the risk of hypoglycemia, but whether this effect is observed in older patients switching from neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin is unclear. METHODS: In this multicenter, observational study involving patients with T2D aged ≥ 18 years with glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) ≥ 8%, we compared the safety and effectiveness of switching from NPH insulin to Gla-300 in subgroups of patients differing by age ( 13 years). RESULTS: A total of 469 participants were included in the study. From baseline to 6 months after switching to Gla-300, mean HbA(1c) decreased from 9.23% to 8.13% (p  65 years (245 patients). The proportion of patients with ≥ 1 episodes of hypoglycemia decreased from 19.1% to 13.6% (p = 0.11) among those aged ≤ 65 years, and from 26.9% to 13.0% (p  65 years; the reduction was significantly greater in those aged > 65 years (p = 0.001). The reduction in HbA(1c) was greater in those with a disease duration ≤ 13 years (p = 0.007), but the reduction in hypoglycemia was greater in those with a disease duration > 13 years (p < 0.0003). CONCLUSION: The switch from NPH insulin to Gla-300 improved glycemic control in older patients with T2D and in those with a longer disease duration. Older patients with T2D and those with a longer disease duration benefited even more from the switch to Gla-300 than younger patients and those with a shorter disease duration, with significantly greater reductions in the risk of hypoglycemia. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13300-021-01199-4