Determination of common inorganic anions in tea samples by ion chromatography

Plants exposure to environmental sources of common inorganic anions (chloride, nitrate, phosphate, and sulphate) is discussed. Various commercial tea products were examined for the content of water soluble anions by the use of sample preparation procedure corresponding to the conditions generally applied for the preparation of tea infusions (2 g of tea, 5 min brewing time, 250 ml final volume) widely consumed by humans. Suppressed ion chromatography (IC) (Metrohm Metrosep A Supp 5 (150 mm × 4 mm) column) with conductometric detection was used for the determination. The IC technique allows isolation of the signals of particular anions and their detection (DLs of 0.012 (Cl−), 0.019 (NO3 −), 0.047 (PO 43–), and 0.011 (SO 42–) mg l−1) within 15 min

Recenzja monografii. Rozumieć chaos. Rzecz o terminach i znaczeniach im nadawanych w pedagogice specjalnej autorstwa Sławomira Olszewskiego i Katarzyny Parys

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Analysis of instagram® posts referring to cleft lip

Background: Social media has become a source of medical information. Cleft lip and palate is a visible congenital anomaly. The aim of the study was to analyze Instagram® posts on the topic of cleft lip. Methods: Instagram® posts with “#cleftlip” from March 2014–March 2017 were accessed. Separate lists of expressions (hashtags, meaningful words, words with emojis or emojis alone) were prepared for primary posts and for replies. Thirty expressions statistically most frequent in primary versus secondary posts and 30 in secondary versus primary posts were identified (Group 1) as well as 30 English words or hashtags (Group 2), non-English words or hashtags (Group 3) and emojis (Group 4). The frequencies of expressions were compared (Z-test for the difference of two population proportions). Results: There were 34,129 posts, (5427 primary posts and 28,702 replies), containing 62,163 expressions, (35,004 in primary posts). The occurrence of all expressions was 454,162, (225,418 in primary posts and 228,744 in replies). Posts with positive expressions such as “beautiful”, “love”, “cute”, “great”, “awesome” occurred more often than these with negative ones. In replies all emojis were positive. Conclusions: Numerous Instagram® posts referring to cleft lip are published and do provoke discussion. People express their solidarity and sympathize with persons affected by cleft

Comparative Study of Anterior Eye Segment Measurements with Spectral Swept-Source and Time-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Eyes with Corneal Dystrophies

Purpose. To compare anterior eye segment measurements and morphology obtained with two optical coherence tomography systems (TD OCT, SS OCT) in eyes with corneal dystrophies (CDs). Methods. Fifty healthy volunteers (50 eyes) and 54 patients (96 eyes) diagnosed with CD (epithelial basement membrane dystrophy, EBMD = 12 eyes; Thiel-Behnke CD = 6 eyes; lattice CD TGFBI type = 15 eyes; granular CD type 1 = 7 eyes, granular CD type 2 = 2 eyes; macular CD = 23 eyes; and Fuchs endothelial CD = 31 eyes) were recruited for the study. Automated and manual central corneal thickness (aCCT, mCCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and nasal and temporal trabecular iris angle (nTIA, tTIA) were measured and compared with Bland-Altman plots. Results. Good agreement between the TD and SS OCT measurements was demonstrated for mCCT and aCCT in normal individuals and for mCCT in the CDs group. The ACD, nTIA, and tTIA measurements differed significantly in both groups. TBCD, LCD, and FECD caused increased CCT. MCD caused significant corneal thinning. FECD affected all analyzed parameters. Conclusions. Better agreement between SS OCT and TD OCT measurements was demonstrated in normal individuals compared to the CDs group. OCT provides comprehensive corneal deposits analysis and demonstrates the association of CD with CCT, ACD, and TIA measurements

Analysis of cytosine methylation in genomic dna of solanum × michoacanum (+) s. tuberosum somatic hybrids

Interspecific somatic hybridization is a noteworthy breeding strategy that allows the production of novel genetic variability when crossing barriers exist between two parental species. Although the genetic consequences of somatic hybridization have been well documented, little is known on its impact at the epigenetic level. The objective of our research was to investigate the epigenetic changes, in particular DNA methylation, occurring in a population of potato somatic hybrids. The analysis of 96 Solanum × michoacanum (+) S. tuberosum somatic hybrids from five fusion combinations and their parents was carried out by methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. Six MSAP primer combinations generated 622 unique bands, of which 295 were fully methylated. HPLC analysis showed from 15.5% to 16.9% total cytosine methylation within the parental forms. Overall, the MSAP and HPLC methods indicated an increase in DNA methylation in the somatic hybrids in comparison to their parents. Among the latter, a lower degree of DNA methylation in the wild S. × michoacanum species than S. tuberosum was found. Our findings indicated that somatic hybridization changed the level of cytosine methylation in the studied potato somatic hybrids

Knowledge of emergency management of avulsed teeth among Italian dentists-questionnaire study and next future perspectives

(1) Background: In Italy, about one fourth of all schoolchildren experience a trauma to the permanent dentition. Management of avulsion trauma is challenging and requires adherence to clinical protocols. The aim of this study was to investigate the management knowledge of avulsed teeth among Italian dentists and to promote the guidelines’ dissemination through the use of new social media. (2) Methods: The survey was carried out during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy (March–May 2020). The questionnaire was sent anonymously to a total of 600 dentists. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. Part A—demographic and professional data and Part B—management of traumatic avulsion. (3) Results: The response rate was 50.6% and the mean fraction of correct responses was 0.524. Issues related to the therapeutic management of avulsed teeth were shown to be not well understood by the respondents. Professionals with qualifications in dentistry and those who declared to know the guidelines responded better, while other demographic and professional factors were insignificant. (4) Conclusions: Italian dentists’ knowledge of the management of avulsion trauma should be improved. Educational programs and campaigns must be undertaken to improve their awareness and adherence to the Italian and international guidelines

Medical radioisotopes produced using the alpha particle beam from the Warsaw Heavy Ion Cyclotron

The internal alpha particle beam of the heavy ion cyclotron operated by the Heavy Ion Laboratory (HIL) of the University of Warsaw has a maximum energy of 32 MeV and currently an intensity of up to 1 p A. This beam is used by the HIL-University of Silesia collaboration for the production of research quantities of 211At, 72Se/72As and 43;44Sc radioisotopes. The produced activities are transported to the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology inWarsaw where research on therapeutic and imaging radiopharmaceuticals based on these radioisotopes is pursued

Microelectrode-based probing of charge propagation and redox transitions in concentrated polyoxometallate electrolyte of potential utility for redox flow battery

Concentrated solutions of Keggin-type silicotungstic acid, as well as the system's single crystals (H4SiW12O40*31H2O) and their colloidal suspensions have been tested using the microelectrode methodology to determine mass-transport, electron self-exchange and apparent (effective) diffusion-type coefficients for charge propagation and homogeneous (electron self-exchange) rates of electron transfers. Silicotungstic acid facilitates proton conductivity, and undergoes fast, reversible, multi-electron transfers leading to the formation of highly conducting, mixed-valence (tungsten(VI,V) heteropoly blue) compounds. To develop useful electroanalytical diagnostic criteria, electroanalytical approaches utilizing microdisk electrodes have been adapted to characterize redox transitions of the system and to determine kinetic parameters. Combination of microelectrode-based experiments performed in two distinct diffusional regimes: radial (long-term experiment; e.g., slow scan rate voltammetry or long-pulse chronoamperometry) and linear (short-term experiment; e.g., fast scan rate voltammetry or short-pulse chronocoulometry) permits absolute determination of such parameters as effective concentration of redox centers (C0) and apparent transport (diffusion) coefficient (Dapp). The knowledge of these parameters, in particular of [Dapp1/2 C0] seems to be of importance to the evaluation of utility of redox electrolytes for charge storage. For the colloidal suspension of silicotungstic acid (H4SiW12O40) crystals in the saturated solution, the following values have been obtained: Dapp = 1.8*10-6 cm2 s−1 and C0 = 1.1 mol dm−3, as well as the [Dapp1/2 C0] diagnostic parameter has reached the value as high as 6*10-3 mol/dm−3 cm s−1/2, provided that four electrons are involved in the H4SiW12O40 redox transitions. In this respect, the fact that crystals (dispersed solids) are characterized by high electron self-exchange rate (kex = 1.1*108 dm3 mol−1 s−1) and low activation energy (EA = 18.7 kJ mol−1) facilitating electron transfers between immobilized WVI and WV redox sites is also advantageous