Influence of metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular diseases on cognitive impairment in elderly patients

Wstęp. Zaburzenia funkcji poznawczych występujące u osób starszych obniżają jakość życia i wpływają na stan zdrowia tych pacjentów. Celem pracy jest ocena zaburzeń poznawczych u osób starszych, ustalenie związku między stopniem tych zaburzeń i metabolicznymi czynnikami ryzyka chorób sercowo-naczyniowych. Materiał i metody. U 93 starszych pacjentów przeprowadzono test MMSE, na podstawie którego utworzono następujące grupy: 1 &#8212; kontrolna (bez zaburzeń poznawczych), 2 &#8212; pacjenci z zaburzeniami poznawczymi oraz podgrupy: 2a &#8212; osoby z łagodnymi zaburzeniami, 2b &#8212; chorzy z zaburzeniami średniozaawansowanymi i głębokimi. Oceniono zależność pomiędzy stopniem zaburzeń poznawczych i stężeniem frakcji lipidowych. Na podstawie kryteriów klinicznych, takich jak: I &#8212; obecność cukrzycy, II &#8212; zwężenia tętnic szyjnych > 50%, III &#8212; współistnienie obu tych czynników, IV &#8212; występowanie zespołu metabolicznego, wyodrębniono 4 grupy. Wyniki. Uzyskano dodatnią korelację MMSE i stężenia cholesterolu frakcji HDL (HDL-C), ujemną korelację: MMSE i LDL/HDL, brak korelacji: MMSE i stężenia cholesterolu całkowitego (TC), cholesterolu frakcji LDL (LDL-C) i triglicerydów (TG), istotne różnice stężeń frakcji lipidowych TG, HDL-C i LDL/HDL pomiędzy grupą 1 i 2; różnice te zwiększają się przy porównaniu grupy 1 i podgrupy 2b. Uzyskano niższy wynik MMSE u chorych na cukrzycę i u pacjentów z zaawansowanymi zmianami w tętnicach szyjnych; wartość ta jest jeszcze mniejsza, jeśli oba stany współistnieją. Zespół metaboliczny wiąże się z istotnie niższym wynikiem MMSE (p < 0,0004). Wnioski. Zaburzeniom poznawczym i otępieniu u osób w podeszłym wieku towarzyszy niskie stężenie cholesterolu frakcji HDL, wysoka wartość wskaźnika LDL/HDL oraz wysokie stężenie TG. Stężenie cholesterolu frakcji HDL koreluje dodatnio, a wartość LDL/HDL ujemnie ze stopniem zaburzeń poznawczych. Zmiany miażdżycowe bez istotnego zwężenia tętnic szyjnych nie wpływają na funkcje poznawcze pacjentów. Zaburzenia poznawcze są większe u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2, z zaawansowanymi zmianami tętnic szyjnych i pogłębiają się przy współistnieniu obu stanów. Zespół metaboliczny wiąże się z bardzo wysokim ryzykiem osłabienia funkcji poznawczych.Background. Cognitive impairment in older people diminishes their quality of life and interferes with their state of health. The aim of the study is the assessment of cognitive functions in elderly people, the evaluation of the correlation between cognitive impairment and metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. Material and methods. 93 patients over 60 years old completed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), as a consequence, the following the groups were established: Group 1 &#8212; control group without cognitive impairment, group 2 &#8212; presence of cognitive impairment: 2a &#8212; mild impairment, 2b &#8212; moderate or severe dementia. The interdependence of the MMSE score and serum concentration of fractionated lipids was evaluated, and it was examined whether cognitive impairment was connected with diabetes type 2, carotid arteries stenosis or with the coexistence of the first two and finally with the metabolic syndrome. Results. The following results were obtained: a positive correlation between MMSE score and HDL-C concentration, negative correlation between MMSE score and LDL/HDL index, no correlation between MMSE score and TC, LDL-C and TG concentration. In patients of group 2, the HDL-C concentration was significantly lower, the TG concentration higher, and the LDL/HDL index was higher than in group 1, these tendencies increased when both groups, 1 and 2b were compared. In patients with diabetes or with carotid stenosis, the MMSE score was low, the results decreased in patients with the coexistence of both. Patients with metabolic syndrome revealed significantly lower MMSE scores compared to patients without the syndrome (p < 0.0004). Conclusion. Low HDL-C concentration, high value of LDL/HDL coefficient and high TG concentration are connected with cognitive impairment in elderly people. HDL-C concentrations correlate positively, and values of LDL/HDL coefficients correlate negatively, with the degree of cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive impairment is connected with diabetes type 2 and carotid stenosis, and it intensifies in patients suffering from both. Metabolic syndrome gives a very high risk of cognitive impairment

Impact of the Biological Cotreatment of the Kalina Pond Leachate on Laboratory Sequencing Batch Reactor Operation and Activated Sludge Quality

Hauling landfill leachate to o site urban wastewater treatment plants is a way to achieve pollutant removal. However, the implementation of biological methods for the treatment of landfill leachate can be extremely challenging. This study aims to investigate the e ect of blending wastewater with 3.5% and 5.5% of the industrial leachate from the Kalina pond (KPL) on the performance of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and capacity of activated sludge microorganisms. The results showed that the removal e ciency of the chemical oxygen demand declined in the contaminated SBR from 100% to 69% and, subsequently, to 41% after the cotreatment with 3.5% and 5.5% of the pollutant. In parallel, the activities of the dehydrogenases and nonspecific esterases declined by 58% and 39%, and 79% and 81% after 32 days of the exposure of the SBR to 3.5% and 5.5% of the leachate, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of the KPL in the sewage a ected the sludge microorganisms through a reduction in their functional capacity as well as a decrease in the percentages of the marker fatty acids for di erent microbial groups. A multifactorial analysis of the parameters relevant for the wastewater treatment process confirmed unambiguously the negative impact of the leachate on the operation, activity, and structure of the activated sludge

Phytosulfokine stimulates cell divisions in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) mesophyll protoplast cultures

The aim of this work was to improve plating efficiency of sugar beet mesophyll protoplast cultures. Preliminary experiments showed that cultures of good quality, viable protoplasts were obtained in rich media based on the Kao and Michayluk formulation and with the calcium alginate as an embedding matrix. Nevertheless, in these cultures cell divisions were either not observed or very seldom confirming earlier reported recalcitrance of sugar beet protoplasts. The recalcitrant status of these cultures was reversed upon application of exogenous phytosulfokine (PSK)—a peptidyl plant growth factor. The highest effectiveness of PSK was observed at 100 nM concentration. Plating efficiencies obtained in the presence of PSK reached approximately 20% of the total cultured cells. The stimulatory effect of phytosulfokine was observed for all tested breeding stocks of sugar beet. Our data indicate that PSK is a powerful agent able to overcome recalcitrance of plant protoplast cultures

Lasso Proteins—Unifying Cysteine Knots and Miniproteins

Complex lasso proteins are a recently identified class of biological compounds that are present in considerable fraction of proteins with disulfide bridges. In this work, we look at complex lasso proteins as a generalization of well-known cysteine knots and miniproteins (lasso peptides). In particular, we show that complex lasso proteins with the same crucial topological features—cysteine knots and lasso peptides—are antimicrobial proteins, which suggests that they act as a molecular plug. Based on an analysis of the stability of the lasso piercing residue, we also introduce a method to determine which lasso motif is potentially functional. Using this method, we show that the lasso motif in antimicrobial proteins, as well in that in cytokines, is functionally relevant. We also study the evolution of lasso motifs, their conservation, and the usefulness of the lasso fingerprint, which extracts all topologically non-triviality concerning covalent loops. The work is completed by the presentation of extensive statistics on complex lasso proteins to analyze, in particular, the strange propensity for “negative” piercings. We also identify 21 previously unknown complex lasso proteins with an ester and a thioester bridge