Glycosylation in the thyroid gland : vital aspects of glycoprotein function in thyrocyte physiology and thyroid disorders

The key proteins responsible for hormone synthesis in the thyroid are glycosylated. Oligosaccharides strongly affect the function of glycosylated proteins. Both thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) secreted by the pituitary gland and TSH receptors on the surface of thyrocytes contain N-glycans, which are crucial to their proper activity. Thyroglobulin (Tg), the protein backbone for synthesis of thyroid hormones, is a heavily N-glycosylated protein, containing 20 putative N-glycosylated sites. N-oligosaccharides play a role in Tg transport into the follicular lumen, where thyroid hormones are produced, and into thyrocytes, where hyposialylated Tg is degraded. N-glycans of the cell membrane transporters sodium/iodide symporter and pendrin are necessary for iodide transport. Some changes in glycosylation result in abnormal activity of the thyroid and alteration of the metabolic clearance rate of hormones. Alteration of glycan structures is a pathological process related to the progression of chronic diseases such as thyroid cancers and autoimmunity. Thyroid carcinogenesis is accompanied by changes in sialylation and fucosylation, β1,6-branching of glycans, the content and structure of poly-LacNAc chains, as well as O-GlcNAcylation, while in thyroid autoimmunity the main processes affected are sialylation and fucosylation. The glycobiology of the thyroid gland is an intensively studied field of research, providing new data helpful in understanding the role of the sugar component in thyroid protein biology and disorders

IgG glycosylation in autoimmune diseases

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most abundant glycoprotein in human serum. All IgG subclasses have a single-conserved N-linked glycosylation site at Asn297 of the heavy chain and 10–30% of IgGs are N-glycosylated also in a Fab region. N-glycans of Fc are sialylated and fucosylated biantennary complex-type structures. Glycosylation plays a key role in antibody function, and IgG N-glycans are essential for the proper activity of the immune system. Fc glycans are important for IgG effector functions, whereas Fab oligosaccharides modulate antigen binding. Glycosylation changes of IgG are associated with the development of various human diseases, including autoimmune states. The modification of one sugar moiety in N-glycan structure may result in the stimulation or suppression of immune response. The lack of core fucose leads to the enhancement of pro-inflammatory activity, whereas an increase of sialylation determines immunosuppressive properties of IgG. The contribution of IgG Fc glycosylation changes has been demonstrated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus and Crohn’s disease. A decrease in IgG galactosylation and sialylation, found in these diseases, activates effector cells and triggers inflammatory reactions. A detailed analysis of changes in IgG glycosylation and their effects on the development of autoimmune diseases is important in the treatment of these diseases. IgGs with modified α2,6-sialylation are used as therapeutic antibodies with anti-inflammatory properties. Numerous studies on IgG glycosylation have provided evidence of the role of this post-translational modification in the proper functioning of antibodies and the importance of changes in the structure of IgG glycans, mainly incomplete galactosylation and desialylation, in the pathogenesis of many diseases. The continuation of these studies may contribute to explaining the mechanisms of autoimmunity that is still poorly understood

Assessment on society’s opinion about using psychological and psychiatric help

To properly treat diseases related to the human psyche, the help of specialists in psychology or psychiatry is essential. Unfortunately, its use is often negatively perceived by society, which discourages people with mental disorders to use it. It was decided to examine the opinion of society on this issue. For this purpose, we used the original questionnaire " A Survey of public opinion on the use of psychological or psychiatric help", conducted among 238 people. The answers were statistically analyzed.The results of the questionnaire confirm the existence of the problem. In addition, more than 70% of the respondents believe that access to psychological or psychiatric help is not easy. Nearly 60% of the respondents criticized visits to a psychologist or psychiatrist, of which 37.9% were from people close to them. Only half of the respondents decided to use the help of a specialist, and 78% of them felt fear before the visit, associated with the diagnosis (33.6%), the ineffectiveness of therapy (25%), and the opinion of relatives (9.5%). Despite this, only 5.2% experienced a negative perception.The analysis of the literature indicates a large role of stigmatization of people with mental disorders as a factor influencing the occurrence of reluctance to seek help from psychologists or psychiatrists. The influence of gender and age on this state of affairs has also been noted.Increasing social awareness of the positive aspects of seeking help from psychologists or psychiatrists can significantly change public opinion on this issue. This can bring many benefits to people struggling with mental health problems, as well as reduce their fear of visiting a specialist

Microfungi of the Tatra Mts. 6. Fungus-like organisms: Albuginales, Peronosporales and Pythiales

A list and the distribution of Oomycota species in the Tatra Mts (Western Carpathian Mts) are presented. Revised herbarium vouchers and literature data were used for analysis. Thirty two species of oomycetes on fifty seven plant species were noted in the area, including two species of the order Albuginales (genera: Albugo and Pustula, on nine plant species), 29 species of the order Peronosporales (genera: Bremia, Hyaloperonospora, Peronospora and Plasmopara, on 49 plant species), and one species of the order Pythiales (genus: Myzocytium, on one species of algae). Twenty nine species were collected on the Polish side of the Tatra Mts and ten species were collected on the Slovak side. The oomycetes were collected at 185 localities

Telemedicine – assesment of society’s opinion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to use some safety measures due to decrease spreading of the virus. One of them is introducing teleconsultations as a form of medical consultation. It allows patients to talk with the doctor without visiting the hospital.The aim of the study is to present the society’s opinion on teleconsultations and its most common disadvantages. The method of the study was an online survey, conducted on 68 people, whose answers were statistically analyzed.During the pandemic, 85% of the respondents took part in the teleconsultation. After thay, they rated quality of the teleconsultation form 1 to 5, where 5 was the highest rate. Only 26,8% of them rated their teleconsultation 5, 17,9% - 4, 16,1% - 3, 26,8% - 2 and 12,5% - 1. Most of the respondents decided to took part in the teleconsultation because they needed a prescription (53%).According to respondents’ opinion, the most important advantages of the teleconsultation are: ability to stay home (59,7%), lower risk of infection (35,8%), quick help (22,4%) and ability to have the prescription without going out (73,1%).The most important disadvantages were: lack of ability of physical examination (91%), problems with communication (40,3%), problems with describing their own symptoms (43,3%), problems with contacting a doctor (58,2%) and higher risk of wrong diagnosis (82,1%).Teleconsultations provide patients’ safety, however, they are associated with danger of the wrong diagnosis. Although, most patients (73%) would like to be able to take part in the teleconsultation after the pandemic. Because of that, it is crucial for modern medicine to improve the quality of teleconsultation and to learn, how to communicate with patients during the remote conversations

Thou Shalt Not Squander Life – Comparing Five Approaches to Argument Strength

Different approaches analyze the strength of a natural language argument in different ways. This paper contrasts the dialectical, structural, probabilistic (or Bayesian), computational, and empirical approaches by exemplarily applying them to a single argumentative text (Epicureans on Squandering Life; Aikin & Talisse, 2019). Rather than pitching these approaches against one another, our main goal is to show the room for fruitful interaction. Our focus is on a dialectical analysis of the squandering argument as an argumentative response that voids an interlocutor’s right to assertion. This analysis addresses the pragmatic dimensions of arguing and implies an argument structure that is consistent with empirical evidence of perceived argument strength. Results show that the squandering argument can be evaluated as a (non-fallacious) ad hominem argument, which however is not necessarily stronger than possible arguments attacking it

Microfungi of the Tatra Mountains. Part 7. Correction of some data from herbaria and the literature

The Tatra Mts are located on the border of two countries – Poland and Slovakia. It is a unique, extremely geobotanically-differentiated region, protected by law and listed on the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve List as an internationally recognized area. Due to the high nature values of the Tatra Mts, varied research, including mycological, has been intensively conducted on this area for many years. The first data on the microscopic fungi of the Tatras comes from to the second half of the nineteenth century and spans more than 150 years. Currently, the critical list of microfungi is being prepared concerning species published up to date from the whole Tatra range (the Polish and Slovakian parts), and also the adjacent areas. During detailed study of the available mycological literature, many erroneous citations of the original data or incorrect interpretations of these records were noted. Often, this faulty data was also reproduced in subsequent publications.The aim of this study was to correct some of the data published in the cited literature. In the paper, 68 fungal species were mentioned, including 29 species of Ascomycota and 39 species of Basidiomycota. Additionally, some information about the plants – the fungal hosts – has also been corrected

Adaptive mechanisms of homeostasis disorders

The ability to preserve a permanent level of internal environment in a human organism, against internal and external factors, which could breach the consistency, can be define as homeostasis. Scientific proven influence on the homeostasis has the periodicity of biological processes, which is also called circadian rhythm. The effect of circadian rhythm is also to see in the functioning of autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular system. Sleep deprivation is an example of how the disorders in circadian rhythm could have the influence on the homeostasis

Warsaw Argumentation Week (Waw 2018) Organised by the Polish School of Argumentation and Our Colleagues from Germany and the UK, 6th-16th September 2018

In September 2018, the ArgDiaP association, along with colleagues from Germany and the UK, organised one of the longest and most interdisciplinary series of events ever dedicated to argumentation - Warsaw Argumentation Week, WAW 2018. The eleven-day ‘week’ featured a five day graduate school on computational and linguistic perspectives on argumentation (3rd SSA school); five workshops: on systems and algorithms for formal argumentation (2nd SAFA), argumentation in relation to society (1st ArgSoc), philosophical approaches to argumentation (1st ArgPhil), legal argumentation (2ndMET-ARG) and argumentation in rhetoric (1st MET-RhET); and two conferences: on computational models of argumentation (7th COMMA conference) and on argumentation and corpus linguistics (16th ArgDiaP conference). WAW hosted twelve tutorials and eight invited talks as well as welcoming over 130 participants. All the conferences and workshops publish pre- or post-proceedings in the top journals and book series in the field