Factors influencing the sexuality education among students in Poland – a survey study

Introduction: Sex education is commonly associated with preventing consequences of lack of knowledge in field of sexuality such as unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). However, when well designed and introduced it enables children to better understand sexuality as an integral part of human nature, allows defining one’s own sexuality, teaches about relationship building and raises awareness of consequences of irresponsible sexual behaviour. The aim of the study: The presented study was aimed at assessing of sexuality education quality among students in Poland and factors influencing this process. Material and methods: The analysed material was obtained on the basis of a survey conducted on group of young adults, especially medical students. Standardized questionnaire consisting of 35 questions divided into three parts (first part – general information about participants, second part – sexual activity, contraception and sources of knowledge about them, third part – simple questions verifying the knowledge of participants) has been shared in social media via Google Forms. Results: 200 participants filled the entire questionnaire (149 female and 51 male). The survey indicates that: 75% of respondents were under 25 years old; the vast majority (96%) of participants were medical students; 37,5% of participants described themselves as practicing believers which correlated with sexual initiation at the age of 20 or later; 41,5% of respondents uses physical barrier contraceptives combined with natural methods although they consider hormone-based methods combined with barrier methods as the most appropriate for them (40,5%); level of parent education and employment in medical professions were not associated with the presence and the quality of family sex education; majority of participants indicated the Internet, school or university as main information sources about topics related to sexuality; the most participants (47,5%) expressed the opinion that parents should be the most appropriate source of knowledge about human sexuality. No one chose the Internet as an appropriate source of sex education. Conclusion: The conducted survey suggests that many young people lack basic knowledge about sexuality and contraception

Compositional differences of fluorescence dissolved organic matter in Arctic Ocean drift sea ice and surface waters north of Svalbard in spring.

We assessed the qualitative composition of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in Arctic Ocean surface water and in sea ice north of the Svalbard Archipelago (in the Sophia Basin, the Yermak Plateau and the north Spitsbergen shelf) in May and June 2015, during the “TRANSSIZ” expedition (Transitions in the Arctic Seasonal Sea Ice Zone). Samples collected in open lead waters (OW), under-ice waters (UIW) and from the sea ice (ICE) were analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy and subsequently by multivariate statistical methods using Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC). Statistical analyses of all measured DOM fluorescence excitation and emission matrices (EEMs) enabled four components to be identified and validated. The spectral characteristics of the first component C1 (λEx/λEm 282(270)/335) corresponded to those of tryptophan. The spectral properties of the other three components corresponded to those of humic-like substances: components two (C2 − λEx/λEm 315(252)/395) and three (C3 − λEx/λEm 357(258)/446) corresponded to humic-like substances of marine origin, whereas component four (C4 − λEx/λEm 261(399)/492) resembled terrestrial humic-like substances. Changes in FDOM composition were recorded in OW, in contrast to UIW and sea ice. In the OW the sum of fluorescence intensities of humic-like components (C2, C3 and C4) was two times higher than the fluorescence intensity of protein-like component (C1). Component C2 exhibited the highest fluorescence intensity. In the UIW and particularly in the sea ice the fluorescence intensity of the protein-like component, IC1, was the highest. The IC1 in the sea ice increased toward the sea ice bottom, reaching maximum values at the sea ice-water interface. The calculated spectral indices (SUVA(254) and HIX) and ratios of fluorescence intensities of protein-like to humic-like components, Ip/Ih, suggested that FDOM in water and sea ice was predominantly autochthonous, characterized by low molecular weight organic compounds and low aromatic ring saturation. Enrichment factors Dc, calculated from salinity-normalized values of the optical DOM properties and dissolved organic carbon concentrations, indicated the significant fractionation of FDOM in the sea ice relative to the parent open waters. The humic-like terrestrial component C4 was enriched the least, whereas the protein-like component C1 was enriched the most. A statistically significant (p < 0.0001) and relatively strong (R = 63) correlation between IC1 and the total chlorophyll a concentration Tchla was found in the sea ice, which suggests that sympagic algal communities were producers of the protein-like FDOM fraction

Degradability of cross-linked polyurethanes/chitosan composites

Polyurethanes with synthetic poly([R,S]-3-hydroxybutyrate) in the soft segment and with polycaprolactone triol as cross-linker were blended with chitosan and degraded in hydrolytic and oxidative solutions. Progress of the degradation of the samples was evaluated by changes in their weight, surface topography and thermal properties. Increasing the poly([R,S]-3-hydroxybutyrate) content in soft segment as well as blending with chitosan resulted in an increase in degradability of cross-linked polyurethanes in both solutions.Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Gdynia Maritime Universit

Cytometric analysis of T cell phenotype using cytokine profiling for improved manufacturing of an EBV-specific T cell therapy

Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the voluntary donations of peripheral blood and leukapheresis samples used in this study. This study was supported by the staff of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) Clinical Apheresis Unit, Aberdeen and medical colleagues at the New Zealand Blood Transfusion Service for collection of the donor leukapheresis material for the second iteration of the EBV-T cell bank. This work was supported by a Wellcome Trust Translational Award. The ongoing operation of the UK EBV-specific T cell bank is supported by cost-recovery fees and supported by SNBTS. Contributions RSC and AK were responsible for the acquisition and analysis of data, and RSC wrote the principal manuscript; GW and MV were involved in supply of material and interpretation of data; MLT, JDMC and ARF were responsible for study conception and design, data analysis and interpretation, and revision of the final manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

High correlation between the turnover of nucleotides under mutational pressure and the DNA composition

BACKGROUND: Any DNA sequence is a result of compromise between the selection and mutation pressures exerted on it during evolution. It is difficult to estimate the relative influence of each of these pressures on the rate of accumulation of substitutions. However, it is important to discriminate between the effect of mutations, and the effect of selection, when studying the phylogenic relations between taxa. RESULTS: We have tested in computer simulations, and analytically, the available substitution matrices for many genomes, and we have found that DNA strands in equilibrium under mutational pressure have unique feature: the fraction of each type of nucleotide is linearly dependent on the time needed for substitution of half of nucleotides of a given type, with a correlation coefficient close to 1. Substitution matrices found for sequences under selection pressure do not have this property. A substitution matrix for the leading strand of the Borrelia burgdorferi genome, having reached equilibrium in computer simulation, gives a DNA sequence with nucleotide composition and asymmetry corresponding precisely to the third positions in codons of protein coding genes located on the leading strand. CONCLUSIONS: Parameters of mutational pressure allow us to count DNA composition in equilibrium with this mutational pressure. Comparing any real DNA sequence with the sequence in equilibrium it is possible to estimate the distance between these sequences, which could be used as a measure of the selection pressure. Furthermore, the parameters of the mutational pressure enable direct estimation of the relative mutation rates in any DNA sequence in the studied genome

Zespół nietrzymania barwnika – opis przypadku

Incontinentia pigmenti is a rare genodermatosis, caused by mutations of the NEMO gene, located at X chromosome. It is usually lethal for males, resulting in the observation that most patients are females. Cutaneous manifestations are the most characteristic signs, often occuring in the neonate period and are subdivided into 4 stages. Additionaly, other defects may be associated with the disease including abnormalities of: teeth, eyes, central nervous system, bones. We report the case of a 4-month-old female, presenting skin manifestations of IP just after birth.Zespoł nietrzymania barwnika (IP, incontinentia pigmenti) to rzadko występująca genodermatoza, związana z mutacją w genie NEMO, zlokalizowanym na chromosomie X. U płci męskiej jest zazwyczaj postacią letalną, dlatego dotyczy głownie płci żeńskiej. Zmiany skorne, będące najbardziej charakterystycznym objawem choroby, występują często już w okresie niemowlęcym, obejmując 4 stadia. Dodatkowo zajęte mogą być inne tkanki i układy, na przykład zęby, narząd wzroku, ośrodkowy układ nerwowy, kości. W pracy przedstawiono przypadek niemowlęcia płci żeńskiej, u ktorego zmiany skorne, charakterystyczne dla IP, wystąpiły już przy urodzeniu

Silver is not equal to silver : synthesis and evaluation of silver nanoparticles with low biological activity, and their incorporation into C12C_{12}alanine-based hydrogel

A new type of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was prepared and comprehensively studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyses indicated that 24 nm AgNPs with narrow size distribution were obtained while Z-potential confirms their good stability. The composites of the obtained AgNPs with nontoxic-nature-inspired hydrogel were formed upon cooling of the aqueous solution AgNPs and C12Ala. The thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) do not show significant shifts in the characteristic temperature peaks for pure and silver-enriched gels, which indicates that AgNPs do not strongly interact with C12Ala fibers, which was also confirmed by SEM. Both AgNPs alone and in the assembly with the gelator C12Ala were almost biologically passive against bacteria, fungus, cancer, and nontumor human cells, as well as zebra-fish embryos. These studies proved that the new inactive AgNPs-doped hydrogels have potential for the application in therapy as drug delivery media

Chemical and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Polyurethane/Polylactide Blends

Polyether-esterurethanes containing synthetic poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (R,S-PHB) and polyoxytetramethylenediol in soft segments and polyesterurethanes with poly(ε-caprolactone) and poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] were blended with poly([D,L]-lactide) (PLA). The products were tested in terms of their oil and water absorption. Oil sorption tests of polyether-esterurethane revealed their higher response in comparison to polyesterurethanes. Blending of polyether-esterurethanes with PLA caused the increase of oil sorption. The highest water sorption was observed for blends of polyether-esterurethane, obtained with 10% of R,S-PHB in soft segments. The samples mass of polyurethanes and their blends were almost not changed after incubation in phosphate buffer and trypsin and lipase solutions. Nevertheless the molecular weight of polymers was significantly reduced after degradation. It was especially visible in case of incubation of samples in phosphate buffer what suggested the chemical hydrolysis of polymer chains. The changes of surface of polyurethanes and their blends, after incubation in both enzymatic solutions, indicated on enzymatic degradation, which had been started despite the lack of mass lost. Polyurethanes and their blends, contained more R,S-PHB in soft segments, were degraded faster