Distance Learning and Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Perspectives of Polish Medical and Healthcare Students

The abrupt transition from the traditional model of medical education to online learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented changes in the education of future healthcare professionals. This study aimed to evaluate the opinions of Polish healthcare students on the changes introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic and propose recommendations for improvement. Data were collected from June to July 2020 using an online questionnaire. The results demonstrate that students were generally satisfied with the online learning solutions implemented during the pandemic and appreciated their teachers’ efforts. In their opinion, some of the solutions should also be continued after the pandemic. Students noticed positive aspects of online learning: time efficiency, bigger student-friendliness and unlimited attention from teachers, the flexibility of the learning process, better learning conditions for students, and absences due to illness and other random situations. However, they also noticed its disadvantages: problems with the Internet connection and technical aspects, attitudes of teachers, limited interpersonal relations, limited learning of practical skills, health concerns, students’ engagement and distractions at home, and assessment. To conclude, our results indicate some necessary recommendations to improve the quality of further online learning in medical schools during the COVID-19 pandemic

The 42nd Symposium Chromatographic Methods of Investigating Organic Compounds : Book of abstracts

The 42nd Symposium Chromatographic Methods of Investigating Organic Compounds : Book of abstracts. June 4-7, 2019, Szczyrk, Polan

The Functions of Love in Experiencing of Death and Suffering in Polish Ecopoetry (Julia Fiedorczuk, Małgorzata Lebda, Urszula Zajączkowska)

Ekopoetyka jest nie tylko nurtem sztuki, ale i znaczącą formą społecznego zaangażowania, która ma na celu przezwyciężenie kryzysu wyobraźni. Oddając głos ludzkim doświadczeniom, ekopoetyka posługuje się językiem roślin, by zwiększyć empatię dla ludzkich i poza-ludzkich istnień. Analizując literackie strategie Julii Fiedorczuk, Małgorzaty Lebdy i Urszuli Zajączkowskiej, autorka pragnie przedstawić funkcje miłości w przeżywaniu cierpienia i śmierci. Odwołując się do psychoanalizy oraz egzystencjalizmu argumentuje, że przesłanka biblijnego prawa miłości ahava-agape jest sposobem na nie tylko zmniejszenie lęku egzystencjalnego, lecz i afirmacji życia w całej jego skończoności.Ecopoetics, as not only an art movement but also a significant form of community involvement, is aimed to be something which may help to deal with the crisis of imagination. Giving voice to human experiences, ecopoetics use some kind of the language of plants in order to increase an empathy to human and non-human beings. Analysing Julia Fiedorczuk’s, Małgorzata Lebda’s and Urszula Zajączkowska’s writting strategies, the author would like to expose the function of love in experiencing of death and suffering. Referencing to psychoanalysis and existentialism, there is a premiss that the biblical law of love called ahava-agape is something that helps not only in reducing the fear of death, but also in life-afirming in its finitude

Visible light promoted [3+2]-cycloaddition in the synthesis of cyclopenta[b]chromenocarbonitrile derivatives

In the manuscript, a novel method for the preparation of cyclopenta[b]chromenocarbonitrile derivatives via [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of substituted 3-cyanochromones and N-cyclopropyloamines initiated by visible light catalysis in the presence of Eosin Y as a photocatalyst has been described. The key parameters responsible for the success of the described strategy are: visible light, small amount of photoredox catalyst, anhydrous solvent and inert atmosphere

Body Composition and Serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels in Euthyroid Caucasian Women With Hashimoto Thyroiditis

<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective</jats:title><jats:p>Women with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) are characterized by increased incidence of infertility and disturbances in body composition. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), which reflects functional ovarian reserve, is decreased in women with HT and it be related to body mass. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between serum levels of AMH and body composition in HT compared to control group.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Patients and Methods</jats:title><jats:p>We examined 85 euthyroid women: 39 subjects with HT and 46 control women. Body composition was analysed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and with bioimpedance method. Serum concentrations of AMH, leptin, TSH, thyroid hormones were assessed.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>We observed lower serum concentration of AMH in women with HT in comparison to the control group (p=0.01), but without differences in serum concentration of leptin between studied groups (p=0.28). Women with HT were characterized by higher %body fat (p=0.01) estimated with bioimpedance method without differences in BMI, android and gynoid fat mass and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass estimated with DXA method when compared to the control group (all p>0.05). We found a negative relationship between serum concentration of AMH and %body fat (r=-0.38,p=0.03) in women with HT. Additionally, in HT group, the relationship between serum levels of AMH and leptin was not statistically significant (r=0.01,p=0.96). We observed a relationship between serum concentration of leptin and BMI, %body fat mass, android, gynoid and VAT mass in HT and in the control group (all p<0.01).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>Women with HT are characterized by lower levels of AMH and it is associated with higher fat mass, independently of serum levels of leptin.</jats:p></jats:sec&gt

Tropinone-Derived Alkaloids as Potent Anticancer Agents: Synthesis, Tyrosinase Inhibition, Mechanism of Action, DFT Calculation, and Molecular Docking Studies

A new series of hybrid compounds with tropinone and thiazole rings in the structure was designed and synthesized as potential anticancer agents. They were tested against human multiple myeloma (RPMI 8226), lung carcinoma (A549), breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231), and mouse skin melanoma (B16-F10) cell lines. Toxicity was tested on human normal skin fibroblasts (HSF) and normal colon fibroblasts (CCD-18Co). The growth inhibition mechanism of the most active derivative was analyzed through investigation of its effect on the distribution of cell cycle phases and ability to induce apoptosis and necrosis in RPMI 8226 and A549 cancer cells. The tyrosinase inhibitory potential was assessed, followed by molecular docking studies. Compounds 3a–3h show high anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231 and B16-F10 cell lines with IC50 values of 1.51–3.03 µM. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity of the investigated compounds against HSF and CCD-18Co cells was 8–70 times lower than against the cancer cells or no toxicity was shown in our tests, with derivative 3a being particularly successful. The mechanism of action of compound 3a in RPMI 8226 cell was shown to be through induction of cell death through apoptosis. The derivatives show ability to inhibit the tyrosinase activity with a mixed mechanism of inhibition. The final molecular docking results showed for IC50 distinct correlation with experiment

Diagnostic Problems in C3 Glomerulopathy

Background: C3 glomerulopathies (C3GN) are a group of rare kidney diseases associated with impaired complement regulation. The effects of this disease include the accumulation of complement C3 in the kidneys. Based on the clinical data, as well as light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy results, the diagnoses were verified. The study group consisted of biopsy specimens, which were obtained from 332 patients who were diagnosed with C3 glomerulopathy. In all cases, histopathological examinations were performed; deposits of complement C3 and C1q components, as well as the immunoglobulins IgA, IgG, and IgM, were identified using immunofluorescence. Furthermore, electron microscopy was also performed. Results: The histopathological examination results presented cases of C3GN (n = 111) and dense deposit disease (DDD; n = 17). The non-classified (NC) group was the most numerous (n = 204). The lack of classification was due to the poor severity of the lesions, even on the electron microscopic examination or in the presence of intense sclerotic lesions. Conclusions: In cases of suspected C3 glomerulopathies, we believe an electron microscopy examination is necessary. This examination is beneficial in mild-to-extremely-severe cases of this glomerulopathy, where the lesions are barely discernible when using immunofluorescence microscopy