Polylactide-based films with the addition of poly(ethylene glycol) and extract of propolis—physico-chemical and storage properties

Polymeric films based on polylactide (PLA) with the addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and a chloroformic extract of propolis were obtained. In the case of the studied films, polylactide (PLA) played the role of polymeric matrix and poly(ethylene glycol) was used as a plasticizer, while the extract of propolis was incorporated as a compound that could significantly affect the properties of the obtained materials, especially the water vapour permeation rate and the stability of the food products. Moreover, changes in structure, morphology, mechanical and storage properties as well as differences in colour, thickness and transparency after introducing propolis into the PLA–PEG system were determined. Based on the obtained results, it was established that the addition of the chloroformic extract of propolis significantly influences the most important properties taken into account during food packaging. It was also noticed that films with incorporated propolis were characterised by a significant improvement in the water vapour barrier property. Moreover, the obtained results prove that packaging containing a chloroformic propolis extract allow for the maintenance of the quality of the fruit stored for an extended period of time. To summarise, the application of a chloroformic propolis extract enables the formation of packaging materials that extend the shelf life of stored food products

Modification of chitosan : a concise overview

Chitosan is the most important derivative of chitin, a polysaccharide found in the exoskeleton of shellfish like shrimp and crab. It is a product of deacetylation of chitin under alkaline conditions or enzymatic hydrolysis in the presence of chitin deacetylase. Both chitin and chitosan are linear polysaccharides and are chemically defined as copolymers consisting of varying amounts of β-(1→4)- linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy β-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAc) and 2-amino-2-deoxy- β-D-glucopyranose (GlcN). The difference between chitin and chitosan lies in the content of GlcNAc and GlcN units. Chitin samples contain a high content of Glc- NAc units. Due to excellent properties of chitosan, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, non-toxicity, cationicity, ease of modification, film forming ability, affinity to metals, protein and dyes, etc., this polymer has found applications in medicine and pharmacy, as food additive, antimicrobial agent, in paper and textile industry, in environmental remediation and other industrial areas. The presence of functional groups, reactive amino and hydroxyl groups, in chitosan backbone makes it suitable candidate for chemical modification. Chemical modification of chitosan to generate new polymers with useful physicochemical properties and distinctive biological functions is of key interest because it would not change the fundamental skeleton of the polymer. In this article the main three methods of chitosan modification: substitution reactions, reactions leading to the chain elongation and/or molecular weight increasing and methods of depolymerization are shortly characterized. Moreover, the selected methods of chitosan modification, i.e. quaternization, alkylation, acylation, carboxyalkylation, phosphorylation, sulfation, graft copolymerisation, crosslinking and depolymerization are discussed in more detail. A special attention is drawn to chitosan crosslinking with low and high molecular compounds. Chitosan modification by covalent and ionic crosslinking allows to obtain polymer materials with improved mechanical and chemical resistance and suitable for example for chitosan hydrogel membranes formation. Keywords: chitosan, chitosan modification, chitosan derivatives, crosslinkin

Factors that determine the acceptance of illness in women who are treated for lesions of the cervix

Cel pracy. Ocena stopnia akceptacji choroby u kobiet leczonych z powodu zmian patologicznych szyjki macicy oraz ustalenie, czy istnieje związek zmiennych socjodemograficznych z poziomem akceptacji. Materiał i metody. Do badania włączono 50 kobiet, które były hospitalizowane w Wojewódzkim Szpitalu Zespolonym w Toruniu i przebywały w Oddziale Klinicznym Położnictwa, Chorób Kobiecych i Ginekologii Onkologicznej. Badanie przeprowadzono za pomocą sondażu diagnostycznego; wykorzystane narzędzia badawcze to: kwestionariusz ankiety własnej konstrukcji, analiza dokumentacji medycznej oraz Skala Akceptacji Choroby (AIS – Acceptance of Illness Scale), której autorami są B.J Felton, T.A. Revenson i G.A. Hinrichsen, w adaptacji polskiej Z. Juczyńskiego. Ogólny wynik skali AIS mieści się w obszarze od 8 do 40 punktów. Im wynik jest wyższy, tym większa akceptacja swojego stanu i mniej negatywnych emocji związanych z chorobą. Za niski wynik uważa się wartości poniżej 20 punktów, wartości powyżej 30 punktów oznaczają wysoki poziom akceptacji własnego stanu chorobowego, zaś za średni wynik uważa się zakres od 20 do 30 punktów. Wyniki. Wyniki, według skali AIS, wśród badanej próby kobiet wyniosły 28,76 punktów, co świadczyło o średnim poziomie akceptacji choroby. Nie stwierdzono istotnej statystycznie różnicy między średnimi skali AIS a zmiennymi socjodemograficznymi takimi jak: wiek, wykształcenie, stan cywilny, miejsce zamieszkania i aktywność zawodowa. Wnioski. Kobiety z rozpoznaną zmianą patologiczną szyjki macicy prezentowały średni poziom akceptacji choroby, według skali AIS. Zmienne socjodemograficzne: wiek, wykształcenie, stan cywilny, miejsce zamieszkania i aktywność zawodowa nie różnicowały poziomu akceptacji choroby w badanej próbie kobiet.The aim of the work. Assessment of the acceptance level of the illness in women who are treated for lesions of the cervix and determining if there is a relation between sociodemographic factors and the level. Method and material. 50 women, who were hospitalized in the Regional Hospital in Toruń in Department of Obstetrics, Female Diseases and Oncological Gynecology, took part in the study. The study was conducted with the use of a diagnostic survey. Diagnostic tools were comprised of a self-constructed questionnaire an analysis of medical documentation, and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), whose authors are B.J. Felton, T.A. Revenson, and G.A. Hinrichsen. The general result in AIS scale is between 8 and 40 points. The higher the result, the higher the acceptance of one’s condition is, and there are less negative emotions. Results of 20 points and less are considered to be low, whereas getting more than 30 points indicates a high level of acceptance of one’s own condition. A result between 20 and 30 points is considered to be average. Results. The level of acceptance of an illness in the mentioned group, according to AIS scale, was 28.76 points, which indicated an average level of acceptance. No statistically significant difference was found between the average result in AIS scale and sociodemographic variables, such as age, education, marital status, place of residence, and professional activity. Conclusions. Women who are diagnosed with lesions of the cervix presented an average level of acceptance of an illness, according to AIS scale. Sociodemographic variables such as age, education, marital status, place of residence, and professional activity did not influence the level of acceptance in women who took part in the study

Factors that determine the acceptance of illness in women who are treated for lesions of the cervix

Cel pracy. Ocena stopnia akceptacji choroby u kobiet leczonych z powodu zmian patologicznych szyjki macicy oraz ustalenie, czy istnieje związek zmiennych socjodemograficznych z poziomem akceptacji. Materiał i metody. Do badania włączono 50 kobiet, które były hospitalizowane w Wojewódzkim Szpitalu Zespolonym w Toruniu i przebywały w Oddziale Klinicznym Położnictwa, Chorób Kobiecych i Ginekologii Onkologicznej. Badanie przeprowadzono za pomocą sondażu diagnostycznego; wykorzystane narzędzia badawcze to: kwestionariusz ankiety własnej konstrukcji, analiza dokumentacji medycznej oraz Skala Akceptacji Choroby (AIS – Acceptance of Illness Scale), której autorami są B.J Felton, T.A. Revenson i G.A. Hinrichsen, w adaptacji polskiej Z. Juczyńskiego. Ogólny wynik skali AIS mieści się w obszarze od 8 do 40 punktów. Im wynik jest wyższy, tym większa akceptacja swojego stanu i mniej negatywnych emocji związanych z chorobą. Za niski wynik uważa się wartości poniżej 20 punktów, wartości powyżej 30 punktów oznaczają wysoki poziom akceptacji własnego stanu chorobowego, zaś za średni wynik uważa się zakres od 20 do 30 punktów. Wyniki. Wyniki, według skali AIS, wśród badanej próby kobiet wyniosły 28,76 punktów, co świadczyło o średnim poziomie akceptacji choroby. Nie stwierdzono istotnej statystycznie różnicy między średnimi skali AIS a zmiennymi socjodemograficznymi takimi jak: wiek, wykształcenie, stan cywilny, miejsce zamieszkania i aktywność zawodowa. Wnioski. Kobiety z rozpoznaną zmianą patologiczną szyjki macicy prezentowały średni poziom akceptacji choroby, według skali AIS. Zmienne socjodemograficzne: wiek, wykształcenie, stan cywilny, miejsce zamieszkania i aktywność zawodowa nie różnicowały poziomu akceptacji choroby w badanej próbie kobiet.The aim of the work. Assessment of the acceptance level of the illness in women who are treated for lesions of the cervix and determining if there is a relation between sociodemographic factors and the level. Method and material. 50 women, who were hospitalized in the Regional Hospital in Toruń in Department of Obstetrics, Female Diseases and Oncological Gynecology, took part in the study. The study was conducted with the use of a diagnostic survey. Diagnostic tools were comprised of a self-constructed questionnaire an analysis of medical documentation, and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), whose authors are B.J. Felton, T.A. Revenson, and G.A. Hinrichsen. The general result in AIS scale is between 8 and 40 points. The higher the result, the higher the acceptance of one’s condition is, and there are less negative emotions. Results of 20 points and less are considered to be low, whereas getting more than 30 points indicates a high level of acceptance of one’s own condition. A result between 20 and 30 points is considered to be average. Results. The level of acceptance of an illness in the mentioned group, according to AIS scale, was 28.76 points, which indicated an average level of acceptance. No statistically significant difference was found between the average result in AIS scale and sociodemographic variables, such as age, education, marital status, place of residence, and professional activity. Conclusions. Women who are diagnosed with lesions of the cervix presented an average level of acceptance of an illness, according to AIS scale. Sociodemographic variables such as age, education, marital status, place of residence, and professional activity did not influence the level of acceptance in women who took part in the study

Application of pervaporation and osmotic membrane distillation to the regeneration of spent solutions from the osmotic food dehydration

Results of pervaporation (PV) of sucrose and calcium chloride spent solutions were presented. Additionally, osmotic membrane distillation (OMD) of sucrose solutions was investigated. It was found that the regeneration of spent sucrose solution for the reuse is possible by using PV or OMD processes. However, OMD process produces another spent stream i.e. CaCl2. Pervaporation membranes showed fluxes in the range of 0.5 - 0.9 kg m^-2 h^-1 in contact with 40° Brix sucrose solution, whereas OMD water permeate fluxes were in the range of 4 - 5 kg m^-2 h^-1 for the same feed concentration. Two different hybrid processes were suggested: i) pretreatment followed by OMD reconcentration of spent sucrose solution and independently PV for CaCl2 regeneration; ii) membrane pretreatment (MP) followed by PV of sucrose solution. Based on the experimental results, the membrane areas for both systems were calculated and compared. MP-PV system seems to be a better solution for the spent mixtures management