Contamination of breakfast cereal products by fungi and mycotoxins - a potential risk for consumer's health

The aim of research was assessment of breakfast cereal snacks available in trade for their contamination with fungi and selected mycotoxins in related to potential risk of consumers’ health. The contamination with fungi ranged from 1.3 x 101cfu g-1to 9.0 x 102cfu g-1. The most contaminated was muesli, that apart from cereal components comprised also dried fruit, nuts and coconut flakes. Species belonging to Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Rhizopus, Mucor, Chaetomium, Trichoderma, Eurotium and Fusarium genera were isolated as dominant. The isolated species included Aspergillus ochraceus, A. flavus, A. versicolor, A. sydowii, Penicillium verrucosum and Fusarium graminearum, which are well known as mycotoxin producers. None of the products was contaminated with aflatoxin B1. The presence of ochratoxin A exceeding of 3 ng g-1was discovered in 30% of samples. The contamination with deoxynivalenol equalled 587 ng g-1on average. This result indicates that the cereals products may form a serious source of exposure to mycotoxins, particularly for most vulnerable group, i.e. children

Level of academic and didactic competencies among students as a measure to evaluate geographical education and preparation of students for the demands of the modern labour marke

Young people, regardless of their social environment, place of residence or work, are looking for values and key competencies that enable achieving goals in life. Therefore, an appropriate education system is important, which in the conditions of changing reality will meet these requirements effectively. The contemporary employer is interested in four groups of key competencies, such as intellectual, professional, personal and interpersonal. Geography is a field with great potential for the development of various competencies. In this context, questions about adjusting geographical education to the expectations of employers are justified. Therefore, the aim of the study is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current development of competencies and qualifications at the geography speciality of the Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. The reference points included a report on research carried out among 200 employers in 2012, as well as surveys among students graduating from master‘s studies on the assessment of the level of their competencies and qualifications. It was determined that the strength of the current geographical education at the faculty is to prepare mainly specialists with broad general and professional knowledge, and high self-esteem in terms of cooperation in the group and communication. The area of development for the geographical education are intellectual competencies, above all independent thinking and prioritising. The last year geography students fall out the most in terms of personal competencies. The authors suggest building students‘ awareness because, as the above results show, they are not fully aware of what expectations they may face in the labour market. It is worth modifying the study program so as to put more emphasis on soft competencies and support the development of various forms of extra activities of students. Attention was also paid to the importance of didactic competencies, which on the one hand raise the self-esteem of students, and on the other, increase the chance of finding a good job. An interesting aspect of the research is the wide spectrum of professions in which students work. This reflects their diverse skills, including spatial thinking. Combined with increasing attention paid to the issues related to the natural environment and sustainable development, graduates of geography have a strong position to enter the current labour market. The advantage of geographers is the use of modern technologies. Unfortunately, however, the results of the research presented above, both among Polish students and internationally, indicate insufficient skills in the use of modern technologies by students of geography

Jakość życia osób z chorobami przyzębia

Wstęp. W ostatnim okresie czasu zdecydowanie wrasta zainteresowanie jakością życia w aspekcie zdrowia. Takie spojrzenie na zdrowie może wynikać z uznania i zaakceptowania holistycznego spojrzenia na człowieka. Badania dotyczące wpływu zdrowia jamy ustnej na jakość życia pacjentów są prowadzone stosunkowo rzadko. Współcześnie do tych badań można wykorzystywać wskaźniki zarówno ogólne, jak i specyficzne. Celem badań było określenie jakości życia chorych na choroby przyzębia na podstawie badania ankietowego kwestionariuszem GOHAI (Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index). Materiał i metodyka. Badania przeprowadzono w okresie od 3 listopada do 15 grudnia 2013 r. w przyzakładowej przychodni stomatologicznej Państwowej Wytwórni Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie. W badanej grupie było 32 osoby (11 kobiet i 21 mężczyzn) w wieku 27-67 lat. Każdego badanego objęto dwuetapowym badaniem: I etap Najpierw lekarz dentysta przystąpił do badania klinicznego, w którym oceniono występowanie potrzeb leczniczych u pacjentów oraz stan zdrowia jamy ustnej. Każdy pacjent został zbadany przy sztucznym oświetleniu, przy użyciu lusterka i zgłębnika. Na tym etapie wyselekcjonowano grupę chorych z chorobami przyzębia. Ta grupa była przedmiotem dalszych badań w II etapie- badań ankietowych. II etap Badanie ankietowe kwestionariuszem GOHAI (Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index. Wyniki badań i wnioski. 1.Rozkład odpowiedzi (punktacji) na poszczególne pytania kwestionariusza GOHAI był mocno zróżnicowany. Wśród badanych rozkład punktacji wahał się w przedziale 19-46. Średnia ilość punków jaką uzyskali chorzy na choroby przyzębia wynosiła 30. 2. Większość dolegliwości wynikające z rozwoju chorób przyzębia występowały z różną częstością wahającą się od jednej trzeciej do około połowy liczby ankietowanych. 3. Dla dokonania bardziej pogłębionej analiz konieczne jest powtórzenie tego typu badań na zdecydowanie większej grupie chorych z chorobami przyzębia.Introduction. The interest in the quality of life as far as health is concerned has recently noticeably increased. Such an attitude towards health may result from the acceptance of a holistic approach to a person. Studies on the influence of the health of oral cavity on the patient's quality of life are relatively infrequent. Nowadays, such studies can utilise general as well as specific indices. The aim of this study was to determine the quality of life of persons suffering from periodontal diseases basing on the GOHAI (Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index) questionnaire. Materials and Methods. The study was carried out between 3 November and 15 December 2014 in the company dental clinic of the Polish Security Printing Works in Warsaw. The studied group consisted of 32 persons (11 women and 21) men aged 27-67. Each of the studied people underwent a two-stage process: Stage I At first, a dentist carried out a clinical examination assessing the patient's needs for treatment and the health of oral cavity. Each of the patients was examined in artificial lighting, with a mirror and a dental probe. In this stage, a group of persons with periodontal diseases was selected. The group was subject to further study in the stage II – the survey. Stage II Survey study with the use of the GOHAI (Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index) questionnaire. Results and Conclusions. 1.The distribution of answers (score) for given questions of the GOHAI questionnaire was strongly diversified. Among the studied persons, the score distribution ranged from 19 to 46. The average score obtained by the persons suffering from periodontal diseases was 30. 2.Most of the conditions resulting from the development of periodontal diseases occurred with various frequency in 1/3 to ca. 1/2 of the respondents. 3. For a more in-depth analysis, the repetition of this type of study on a considerably greater number of persons suffering from periodontal diseases will be required

Bibliografia Etnografii Polskiej (BEP) jako narzędzie pomocne w informacji naukowej i dydaktyce

The Bibliography of Polish Ethnography (BEP) has been online since 2007 and since that year has changed several times. At the technical level, the software was changed, which effected on the way how the editors work. At the level of functioning, the functionality of the database has been expanded by adding redirects from the database directly to the texts, if they are available in the public domain. The members of the editorial team also began to incorporate BEP into the didactic process. The paper presents the lessons learned from the work on modified database and the experience gained during didactics using BEP

Myocardial infarction differentially alters sphingolipid levels in plasma, erythrocytes and platelets of the rat

Three bioactive sphingolipids, namely sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), ceramide (CER) and sphingosine (SPH) were shown to be involved in ischemia/reperfusion injury of the heart. S1P is a powerful cardioprotectant, CER activates apoptosis and SPH in a low dose is cardioprotective whereas in a high dose is cardiotoxic. The aim of the present study was to examine effects of experimental myocardial infarction on the level of selected sphingolipids in plasma, erythrocytes and platelets in the rat. Myocardial infarction was produced in male Wistar rats by ligation of the left coronary artery. Blood was taken from the abdominal aorta at 1, 6 and 24 h after the ligation. Plasma, erythrocytes and platelets were isolated and S1P, dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate (DHS1P), SPH, dihydrosphingosine (DHS) and CER were quantified by means of an Agilent 6460 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer using positive ion electrospray ionization source with multiple reaction monitoring. The infarction reduced the plasma level of S1P, DHS1P, SPH and DHS but increased the level of total CER. In erythrocytes, there was a sharp elevation in the level of SPH and DHS early after the infarction and a reduction after 24 h whereas the level of S1P, DHS1P and total CER gradually increased. In platelets, the level of each of the examined compounds profoundly decreased 1 and 6 h after the infarction and partially normalized in 24 h. The results obtained clearly show that experimental heart infarction in rats produces deep changes in metabolism of sphingolipids in the plasma, platelets and erythrocytes

Gas gangrene of different origin associated with Clostridium perfringens type A in three patients simultaneously hospitalized in a single department of orthopedics and traumatology in Poland

The objective of the study was to perform a comparative analysis of phenotypic and genetic similarity, determination of resistance profiles, detection of toxin-encoding genes and molecular typing of Clostridium perfringens isolates originating from patients with gas gangrene. The study encompassed three patients with a clinical and microbiological diagnosis of gas gangrene who were hospitalized in one of the hospitals of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie province in the same period of time between 8th April 2015 and 20th April 2015. The three C. perfrin­gens isolates studied had identical biochemical profiles. Two isolates had identical resistance patterns, while the third presented a different profile. Using the multiplex PCR method, all isolates showed the presence of cpa gene encoding α-toxin; furthermore, the presence of the cpb2 gene encoding β2-toxin was confirmed in two isolates. Genotyping with the use of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) indicated that the isolates originating from the three studied patients represent three genetically different restrictive patterns which correspondedto three different clones – clone A, clone B and clone C. As a result of the study, it is possible to conclude that the studied patients simulta­neously hospitalized in a single Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology developed three different endogenous infections

Preliminary report on a study of health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

There are studies about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but few studies prospectively assessed HRQoL. The main purpose of this study was to analyze HRQoL in patients hospitalized due to RA exacerbation and observed over a planned 2-year follow-up in an outpatient setting. The study involved 42 women and 9 men, at mean age of 62.5 years (SD ± 12.6). The mean duration of the study was 22–23 months. The HRQoL analysis was performed using the SF-36 survey. At the beginning of the study, basic data on age, sex, selected biochemical (ESR, CRP, GFR, hemoglobin, plasma albumin, plasma protein), and clinical parameters (the duration of RA, VAS, DAS28, BMI, the presence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, osteoporotic fractures, osteoarthritis, neoplasm) were collected. Questionnaires were completed at the beginning and end of the study. Statistically significant reductions in HRQoL scores were observed in social functioning (SF; 0.42 vs 0.32, P < 0.05), whereas role-emotional health (RE; 0.48 vs 0.59, P < 0.05) and mental health (MH; 0.47 vs 0.54, P < 0.05) scores were increased. A decrease in the SF was positively correlated with the lack of osteoporosis at baseline (r = 0.35, P > 0.02). An increase in the MH was inversely correlated with BMI (r = −0.31, P < 0.05), and the level of hemoglobin (r = −0.32, P < 0.028) and positively correlated with the presence of osteoarthritis at baseline (r = 0.29, P < 0.05). In RA patients, dimensions of HRQoL as SF, RE, and MH could change within 2 years and these changes could be related to comorbidities. Although preliminary findings are promising, further studies are needed