How has mass drug administration with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine impacted molecular markers of drug resistance? A systematic review.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends surveillance of molecular markers of resistance to anti-malarial drugs. This is particularly important in the case of mass drug administration (MDA), which is endorsed by the WHO in some settings to combat malaria. Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) is an artemisinin-based combination therapy which has been used in MDA. This review analyses the impact of MDA with DHA-PPQ on the evolution of molecular markers of drug resistance. The review is split into two parts. Section I reviews the current evidence for different molecular markers of resistance to DHA-PPQ. This includes an overview of the prevalence of these molecular markers in Plasmodium falciparum Whole Genome Sequence data from the MalariaGEN Pf3k project. Section II is a systematic literature review of the impact that MDA with DHA-PPQ has had on the evolution of molecular markers of resistance. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. This review found that despite being a recognd surveillance tool by the WHO, the surveillance of molecular markers of resistance following MDA with DHA-PPQ was not commonly performed. Of the total 96 papers screened for eligibility in this review, only 20 analysed molecular markers of drug resistance. The molecular markers published were also not standardized. Overall, this warrants greater reporting of molecular marker prevalence following MDA implementation. This should include putative pfcrt mutations which have been found to convey resistance to DHA-PPQ in vitro

Experimental study of smog microphysical and optical vertical structure in the Silesian Beskids, Poland

This study presents the vertical profiles of aerosol optical and microphysical properties obtained from cable car and ground-based measurements in the Silesian Beskids, Poland. The data were collected during a measurement campaign between 25 February and March 11, 2018. An AE-51 micro-aethalometer and PMS7003 and OPC-N2 optical particle counters were mounted on the cable car and used to measure the profiles of equivalent of black carbon (eBC) concentration and aerosol size distribution. In situ measurements of the optical properties of the aerosols were obtained using an AE-31 aethalometer and photoacoustic devices. A prototype lidar was used to determine the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height and the aerosol layers. In the middle phase of the study (1–6 March 2018), significant night-time temperature inversions were observed. During the inversion period, the parameters describing the amount of aerosols in the air increased significantly. The concentration of eBC exceeded the level of 15 μg/m3 several times, with an average level of 5.39 ± 4.42 μg/m3. Conversely, the results obtained in the first and third phases of the experiment were at the level of the aerosol background, being 1.45 ± 0.88 μg/m3 and 0.90 ± 0.95 μg/m3, respectively. Significant differences were also observed in the vertical profiles of PM10 mass and eBC concentration. In the middle phase of the study, the profiles showed a significant reduction in the concentration of pollutants with height, while in the first and third phases, there were slight variations with height

Production sustainability level in selected agricultural farms

Dane pochodziły z gospodarstw rolniczych w Polsce prowadzących rachunkowość w 2003 r. Analizę przeprowadzono na próbie około 4 tys. gospodarstw z trzech typów rolniczych: 13. Uprawy polowe (zboża, oleiste i strączkowe), 41. Bydło mleczne oraz 501. Trzoda chlewna. Porównania prowadzono w grupach o różnej skali produkcji mierzonej wartością produkcji specjalistycznej w gospodarstwie. Stwierdzono, że skala oraz kierunek produkcji mają podstawowy wpływ na poziom zrównoważenia produkcji mierzony obsadą zwierząt, udziałem zbóż w strukturze zasiewów oraz poziomem nakładów nawożenia i pestycydów na hektar użytków rolnych.Evaluated data were supplied by agricultural farms keeping accountancy in 2003. Investigations were carried out in 4 thousand agricultural farms of 3 production types: 13 Plant cultivation (cereals, oil crops, leguminous crops, 41 Dairy farms and 501 Swine farms. Assessments were carried out in groups of different production scale, determined by production quantity in the particular farm. There was proved that both scale and specialization of production have the essential influence on production sustainability level measured by livestock density, cereal share in crop structure as well as by fertilization and plant protection inputs per 1 ha of arable land

'War of Courts' as a clash of legal cultures: rethinking the conflict between the Polish Constitutional and Supreme Court over 'interpretive judgements'

Since 1986, Poland has had its Constitutional Court (TK), placed outside the structure of ordinary judiciary. Since 1993, the TK has been issuing ‘interpretive judgments’ in which it decides that a certain statutory rule is constitutional only under a certain interpretation. On numerous occasions the Supreme Court (SN) has refused to follow the TK’s decisions, claiming that they are unconstitutional, ultra vires and non-binding. An analysis of the arguments put forward by the SN and TK in this ‘war of the courts’ reveals that the SN prefers ultra-formalist arguments typical of the hyperpositivist legal culture of the former state-socialist period, whilst the TK seems to prefer pragmatist arguments, more typical to contemporary Western legal culture. The paper concludes that behind the ‘war of the courts’ in Poland there is a clash of legal cultures and attempts at identifying the reasons for it

Global literature database for freshwater jellyfish research between 1880 and 2023

Freshwater jellyfish (FWJ) research has historically been hampered by several factors, including but not limited to: focus on one life cycle stage, diversity of publication languages (numerous national languages), and regional bias, with results scattered across many sources. In this database, we attempted to compile all globally available literature pieces, i.e., peer-reviewed papers, reviews, notes, book chapters, and some grey literature published between 1880 and September 2023, but excluding newspaper articles, symposium and conference contributions, theses, and dissertations. The database contains information on three FWJ genera (Astrohydra, Craspedacusta, Limnocnida) totalling 697 entries. Other, less studied, taxonomically doubtful, and/or regionally restricted FWJ, salt lake, and low-saline tolerant genera (Australomedusa, Halmomises, Keralica, Mansariella, Moerisia) were not included. This database will enable investigators to systematically and comprehensively search for published research advancing the field of FWJ