Risk factors for dementia in Parkinson’s Disease — the overuse of anticholinergic drugs

Aim of the study. To determine the risk factors for dementia in a group of patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), especially the effect of the anticholinergic burden assessed according to the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden scale (ACB) and the CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale (CALS). Clinical rationale for the study. To provide information about factors associated with Parkinson’s Disease dementia (PDD), especially the anticholinergic burden and testing the effect of both scales in an assessment of the anticholinergic burden in this group of patients. Material and methods. A retrospective and cross-sectional analysis of medical records of patients with Parkinson’s Disease admitted to the Neurology Department of the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland between 2019 and 2021 was performed. We found 418 patients with a diagnosis of PD, but 80 were excluded due to lack of a cognitive function assessment. Based on MMSE score, the remaining 338 patients were divided into two groups of patients with, and without, PDD. Next, demographic and clinical data was collected. The anticholinergic burden was assessed using the ACB and the CALS scales. According to the authors of these scales, : if a scale score is of three or more points, this should be considered as a significant anticholinergic burden. Multiple logistic regression with backward elimination was used to assess factors significantly related to the presence of dementia, and two different models were used for both scales assessing the anticholinergic burden. Results. 62 (18.3%) patients were diagnosed with PDD. Overall significant anticholinergic burden (≥ 3 points) was found in 31.95% of patients using CALS and in 18.93% using ACB. Anticholinergic burden was higher in patients with dementia (CALS 50 vs. 27.90%, p < 0.001, ACB 43.5 vs. 13.41%, p < 0.001). According to both models, the factors significantly related to dementia were: age (ACB OR 1,114 (1.062–1.170), p < 0.001, CALS OR 1.123 (1.070–1.178), p < 0.001), significant anticholinergic burden (ACB OR 3.433 (1.746–6.750), p < 0.001, CALS OR 2.166 (1.157–4.055), p = 0.016) disease severity in the Hoehn-Yahr scale (ACB OR 1.752 (1.197–2.565), p = 0.004, CALS OR 1.831 (1.256–2.670), p = 0.002) and atrial fibrillation (ACB OR 5.593 (1.417–22.083), p = 0.014, CALS OR 5.159 (1.314–20.254), p = 0.016). Conclusions and clinical implications. The anticholinergic burden is larger in PDD patients compared to PD patients without dementia. CALS or ACB scales are helpful in this risk assessment and might be crucial to avoid the development of PDD, especially in older PD patients with multimorbidities

Alternaria spores in the air of selected Polish cities in 2008

Celem pracy było porównanie wartości stężeń zarodników grzybów mikroskopowych z rodzaju Alternaria w 2008 r. w powietrzu Szczecina, Warszawy, Sosnowca, Olsztyna, Krakowa, Wrocławia, Białegostoku, Bydgoszczy i Opola. Pomiary stężenia zarodników prowadzono metodą objętościową z zastosowaniem aparatu Burkard oraz Lanzoni 2000. Za sezon zarodnikowy uznano okres, w którym w powietrzu wystąpiło 90% rocznej sumy zarodników grzybów z rodzaju Alternaria. Sezon zarodnikowy zaczął się najwcześniej w Bydgoszczy, a w ciągu następnych czterech tygodni rozpoczął się w pozostałych miastach. Najwyższe wartości stężeń zanotowano w Szczecinie, Krakowie i Sosnowcu, maksymalne stężenie, wynoszące 903 zarodniki × m-3, zaobserwowano w Szczecinie.The aim of the study was to compare the concentration of Alternaria spores in the cities of Szczecin, Warsaw, Sosnowiec, Olsztyn, Krakow, Wroclaw, Bialystok, Bydgoszcz and Opole in 2008. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Burkard and Lanzoni pollen and spores sampler). Alternaria season was defined as the period in which 90% of the annual total catch occurred. The Alternaria season started first in Bydgoszcz on the 25th May and in the other cities it started during the next four weeks. The highest airborne concentration of 903 Alternaria spores × m-3 was noted in Szczecin on the 26th of July

Cladosporium spores in the air of selected Polish cities in 2008

Celem pracy było porównanie wartości stężeń zarodników grzybów mikroskopowych z rodzaju Cladosporium w 2008 r. w powietrzu Szczecina, Warszawy, Sosnowca, Olsztyna, Krakowa, Wrocławia, Białegostoku, Bydgoszczy i Opola. Pomiary stężenia zarodników prowadzono metodą objętościową z zastosowaniem aparatu Burkard oraz Lanzoni 2000. Za sezon zarodnikowy uznano okres, w którym w powietrzu występuje 90% rocznej sumy zarodników grzybów z rodzaju Cladosporium. Sezon zarodnikowy najwcześniej rozpoczął się w Sosnowcu, a najpóźniej w Szczecinie. Najwyższe wartości stężeń zanotowano w Szczecinie, we Wrocławiu i w Warszawie, maksymalne stężenie, wynoszące 106 836 zarodników × m-3, zaobserwowano w Szczecinie.The aim of the study was to compare the concentration of Cladosporium spores in the cities of Szczecin, Warsaw, Sosnowiec, Olsztyn, Krakow, Wrocław, Białystok, Bydgoszcz and Opole in 2008. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Burkard and Lanzoni pollen and spores sampler). Cladosporium season was defined as the period in which 90% of the annual total catch occurred. The Cladosporium season started first in Sosnowiec on the 2nd May and in the other cities it started during the next days. The latest the fungal season started in Szczecin. The highest airborne concentration of 106 836 Cladosporium spores × m-3 was noted in Szczecin on the 29th of June

Goosefoot - a plant that likes drought. The goosefoot family pollen season in 2019 in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia

Almost all the species of the Chenopodiaceae family present in our flora flower from July–August to the autumn. Unfortunately, allergies do not take a vacation. Warm, dry July and August weather should limit pollen emissions. However, similarly to most plants in dry habitats, goosefoot are well adapted to such conditions and does not provide even a short reprieve to pollen allergic patients. However, goosefoot pollen does not have a very large allergenic significance; despite the long pollen season lasting about 3 months, pollen concentrations in the air are low and very rarely exceed the concentration of 30 grains/m3. This study compares Chenopodiaceae pollen seasons in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in 2019. The investigations were carried out using the volumetric method (Hirst type pollen sampler). Seasonal pollen index was estimated as the sum of daily average pollen concentrations in the given season. The pollen season ranges from June to September, depending on the geographical latitude. In Hungary and Slovakia there are much longer pollen seasons than in Poland. Pollen of goosefoot family contains the panallergen profilins, which are responsible for cross-reactivity among pollen-sensitized patients. In 2019 the pollen season of goosefoot started first in Hungary, in Kaposvar on June 7th and in Slovakia, in Žilina, on June 8th; in Poland pollen season started much later, on June 14th in Szczecin and Opole. At the latest, a pollen season ended in Nitria (Slovakia) on October 16th; in Kecskemet (Hungary) on October 3rd. In Poland the season ended much earlier than in Hungary and Slovakia already on August 25th. The differences of pollen season durations are considerable, the number of days ranged from 72 to 128. The dynamics of the pollen seasons of goosefoot family show similarities within a given country and considerable differences between these countries. However, the differences of the highest airborne concentration between the countries are not considerable (25 pollen grains/m3 in Poland, 49 pollen grains/m3 in Hungary, and 30 pollen grains/m3 in Slovakia. The maximum values of seasonal pollen count in Polish cities occurred between July 26th and August 29th, in Hungarian cities between August 27th and 30th, and in Slovakian cities between August 7th and 28th. Pollen season was characterized by extremely different total annual pollen SPI, in Poland from 116 to 360; in Hungary and Slovakia within the limits 290 to 980. Droughts that occur more frequently during the summer facilitate the spread of species of the goosefoot family due to the possibility of these plants gaining new habitats

Tools for physics with LHC and RIB

My thesis consists of two parts. T0, the fast timing and trigger detector for the ALICE experiment at CERN LHC, is the subject of the first part. My contribution included simulations, design, construction, tests, installation and commissioning of the detector. We hope that the T0 will play a noticeable role in extracting the first physics results and providing the beam diagnostics during the restart of LHC in autumn 2009. This part of my thesis concludes with how T0 can be used for ALICE luminosity and multiplicity measurements as well as for a verification of the position of the interaction along the longitudinal and transverse axis already during the runs in the LHC commissioning period. The outcome of the first LHC injection and extraction tests performed in August 2008 and July 2009 is presented. The results indicate that T0 is functioning well and is ready for the first collisions at the LHC. The development and construction of the T0 detector as a part of the ALICE experiment is discussed. In essence all hardware and software parts of the T0 system, including all the electronics, Offline, Detector Control System, Databases, and so on are described. The consequences of the T0 detector tests including that with a mixted beam of 6 GeV/c negative pions and kaons at CERN PS when the time resolution of 28 ps r.m.s., a world record at that time, was reached, are discussed. The results of simulations of the T0 detector performance for p + p collisions at p s = 900 GeV 14 TeV using Pythia and Phojet event generators, and for p sNN = 5.5 TeV Pb + Pb collisions using Hijing prove that, despite the small acceptance (the T0 efficiency for p + p minimum bias events is about 40%), the shape of the charged particle density can be estimated based on T0 data alone. The physics framework is outlined in the introductory part, introducing the heavy ion physics concept and formalism with special emphasis on luminosity, particle production in the ultra-relativistic heavy ion collision and QGP signatures. The introductory part is concluded with the role of the ALICE experiment in the LHC scientific program and the description of the ALICE detector. The second part of my thesis focuses on the measurements of neutron yields by the activation and TOF method performed for SPES and SPIRAL 2 radioactive beam facilities. The work involved several experiments carried out during the years 2004 2008 at JYFL. The results are compared with Monte Carlo calculations and are discussed in the framework of a converter method for the SPES and SPIRAL 2. Our results have indicated that at 20 MeV the p+13C reaction proposed for SPES is not competitive. Consequently the converter method has been abandoned in favour of the direct method. Measurements for SPIRAL 2 show that the neutron yield has been overestimated during the modelling of the converter fission target ensemble, so that the expected number of fissions with a carbon converter is of order 2 2.5 · 1013 and not 5 · 1013 fissions/s, as was initially expected. Measurements also show that the number of fissions achievable with a heavy water converter is only about 1.4 1.5 × higher than with a carbon converter. It was hoped that a gain close to 2 could be achieved. Following the outcome of the measurements, a re evaluation of the converter + fission target module has been recommended by the SPIRAL 2 Technical Advisory Committee

Sex pheromones as a tool to overcome the Wallacean shortfall in conservation biology: a case of Elater ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

The “Wallacean shortfall”—lack of distributional information—is one of the main problems when trying to assess the threats to and planning conservation strategies for many invertebrate species. Based on published and unpublished records since 1840, as well as on our own field survey, we attempted to estimate if and to what extent the use of pheromone traps increased the detectability of a rare, saproxylic click beetle Elater ferrugineus. The significant increase in the number of records in 2011–2013 shows that the pheromone method made it much easier to detect the occurrence of the species. Advantages of the pheromone method are that it does not disturb the habitat, can be used by non-specialists, is less costly and less time-consuming, and thus providing a useful tool for conservation research (studying biology, ecology and genetics of local populations)