Possibility of using sweeteners in the prevention of obesity development

Background. The problem of the 21st century both in Poland and around the world is overweight and obesity, and diabetes. Due to the increased incidence of these diseases, the consumption of intense sweeteners, which are used as substitutes for sucrose, has increased. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sweet taste intensity of selected sweeteners in comparison with the benchmark - beet sugar. Methods. The material for the study consisted of four sweeteners: sugar, xylitol, stevia, and cane sugar. The substances were subjected to dilution in an infusion of black tea. This tea was then divided into 4 portions and each portion was sweetened with a different sweetener at a rate of 20g per 1l of infusion. The samples were coded with 3-digit codes, and the paired method was used for sensory evaluation. A total of 78 people participated in the study. Results. Differences in the intensity of sweet taste between beet sugar and the substitutes used were confirmed. Cane sugar and xylitol were characterized by a lower intensity of sweet taste, but these substitutes were preferred compared to beet sugar. Stevia is characterized by greater sweetness than beet sugar, while survey respondents strongly preferred beet sugar. Conclusions. Consumers, participating in the survey, prefer products with a less intensely sweet taste. Learning about consumers' preferences for sweet taste will allow the use of appropriately preferred substances in the production of food and dishes. This will have a positive effect on the sugar content of the daily ration and its overall consumption

Excess body weight as a risk factor to well-being and performance of flight personnel : potential strategies of prevention

Flight personnel is at risk of excessive weight and obesity. This is due to, for instance, irregular work schedules, irregular nutritional habits, excessive workload, and an inability to plan regular physical exercise or recreation. These factors lead to excessive body weight gains, and hence to obesity. Obesity directly infl uences quality of life as well as readiness to fulfi ll duties by the aircraft maintenance personnel. Obesity is an independent risk factor for various diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, each of which can lead to a loss of medical licence. Obesity is associated with extensive caloric consumption that cannot be controlled by the aff ected person. State of the art research has demonstrated not only hormonal and neuronal changes associated with obesity, but also points to deterioration of cognitive functions; these changes are likely induced by suboptimal diets. Furthermore, we will review prevention strategies, as well as treatments aimed at losing weight in fl ight personnel already aff ected by obesity. Implementation of these programs may prolong the time a pilot is fi t to fl y and improve his/her performance

Bioresorbable Stent in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

The exact causes of failure of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are still unknown. A key to successful ACL reconstruction is the prevention of bone tunnel enlargement (BTE). In this study, a new strategy to improve the outcome of ACL reconstruction was analyzed using a bioresorbable polylactide (PLA) stent as a catalyst for the healing process. The study included 24 sheep with 12 months of age. The animals were randomized to the PLA group (n = 16) and control group (n = 8), subjected to the ACL reconstruction with and without the implantation of the PLA tube, respectively. The sheep were sacrificed 6 or 12 weeks post-procedure, and their knee joints were evaluated by X-ray microcomputed tomography with a 50 m resolution. While the analysis of tibial and femoral tunnel diameters and volumes demonstrated the presence of BTE in both groups, the enlargement was less evident in the PLA group. Also, the microstructural parameters of the bone adjacent to the tunnels tended to be better in the PLA group. This suggested that the implantation of a bioresorbable PLA tube might facilitate osteointegration of the tendon graft after the ACL reconstruction. The beneficial e ects of the stent were likely associated with osteogenic and osteoconductive properties of polylactide

Metabolic syndrome — a new definition and management guidelines

The joint position paper by Polish Society of Hypertension, Polish Society for the Treatment of Obesity, Polish Lipid Association, Polish Association for Study of Liver, Polish Society of Family Medicine, Polish Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Division of Prevention and Epidemiology Polish Cardiac Society, “Club 30” Polish Cardiac Society, and Division of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Society of Polish Surgeons Reviewers: Agnieszka Olszanecka, Krzysztof J. Filipia

Hybrid Modeling Methods of Cranial Implants

This article deals with a three hybrid modeling methods of virtual skull implants, developed by the author. 3D models of cranial implants are nowadays necessary for the creation of real implants using modern manufacturing technologies. These methods combine simultaneous usage of three modeling systems (which causes their hybridity): computer tomography system (as a reverse engineering system), surface modeling system and haptic modeling system, and their characteristic modeling methods and techniques. Whereby to commonly used three different modeling systems we have obtained a synergic effect of the implant shape model quality increasing. The result of using the developed hybrid methods are models of exemplary cranial implants. The common feature of these methods is that the target virtual model of the cranial implant is always well-suited the coastline of bone hole in the skull. The time of developed of the virtual model of any cranial implant using proposed methods is very shorter compared to use only one of the standard (not medically specialized) computer-aided systems. Similarly, the amount of modeling work is also much smaller than using only one standard 3D system. The article describes hybrid modeling methods developed by the author only

ANALYSIS OF COMBINED POLYSURFACES TO MESH SURFACES MATCHING

This article applies to an example of the process of quantitatively evaluate the fit of combined polysurface (NURBS class) to a surface mesh. The fitting process of the polysurface and the evaluation of obtained results have been realized in the environment of the CATIA v5 system. Obtained quantitative evaluation are shown graphically in the form of three-dimensional graphs and histograms. As the base surface mesh was used a pelvic bone stl model (the model was created by digitizing didactic physical model)