Local estrogen therapy – clinical implications – 2012 update

With increasing longevity in Poland, women can now expect to live around 40% of their lives after menopause, and there is a growing desire for older women to preserve their vitality, sexual function and quality of life. The most common urogenital symptoms associated with menopause are dryness, followed by irritation or itching, and discharge, with a substantial number of post-menopausal women also being affected by dysuria. These symptoms are the result of vaginal atrophy, which is in turn caused by reduced transudation through the vaginal epithelium and reduced cervical gland secretions resulting from post-menopausal estrogen depletion. Vaginal atrophy generally occurs 4–5 years after the last menstrual period and progressively increases in prevalence in the subsequent years. Importantly, vaginal atrophy is strongly associated with sexual dysfunction, and lower urinary tract symptoms, such as frequency, urgency, nocturia and dysuria, as well as incontinence and recurrent infection are reported more frequently in the presence of vaginal atrophy. Those symptoms, apart from being bothersome for the patients also negatively impact their quality of life. Consequently, before irreversible changes occur, early detection and treatment of vaginal atrophy should be implemented. Estrogen therapy is the most commonly prescribed treatment. Estrogens restore the cytology, pH and vascularity of the vagina, resulting in symptom resolution for the majority of treated women. Because vaginal atrophy symptoms tend to occur later than vasomotor symptoms, many women do not necessarily require or wish to take systemic estrogen treatment if their symptoms are restricted to the urogenital tract. Vaginal estrogen products deliver estrogen locally to vaginal tissues with little or no systemic absorption and provide an effective alternative to systemic estrogen therapy for these women. Various vaginal estrogen preparations such as conjugated equine estrogens, estradiol and estriol vaginal creams, a sustained-release intra-vaginal estradiol ring and a low-dose estradiol and estriol tablets are useful therapeutic options in the treatment of this condition. Moreover, a low dose treatment with a minimised systemic absorption rate may be considered in women with a history of breast cancer and associated severe vulvovaginal atrophy. It should be mentioned that vaginal lubricants once applied on a regular basis may also be effective in alleviating the symptoms of vaginal atrophy and should be offered to women wishing to avoid the use of local vaginal estrogen preparations and in cases where local estrogen therapy is contraindicated. Vaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), vaginal testosterone, and tissue selective estrogen complexes are new, emerging therapies; however, more clinical studies are necessary to confirm their efficacy and safety in the treatment of postmenopausal vulvovaginal atrophy

Current threats faced by amphibian populations in the southern cone of South America

In this work, we update and increase knowledge on the severity and extent of threats affecting 57 populations of 46 amphibian species from Chile and Argentina in southern South America. We analyzed the intrinsic conservation problems that directly impact these populations. We shared a questionnaire among specialists on threats affecting target amphibian populations with information on i) range, ii) historical occurrence and abundance, iii) population trends, iv) local extinctions, v) threats, and vi) ongoing and necessary conservation/research. We assessed association patterns between reported threats and population trends using multiple correspondence analysis. Since 2010, 25 of 57 populations have declined, while 16 experienced local extinctions. These populations were affected by 81% of the threat categories analyzed, with those related to agricultural activities and/or habitat modifications being the most frequently reported. Invasive species, emerging diseases, and activities related to grazing, ranching, or farming were the threats most associated with population declines. Low connectivity was the most frequent intrinsic conservation problem affecting 68% of the target populations, followed by low population numbers, affecting 60%. Ongoing monitoring activity was conducted in 32 (56%) populations and was the most frequent research activity. Threat mitigation was reported in 27 (47%) populations and was the most frequent ongoing management activity. We found that habitat management is ongoing in 5 (9%) populations. At least 44% of the amphibian populations surveyed in Chile and Argentina are declining. More information related to the effect of management actions to restore habitats, recover populations, and eliminate threats such as invasive species is urgently needed to reverse the conservation crisis facing amphibians in this Neotropical region.Fil: Kacoliris, Federico Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Berkunsky, Igor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Ecosistemas y Desarrollo Sustentable; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Agostini, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Akmentins, Mauricio Sebastián. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Arellano, María Luz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Azat, Claudio. Universidad Andrés Bello; ChileFil: Bach, Nadia Carla. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Mirta Blanco. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Charrier, Andres. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Corbalán, Valeria Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Correa, Claudio. Universidad de Concepción. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanografía. Departamento de Zoología; ChileFil: Cuello, Maria Elena. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Deutsch, Camila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Di Pietro, Diego Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Gastón, María Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Alez, Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Kaas, Camila. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Kaas, Nicolas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Lobos, Gabriel. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Martínez, Tomás Agustín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Aguirre, Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Mora, Marta. Vida Nativa NGO; ChileFil: Nieva Cocilio, Rodrigo Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Pastore, Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Administración de Parques Nacionales; ArgentinaFil: Pérez Iglesias, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Laboratorio de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Piaggio Kokot, Lia Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Rabanal, Felipe. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Rodríguez Muñoz, Melina Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Laura Cecilia. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Tala, Charif. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile; ChileFil: Ubeda, Carmen Adria. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Vaira, Marcos. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; ArgentinaFil: Velasco, Melina Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; ArgentinaFil: Vidal, Marcela. Universidad del Bio Bio. Facultad de Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Basicas; ChileFil: Williams, Jorge Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Herpetología; Argentin

Écrire en SEGPA, toute une histoire !

Ce mémoire s'intéresse à l'écriture avec des élèves de SEGPA. Il pose la question suivante : comment développer les capacités et le plaisir d'écrire des adolescents en grandes difficultés scolaires, dans le cadre d'un projet d'écriture de conte médiéval

Research and evaluation of water quality in outdoor swimming pools

The article presents the assessment of the quality of water in outdoor pools, based on the results of bacteriological and physicochemical tests and their comparison with the admissible values in this respect. The analyzes were carried out during two bathing seasons, in 2017 and 2018. The quality of water from sports, recreational and children's pools was analyzed, as well as water introduced into the pools from the circulation systems. The decisive role in the assessment of pool water quality is played by the results of microbiological tests and the assessment of the sanitary condition of the facility. In pool water and circulatory water samples, the number of indicator microorganisms (CFU) did not exceed the limit values. The problem was the very high levels of chloroform (> 0.03 mg/L) and THM (> 0.1 mg/L), lower than the required redox values (750 mV) and nitrate content, increasing over the bathing season. Considering that the analyzed pools are seasonal and recreational outdoor pools, the observed excessive concentrations of DBP, with a short exposure, did not pose a direct threat to the health of bathers. However, they indicate the need to supervise the processes of water treatment and disinfection or their modernization

Bacterial ACC Deaminase Activity in Promoting Plant Growth on Areas Contaminated with Heavy Metals

The objective of this study was to explore possible improvement of plant growth using the activity of the bacterial enzyme ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) deaminase (endophytes and rhizobacteria). The beneficial effect of ACC deaminase activity was tested on plants growing under stress conditions (high concentrations of heavy metals: cadmium, lead, zinc in the soil). The bacteria were isolated from three plants species: Festuca rubra L., Agrostis capillaris L., Arabidopsis thaliana L. Heynh, acquired from the area contaminated with heavy metals. Strains with the highest ACC deaminase activity were used to prepare a bacterial consortium and inoculate the plants. It has been shown that inoculation of plants with ACC producing bacteria has a positive effect on their growth under stress conditions. The bacterial entophytes strains showed a higher activity of ACC deaminase, which resulted in a higher biomass growth of inoculated plants. PGPB bacteria may limit the toxicity of harmful ions and thus the increase the adaptive properties of plants. Moreover, it was discovered that the bacteria mainly belonging to genus Bacillus and Pseudomonas had the highest AAC deaminase activity in multiple heavy metal contaminated environment. The use of selected microorganisms and plants will provide results in an increasing efficiency of phytoremediation

Comparison of the Effect of Endurance, Strength, and Endurance-Strength Training on Inflammatory Markers and Adipokines Levels in Overweight and Obese Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Trials

The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the effects of endurance, strength, and combined training on inflammatory markers and adipokine concentrations in overweight and obese adults. We performed a literature search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and identified 24 randomised control trials published prior to June 2021. Our findings indicate that endurance training was significantly more beneficial than strength training in reducing C-reactive protein (CRP) (standard mean difference (SMD): −1.317, 95% confidence intervals (CI): −2.565, −0.070, p = 0.0385), interleukin 6 (IL-6) (SMD: −0.363, 95% CI: −0.648, −0.078, p = 0.0126), and visfatin (SMD: −0.618, 95% CI: −1.015, −0.222, p = 0.0023) concentrations. Moreover, combined training was more beneficial than strength training alone in lowering tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels (SMD: 0.890, 95% CI: −0.301, 1.478, p = 0.0030). There were no differences between the effects of different types of training programmes on adiponectin and leptin concentrations. In conclusion, compared with strength training, endurance training is more effective in lowering CRP, IL-6, and visfatin concentrations, while combined training is more beneficial in reducing TNF-α levels in overweight and obese adults. Further studies are needed to determine which type of training has a better effect on adiponectin and leptin concentrations in this population

Potencjał terapeutyczny krótkołańcuchowych kwasów tłuszczowych podawanych doodbytniczo w nieswoistych chorobach zapalnych jelit: przegląd systematyczny

Sugeruje się, że krótkołańcuchowe kwasy tłuszczowe (SCFA) mogą redukować nasilenie objawów klinicznych, poprawiać wyniki badania endoskopowego i histopatologicznego u pacjentów z nieswoistymi chorobami zapalnymi jelit (IBD). Jednakże, pomimo obiecujących badań in vitro, wyniki badań przeprowadzonych w modelu zwierzęcym oraz randomizowanych badań kontrolowanych (RCT) są niejednoznaczne. Celem tego przeglądu systematycznego była ocena skuteczności SCFA podawanych doodbytniczo u pacjentów z IBD. Wyszukiwanie elektroniczne przeprowadzono w następujących bazach danych: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science i Cochrane. Kryteria włączenia badań oryginalnych do przeglądu systematycznego obejmowały: 1) rodzaj badań: równoległe lub krzyżowe RCT; 2) język: artykuły w języku angielskim; 3) rodzaj interwencji: SCFA podawane doodbytniczo; 4) populacja badana: pacjenci z wrzodziejącym zapaleniem jelita grubego lub chorobą Leśniowskiego-Crohna, niezależnie od płci, wieku, pochodzenia etnicznego, lokalizacji badania i wielkości próby. Jako punkty końcowe przyjęto wpływ podaży SCFA na wskaźnik aktywności choroby (DAI) oraz wyniki badań endoskopowych i histopatologicznych. Do analizy zakwalifikowano 4 badania obejmujące łącznie 187 pacjentów z IBD. W 2 badaniach oceniano wpływ SCFA na DAI, w 4 badaniach – na wyniki badania endoskopowego i histopatologicznego. Nie stwierdzono istotnych różnic pomiędzy grupą interwencyjną a grupą kontrolną w zakresie wpływu na jakikolwiek analizowany parametr. W 2 badaniach wykazano istotny spadek DAI po okresie interwencji, zarówno w grupie SCFA, jak i w grupie kontrolnej. Podobnie, w 4 badaniach odnotowano statystycznie istotne różnice między wynikami endoskopowymi przed i po interwencji w grupie SCFA. Jednakże, w 3 badaniach podobny efekt zaobserwowano w grupie kontrolnej. Poza tym, w 3 badaniach nie zaobserwowano wpływu SCFA na wyniki histopatologiczne. Podsumowując, brak jest dowodów na skuteczność SCFA podawanych doodbytniczo u pacjentów z IBD.It has been suggested that short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) enemas might improve clinical, endoscopic and histological scores in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. However, despite the promising results of in vitro studies, the findings of animal studies and randomised controlled trials are inconclusive. Therefore, this review aimed to assess the efficacy of SCFA enemas in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Electronic searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane databases. Original studies were included in this systematic review if they met the following inclusion criteria: 1) types of studies: parallel or crossover randomised controlled trials; 2) language: articles published in English; 3) types of interventions: SCFA enemas; 4) population: studies conducted in subjects with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease of either gender and any age and without restrictions based on the ethnicity of study participants, location of study or sample size. The outcomes included the effect of SCFA enemas on disease activity index (DAI), endoscopic and histological scores. In total, four studies enrolling 187 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases were included in this systematic review. Two studies assessed the effect of SCFA enemas on DAI. Four studies evaluated the effect of SCFA therapy on the endoscopic score and the histological score. There were no significant differences between the SCFA groups and the control groups regarding the impact on any analysed parameter. Two studies demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in DAI after the intervention period, both in the SCFA groups and the control groups. Similarly, statistically significant differences between pre- and post-intervention endoscopic scores in the SCFA groups were reported in four studies. However, in three studies, a similar effect was demonstrated in the control groups. Besides, in three studies no effect of SCFA enemas on the histological score was observed. In conclusion, there is no evidence for the effectiveness of SCFA enemas in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases