The knowledge of Polish medical students about surgical treatment of obesity

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of morbid obesity is becoming an increasingly important approach for the treatment of this condition. However, knowledge about the possibility of surgical procedures among general practitioners is far from satisfactory. The source of the problem might be due to a lack of information about bariatric surgery in university curriculum. METHODS: We assessed the knowledge of students from four Polish medical universities. The survey was conducted among 468 students, in their sixth (final) year of study. The survey included two parts—the first nine questions assessed of the level of the students’ knowledge about the methods of surgical treatment of obesity, and the following three questions allowed for an evaluation of the amount of information on metabolic surgery provided to students during surgery courses. RESULTS: The results demonstrate a low level of knowledge on the possibility of applying metabolic surgery to treat morbid obesity. The students themselves expressed a need to improve their knowledge and favorably assessed the proposition of expanding the curriculum to include more information on the subject of metabolic surgery. CONCLUSION: The awareness of surgical treatment for morbid obesity among medical students should be improved. The development of an interesting curriculum that is based on current guidelines should be undertaken

Induced pluripotent stem cells as a model for diabetes investigation

Mouse and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may represent a novel approach for modeling diabetes. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study was to generate and evaluate differentiation potential of iPSCs from lep(db/db) (db/db) mice, the model of diabetes type 2 as well as from patients with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young 3 (HNF1A MODY). Murine iPSC colonies from both wild type and db/db mice were positive for markers of pluripotency: Oct3/4A, Nanog, SSEA1, CDy1 and alkaline phosphatase and differentiated in vitro and in vivo into cells originating from three germ layers. However, our results suggest impaired differentiation of db/db cells into endothelial progenitor-like cells expressing CD34 and Tie2 markers and their reduced angiogenic potential. Human control and HNF1A MODY reprogrammed cells also expressed pluripotency markers: OCT3/4A, SSEA4, TRA-1–60, TRA-1-81, formed embryoid bodies (EBs) and differentiated into cells of three germ layers. Additionally, insulin expressing cells were obtained from those partially reprogrammed cells with direct as well as EB-mediated differentiation method. Our findings indicate that disease-specific iPSCs may help to better understand the mechanisms responsible for defective insulin production or vascular dysfunction upon differentiation toward cell types affected by diabetes

The impact of the cucumber fruit preparation on their mechanical properties and microbial status of the souring brine during souring procedure

Mechanical damage occurring during harvest, transportation or on various stages of processing of fruit and vegetables (in particular ground cucumbers) may lead to spoiling and disqualification of final products. Therefore investigations have been conducted to determine the cucumber’s resistance to mechanical damage and possible water loss in the raw material, as well as to enable the selection of best cucumber varieties suitable for processing. The goal of the conducted research was the determination of the impact of the cucumber variety, ozonation and the composition of the brine with the addition of probiotic bacteria on the mechanical properties and the microbial status of the final product. Mechanical properties were determined using a Zwick/ Roell Z010 machine and the data on the microorganisms were collected using Trypicase soy agar and MALDI TOF MS Biotyper. Other bacteria were detected using Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe agar media. The results indicate that a pre-ozonation or the addition of the probiotic both have a positive impact on the mechanical properties of the investigated product after the souring procedure. It was concluded the impact of both procedures on the puncture strength of final product was dependent on fruit variety

Impact of Dr Green Prime seed fertilizer on the germination energy and ability of wheat seeds

The essence of the seed preparation process is the treatment of seed to protect plants against soil pathogens or seed-borne pathogens, as well as against pests attacking plants. Seed fertilizers are mineral fertilizers containing nutrients that, when applied to seed during seed preparation, become readily available to the developing root system during germination and initial plant growth. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of Dr Green Prime seed fertilizer on energy and germination ability of wheat. Within the work wheat seeds in 5 variants were analysed, e.g., with the application of Dr Green Prime seed fertilizer, seed dressing A and fungicide A. The most kernels have germinated in the variant that has been treated with seed dressing A and Dr Green Prime. Only a small level of mould infestation or absence of the infestation was observed for seeds treated with seed dressing A. Aside from germination energy, ability and the level of infestation with moulds, the cotyledons and roots were weighed 12 days after the start experiment. The greatest mass of cotyledons and roots was observed for treatment with seed dressing A and Dr Green Prime 5.5 and 1.7 g, respectively

Interaction of U aq VI with CHA-type zeolitic materials

The interaction of acidic (pH in 3 and 4) aqueous uranium solutions with an Italian chabazite-rich tuff (Vesuvio area) and pure Ca-chabazite crystals from Isle of Skye (Scotland) in raw and Na form were investigated in the presence of background electrolyte (0.1 M NaNO 3) under ambient conditions using a batch equilibrium technique. The maximum uranium uptake by the chabazitic-tuff, its Na form and the pure chabazite crystals from Isle of Skye was found to be ca. 23 mg/g whereas the Na form of the pure chabazite crystals showed higher uptake ability (ca. 34 mg/g). The experimental data have been analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, Sips, Toth and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. The surface heterogeneity, as well as the chemical nature and behavior of uranium species produced deviations far too complicated to be mathematically described by simple empirical model. Additionally, difficulties in attaining global convergence were encountered when using the three-parameter models due to the substantial sensitivity to initial parameter guesses. According to microscopic measurements and literature data related to the structure of CHA-type zeolites, the uranium uptake took place mainly through surface sorption processes (adsorption and surface precipitation). © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved