4-n-nonylphenol degradation by the genus Metarhizium with cytochrome P450 involvement

In this study, the ability of 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP) elimination by fungal species belonging to the genus Metarhizium was investigated. The occurrence of 35 metabolites from 4-n-NP degradation was confirmed. For the first time, based on the obtained results, the 4-n-NP biodegradation pathway distinctive for the genus Metarhizium was proposed. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that despite the similar elimination pathway in all the examined Metarhizium species, there are significant differences in the kinetics of degradation of 4-n-NP. Oxidation of the terminal methyl group of the aliphatic chain leading to the formation of carboxylic acids coupled with the removal of terminal carbon is characteristic of M. robertsii and M. guizhouense, whereas metabolites with a hydroxyl group in the distal part of the nonyl chain distinguish M. lepidiotae and M. majus. Additionally, this study verified the participation of cytochrome P450 in the elimination of the xenobiotic by Metarhizium as experimentally proven for M. robertsii

Impact of treatment on blood-brain barrier impairment in Wilson’s disease

Introduction. Our study assessed changes in concentrations of serum markers for brain damage and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in untreated and treated Wilson’s disease (WD) patients, and examined correlations between these changes and neurological impairment. Objective. These results hold the potential to determine BBB impairment and neurological advancement in WD to develop the most effective treatment for patients with severe neurological deterioration. Material and methods. The study groups included 171 patients with WD (77 with hepatic and 94 with neurological manifestations), treated either for up to 5 or 15 years, and 88 healthy controls. Serum concentrations of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), P-selectin, matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) were measured before and during anti-copper treatment. The Unified Wilson’s disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) was used to assess neurological advancement. Results. ICAM1 concentrations were elevated before and during anti-copper treatment compared to controls (p < 0.01), but therapy led to substantial decreases both in patients with hepatic (p < 0.01) and in patients with neurological manifestations (p < < 0.05). P-selectin concentrations remained elevated before and during treatment (p < 0.05) regardless of the treatment duration and disease form. MMP9 concentrations before treatment were lower (p < 0.05), but reached control levels during treatment. GFAP concentrations were significantly elevated only in untreated patients with neurological symptoms in the longer-treated group compared to controls (p < 0.05). A significant reduction during treatment was observed only in the shorter-treated neurological group (p < 0.05). No substantial changes were observed in S100B. Only ICAM1 concentrations positively correlated (r = 0.27, p < 0.001) with the UWDRS. Conclusions. Our results provide evidence of endothelial activation in WD. However, inconclusive GFAP results, and no increase in S100B, do not allow us to conclude whether the reactive gliosis is not prominent or alternatively whether the BBB is disrupted. Elevated ICAM1 concentrations and their correlation with neurological advancement indicate BBB impairment. A decrease in ICAM1 during treatment suggests that the inflammatory process is reduced, and the BBB partially repaired. Decreased MMP9 concentrations may be the result of active liver fibrosis and higher copper concentrations. Elevated P-selectin concentrations indicate a systemic inflammatory process

Management of hypertension in pregnancy — prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term prognosis. A position statement of the Polish Society of Hypertension, Polish Cardiac Society and Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This article has been co‑published in Kardiologia Polska (doi:10.33963/KP.14904), Arterial Hypertension (doi:10.5603/AH.a2019.0011), and Ginekologia Polska (doi:10.5603/GP.2019.0074). The articles in Kardiologia Polska, Arterial Hypertension, and Ginekologia Polska are identical except for minor stylistic and spelling differences in keeping with each journal’s style. Any citation can be used when citing this article

Clinical course and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in multiple sclerosis patients treated with disease-modifying therapies — the Polish experience

Introduction. The aim of this study was to report the course and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in Poland. A major concern for neurologists worldwide is the course and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with MS treated with different DMTs. Although initial studies do not suggest an unfavourable course of infection in this group of patients, the data is limited.Materials and methods. This study included 396 MS patients treated with DMTs and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 28 Polish MS centres. Information concerning patient demographics, comorbidities, clinical course of MS, current DMT use, as well as symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, need for pharmacotherapy, oxygen therapy, and/or hospitalisation, and short-term outcomes was collected up to 30 January 2021. Additional data about COVID-19 cases in the general population in Poland was obtained from official reports of the Polish Ministry of Health.Results. There were 114 males (28.8%) and 282 females (71.2%). The median age was 39 years (IQR 13). The great majority of patients with MS exhibited relapsing-remitting course (372 patients; 93.9%). The median EDSS was 2 (SD 1.38), and the mean disease duration was 8.95 (IQR 8) years. Most of the MS patients were treated with dimethyl fumarate (164; 41.41%). Other DMTs were less frequently used: interferon beta (82; 20.70%), glatiramer acetate (42; 10.60%), natalizumab (35;8.84%), teriflunomide (25; 6.31%), ocrelizumab (20; 5.05%), fingolimod (16; 4.04), cladribine (5; 1.26%), mitoxantrone (3; 0.76%), ozanimod (3; 0.76%), and alemtuzumab (1; 0.25%). The overall hospitalisation rate due to COVID-19 in the cohort was 6.81% (27 patients). Only one patient (0.3%) died due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and three (0.76%) patients were treated with mechanical ventilation; 106 (26.8%) patients had at least one comorbid condition. There were no significant differences in the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection regarding patient age, duration of the disease, degree of disability (EDSS), lymphocyte count, or type of DMT used.Conclusions and clinical implications. Most MS patients included in this study had a favourable course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The hospitalisation rate and the mortality rate were not higher in the MS cohort compared to the general Polish population. Continued multicentre data collection is needed to increase the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection impact on the course of MS in patients treated with DMTs

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

The handball player in the age of commercialisation - from the goods to the brand.

Praca przedstawiać będzie funkcjonowanie piłkarza ręcznego we współczesnym świecie, ukazując przyczyny i skutki jego utowarowienia oraz umarkowienia. W piłce ręcznej jest to zjawisko rozwijające się, stąd porównania zaczerpnięte będą z innych dyscyplin sportowych, takich jak piłka nożna. Materiał badawczy stanowi analiza obserwacji uczestniczącej, którą prowadziłam przez kilka ostatnich lat będąc dziennikarką sportową i biorąc udział w najważniejszych wydarzeniach piłki ręcznej. Punktem wyjścia jest ogólna refleksja dotycząca sportu, poprzez funkcjonowanie piłkarza ręcznego w klubie sportowym i reprezentacji, a w efekcie końcowym dojście do wniosków o współczesnej pozycji sportowca.The bachelor's work depicts the view of a handball player nowadays, including the problem of being treated as a kind of good and brand. This problem is barely growing and fledgling, which is why I had to use the references in the world of football as a comparison. My research material is the analysis of my participant observation, which I conducted in recent years during my job in sports journalism. The starting point is a general reflection about sports, through the handball player's presence in the club and in the national team, to the conclusion about their current role as an athlete

The roles of children in an alcoholic family and their influence on adult life.

Celem mojej pracy dyplomowej jest ukazanie problemów dzieci wychowywanych przez rodziców nadużywających alkoholu. W pierwszej części przedstawiam ogólne zasady i system panujący w rodzinie dysfunkcyjnej wraz z krótką charakterystyką poszczególnych ról Dorosłych Dzieci Alkoholików (DDA). Następnie opisuję trudności z jakimi muszą zmierzyć się osoby dorosłe w dzieciństwie pozbawione należytej opieki i zainteresowania ze strony pijących rodziców. W szczególności zwracam uwagę na konsekwencje wybieranych przez dzieci strategii radzenia sobie z dramatyczną sytuacją w domu, staram się scharakteryzować ich emocje i zachowanie w różnych sytuacjach. Ważna kwestia, którą również poruszam dotyczy działań pedagoga, gdzie prezentuję możliwe sposoby pomocy i wsparcia DDA. Istotą mojej pracy jest uświadomienie oraz uwrażliwienie społeczeństwa na dostrzeżenie takich osób w swoim otoczeniu, zwykle cierpiących w samotności i za zamkniętymi drzwiami. Odsłaniając prawdę o DDA pragnę także dotrzeć bezpośrednio do nich samych, uwolnić ich od wyuczonych schematów i ułatwić przełamanie wewnętrznych barier, w których żyją na co dzień.The aim of my thesis is to introduce problems concerning children brought up by alcohol-abusing parents. First, I would like to portray overall principles and system present in dysfunctional familyalong with a short description of individual roles adopted by Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoA). Next, I am going to describe difficulties faced by adults deprived of proper parental care and attention. In particular, I would like to focus one’s attention on the consequences of strategies in coping with dramatic home situation chosen by children; their emotions and behavior. Another important aspect involves pedagogue’sactions as well as help and support they can give the ACoA. Main idea of my work is to educate and sensitize the public on the presence of such persons, usually suffering alone and behind closed doors. By revealing the truth about the ACoA I would also like to reach them directly to free them from the learned patterns and facilitate overcoming internal barriers in which they live every day

Zakażenie SARS-CoV-2: etiopatogeneza, obraz kliniczny, aktualne możliwości postępowania terapeutycznego – doświadczenia własne

Currently, the scenario of a self-contained disappearance of the epidemic (as it was in the case of SARS) is no longer taken into consideration, whilst the SARS-CoV-2 virus will stay with us forever, similarly to other coronaviruses or flu. It is quite likely that periodical exacerbations of the epidemics – their growth and decrease – depend on many factors, which comprise, among others, the approval of the restrictions by the society or the manner in the epidemiological supervision is carried out and whether it is consistent. We must be ready for about 18–24 months of a high activity of COVID-19 with periodic active hot spots in many world regions. This requires efficient health services and the access to efficacious medication. Without an effective prophylactic vaccine, it seems that we will not be able to prevent the spread of the pandemicObecnie, niestety, nie jest już brany pod uwagę samoistny zanik epidemii (jak w SARS), a wirus SARS-CoV-2 pozostanie z nami na stałe, podobnie jak inne koronawirusy czy grypa. Wysoce prawdopodobne okresowe zaostrzenia epidemii – ich wzrost i spadek – zależą od wielu czynników. Należą do nich akceptacja restrykcji przez społeczeństwo czy sposób nadzoru epidemiologicznego i konsekwencje w tym nadzorze. Musimy się przygotować na ok. 18–24 miesiące wysokiej aktywności COVID-19 z okresowymi aktywnymi hot spots w różnych regionach świata. Wymaga to sprawnej służby medycznej i dostęp­ności leków. Bez skutecznej szczepionki profilaktycznej wygląda na to, że nie damy rady zapobiec szerzeniu się tej choroby