An Examination of the Impacts of Stress and Coping/Wellness Strategies of Information Technology Workers in the Higher Education Field

The Information Technology (IT) field infiltrates much of our daily lives. It has changed the way we conduct business, communicate, research, and learn. Individuals demand the latest and greatest - faster and better electronic devices, systems, and Internet. Businesses and organizations constantly require upgrades, improvements, or replacements to their technology in order to stay ahead of their competition and offer premium, uninterrupted services to their customers. The aforementioned demands often puts a strain on the IT professionals that support these individuals, businesses, and organizations. Information Technology professionals are faced with pressures of quick turnaround time and deadlines, anticipated and unanticipated workloads, and limited resources. This can cause IT professionals to become stressed, exhausted, and eventually lead to professional burnout. This study was designed to measure stress/burnout level of IT professionals in the higher education setting. The first purpose of the study was to determine whether IT professionals are suffering from stress/burnout and to understand some of the stressors they perceive in the workplace. The second purpose was to determine the coping/wellness strategies IT professionals practice along with the perceived level of effectiveness, their thoughts about complementary health therapies, and their participation in employer wellness programs. The third purpose was to determine if re-wording an original statement of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the instrument that the researcher used to measure burnout, would impact the way in which participants responded. A total of 242 participants completed the researcher’s survey. The results showed that participants do experience stress/burnout and shared a number of stressors in their workplaces. Participants reported practicing coping and wellness with the behaviors of smiling, laughing, joking, and social support being reported most frequently on a daily basis. Participants described a primarily positive view of complementary health therapies, with nearly a quarter reporting that they engage in one or more therapies. Participation in wellness programs was a mixed review as program activities varied by employer. The addition of a re-worded statement to the OLBI did not add statistical value to the survey. Limitations included that participants were restricted to IT professionals in the higher education setting. In the future, this study may be replicated in additional settings, such as IT in the healthcare, government, or financial setting. Implications may include the use of the results by organizations in order to review existing work environments, processes, and workload, as well as improving their wellness programs

What can sensorimotor enactivism learn from studies on phenomenal adaptation in atypical perceptual conditions? : A commentary on Rick Grush and colleagues

Grush et al. present a pilot study on visual adaptation to a remapped color spectrum. Their preliminary results, being far from conclusive, only partially support the hypothesis that there might exist a form of adaptation to color rotation and color constancy. Proving such flexibility in color vision would substantiate the investigators’ attempt to localize their research outcomes in the context of philosophical theories of enactive perception. In spite of some limitations, the study exhibits a worthy and novel approach to the old question of color inverted experience, intended to provide an interdisciplinary account that is both empirically sensitive and philosophically potent. For the progress of the current investigation it would be constructive not only to conduct empirical follow-up studies, but also to conceptually refine the notion of “phenomenal adaptation”, which is the central phenomenon studied here. based upon a distinction between phenomenal conservatism that accepts only perceptual phenomenology with sensory contents and phenomenal liberalism that acknowledges higher-level contents of perception and cognitive phenomenology, i differentiate between adaptation of the sensory sort and adaptation in the cognitive aspects of experience. this distinction is used to highlight two different ways of understanding the notion of “phenomenal adaptation”, exhibited by the target article and this commentary. grush et al. seem to suggest that phenomenal and (non-phenomenal) semantic adaptation are different forms of a more general phenomenon of adaptation. however, they do not give any explicit example of the genus of adaptation of which these types are a species. i contend, in turn, that there is no need to produce such subclasses of the notion; semantic adaptation involving higher-level non-sensory states may also be understood as phenomenal. this follows from phenomenal liberalism. i argue that what is being processed in the course of phenomenal adaptation is phenomenal character understood in an expansive way that includes high-level contents. the claim may have an important effect on related empirical work. as a result, enactive sensorimotor adaptation does not have to be seen as adaptation of the sensory sort, but as adaptation in the cognitive aspects of experience, such as altered expectations, or beliefs about or sensitivity to kinds of objects encountered in perceptual experience. this phenomenally liberal reading would provide an appropriately more capacious notion than the adaptation of the sort offered by grush et al. finally, i claim that the lessons for enactive theories of color perception may be expanded beyond the implications of the color rotation study. this is demonstrated by turning to confirmatory and challenging cases of atypical perceptual conditions and color modifications, such as synesthetic color experiences

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases, responsible for the integrity of the basement membrane (BM) via degradation of extracellular matrix and BM components. These enzymes are presented in central and peripheral nervous system. They are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a motor neuron disease, leading to muscle atrophy, paralysis and death within 3–5 years from diagnosis. Currently, there is no treatment that can substantially prolong life of ALS patients. Despite the fact that MMPs are not specific for ALS, there is also strong evidence that these enzymes are involved in the pathology of ALS. MMPs are able to exert direct neurotoxic effects, or may cause cell death by degrading matrix proteins. The objective of this paper is to provide an updated and comprehensive review concerning the role of MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) in the pathology of ALS with an emphasis on the significance of MMP-2 and MMP-9 as well as their tissue inhibitors as potential biomarkers of ALS. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed regarding the role of selected MMPs and TIMPs in ALS pathogenesis. Moreover, selective MMPs’ inhibitors might be potential targets for therapeutic strategies for patients with ALS. However, future investigations are necessary before some of those non-specific for ALS enzymes could finally be used as biomarkers of this disease

The role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMPs) in the development of esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most aggressive malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. There are two distinct histological types of EC: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Etiologic factors and the patterns of incidence of both subtypes are different. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) play an important role in esophageal carcinogenesis. Gellatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 are able to degrade collagen IV from basement membranes and extracellular matrix which is related to tumor progression, including invasion, metastasis, growth and angiogenesis. It has been shown that increased expression of MMPs plays a crucial role in the development of several human malignancies, including esophageal cancer. The activity of MMPs is regulated by their endogenous natural inhibitors (TIMPs). Among these, the roles of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in EC development, tumor progression and formation of metastases have been most extensively characterized and best recognized

Matrix metalloproteinase 2 and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases 2 in the diagnosis of colorectal adenoma and cancer patients.

The aim of the study was to assess the importance of the measurement of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP-2) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in relation to clinicopathological features of tumor and patients' survival. Additionally, we determined serum MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in colorectal adenoma (CA) patients and healthy controls and compared them with tumor markers, CEA and CA 19-9. The serum levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in 91 CRC patients, 28 CA subjects and 91 healthy controls were determined by ELISA method, but concentrations of CEA and CA 19-9 using MEIA method. Nonparametric statistical analyses were used. Serum levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were significantly lower in CRC patients than in healthy subjects and decreased with tumor stage. Additionally, MMP-2 concentrations were significantly lower in patients with CRC than in CA group. Diagnostic sensitivity of TIMP-2 (59%) was the highest among biomarkers tested and increased in combined use with CEA (79%). Moreover, the area under ROC curve (AUC) of TIMP-2 was larger than AUC of MMP-2 in differentiation between CRC and healthy subjects, but lower than AUC of matrix metalloproteinase 2 in differentiation between colorectal cancer and adenoma. Our findings suggest clinical usefulness of TIMP-2 as a biomarker in the diagnosis of CRC, especially in combination with CEA. However, further investigation is necessary

Analysis of Selected Issues of the CPR Proposal, Taking into Account the Specifics of Fire Alarm Systems

Aim: The purpose of this publication is to present the results of ongoing theoretical research – an assessment of the newly proposed regulation that will replace Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing harmonized conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing Council Directive 89/106/EEC. The purpose of the conducted research was to analyse and compare the legal provisions. Introduction: Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council is a document that regulates the marketing of almost all construction products in the European Union. After 11 years since the publication of Regulation 305/2011, and less than 10 since its full entry into force, the European Commission has published on its website a proposal for a regulation that will ultimately replace today’s EU-wide regulation in 2025. The changes are, among other things, an outcome of the Commission’s 2016 report on the implementation of the regulation, which identified deficiencies in its implementation and a significant number of problems related to standardization, among other issues. This state of affairs was confirmed by the 2021 report of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Commission. Methodology: The authors used theoretical research, such as analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, generalization, inference, comparison and analogy. An analysis was performed of the current regulation and compared with the proposal for a new regulation, which has been published by the European Commission and is publicly available to all citizens. Conclusions: The presented analysis of the proposed regulation, which is ultimately intended to replace the existing European regulation, shows that the implementation of the new (amended) act may contribute to the complexity of the processes involved in the marketing of construction products within the European Union. The document itself is characterized by a high degree of complexity, in which, under the banner of simplification and unification of the construction product market, among other things, the scope of the European Commission’s powers is expanded, new obligations are introduced for the manufacturers of construction products, notified bodies assessing products, and new requirements for products and a new type of declaration are introduced. Its implementation will be a major challenge for EU member states and all players in the construction products market. Keywords: construction products, regulation 305/2011, European regulations, marketing of construction product

Clinical significance of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-2) in gastric cancer

Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) is able to degrade type IV collagen, and thus plays a key role in the migration of tumor cells. MMP-2 activity is inhibited by its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-2). The imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs may facilitate progression of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical importance of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 to that of classical tumor markers, namely carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC) by calculating the diagnostic criteria and estimating the levels of MMP-2, TIMP-2, CEA and CA 19-9 in GC patients in relation to clinicopathological features of cancer. We found that serum levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were significantly lower, whereas serum tumor markers were higher, in GC patients than in healthy subjects. Moreover, concentrations of TIMP-2 and CEA correlated with gastric wall infiltration, while CA 19-9 levels correlated with gastric wall infiltration and the presence of nodal metastasis. None of the proteins tested was found to be an independent prognostic factor for GC patients’ survival. The percentage of true positive results of TIMP-2 (61%) was higher than those of MMP-2 (54%) and the classical tumor markers CEA (21%) and CA 19-9 (31%). The highest diagnostic sensitivity was observed for the combined use of TIMP-2 with MMP-2 (77%). The results suggest the greater importance of serum MMP-2 and TIMP-2 than of the classical tumor markers CEA and CA 19-9 in the diagnosis of GC. But this issue requires further investigation. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 125–131

Niektóre problemy związane z oznaczaniem testosteronu

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone which determination is useful for assessment of androgen status. It seems that serum levels of testosterone, when assayed by commonly used methods, do not correlate with clinical parameters. One of the causes may be that these assays are suitable for determination of total testosterone, but not for measurement of biologically active forms of this hormone. The aim of this review is to present usefulness of testosterone measurement and its bioactive forms determination as well as factors influencing on their levels.Testosteron jest głównym męskim hormonem płciowym, którego oznaczanie ma istotne znaczenie do oceny stopnia androgenizacji w różnych stanach chorobowych. W powszechnym odczuciu lekarzy praktyków stężenie tego hormonu, oznaczane dostępnymi metodami, nie zawsze koreluje z parametrami klinicznymi. Jedną z przyczyn takiego stanu rzeczy jest fakt, że wyżej wymienione metody diagnostyczne pozwalają na oznaczanie głównie testosteronu całkowitego, nie dają zaś informacji o stężeniu aktywnej biologicznie frakcji tego hormonu. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono celowość i metody oznaczania testosteronu oraz jego frakcji, jak również czynniki wpływające na wyniki tych oznaczeń. (Endokrynol Pol 2007; 58 (5): 440-445

Korelacje pomiędzy stężeniami biomarkerów w płynie mózgowo-rdzeniowym a nasileniem zaburzeń funkcji poznawczych w chorobie Alzheimera

Introduction. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia.Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the concentration of the 42 amino acid isoform of Aβ (Aβ1-42), Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 (42 amino acid isoform of Aβ/40 amino acid isoform of Aβ) ratio, Tau and hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer disease (AD) and to compare their correlations with degree of cognitive impairment assessed with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).Material and Methods. In this study, using the ELISA immunoassay standard kits, we measured the average concentration of Aβ1-42, Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio, Tau and pTau protein, in the CSF obtained from subjects diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (n=20, 13 women and 7 men, mean age 69.9±10.4). The cognitive functions of the patients were assessed with MMSE test. The correlations between concentration of CSF biomarkers and degree of cognitive impairment were measured using nonparametric Spearman rank correlation coefficient.Results. Our results showed negative correlation between concentration of Tau protein in CSF and the number of points scored in MMSE test (r=-0.45; p=0.046). There was no correlation between a degree of cognitive impairment assessed with MMSE test and concentration of pTau (r=-0.42; p=0.066), Aβ1-42 (r=0.02; p=0.927), and Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio (r=-0.07; p=0.775). There was also positive correlation between concentration of Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio (r=0.91; p<0.0001), and between concentration of Tau and pTau (r=0.94; p<0.0001).Conclusions. Tau protein plays not only a crucial role in the early diagnostics, but also reflects the intensity of cognitive impairment in course of Alzheimer disease. (JNNN 2018;7(4):150–154)Wstęp. Choroba Alzheimera (AD) jest postępującą chorobą neurodegeneracyjną i najczęstszą przyczyną otępienia.Cel. Celem pracy była ocena stężenia 42 aminokwasowego Aβ1 (Aβ1-42), współczynnika 42 aminokwasowego Aβ1/40 aminokwasowego Aβ1 (Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40), białka Tau i nadmiernie ufosforylowanej formy białka Tau (pTau) w płynie mózgowo-rdzeniowym (PMR) pacjentów z rozpoznaną chorobą Alzheimera (AD) oraz porównanie ich stężenia ze stopniem zaburzeń funkcji poznawczych ocenianych przy pomocy krótkiej skali oceny stanu psychicznego (MMSE).Materiał i metody. W badaniu, przy użyciu standardowych zestawów testów immunologicznych ELISA, oznaczono średnie stężenie Aβ1-42, współczynnika Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40, białka Tau i pTau w PMR pobranym od pacjentów z rozpoznaną chorobą Alzheimera (n=20, 13 kobiet i 7 mężczyzn, średnia wieku 69,9±10,4 lat). Funkcje poznawcze pacjentów oceniano przy pomocy testu MMSE. Korelacje pomiędzy stężeniem biomarkerów w PMR a stopniem upośledzenia funkcji poznawczych były mierzone za pomocą nieparametrycznego współczynnika Spearmana.Wyniki. Otrzymane wyniki wykazały negatywną korelację pomiędzy stężeniem białka Tau w PMR oraz liczbą punktów uzyskanych w skali MMSE (r=-0,45; p=0,046). Nie stwierdzono korelacji pomiędzy stopniem nasilenia zaburzeń funkcji poznawczych ocenianych w teście MMSE a stężeniem pTau (r=-0,42; p=0,066), Aβ1-42 (r=0,02; p=0,927) oraz współczynnika Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 (r=-0,07; p=0,775). Stwierdzono również pozytywną korelację pomiędzy stężeniem Aβ1-42 i współczynnikiem Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 (r=0,91; p<0,0001) oraz pomiędzy białkiem Tau i pTau (r=0,94; p<0,0001).Wnioski. Białko Tau odgrywa nie tylko kluczową rolę we wczesnej diagnostyce, ale również odzwierciedla nasilenie zaburzeń funkcji poznawczych w przebiegu choroby Alzheimera. (PNN 2018;7(4):150–154