40 research outputs found
Effect of short-term food restriction on iron metabolism, relative well-being and depression symptoms in healthy women
Features habitat areas set aside in the zone surroundingthe Warta and Widawka Landscape Park
Usługi cyfrowe. Perspektywy wdrożenia i akceptacji cyfrowych usług administracji publicznej w Polsce
Digitalizacja wielu dotychczas stosowanych w formie papierowej dokumentów powoduje zmiany kulturowe w operowaniu tymi dokumentami i wprowadza nowe pojęcia i rodzaje usług realizowanych na dokumentach elektronicznych. Te fundamentalne zmiany powodują nowe sposoby funkcjonowania urzędów i wielu instytucji, z którymi kontaktujemy się w trakcie realizacji rozmaitych czynności życia codziennego. Ten nowy model funkcjonowania społeczeństwa w różnych obszarach aktywności wprowadził nowe pojęcia, takie jak usługa cyfrowa i produkt cyfrowy, a całość nosi nazwę społeczeństwa informacyjnego. Autorka w swej pracy podejmuje tę nowatorską tematykę, koncentrując się na aspektach usług cyfrowych, głównie w obszarze administracji publicznej w Polsce. Podjęcie tej tematyki jest zasadne z badawczego punktu widzenia, gdyż stan rozwoju stosowania nowych technologii jest przedmiotem licznych badań i analiz oraz stanowi o pozycji kraju w społeczności międzynarodowej.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00
Verification and refinement of the boundaries of physicogeographical mesoregions in the Łódź voivodeship based on contemporary spatial data
W pracy przedstawiono wyniki weryfikacji granic mezoregionów fizycznogeograficznych województwa łódzkiego na podstawie współczesnych danych przestrzennych. Wyodrębniono 28 mezoregionów, które przynajmniej częściowo mieszczą się w województwie łódzkim. Porównano parametry zweryfikowanych mezoregionów z jednostkami wydzielonymi przez Kondrackiego (2002), takie jak pole powierzchni, obwód, odległość i kierunek przesunięcia środka ciężkości oraz dwa wskaźniki kształtu. Najważniejsze zmiany obejmują wytyczenie dwóch nowych mezoregionów: Międzyrzecza Pysznej i Niecieczy, wyodrębnionego z Kotliny Szczercowskiej i Niecki Przyrowskiej, która powstała z części Niecki Włoszczowskiej.The paper presents the results of verification of the boundaries of physicogeographical mesoregions of Łódz voivodeship based on contemporary spatial data. The presented attempt to update the existing geographical division of Poland by J. Kondracki coincides with the preparations for landscape audits of voivodships. The basic cartographic material used for verifying and refining the boundaries was the vector and raster data of the Detailed Geological Map of Poland in the 1 :50 000 scale of the Łódz Region, geomorphological sketches included in the Explanations for these maps and the Digital Terrain Model with a resolution at least 100 m. A geomorphological map of the Lodz region turned out very useful (Turkowska 2006). To a lesser extent, the Computer Map of the Hydrographic Division of Poland MPHP 2010 (http://geoportal.kzgw.gov.pl) was applied. GIS software: ArcGIS 10.2 and QGIS 2.14 Essen were used for spatial data analysis. Twenty eight mesoregions, which at least partly fall within the Łódz Region, were delineated as a result of verification and refinement of the boundaries of 25 J. Kondracki's mesoregions (fig. 1, tab. 1). The comparison of mesoregion parameters such as surface area (tab. 2), perimeter, distance and direction of centroid shift (tab. 3), and two shape indices, demonstrated that the corrections of boundaries and displacement of physico-geographic regions are significant (fig. 2). The most important changes include the delineation of two new mesoregions: the Przyrów Basin, which was created from a part of the Włoszczowa Basin (fig. 3) and Interfluve of the Pyszna and Nieciecz Rivers, set apart from the Szczerców Basin (fig. 4)
Long-Term Administration of Angiotensin (1–7) to db/db Mice Reduces Oxidative Stress Damage in the Kidneys and Prevents Renal Dysfunction
Aims. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term (16 weeks) administration of angiotensin (1–7) [A(1–7)] on kidney function in db/db mice and to identify the protective mechanisms of this therapy. Methods. db/db mice and heterozygous controls were treated with A(1–7) or vehicle daily, subcutaneously for up to 16 weeks. Kidney injury was assessed by measuring blood flow in renal arteries, plasma creatinine levels, and proteinuria. Effects of treatment on oxidative stress were evaluated by histological staining and gene expression. Results. 16 weeks of daily administration of A(1–7) to a mouse model of severe type 2 diabetes (db/db) prevented the progression of kidney damage. Treatment with A(1–7) improved blood flow in the renal arteries, as well as decreased plasma creatinine levels and proteinuria in diabetic mice. Reduction of oxidative stress was identified as one of the mechanisms of the renoprotective action of A(1–7). Treatment prevented formation of nitrotyrosine residues, a marker of oxidative stress damage. A(1–7) also reduced the expression of two enzymes involved in formation of nitrotyrosine, namely, eNOS and NOX-4. A(1–7) regulated the phosphorylation pattern of eNOS to enhance production of NO in diabetic animals, possibly through the Akt pathway. However, these elevated levels of NO did not result in increased nitrosylation, possibly due to reduced NOX-4 levels. Conclusions. Long-term administration of A(1–7) improved kidney function and reduced oxidative stress damage in db/db mice
Pulmonary Involvement in a Mouse Model of Sjögren’s Syndrome Induced by STING Activation
Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS), a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems, is characterized by an elevated type I interferon (IFN) response. Activation of Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) protein induces type I IFN and in mice, several features of SS, including anti-nuclear antibodies, sialadenitis, and salivary gland dysfunction. Since lung involvement occurs in one-fifth of SS patients, we investigated whether systemic activation of STING also leads to lung inflammation. Lungs from female C57BL/6 mice injected with the STING agonist 5, 6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA), were evaluated for acute and chronic inflammatory responses. Within 4h of DMXAA injection, the expression of Ifnb1, Il6, Tnf, Ifng, and Mx1 was significantly upregulated. At 1 and 2 months post-treatment, lungs showed lymphocytic infiltration in the peri-bronchial regions. The lungs from DMXAA treated mice showed an increased expression of multiple chemokines and an increase in lymphatic endothelial cells. Despite STING expression in bronchial epithelium and cells lining the alveolar wall, bone marrow chimeras between STING knockout and wild type mice showed that STING expression in hematopoietic cells was critical for lung inflammation. Our results suggest that activation of the STING pathway might be involved in SS patients with concomitant salivary gland and lung disease
Immune Response Targeting Sjögren’s Syndrome Antigen Ro52 Suppresses Tear Production in Female Mice
Autoantibodies reactive against Ro52 are present in 70% of Sjögren’s syndrome patients and are associated with higher disease severity. However, their role in causing aqueous deficient dry eye, a major cause for morbidity in Sjögren’s syndrome, is unclear. To investigate whether immune responses targeting Ro52 contribute towards the dry eye, male and female NZM2758 mice were immunized with recombinant Ro52. Tear production was measured by the phenol red thread test. Sera were analyzed for anti-Ro52 levels by immunoprecipitation. Lacrimal glands were evaluated for inflammatory foci and IgG deposits. Our results showed that, although all mice generated anti-Ro52 antibodies, only females developed a significant drop in tear production. None of the mice developed severe lacrimal gland inflammation, and female mice with anti-Ro52 showed higher levels of IgG deposits within their glands. Passive transfer of anti-Ro52 sera caused reduced tear production in female mice, but not in males. This study demonstrates for the first time that immune responses initiated by Ro52 induce aqueous dry eye, and this may be driven by anti-Ro52 antibodies. Furthermore, the sexual dimorphism in glandular dysfunction suggests that the lacrimal glands in females are more susceptible to autoantibody-mediated injury