Mapping of the Influenza-A Hemagglutinin Serotypes Evolution by the ISSCOR Method

Analyses and visualizations by the ISSCOR method of influenza virus hemagglutinin genes of different A-subtypes revealed some rather striking temporal relationships between groups of individual gene subsets. Based on these findings we consider application of the ISSCOR-PCA method for analyses of large sets of homologous genes to be a worthwhile addition to a toolbox of genomics - allowing for a rapid diagnostics of trends, and ultimately even aiding an early warning of newly emerging epidemiological threats.Comment: 26 pages with figures (Figs. 1-4 in the main text, and Figs. S1-S5 in supplementary materials

Sexual health of persons with spine injuries complicated by neurological disorders

Mimo że Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia uznaje zdrowie seksualne za istotny składnik dobrostanu człowieka, jakość życia seksualnego osób niepełnosprawnych wciąż jest pomijana w procesie rehabilitacji medycznej i psychospołecznej. Jedną z przyczyn tej sytuacji jest niedostateczna wiedza na temat wpływu niepełnosprawności fizycznej na jakość życia seksualnego pacjenta oraz mylne przekonanie o nieodwracalności negatywnych skutków. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie aktualnej wiedzy dotyczącej zdrowia seksualnego osób po urazie kręgosłupa powikłanym zaburzeniami neurologicznymi. W pracy skoncentrowano się na omówieniu wpływu urazu na zaburzenie reakcji seksualnych u kobiet i mężczyzn. Przedstawiono również wiedzę na temat aspektów płodności oraz prokreacji osób po urazie kręgosłupa powikłanym zaburzeniami neurologicznymi. Dokonany przegląd literatury może być pomocny w opracowaniu modelu rehabilitacji seksualnej tej grupy pacjentów.Despite of World Health Organization recognizes sexual health as an important component of human wellbeing, sexual life quality of physically disabled persons is still neglected in medical and psychosocial rehabilitation. One of causes of this situation is poor knowledge about consequences of a physical disability on sexual life and inadequate opinions that these negative consequences are irreversible. The purpose of this paper is to present the state of the art of sexual health concentrating on people with spinal injuries complicated by neurological deficite. The influence of an injury on sexual reaction in women and men were considered. Moreover, fertility aspects and specific problems with pregnancies and labors were discussed. The performed review may be helpful in elaboration of sexual rehabilitation of these patients

The outdoor time in non-myopic children has decreased to that of myopic children during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Objective: Low levels of outdoor activity are known to be an important risk factor for the development of myopia in schoolchildren. This study aimed to determine outdoor and near-work patterns in Polish schoolchildren before and during school closure due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: All children undergoing a routine pediatric examination in the Elbląg branch of the Hygeia Clinic, together with their parents, were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire. The subject’s age, spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error, time spent outdoors, screen time, and total near work hours per day before and during the pandemic, were recorded. As substantial differences in physical activity by time of year were reported, activity patterns for June (summer) and December (winter) were recorded. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between the presence of myopia and outdoor and total near-work time at different time points. Results: A total of 61 schoolchildren aged 11.95 ± 2.74 (range 7 to 17) years were included in this study. The mean SE in the right eye was -1.78 ± 2.11 with 46% of the individuals (n=28) classified as myopic. Before the pandemic, higher time outdoors was associated with less myopic SE (OR=0.47, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.24 to 0.93). During the pandemic, time outdoors among non-myopic children was similar to myopic children, both during winter and summer months (2.18 ± 1.81 vs. 1.89 ± 1.50; P=.51, and 3.47 ± 2.66 vs. 3.31 ± 1.65; P=.79 respectively). Time outdoors was not significantly associated with myopia during the pandemic (OR=1.17, 95% CI 0.64 to 2.14). Total near work was not associated with myopia at any time point. Conclusion: The long-term influence of the changing patterns of outdoor and near work on myopia prevalence and progression in our population is still to be established. Nevertheless, it is likely that the decrease in outdoor time may influence the rates of myopia in this region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel Coumarin-Thiadiazole Hybrids and Their Cu(II) and Zn(II) Complexes as Potential Antimicrobial Agents and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

A series of coumarin-thiadiazole hybrids and their corresponding Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes were synthesized and characterized with the use of spectroscopic techniques. The results obtained indicate that all the coumarin-thiadiazole hybrids act as bidentate chelators of Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions. The complexes isolated differ in their ligand:metal ratio depending on the central metal. In most cases, the Zn(II) complexes are characteristic of a 1:1 ligand:metal ratio, while in the Cu(II) complexes the ligand:metal ratio is 2:1. All compounds were tested as potential antibacterial agents against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial strains demonstrating activities notably lower than commercially available antibiotics. The more promising results were obtained from the assessment of antineurodegenerative potency as all compounds showed moderate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition activity

O harmonijny rozwój człowieka. Myśl pedagogiczna Profesora Andrzeja Jaczewskiego

Z wprowadzenia: "Andrzej Jaczewski, Profesor Honorowy Krakowskiej Akademii im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego w Krakowie, uczony, który we wrześniu b.r. ukończy 90. rok życia, to najstarszy i jeden z nielicznych obecnie autorytetów naukowych w dziedzinie badań nad rozwojem seksualnym dzieci i młodzieży. Jego działalność sytuuje się na pograniczu nauk medycznych i pedagogicznych."(...