Endocannabinoid system and anticancer properties of cannabinoids

Cannabinoids impact human body by binding to cannabinoids receptors (CB1 and CB2). The two main phytocannabinoids are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC interacts with CB1 receptors occurring in central nervous system and is responsible for psychoactive properties of marijuana. CBD has low affinity to CB1 receptor, has no psychoactive characteristics and its medical applications can be wider. CB receptors are part of a complex machinery involved in regulation of many physiological processes – endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoids have found some applications in palliative medicine, but there are many reports concerning their anticancer affects. Agonists of CB1 receptors stimulate accumulation of ceramides in cancer cells, stress of endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) and, in turn, apoptosis. Effects of cannabinoids showing low affinity to CB receptors is mediated probably by induction of reactive oxygen species production. Knowledge of antitumor activity of cannabinoids is still based only on preclinical studies and there is a necessity to conduct more experiments to assess the real potential of these compounds

HOW MUCH DO LEADERS SEEK TO BE INFLUENCED? THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE IN REVERSE IN REVERSE

Purpose: Traditionally, the effects of social influence have been delineated in terms of “leaders” exerting influence over “followers.” Here we propose a new concept of social influence in which the leaders are influenced and, in fact, actively seek out that influence and build  personal support networks that generate that influence.Approach: To examine the concept, we conducted both pilot (N=42) and main studies (N=113).The pilot study showed that leaders organize diverse support networks based on three major traits of the influence-givers: their competence, moral standards and creativity.Findings: The research confirmed that leaders cultivate five types of individual support networks or influence-providers: family and close friends, professional connections, colleagues and peers (mostly relating to leisure and entertainment), social engagement, and a local/neighborhood network.The research revealed several dependencies between the subjects’ occupation and their expectations from the influence-providers. We also documented that leaders seek basically two kinds of individual support: support from individuals from whom they expect low-order processed information, i.e., facts and data; (type A), and support from individuals from whom they expect high-order, processed information, i.e., opinions, advice, strategies and predictions; (type B). It also confirmed that selection of type A supporters is primarily based on competencies and type B supporters are typically selected based on moral standing and creativity.Implications: This article will empower leaders to better understand the value of their support networks, also to organize the flow of received information.Value/Originality: We are presenting an original concept of social influence in reverse, broadening the cognition of social influence in positive management

Perinatal Manganese Exposure and Hydroxyl Radical Formation in Rat Brain

The present study was designed to investigate the role of pre- and postnatal manganese (Mn) exposure on hydroxyl radical (HO•) formation in the brains of dopamine (DA) partially denervated rats (Parkinsonian rats). Wistar rats were given tap water containing 10,000 ppm manganese chloride during the duration of pregnancy and until the time of weaning. Control rat dams consumed tap water without added Mn. Three days after birth, rats of both groups were treated with 6-hydroxydopamine at one of three doses (15, 30, or 67 µg, intraventricular on each side), or saline vehicle. We found that Mn content in the brain, kidney, liver, and bone was significantly elevated in dams exposed to Mn during pregnancy. In neonates, the major organs that accumulated Mn were the femoral bone and liver. However, Mn was not elevated in tissues in adulthood. To determine the possible effect on generation of the reactive species, HO• in Mn-induced neurotoxicity, we analyzed the contents of 2.3- and 2.5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (spin trap products of salicylate; HO• being an index of in vivo HO• generation), as well as antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoenzymes and glutathione S-transferase (GST). 6-OHDA-depletion of DA produced enhanced HO• formation in the brain tissue of newborn and adulthood rats that had been exposed to Mn, and the latter effect did not depend on the extent of DA denervation. Additionally, the extraneuronal, microdialysate, content of HO• in neostriatum was likewise elevated in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Interestingly, there was no difference in extraneuronal HO• formation in the neostriatum of Mn-exposed versus control rats. In summary, findings in this study indicate that Mn crosses the placenta but in contrast to other heavy metals, Mn is not deposited long term in tissues. Also, damage to the dopaminergic system acts as a “trigger mechanism,” initiating a cascade of adverse events leading to a protracted increase in HO• generation, and the effects of Mn and 6-OHDA are compounded. Moreover, HO• generation parallels the suppression of SOD isoenzymes and GST in the brains of rats lesioned with 6-OHDA and/or intoxicated with Mn—the most prominent impairments being in frontal cortex, striatum, and brain stem. In conclusion, ontogenetic Mn exposure, resulting in reactive oxygen species, HO• formation, represents a risk factor for dopaminergic neurotoxicity and development of neurodegenerative disorders

PSDRS, BDI, MoCA and MMSE as screening tools for the evaluation of mood and cognitive functions in patients at the early stage of cerebral stroke

Aims. To evaluate the suitability of the Post-Stroke Depression Scale (PSDRS) for detecting affective disorders, to examine the correlation of depressed mood states with cognitive disorders in patients at an early stage of cerebral stroke, and to attempt a comparison of the effectiveness of detecting depressive and cognitive disorders with the selected clinical scales. Material and methods. The examination involved 43 patients within the first week after cerebral stroke. It was carried out with the application of two screening scales, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and two scales for the evaluation of the degree of depressiveness: PSDRS and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results. A significant negative correlation of the results of the PSDRS and MoCA scales was shown. Depressed mood in patients post-cerebral stroke was statistically significantly correlated with the disorders in selected cognitive skills: visual and spatial functions, memory, attention functions and abstracting ability. Conclusions. The PSDRS and MoCA scales proved to be more effective tools for the evaluation of depressive and cognitive disorders in patients at an early stage after cerebral stroke than the conventionally applied MMSE and BDI scales. The examination results additionally show a significant dependence between mood and the cognitive impairment in this group of patients. With the weakening of cognitive functioning, the patients’ mood also became depressed

Stochastic diffusion : from Markov to non-Markov modeling

We briefly discuss omnipresence of stochastic modeling in physical science by recalling definitions of Markovian diffusion and generally, non-Markovian continuous time random walks (CTRW). If the motion of an idealized system can be described by a sum of independent displacements whose statistic over short time intervals has a well defined variance, the resulting random walk converges to a normal diffusion process. In turn, if formulation of such motion assumes the idea of distribution of waiting times between subsequent steps, the CTRW scenario emerges, which typically violates the Markovian property

Soil dehydrogenases activity of soils in an urban areas

tekst w j. pol. i ang.Celem prezentowanych badań było określenie wpływu metali ciężkich i odczynu gleby na aktywność dehydrogenaz glebowych, z jednoczesnym wskazaniem stopnia degradacji gleb terenów zurbanizowanych. Próbki glebowe pobrane z wybranych 71 stanowisk w mieście Sosnowiec zbadano pod względem aktywności enzymatycznej (dehydrogenazy), posługując się zmodyfikowaną procedurą Casida i in. (1964) oraz koncentracji trzech metali ciężkich (Zn, Pb, Cd) według metody Ostrowskiej i in. (1991)

The Analysis of the Residual Stress Evolution during Cycling Oxidation of the Ni-base Superalloys at High Temperature

The lifetime of the elements made of Ni-base superalloys can be strongly increased by introducing compressive stresses. Such stresses increase the resistance of cracks nucleation and formation during cyclic loads. Therefore, it is important to know how the stresses in the cold rolled Ni-based superalloys evolve during the service. Ni-base superalloys are dedicated to the usage at elevated temperature. However, exposing the Ni-based superalloys to high temperature results in their oxidation. So far, not a single work on the studies of the residual stress evolution in the Ni-based superalloys during cycling oxidation at high temperature was performed. Thus in the present study the residual stress in the materials in the as-received conditions and the changes in the residual stresses during cycling oxidation of IN 625 and IN 718 at 1273 K in air was investigated and described. The obtained results showed differences in the residual stresses level measured for investigated alloys. It was also found that thermal cycling of studied alloys influences the residual stresses. However even after the end of the test, the measured residual stresses were still compressive. Slightly different oxidation resistance was found for the studied alloys, namely, IN 718 was found to be more prone to oxide scale spallation. The latter was correlated with different alloy chemical composition, which results in formation of δ - phase in IN 718. The dissolution of δ - phase during high temperature exposure resulted in formation of sub-scale enriched with Nb and Ti in the near oxide scale/substrate interface. The latter was claimed to have a negative effect on oxide scale adherence

Leczenie chirurgiczne objawowych) naczyniaków kręgosłupa

Background and purpose Vertebral haemangiomas are relatively common, benign vascular lesions; symptomatic ones that cause spinal cord compression are rare, however. Only 0.9–1.2% of all vertebral haemangiomas are symptomatic. The aim of the paper is to present indications, operative techniques and stabilization methods in patients with symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas. Material and methods Clinical analysis included 7 patients treated between 1995 and 2007. There were 4 females and 3 males, aged 24 to 63 yrs (average age 44 yrs). Symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas were diagnosed on the basis of neuroradiological studies. Surgery was applied in all cases. Implantation of internal stabilization followed vertebral haemangioma resection. Results Localization of vertebral haemangiomas included 1 case in the cervical, 5 cases in the thoracic and 1 case in the lumbar segment of the vertebral column. Symptoms of medulla compression were observed in 7 patients. Neurological symptoms were caused usually by hypertrophy or ballooning of the posterior cortex of the vertebral body into the vertebral canal. The anterior surgical approach was carried out in 2 cases, posterolateral in 3 cases and posterior in 2 cases. Spinal stability was secured by various implant systems and autogenic bone grafts. Bone defects in the vertebral body were filled with acrylic cement in 4 patients. In histological examinations, cavernous types were found in all patients. Neurological condition improved after the treatment in 5 patients. Conclusions No standard therapy exists for symptomatic thoracic vertebral haemangiomas. However, immediate surgical intervention is necessary in cases with acute compressive myelopathy before the symptoms become irreversible.Wstęp i cel pracy Naczyniak kręgosłupa jest najczęstszym pierwotnym guzem kostnym kręgosłupa. Tylko 0,9—1,2% naczyniaków powoduje neurologiczne objawy ubytkowe. W pracy przedstawiono wskazania, techniki operacyjne i sposoby stabilizacji u chorych leczonych z powodu objawowych naczyniaków kręgosłupa. Materiał i metody Analizą kliniczną objęto 7 chorych leczonych w latach 1995—2007, w tym 4 kobiety i 3 mężczyzn w wieku od 24 do 63 lat (średnia wieku wynosiła 44 lata). Diagnostyka opierała się na badaniach neuroradiologicznych. Wszyscy chorzy byli leczeni chirurgicznie. Po usunięciu naczyniaka przeprowadzano stabilizację wewnętrzną kręgosłupa metalowymi implantami i autogennym przeszczepem kostnym. Ubytek w trzonie kręgu w 4 przypadkach został wypełniony cementem akrylowym. Wyniki Naczyniaki kręgosłupa występowały najczęściej w odcinku piersiowym — 5 przypadków, w odcinkach szyjnym i lędźwiowym — po 1 przypadku. Objawy kliniczne ucisku rdzenia kręgowego stwierdzono u wszystkich chorych. Naczyniaki powodowały ucisk rdzenia kręgowego przez przerost i balonowate uwypuklenie zwykle tylnej ściany trzonu kręgowego. Przednie dojście operacyjne wykonano w 2 przypadkach, tylno-boczne w 3 przypadkach, a tylne w 2 przypadkach. W badaniu histologicznym u wszystkich chorych stwierdzono naczyniaki jamiste. Poprawę stanu neurologicznego obserwowano u 5 pacjentów. Wnioski Nie ma ustalonych standardów leczenia u chorych z objawowymi naczyniakami kręgosłupa. Interwencja chirurgiczna polegająca na uwolnieniu rdzenia kręgowego z ucisku jest konieczna w przypadkach narastających neurologicznych objawów ubytkowych

Zastosowanie Testu Łączenia Punktów do oceny elastyczności poznawczej u chorych z zaburzeniami mowy po udarze mózgu

Nadrzędnym celem pracy było określenie poziomu elastyczności poznawczej za pomocą Testu Łączenia Punktów (Trail Making Test, TMT) u chorych z zaburzeniami mowy po udarze mózgu. Badaniem objęto 43 chorych (18 kobiet oraz 25 mężczyzn) z niedokrwiennym udarem mózgu. Badanych przydzielono do trzech grup w zależności od rodzaju zaburzenia mowy: chorych z afazją, brakiem afazji i dyzartrią. Do oceny ogólnej sprawności funkcji poznawczych zastosowano Krótką Skalę Oceny Stanu Psychicznego (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE) oraz Test Rysowania Zegara (Clock Drawing Test, CDT). Elastyczność poznawcza była badana przy użyciu Testu Łączenia Punktów. Uzyskane wyniki wykazały, że chorzy z afazją wykazują najniższy poziom elastyczności poznawczej. Zaburzenia elastyczności poznawczej mogą być związane z dysfunkcją kory przedczołowej, która uległa uszkodzeniu w wyniku niedokrwiennego udaru mózgu. Przypuszczalnie dla umiejętności językowych i komponentów funkcji wykonawczych istnieją wspólne neuroanatomiczne obwody funkcjonalne. Stąd w przypadku uszkodzenia kluczowych dla obu zdolności struktur dysfunkcje językowe i wykonawcze mogą występować paralelnie. Współwystępowanie deficytów poznawczych u chorych z afazją może dodatkowo utrudniać funkcjonowanie chorego, a także mieć negatywny wpływ na proces rehabilitacji sprawności porozumiewania się.The main aim of this study was to evaluate the level of cognitive flexibility in patients with speech disorders after ischaemic cerebral stroke. The study was conducted in a group of 43 patients (18 women and 25 men) who had experienced cerebral ischaemic stroke. The patients under study were divided into groups based on the type of speech disorders, i.e.: aphasia, lack of speech disorders and dysarthria. A Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a Clock Drawing Test (CDT) were applied for the general evaluation of the efficiency of cognitive functions. Cognitive flexibility – a component of executive functions, was evaluated with the use of a Trail Making Test (TMT). The results obtained prove that patients with aphasia show the lowest level of cognitive flexibility. Disorders of executive functions can be related to the dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex which has been damaged as a result of ischaemic cerebral stroke. Presumably, there are common functional neuroanatomical circuits for both language skills and components of executive functions. In the case of damage to the structures that are of key importance for both skills, language and executive dysfunctions can therefore occur in parallel. The presence of executive dysfunctions in patients with aphasia can additionally impede the functioning of the patient, and also negatively influence the process of rehabilitation the aim of which is to improve the efficiency of communication