Determinants of knowledge about dietary supplements among Polish Internet users with no medical education: a nationwide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Having an accurate understanding of dietary supplements is a prerequisite for informed decision regarding their intake. However, there is a need for studies of such understanding among the public based on validated research tools. OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge about dietary supplements in Polish Internet users with no medical education, to identify its determinants and design an appropriate predictive model. METHODS: The study protocol with statistical analysis plan was prospectively registered. Polish users of an online health service and a social networking service were administered a survey consisting of the recently-developed Questionnaire on Knowledge about Dietary Supplements, Questionnaire on Trust in Advertising Dietary Supplements, Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, as well as several other health related single-item measures and sociodemographic questions. The results were subjected to general linear modeling. RESULTS: In total, 6273 participants were included. Out of 17 yes/no questions in the Questionnaire of Knowledge about Dietary Supplements, the mean number of correct responses was 9.0 (95% CI: 8.9 to 9.1). Health service users performed worse than social networking ones by 2.3 (95% CI: 2.1 to 2.5) points in an analysis adjusted for potential confounders. Internet users had less true beliefs about dietary supplements if they presented higher trust in their advertising (adjusted β: -.37, 95% CI: -.39 to -.34), used dietary supplements (adjusted β: -.14, 95% CI: -.17 to -.12), experienced their positive effect (adjusted β: -.16, 95% CI: -.18 to -.13), were older or younger than 35 (adjusted β: -.14, 95% CI: -.17 to -.12), expressed interest in the topic of dietary supplements (adjusted β: -.10, 95% CI: -.13 to -.08), reported getting information about the products from friends (adjusted β: -.13, 95% CI: -.15 to -.11), believed that medicines are harmful (adjusted β: -.12, 95% CI: -.15 to -.10). The proposed 5-predictor model could explain 31.2% of variance in knowledge about dietary supplements. The model appeared resistant to overfitting and was able to forecast the majority of the observed associations. CONCLUSIONS: Polish Internet users with no medical education exhibit some false beliefs regarding dietary supplements. Trusting in advertising dietary supplements appears in conflict with having knowledge about them. There is an urgent need for effective online educational campaigns about dietary supplements and promotion of advertising literacy. The proposed predictive model, after being externally validated, may help identify the least informed target audience. CLINICALTRIAL: Open Science Framework, https://osf.io/5e92d/

Polymorphisms in xenobiotic transporters ABCB1, ABCG2, ABCC2, ABCC1, ABCC3 and multiple myeloma risk : a case--control study in the context of the International Q1 Multiple Myeloma rESEarch consortium

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological neoplasm that arises from a single clone of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. In Europe, 4.6/100 000 males and 3.2/100 000 females every year develop MM, with a median age at diagnosis around 60 years.Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Lodz, Poland) - NN40217833Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (Madrid, Spain) - PI081051Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucia (Sevilla, Spain) - P08-CVI-411

Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Properties of Essential Oils from Hairy and Normal Roots of Leonurus sibiricus

Essential oils obtained from the NR (normal roots) and HR (hairy roots) of the medicinal plant Leonurus sibiricus root were used in this study. The essential oil compositions were detected by GC-MS. Eighty-five components were identified in total. Seventy components were identified for NR essential oil. The major constituents in NR essential oil were β-selinene (9.9%), selina-4,7-diene (9.7%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (7.3%),myli-4(15)-ene (6.4%), and guaia-1(10),11-diene (5.9%). Sixty-seven components were identified in HR essential oil, the main constituents being (E)-β-caryophyllene (22.6%), and germacrene D (19.8%). The essential oils were tested for cytotoxic effect, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Both essential oils showed activity against grade IV glioma cell lines (IC50 = 400 μg/mL), antimicrobial (MIC and MFC values of 2500 to 125 μg/mL), and anti-inflammatory (decreased level of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in LPS-stimulated cells).The essential oils exhibited moderate antioxidant activity in ABTS (EC50 = 98 and 88 μg/mL) assay. This is the first study to examine composition of the essential oils and their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory activities. The results indicate that essential oils form L. sibiricus root may be used in future as an alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents with potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industries

The Bcl I single nucleotide polymorphism of the human glucocorticoid receptor gene h-GR/NR3C1 promoter in patients with bronchial asthma: pilot study

Bcl I in the promoter polymorphism observed within h-GR/NR3C1 gene may play an important role in the development of bronchial asthma and resistance to GCs in the severe bronchial asthma. The aim of the investigation was to study the correlation between this h-GR/NR3C1 gene polymorphism and occurrence of asthma in the population of Polish asthmatics. Peripheral blood was obtained from 70 healthy volunteers and 59 asthma patients. Structuralized anamnesis, spirometry and allergy skin prick tests were performed in all participants. Genotyping was carried out with PCR–RFLP method. In healthy, non-atopic population variants of Bcl I: GG, GC, CC were found with frequency 0.129/0.471/0.400, respectively. In asthma patients Bcl I: GG, GC, CC occurred with respective frequencies of 0.410/0.462/0.128. Chi-square analysis revealed a significantly different (P < 0.05) distribution between cases and controls for the Bcl I polymorphism. The Bcl I polymorphism of h-GR/NR3C1 gene is significantly associated with bronchial asthma, susceptibility to the development of severe form and resistance to GCs in Polish population

The Plasma Membrane Calcium ATPases and Their Role as Major New Players in Human Disease.

The Ca2+ extrusion function of the four mammalian isoforms of the plasma membrane calcium ATPases (PMCAs) is well established. There is also ever-increasing detail known of their roles in global and local Ca2+ homeostasis and intracellular Ca2+ signaling in a wide variety of cell types and tissues. It is becoming clear that the spatiotemporal patterns of expression of the PMCAs and the fact that their abundances and relative expression levels vary from cell type to cell type both reflect and impact on their specific functions in these cells. Over recent years it has become increasingly apparent that these genes have potentially significant roles in human health and disease, with PMCAs1-4 being associated with cardiovascular diseases, deafness, autism, ataxia, adenoma, and malarial resistance. This review will bring together evidence of the variety of tissue-specific functions of PMCAs and will highlight the roles these genes play in regulating normal physiological functions and the considerable impact the genes have on human disease

A new class of glycomimetic drugs to prevent free fatty acid-induced endothelial dysfunction

Background: Carbohydrates play a major role in cell signaling in many biological processes. We have developed a set of glycomimetic drugs that mimic the structure of carbohydrates and represent a novel source of therapeutics for endothelial dysfunction, a key initiating factor in cardiovascular complications. Purpose: Our objective was to determine the protective effects of small molecule glycomimetics against free fatty acid­induced endothelial dysfunction, focusing on nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress pathways. Methods: Four glycomimetics were synthesized by the stepwise transformation of 2,5­dihydroxybenzoic acid to a range of 2,5­substituted benzoic acid derivatives, incorporating the key sulfate groups to mimic the interactions of heparan sulfate. Endothelial function was assessed using acetylcholine­induced, endotheliumdependent relaxation in mouse thoracic aortic rings using wire myography. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) behavior was evaluated in the presence or absence of the free fatty acid, palmitate, with or without glycomimetics (1µM). DAF­2 and H2DCF­DA assays were used to determine nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, respectively. Lipid peroxidation colorimetric and antioxidant enzyme activity assays were also carried out. RT­PCR and western blotting were utilized to measure Akt, eNOS, Nrf­2, NQO­1 and HO­1 expression. Results: Ex vivo endothelium­dependent relaxation was significantly improved by the glycomimetics under palmitate­induced oxidative stress. In vitro studies showed that the glycomimetics protected HUVECs against the palmitate­induced oxidative stress and enhanced NO production. We demonstrate that the protective effects of pre­incubation with glycomimetics occurred via upregulation of Akt/eNOS signaling, activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway, and suppression of ROS­induced lipid peroxidation. Conclusion: We have developed a novel set of small molecule glycomimetics that protect against free fatty acidinduced endothelial dysfunction and thus, represent a new category of therapeutic drugs to target endothelial damage, the first line of defense against cardiovascular disease