Ancylite-(Ce) from quartz-calcite-chlorite veins in phyllite of the Opava Mountains (SW Poland)

Ancylite-(Ce) oc curs in quartz-cal cite-chlorite veins cross cut ting the fo li a tion of phyllite in the Dewon Quarry in the foot hills of the Opava Moun tains of the east ern Sudetes, south-west Po land. Ir reg u larly shaped grains of ancylite are up to 67 mm long and 22 mm wide. The compositional range of ancylite, de ter mined by elec tron microprobe, is ex pressed by the em pir i cal for - mula: (Sr0.65–0.55Ca0.19–0.14Fe0.03–0.00)S0.87–0.69 Ce0.58–0.50Nd0.26–0.22La0.26–0.21Pr0.06–0.05Sm0.05–0.04Gd0.07–0.03Dy0.01–0.00)S1.29–1.05 (CO3)2 (OH1.07–0.99F0.22-0.0.06)S1.29–1.05 × 0.95–0.93H2O. Ancylite crys tal lized di rectly from CO2-rich hy dro ther mal so lu tions as the last min eral in the veins fol low ing pre cip i ta tion of cal cite. The so lu tion tem per a ture, es ti mated us ing var i ous chlorite geothermometres, was in the range of 260–340°C

Comparative analysis of phenolic acids and flavonoids in shoot cultures of Eryngium alpinum L. : an endangered and protected species with medicinal value

Phenolic acids and flavonoids, important bioactive compounds of polyphenols, play a significant role in plants; their impact, mainly as antioxidants, on human health have been of great interest in recent years. The genetically uniform shoots of Eryngium alpinum L. cultured in vitro, developed via axillary buds and regenerated from callus tissue, maintained on the media supplemented with various plant growth regulators, were subjected to the phenolic acids and flavonoids quantitative analysis applying HPLC-DAD technique. In vitro cultures give the opportunity to perform the phytochemical studies on the protected species without harvesting the plant material from natural environment. Depending on the hormonal supplementation, the biomass from the shoot cultures accumulated from 11.41 to 25 times more phenolic acids [the total content ranged from 158.66 to 1817.96 mg/100 g of dry weight (DW)] and from 6.8 to 11.8 times more flavonoids (the total content ranged from 29.30 to 51.30 mg/100 g DW) than the shoots from the soil-grown plant. The polyphenols present in the shoot cultures include two phenolic acids: 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic and caffeic, four depsides: caftaric, neochlorogenic, chlorogenic, isochlorogenic, and rosmarinic acids, and flavonoids: aglycone-isoquercetin and glucoside-quercitrin. Most of them (apart from chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids) were detected for the first time in this species cultured in vitro. To our best knowledge, the present report is the first one that discusses establishment of Eryngium alpinum L. in vitro cultures and the shoot and callus biomass capacity to produce two subgroups of polyphenols i.e. phenolic acids and flavonoids

The latest trends in hair composition analysis in toxicological studies

Humans have had to deal with toxic substances since times immemorial, and this remains the case in the present day. In case of forensic toxicology, of interest are those substances whose possession, use or effects of either imply an offense, a crime or a threat to life. Biological materials used in toxicological analyses are usually blood, urine and the vitreous body of the eye. In addition to the above-mentioned classic materials used for tests aimed at determining the presence of a given xenobiotic, alternative materials, such as hair, are increasingly being used. The primary goal of forensic and clinical toxicology is to look for a causal relationship between the presence of a toxic agent in the system and the specific biological effect caused by it. Carrying out the above objective requires the toxicology analyst to choose the appropriate diagnostic material and the appropriate analytical methods. Toxicological analysis can be performed for any type of material, including hair, which is an excellent sample for determination of individual substances. One of the most important tasks in the field of forensic toxicology is the analysis of addictive substances, whose presence or absence in the human body is one of the elements of a medico-legal report

Biosafety and biological factors

Biological threats go beyond infectious disease epidemics. A biological threat should be construed as the effects of deployment of biological warfare or the occurrence of biological events of natural origin, which can have significant impact on the breach of security in the military, social, ecological and biological context. Biological factors are often recognized as an important and increasingly appreciated problem of widely understood public health. Epidemiological data indicates that, worldwide, at least several hundred million people are exposed to them. A fallacious conviction prevails that biological factors generally affect health care workers who are exposed to them as part of their daily professional routine. However, we rarely realize that biological factors affect us as part of many types of work, also in public spaces. Exposure to biological factors in the workplace and out of work has become increasingly frequent, leading to many adverse health effects. Health care authorities should be sensitive to the emergence of disease foci caused by biological factors (bioterrorism), which requires their quick reaction. It is also important to guarantee the security of personnel in all employment areas where contact with these factors is expected. It is estimated that the frequency of use of weapons of mass destruction is directly proportional to the availability of these means and their production costs, as well as their production capacity. These are the main reasons that indicate that a growing number of terrorist organizations can start using them. The purpose of the study is to present the current knowledge on the preparedness of government bodies (administration and health care) to fight biological threats of various origin

Results of Polish Adult Leukemia Study Group (PALG) project assessing TP53 mutations with next-generation sequencing technology in relapsed and refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients — an 18-month update

Indtroduction and methods: In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), molecular and cytogenetic diagnostics are crucial for the determination of accurate prognosis and treatment choice. Among different genetic aberrations, del(17p13) or TP53 mutations constitute high-risk factors, and early identification of such defects is a high priority for CLL patients. While cytogenetic diagnostics is well-established and accessible for the majority of CLL patients in Poland, molecular diagnostics of TP53 mutations is performed only in a few ERIC-certified centers (eight as of September 2020), and only two of these employ next-generation sequencing (NGS) for routine analysis of TP53 status in CLL patients. Here we report the interim results of a project assessing TP53 mutations with NGS technology in relapsed or refractory CLL patients with confirmed negative del(17p13) status. 249 patients from 32 clinical centers were included in the study. Results: NGS analysis revealed TP53 mutations in 42/249 (17%) patients, half of whom (21/249, 8.5%) had subclonal mutations (VAF ≤10%). These results are in line with published data in relapsed/refractory CLL patients. Conclusions: The results of the project demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of NGS testing in CLL patients despite several initial logistical and technical obstacles. Our study also proved that, with appropriate funding, CLL patients from any hematological center in Poland can have access to state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic

Analysis of problems with which clients turn to a dermoconsultant in the drugstore and pharmacy

Celem niniejszej pracy było poznanie problemów, z jakimi klientki zwracają się do dermokonsultantki w drogerii i aptece. Dodatkowym celem było poznanie wykształcenia zawodowego dermokonsultantek.Materiały i metody: W badaniu zastosowano autorską ankietę, która zawierała 11 pytań dotyczących m.in. problemów, z jakimi klientki zgłaszały się na dermokonsultacje, a także wykształcenia dermokonsultantek. Ankieta była skierowana do kobiet pracujących jako dermokonsultantki w drogeriach i aptekach. Dodatkowo, przez okres od 1 grudnia 2017 r. do 31 marca 2018 r. spisywałam na specjalnie przygotowanych kartach problemy, z jakimi klientki zgłaszały się do mnie na dermokonsultacje. W aptece Super-Pharm, w Krakowie udzieliłam 2489 porad. Częstość wyboru poszczególnych odpowiedzi oceniono za pomocą arkusza kalkulacyjnego Microsoft Office Excel 2016. Wyniki: Badana grupa liczyła 57 dermokonsultantek. Ponad połowa (56,1%) ankietowanych odpowiedziała, że najczęściej z ich usług korzystały Panie w średnim wieku (od 35 do 49 r. ż.). Spośród problemów, z jakimi zgłaszały się do nich klientki dominowały kolejno trądzik młodzieńczy (63,2%), starzenie się skóry (54,4%)i atopowe zapalenie skóry (38,6%). Kolejność ta odpowiadała najczęstszym problemom, które klientki zgłaszały mi w czasie dermokonsultacji: trądzik młodzieńczy (41,6%), starzenie się skóry (37,1%) i atopowe zapalenie skóry (9,7%). Wśród respondentek, 79,0% zadeklarowało posiadanie przygotowania zawodowego z zakresu kosmetyki i kosmetologii. Ponad połowa ankietowanych (57,8%) zadeklarowała posiadanie wykształcenia wyższego, z czego studia magisterskie z kosmetologii zadeklarowało 29,8% dermokonsultantek, a studia licencjackie z kosmetologii 28,0%. Specjalistyczne kursy kosmetyczne ukończyło 15,8% ankietowanych, a szkoły zawodowe o profilu technik usług kosmetycznych 10,5%. Brak jakiegokolwiek wykształcenia kierunkowego z zakresu kosmetyki i kosmetologii zadeklarowało 21,0% respondentek.Wnioski: Najczęstsze problemy, z jakimi klientki zgłaszają się do dermokonsultantki to trądzik młodzieńczy, starzenie się skóry i atopowe zapalenie skóry. Wśród dermokonsultantek przeważają osoby, które mają wykształcenie zawodowe w zakresie kosmetyki i kosmetologii. Co piąta dermokonsultantka nie ma żadnego formalnego przygotowania w zakresie kosmetyki i kosmetologii.The aim of this study was to analyse the problems which clients present to dermoconsultant in drugstores and pharmacies. An additional aim was to get to know the education of dermoconsultants.Materials and methods: The study used a questionnaire, contained 11 questions regarding to problems with which clients reported to dermoconsultant. The questionnaire was addressed to women working as dermoconsultants in drugstores and pharmacies. Additionally, in the period from 1 December 2017 to 31 March 2018, I wrote down on specially prepared cards problems with which clients came to me for dermoconsultations. At the Super-Pharm pharmacy in Krakow I gave 2489 advices. The frequency of indication of individual responses was assessed by using the Microsoft Office Excel 2016 spreadsheet.Results: Middle-aged women (aged from 35 to 49) were the prevailing users of dermoconsulting services (as indicated by 56.1% of dermoconsultants). Among problems that clients present to dermoconsultants most frequence are acne vulgaris (63.2%), skin aging (54.4%) and atopic dermatitis (38.6%). This order corresponded to the most common problems that clients reported to me during dermoconsultations, i.e. acne vulgaris (41.6%), skin aging (37.1%) and atopic dermatitis (9.7%). Among interviewed dermoconsultants, 79.0% said they had some professional background in cosmetics and cosmetology. Over half of dermoconsultants (57.8%) had higher education in cosmetology, of whom 29.8% dermoconsultants declared a master`s degree, and 28.0% declared undergraduate studies. Specialized beauty courses were completed by 15.8% of dermoconsultants and cosmetic vocational schools were completed by 10.5% of dermoconsultants. The lack of any directional education in the field of cosmetics and cosmetology was declared by 21.0% of respondents.Conclusions: Among problems that clients present to dermoconsultant most frequence are acne vulgaris, skin aging and atopic dermatitis. Most dermoconsultants have professional education in the field of cosmetics and cosmetology. Every fifth dermoconsultant doesn`t have any formal preparation in the field of cosmetics and cosmetology

Ancylite-(Ce) from quartz-calcite-chlorite veins in phyllite of the Opava Mountains (SW Poland)

Ancylite-(Ce) occurs in quartz-calcite-chlorite veins crosscutting the foliation of phyllite in the Dewon Quarry in the foothills of the Opava Mountains of the eastern Sudetes, south-west Poland. Irregularly shaped grains of ancylite are up to 67 μm long and 22 μm wide. The compositional range of ancylite, determined by electron microprobe, is expressed by the empirical formula: (Sr0.65-0.55Ca0.19-0.14Fe0.03-0.00)∑0.87-0.69 (Ce0.58-0.50Nd0.26-0.22La0.26-0.21Pr0.06-0.05Sm0.05-0.04Gd0.07-0.03Dy0.01-0.00)∑1.29-1.05 (CO3)2(OH1.07-0.99F0.22-0.0.06)∑1.29-1.05· 0.95-0.93H2O. Ancylite crystallized directly from CO2-rich hydrothermal solutions as the last mineral in the veins following precipitation of calcite. The solution temperature, estimated using various chlorite geothermometres, was in the range of 260-340°C

Ancylite-(Ce) from quartz-calcite-chlorite veins in phyllite of the Opava Mountains (SW Poland)

Ancylite-(Ce) occurs in quartz-calcite-chlorite veins crosscutting the foliation of phyllite in the Dewon Quarry in the foothills of the Opava Mountains of the eastern Sudetes, south-west Poland. Irregularly shaped grains of ancylite are up to 67 μm long and 22 μm wide. The compositional range of ancylite, determined by electron microprobe, is expressed by the empirical formula: (Sr0.65-0.55Ca0.19-0.14Fe0.03-0.00)∑0.87-0.69 (Ce0.58-0.50Nd0.26-0.22La0.26-0.21Pr0.06-0.05Sm0.05-0.04Gd0.07-0.03Dy0.01-0.00)∑1.29-1.05 (CO3)2(OH1.07-0.99F0.22-0.0.06)∑1.29-1.05· 0.95-0.93H2O. Ancylite crystallized directly from CO2-rich hydrothermal solutions as the last mineral in the veins following precipitation of calcite. The solution temperature, estimated using various chlorite geothermometres, was in the range of 260-340°C