Age, place of living and education influences the pregnancy universal thyroid function screening program attendance — questionnaire study

Background: The aim of this study was to assess attendance at the universal screening programme for thyroid function in pregnancy and attempt to evaluate the influence of age, number of past pregnancies, level of education, and place of residence on the attendance. The study was performed by means of a questionnaire. Material and methods: Our study was performed on the basis of an anonymous questionnaire handed out to 543 women aged 16–45 years, on the third day of their puerperal stay in one of five obstetric wards in southern Poland. The questionnaire contained questions about participation in plasma level measurements of TSH, fT4, total T4, thyroid antibodies or thyroid ultrasound scanning at least once in pregnancy. Results: The rate of attendance at any examination of thyroid function among pregnant women was 26.7%. The highest attendance rate (32.7%) was found among women living in provincial capitals or with higher education (41.3%), whereas the lowest was among women who had completed only primary school (11%) and those living in county towns (15%). The number of previous pregnancies did not influence the thyroid screening attendance. Women over 21 years of age participated in this screening programme more frequently (27.1–30%). Conclusion: Less than one third of pregnant women participated in the thyroid function screening. Place of living, education level, and age were the main factors influencing the attendance rate. (Pol J Endocrinol 2011; 62 (5): 416–420)Wstęp: Celem pracy było oszacowanie metodą ankietową odsetka ciężarnych, które wykonały w ciąży badania umożliwiające wykrycie zaburzeń funkcji tarczycy oraz próba oceny wpływu takich czynników, jak wiek, liczba ciąż, wykształcenie i miejsce zamieszkania na zgłaszalność do tych badań. Materiał i metody: Analizę przeprowadzono na podstawie anonimowych badań ankietowych, które przeprowadzono u 543 kobiet w wieku 16–45 lat, w 3. dniu połogu w 5 oddziałach położniczych na terenie województwa małopolskiego i podkarpackiego. Pytania ankiety dotyczyły wykonania oznaczenia TSH, fT4, T4 całkowitej, przeciwciał przeciw tarczycowych oraz USG tarczycy przynajmniej 1 raz w ciąży. Wyniki: Spośród ankietowanych 26,7% ciężarnych wykonało jakiekolwiek badanie oceniające funkcję tarczycy w ciąży. Najwięcej ciężarnych, które wykonały takie badanie, zamieszkiwało w mieście wojewódzkim (32,7%), a najmniej w mieście powiatowym (15%). Grupa ciężarnych z wykształceniem wyższym najczęściej (41,3%), a z wykształceniem podstawowym najrzadziej (11%) wykonywała takie badania. Nie stwierdzono istotnych statystycznie różnic w częstości wykonywania badania funkcji tarczycy pomiędzy grupami ciężarnych z innymi rodzajami wykształcenia. Częstość wykonywania tego badania nie różniła się pomiędzy grupą kobiet będących po raz pierwszy w ciąży a kobietami, które co najmniej raz urodziły. Częściej badanie funkcji tarczycy wykonywały pacjentki w wieku powyżej 21 lat (26,3–30%). Wniosek: Mniej niż 1/3 ciężarnych wykonała badanie przesiewowe funkcji tarczycy. Wiek, miejsce zamieszkania i wykształcenie wpływały na zgłaszalność do badań przesiewowych funkcji tarczycy. (Endokrynol Pol 2011; 62 (5): 416–420

6-Benzylaminopurine Alleviates the Impact of Cu2+ Toxicity on Photosynthetic Performance of Ricinus communis L. Seedlings

Copper (Cu) is an essential element involved in various metabolic processes in plants, but at concentrations above the threshold level, it becomes a potential stress factor. The effects of two different cytokinins, kinetin (KIN) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), on chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, stomatal responses and antioxidation mechanisms in castor (Ricinus communis L.) under Cu2+ toxicity was investigated. Ricinus communis plants were exposed to 80 and 160 MCuSO4 added to the growth medium. Foliar spraying of 15 M KIN and BAP was carried out on these seedlings. The application of these cytokinins enhanced the tissue water status, chlorophyll contents, stomatal opening and photosynthetic efficiency in the castor plants subjected to Cu2+ stress. The fluorescence parameters, such as Fm, Fv/Fo, Sm, photochemical and non-photochemical quantum yields, energy absorbed, energy trapped and electron transport per cross-sections, were more efficiently modulated by BAP application than KIN under Cu2+ toxicity. There was also effective alleviation of reactive oxygen species by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidation systems, reducing the membrane lipid peroxidation, which brought about a relative enhancement in the membrane stability index. Of the various treatments, 80 M CuSO4 + BAP recorded the highest increase in photosynthetic efficiency compared to other cytokinin treatments. Therefore, it can be concluded that BAP could effectively alleviate the detrimental effects of Cu2+toxicity in cotyledonary leaves of R. communis by effectively modulating stomatal responses and antioxidation mechanisms, thereby enhancing the photosynthetic apparatus’ functioning

Improvement of growth, yield, seed production and phytochemical properties of satureja khuzistanica jamzad by foliar application of boron and zinc

Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad is a valuable and endemic medicinal plant. Boron and zinc are essential elements for the vegetative and reproductive growth of plants and have significant effects on yield, essential oil composition and the seed production of plants. To investigate the effects of the foliar application of zinc and boron on the growth, yield, seed production and phytochemical properties of S. khuzistanica, a study was conducted in a factorial experiment with three replicates in two consecutive years based on a randomized complete block design. The foliar application of boron (B) at three concentrations (control or distilled water, 0.4% and 0.8% as H3BO3) and zinc (Zn) at three concentrations (control or distilled water, 0.3% and 0.6% as ZnSO4) was carried out. Our results showed that the foliar application of B resulted in a significant increase in the fresh and dry weights of plants, the dry weight of stems, drug yield, seed yield, seed germination and 1000-seed weight. At the same time, the application of B resulted in a significant decrease in seed emptiness. The fresh and dry weights of plants, drug yield, seed yield, 1000-seed weight and seed germination were also significantly improved by Zn foliar spraying compared to the control. Application of 0.8% B resulted in a significant decrease in seed emptiness by 14.16% and 22.37%, as compared to the control. The foliar spraying of B and Zn improved the total phenolic content, the essential oil content and the yield and antioxidant activity of S. khuzistanica. Moreover, B application generally concentrated more carvacrol in the essential oil (in the first experimental year). In contrast, no significant differences were observed between Zn treatments in carvacrol content and total flavonoids. The use of several microelements, such as B and Zn, could improve both the quantity and quality of S. khuzistanica. Additionally, improvement of seed set and seed quality by the foliar spraying of Zn and B may be useful for growing plants in arid and semi-arid areas

Charakterystyka agronomiczno-ekonomiczna uprawy ekologicznej pszenicy zwyczajnej i pszenicy orkisz

Background. This study investigated the agronomic and economic determinants of production of selected common wheat and spelt cultivars in an organic farming system. The aim of the study was to identify the production and economic factors which determine profitability of spelta growing in the regime of organic farming in comparison with common wheat. Knowledge related to production costs is an important element of improving the competitiveness of cultivation of these species. Material and methods. The experiment had a randomized complete block design with four replications. Common wheat and spelt were grown in an organic farming system during a two-year field experiment. The analysis of economic effectiveness was calculated according to agricultural accounting standards. Results. The total costs associated with the production of spelt cultivars significantly exceeded the total costs of common wheat production. This difference was attributed to direct costs, in particular seed prices. Spelt generated marginally higher agricultural incomes that were closely related to the higher market prices of spelt grain. The highest income margin ratio of 2.61 was noted for the late-sown spelt cv. Speltz T. The profitability ratio was lowest (2.16) for the early-sown spelt cv. Roter S. Conclusion. Spelt production was characterized by considerably higher total costs than common wheat due to higher direct costs, in particular seed prices. Delayed sowing increased the agricultural incomes generated by spring cultivars of both common wheat and spelt.W pracy zaprezentowano badania dotyczące uwarunkowań produkcyjno-ekonomicznych wybranych odmian pszenicy zwyczajnej i pszenicy orkisz w systemie uprawy ekologicznej. Wykazano, że koszty całkowite uprawy odmian pszenicy orkisz były znacznie wyższe od kosztów odmian pszenicy zwyczajnej. Wpływ na to miały koszty bezpośrednie, których poziom w największym stopniu generował zakup materiału siewnego. Z kolei dochód rolniczy w niewielkim stopniu był korzystniejszy w przypadku uprawy orkiszu i był ściśle związany z wyższym poziomem uzyskiwanych cen na rynku. Najkorzystniejszy wskaźnik ekonomicznej efektywności, wynoszący 2.61, wystąpił w orkiszu odmiany Speltz T. w przypadku opóźnionego terminu siewu

Hydrogel antibacterial coating for silicone medical devices

Effective antibacterial coatings are in demand in medicine, especially for urological medical devices such as catheters and stents. We propose the production method of an antibacterial hydrogel coating on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, silicone), a popular surface for medical materials. The coating process consists of the following steps: PDMS surface activation (introduction of hydroxyl groups), silanisation (introduction of amine groups) and application of chitosan/alginate hydrogel with the addition of lysozyme as an antibacterial agent using the layer-by-layer method. We investigated the effect of polyion concentration on the coating mass, swelling ratio and stability. We analysed the adsorption of Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli and Proteus rettgeri on a PDMS surface using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The chitosan/alginate hydrogel coating with immobilised lysozyme protected the PDMS surface against adhesion for all three tested bacterial strains

Plasma endothelin-1 in patients with stable or unstable angina

Background: It has been documented that an elevated endothelin-1 (ET-1) plasma concentration is associated with an increased risk of serious coronary events and the presence of angiographically documented coronary artery disease (CAD). The results of a few studies which examined ET-1 plasma level in patients with stable or unstable angina, were inconclusive.Aim: To assess whether ET-1 blood concentration measured in the coronary sinus and peripheral vein is associated with clinical symptoms in patients with multi-vessel CAD.Methods: The study group consisted of 23 patients with multi-vessel CAD of whom 11 had unstable angina and 12 - stable angina. Both groups were matched with regard to age, gender and the presence of cardio-vascular risk factors. Blood samples for ET-1 assessment were taken during coronary angiography simultaneously from the coronary sinus and femoral vein. ET-1 was measured using an immunoenzymatic method.Results: ET-1 plasma level in the peripheral venous circultion was similar in patients with unstable or stable angina (0.45±0.18 pmol/L versus 0.46±0.14 pmol/L, NS) whereas ET-1 level in the coronary sinus was significantly higher in patients with unstable angina (1.44±0.47 pmol/L versus 0.34±0.17 pmol/L,

Were our Ancestors Right in Using Flax Dressings? Research on the Properties of Flax Fibre and Its Usefulness in Wound Healing

Background. Despite the wide range of medical dressings available commercially, there is still a search for better biomaterials for use in the treatment of especially difficult-to-heal wounds. For several years, attention has been paid to the use of substances, compounds, and even whole plants in medicine. Flax is a plant that has been used as a dressing for thousands of years. Therefore, we decided to test flax fibres that had previously been genetically modified as a potential wound dressing. Materials and Methods. In this study, two modified flax fibres and their combinations were tested on cell lines (mice fibroblast, normal human dermal fibroblast, normal human epidermal keratinocytes, human dermal microvascular endothelial cell, epidermal carcinoma cancer cells, monocyte cells). In the tests, fibres of the traditional flax (Nike) were used as a control. Several experiments were performed to assess cell proliferation and viability, the number of apoptotic cells, the cell cycle, genotoxicity, the level of free oxygen radicals, and determination of the number of cells after 48 hours of incubation of cell cultures with the tested flax fibres. Results. The obtained results confirm the positive influence of flax on the used cell lines. Both traditional fibres (Nike) and genetically modified fibres increased the proliferation of fibroblast cells and keratinocytes, reduced the level of free oxygen radicals, and influenced the repair of DNA damage. At the same time, the tested flax fibres did not have a proproliferative effect on the neoplastic cell line. Interestingly, genetic modifications had a stronger impact on the proliferative activity of fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and microvascular endothelium compared to the traditional flax fibre used. Conclusions. In this study, the positive properties of the tested flax fibres on cell lines were proved. In the next stage, it is worth carrying out in vivo tests of tested genetically modified flax fibres