Acute aquatic toxicity of arsenic-based chemical warfare agents to Daphnia magna

Sea dumping of chemical warfare (CW) took place worldwide during the 20th century. Submerged CW included metal bombs and casings that have been exposed for 50-100 years of corrosion and are now known to be leaking. Therefore, the arsenic-based chemical warfare agents (CWAs), pose a potential threat to the marine ecosystems. The aim of this research was to support a need for real-data measurements for accurate risk assessments and categorization of threats originating from submerged CWAs. This has been achieved by providing a broad insight into arsenic-based CWAs acute toxicity in aquatic ecosystems. Standard tests were performed to provide a solid foundation for acute aquatic toxicity threshold estimations of CWA: Lewisite, Adamsite, Clark I, phenyldichloroarsine (PDCA), CWA-related compounds: TPA, arsenic trichloride and four arsenic-based CWA degradation products. Despite their low solubility, during the 48 h exposure, all CWA caused highly negative effects on Daphnia magna. PDCA was very toxic with 48 h D. magna LC50 at 0.36 mu g x L-1- and Lewisite with EC50 at 3.2 mu g x L-1 . Concentrations at which no immobilization effects were observed were slightly above the analytical Limits of Detection (LOD) and Quantification (LOQ). More water-soluble CWA degradation products showed no effects at concentrations up to 100 mg x L-1.Peer reviewe

Use of Whey and Whey Preparations in the Food Industry – A Review

The interest in whey and whey preparations has considerably increased in recent years. Whey and whey preparations are the so-called “forgotten treasure” and, because of their unique properties, they have been “rediscovered” and have been increasingly frequently and successfully used by various production plants in the food industry. They have also been eagerly purchased by consumers who are aware of the role of whey preparations in adequate human nutrition. For many years, there has been a tendency in the food processing industry to use substitutes of ingredients in recipes of many products. This situation can be observed in the case of foods with reduced fat and sugar, or products for lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Whey - and more specifically, its preparations - can also be used as a substitute. According to many literature sources, its use can have a positive impact not only on the consumers’ health but also on the finances of many companies, by reducing the costs of raw materials, and thus production costs. This review paper presents selected uses of whey and whey preparations in the food industry. The uses of whey discussed include: meat and meat products, reduced-fat products, yoghurts and ice creams, cheeses, bakery products, confectionery and pastry products, infant formulas, and whey drinks

Gas gangrene as a surgical emergency – own experience

In this paper the authors would like to present a correct procedure in both surgical and hyperbaric treatment of patients with gas gangrene admitted to a surgical department during ER. Gas gangrene is not very common these days, but when it comes to dealing with gangrenous infection in the emergency it is quite likely to make errors in both diagnostic and therapeutic manners. When there is a gas gangrene in a patient at the emergency time plays crucial role and the proper application of procedures is vital for the patient’s survival. 10 cases made the study group here, all of them were patients diagnosed and treated surgically due to gas gangrene. As shown here, It is important to perform a revision of surgical wounds after few hours since primary surgery and to begin hyperbaric treatment as quickly as possible. The findings and suggestions included in this study are supported by own experience of The 2nd Department of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery of Medical University in Białystok, Poland

Problem zgorzeli gazowej na ostrym dyżurze chirurgicznym – doświadczenia własne

W niniejszej pracy autorzy przedstawiają problem postępowania ze zgorzelą gazową u chorych przyjmowanych na „ostrym dyżurze chirurgicznym”. Zgorzel gazowa wydaje się obecnie rzadkim problemem klinicznym, a co za tym idzie, postępowanie z chorym, u którego podejrzewa się zgorzel, może być dużym wyzwaniem diagnostyczno-terapeutycznym, zwłaszcza w ramach Szpitalnego Oddziału Ratunkowego czy Izby Przyjęć. Autorzy przedstawiają spostrzeżenia kliniczne dotyczące 8 przypadków chorych, którzy trafili do Kliniki w ramach „ostrego dyżuru chirurgicznego”. Wszyscy pacjenci byli leczeni operacyjnie, a następnie przekazani do leczenia hiperbarycznego w możliwie najkrótszym czasie. Poniższa praca przedstawia standardy postępowania z chorym ze zgorzelą gazową, które zostały wypracowane w Klinice w oparciu o doświadczenia własne

Blood serum levels of E-cadherin in patients with colorectal cancer

Introduction : Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in terms of incidence in Poland. It is also the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men and the third women. In 75–80% of cases, depending on sources, it is of an occasional nature, and in the remaining 20–25% it has a hereditary character. Aim : To compare the levels of E-cadherin in blood serum with some histopathological and clinical features. E-cadherin is an adhesion molecule, loss of function of which is suspected to influence both cancer progression and metastasis. Material and methods : The study group comprised 48 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer treated surgically in the Second Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Medical University Hospital in Bialystok. Results : As has been shown here, there is no statistically significant relationship between the levels of E-cadherin in blood serum and the possible prognosis to the progression of colorectal cancer. However, it was indicated that there appears to be a statistically significant relationship between blood serum E-cadherin levels and the levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in patients with colorectal cancer. Conclusions : The authors suggest that this significance may require further study

Genetic Risk Factors for Neurological Disorders in Children with Adverse Events Following Immunization: A Descriptive Study of a Polish Case Series

Studies conducted on large populations show a lack of connection between vaccination and serious neurological symptoms. However, there are isolated cases that indicate such a relationship. These reports on adverse effects following immunization (AEFI) reduce social confidence in vaccination; however, their background may be rare genetic defects. The aim of the presented study was to examine if neurological AEFI in children may be associated with variants in genes related to neurodevelopment. To identify such possible associations, a descriptive study of the Polish case series was conducted. We performed next-generation sequencing in patients who, up to 4 weeks of injection of any vaccine, manifested neurological AEFI. We included 23 previously normally developing children with first seizures that occurred after vaccination. We identified pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in genes engaged in neurodevelopment in nine patients and variants of uncertain significance in another nine patients. The mutated genes belonged to the group of genes related to epilepsy syndromes/epileptic encephalopathy. We showed that AEFI might have a genetic background. We hypothesized that in some AEFI patients, the vaccine might only trigger neurological symptoms that would have been manifested anyway as a result of a pathogenic variant in a gene engaged in neurodevelopment

The Thousand Polish Genomes—A Database of Polish Variant Allele Frequencies

Although Slavic populations account for over 4.5% of world inhabitants, no centralised, open-source reference database of genetic variation of any Slavic population exists to date. Such data are crucial for clinical genetics, biomedical research, as well as archeological and historical studies. The Polish population, which is homogenous and sedentary in its nature but influenced by many migrations of the past, is unique and could serve as a genetic reference for the Slavic nations. In this study, we analysed whole genomes of 1222 Poles to identify and genotype a wide spectrum of genomic variation, such as small and structural variants, runs of homozygosity, mitochondrial haplogroups, and de novo variants. Common variant analyses showed that the Polish cohort is highly homogenous and shares ancestry with other European populations. In rare variant analyses, we identified 32 autosomal-recessive genes with significantly different frequencies of pathogenic alleles in the Polish population as compared to the non-Finish Europeans, including C2, TGM5, NUP93, C19orf12, and PROP1. The allele frequencies for small and structural variants, calculated for 1076 unrelated individuals, are released publicly as The Thousand Polish Genomes database, and will contribute to the worldwide genomic resources available to researchers and clinicians