Czytanie audiowizualności. O literaturze w cyberprzestrzeni

A review of the book entitled Literature – new media. Homo irretitus in the literary culture of the 20th and 21st centuries (Literatura – nowe media. Homo irretitus w kulturze literackiej XX i XXI wieku) deals with the clash between literature and new media. The book constitutes an academic guide to the world of intermedia narration and cyber-literature. It may serve students, teachers and form tutors as a source of additional knowledge on the convergence of media. The authors reflect widely upon the transformation of both literary creation and the theory dealing with the art of language, as well as upon the changes in the study of literature, books and reading in the 21st century

Metabolomic Signature Discriminates Normal Human Cornea from Keratoconus - A Pilot GC/MS Study

The molecular etiology of keratoconus (KC), a pathological condition of the human cornea, remains unclear. The aim of this work was to perform profiling of metabolites and identification of features discriminating this pathology from the normal cornea. The combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques has been applied for profiling and identification of metabolites in corneal buttons from 6 healthy controls and 7 KC patients. An untargeted GC/MS-based approach allowed the detection of 377 compounds, including 46 identified unique metabolites, whose levels enabled the separation of compared groups of samples in unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis. There were 13 identified metabolites whose levels di erentiated between groups of samples. Downregulation of several carboxylic acids, fatty acids, and steroids was observed in KC when compared to the normal cornea. Metabolic pathways associated with compounds that discriminated both groups were involved in energy production, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. An observed signature may reflect cellular processes involved in the development of KC pathology, including oxidative stress and inflammation

W drodze ku gospodarce niskoemisyjnej w Polsce. Społeczno-prawne aspekty polityki publicznej

The article intends to illustrate the climate, social and primarily health effects resulting from the emission of various substances in the process of burning coal and waste, and the legal framework related to the issue of air pollution as a result of low emissions. The authors discuss also the main directions of the changes proposed in the so-called “anti-smog” law. The authors pose the thesis that Poland has still not solved problems of low emissions, despite the measures taken in the amendment to the Environmental Law. In their view, Poland still has a long way to go before it creates a low-carbon economy. The traditional use of coal in Poland hinders putting ecological changes into practice. Incineration of waste produced by households is another social pathology. Besides municipal waste, some hazardous waste also produced in households can be found. The level of environmental education is very poor in this respect. However, without significant actions, we will continue to destroy our own and our neighbours’ health, contribute to climate change as some climatologists’ think and pay penalties for failing to meet ecological commitments to the European Union as well.Artykuł ma celu przedstawienie skutków klimatycznych i społecznych, głównie zdrowotnych, emisji różnych substancji w procesie spalania węgla i odpadów oraz ramy prawne odnoszące się do kwestii zanieczyszczenia powietrza w wyniku niskiej emisji. Autor odnosi się również do głównych kierunków zmian proponowanych w tzw. ustawie antysmogowej. Autor stawia tezę, że w Polsce wciąż nie rozwiązano problemów dotyczących niskiej emisji pomimo podejmowanych działań wyrażających się w nowelizacji ustawy – Prawo ochrony środowiska. Jego zdaniem, przed Polską jest daleka droga do stworzenia gospodarki niskoemisyjnej. Tradycyjne wykorzystywanie węgla w Polsce utrudnia w praktyce wprowadzenie prośrodowiskowych zmian. Pewną patologią społeczną jest również spalanie odpadów wytwarzanych w gospodarstwach domowych. Wśród tych odpadów obok komunalnych można odnaleźć odpady niebezpieczne, także wytwarzane w gospodarstwach domowych. Poziom edukacji ekologicznej pozostawia wiele do życzenia. Bez podjęcia istotnych działań dalej będziemy niszczyli zdrowie swoje i sąsiadów, przyczyniali się, zdaniem części klimatologów, do zmiany klimatu i również płacili kary za niedotrzymanie prośrodowiskowych zobowiązań wobec Unii Europejskiej

Harmonization of exosome isolation from culture supernatants for optimized proteomics analysis

<div><p>Exosomes, the smallest subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs), have recently attracted much attention in the scientific community. Their involvement in intercellular communication and molecular reprogramming of different cell types created a demand for a stringent characterization of the proteome which exosomes carry and deliver to recipient cells. Mass spectrometry (MS) has been extensively used for exosome protein profiling. Unfortunately, no standards have been established for exosome isolation and their preparation for MS, leading to accumulation of artefactual data. These include the presence of high-abundance exosome-contaminating serum proteins in culture media which mask low-abundance exosome-specific components, isolation methods that fail to yield “pure” vesicles or variability in protein solubilization protocols. There is an unmet need for the development of standards for exosome generation, harvesting, and isolation from cellular supernatants and for optimization of protein extraction methods before proteomics analysis by MS. In this communication, we illustrate the existing problems in this field and provide a set of recommendations that are expected to harmonize exosome processing for MS and provide the faithful picture of the proteomes carried by exosomes. The recommended workflow for effective and specific identification of proteins in exosomes released by the low number of cells involves culturing cells in medium with a reduced concentration of exosome-depleted serum, purification of exosomes by size-exclusion chromatography, a combination of different protein extraction method and removal of serum-derived proteins from the final dataset using an appropriate sample of cell-unexposed medium as a control. Application of this method allowed detection of >250 vesicle-specific proteins in exosomes from 10 mL of culture medium.</p></div

Postprandial lipemia in hyperlipemic men with arterial hypertension

Wstęp Mechanizmy zróżnicowanej lipemii poposiłkowej w różnych stanach chorobowych wymagają wyjaśnienia. Celem badań była ocena lipemii indukowanej standaryzowanym posiłkiem u hiperlipemicznych mężczyzn z rozpoznaniem nadciśnienia tętniczego (NT). Analizowano także wpływ leczenia hipolipemizującego na stężenie poposiłkowych lipidów oraz wysokoczułego białka C-reaktywnego (hsCRP) w surowicy. Materiał i metody Zmiany lipemii indukowano posiłkiem zawierającym 100 g tłuszczu u 36 hiperlipemicznych mężczyzn z NT, u 34 mężczyzn z hiperlipemią bez nadciśnienia i u 60 z normolipemią i prawidłowym ciśnieniem. U badanych z hiperlipemią rozpoczęto leczenie simwastatyną w dawce dobowej 20 mg lub fenofibratem w dawce 267 mg. Próbki krwi pobierano na czczo i po 3 godzinach od spożycia posiłku, trzykrotnie: na początku, po 6 i 12 tygodniach farmakoterapii. Oznaczano trójglicerydy (TG) i cholesterol HDL zestawem SPINREACT, HDL2 i HDL3 cholesterol przy użyciu zestawu QUANTOLIP&#174;HDL, apolipoproteiny A i B metodą immunoturbidymetryczną oraz hsCRP metodą molekularnej immunonefelometrii. Wyniki U mężczyzn z hipercholesterolemią, niezależnie od występowania nadciśnienia tętniczego, zmiany lipemii indukowane przez posiłek (&#8710;TG) były większe (p < 0,001) niż u normotensyjnych i normolipemicznych mężczyzn (w grupie kontrolnej). U mężczyzn z hipertrójglicerydemią i normotensją lipemia poposiłkowa była także większa (p < 0,01) niż w grupie kontrolnej. Z kolei występowanie nadciśnienia i hipertrójglicerydemii było związane z małą, porównywalną z kontrolną, poposiłkową lipemią. Hipolipemizująca farmakoterapia redukowała stężenia lipidów na czczo i nadmierne &#8710;TG indukowane posiłkiem. Wnioski Współistnienie nadciśnienia tętniczego z hipertrójglicerydemią jest związane z redukcją lipemii poposiłkowej. Najbardziej prawdopodobną przyczyną tego zjawiska jest korzystne oddziaływanie leków hipotensyjnych, działających na przykład poprzez stymulację receptorów aktywowanych proliferatorami peroksysomów (PPARs).Background Mechanisms of differential postprandial lipemia in various diseases need explanation. The aim of this study was to evaluate standardized meal-induced lipemia in hyperlipemic men diagnosed with arterial hypertension (AH). The effect of hypolipemic therapy on the serum postprandial lipids and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentration was also analysed. Materials and methods In 60 normolipemic, normotensive, and 36 hyperlipemic, hypertensive men, and 34 hyperlipemic, normotensive men fasting and postprandial (induced by standardized rich-fat meal included 100 g fat) lipids, apolipoproteins A and B and hsCRP were determined. The impact of 6- or 12-weekly therapy with simvastatin (20 mg/day) or fenofibrate (267 mg/day) on measured parameters was determined in hyperlipemic men. Serum lipids were determined using routine methods, apolipoproteins A and B by immunoturbidimetric, and hsCRP by immunonefelometric method. Results In hypercholesterolemic men, independently on arterial hypertension existence, meal-induced lipemia changes (&#8710;TG) were greater (p < 0.001) than in normotonic and normolipemic men (in control group). However, in hypertriglyceridemic men coexistence of hyperlipemia with AH was associated with low, comparable to controls, postprandial lipemia. Hypolipemic therapy with statin or fibrate reduced fasting lipids and postprandial &#8710;TG. Conclusion The coexistence of arterial hypertension with hypertriglyceridemia is associated with decreased postprandial lipemia. The most probable cause of this phenomenon is the beneficial hypotonic drugs effect, acting i.e. through peroxysome proliferator activator receptors (PPARs) stimulation

Nadciśnienie tętnicze u kobiet w ciąży &#8212; związek z wykonywaną pracą zawodową

Background Hypertension during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of complications in the mother, fetus and newborn. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hypertension in a selected population of pregnant women of Lower Silesia in relation to the type of occupational work performed by women. Material and methods We analyzed 6343 medical history of pregnant women who gave birth in the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University in 2004&#8211;2009. We analyzed also the relationship between the profession performed by mother and state of newborn health. Results The percentage of pregnant women diagnosed with hypertension was 7% of the studied population. The largest professional group of pregnant women with hypertension were the saleswomen or cashiers (13.2%), economists (10.1%) and clerks (10.1%). Two reasons may affect the incidence of hypertension in pregnancy: a coexistence a various psycho-physical factors (stress) in the workplace, and work with display screen. A statistically significant effect of the use of hypotensive pharmacotherapy or the mother&#8217;s occupational category on the birth weight infants was demonstrated. Conclusions Hypertension in pregnancy appears more frequently among women in certain professions. Greater protection should be extended to pregnant women employed in positions such as clerk or cashier. Also fetal hypotrophia may be related to the profession performed by a pregnant woman. Working using a display screen may be a factor associated with low birth weight newborn. An effect of occupational factors on the health of pregnant women and their newborns needs further investigation. Arterial Hypertension 2011, vol. 15, no 5, pages 290&#8211;298Wstęp Nadciśnienie tętnicze w okresie ciąży jest związane ze zwiększonym ryzykiem wystąpienia powikłań u matki, płodu i noworodka. Celem pracy była ocena częstości występowania nadciśnienia tętniczego w wybranej populacji kobiet w ciąży Dolnego Śląska i określenie związku między występowaniem tej patologii i rodzajem wykonywanej pracy zawodowej. Materiał i metody Analizie poddano 6343 historie chorób kobiet w ciąży, które urodziły dzieci w I Klinice Ginekologii i Położnictwa Akademii Medycznej we Wrocławiu w latach 2004&#8211;2009. Oszacowano częstość występowania nadciśnienia tętniczego w ciąży i zastosowania terapii hipotensyjnej. Dokonano oceny związku między występowaniem nadciśnienia w ciąży i zawodem matki, a także analizowano związek między zawodem wykonywanym przez matkę i stanem zdrowia noworodka. Wyniki Odsetek kobiet z nadciśnieniem w ciąży wynosił 7% badanej populacji. Najliczniejsze grupy zawodowe kobiet w ciąży z nadciśnieniem stanowiły ekspedientki lub kasjerki (13,2%), ekonomistki (10,1%) i urzędniczki (10,1%). Wyniki analizy wskazują na dwie przyczyny, które mogą mieć wpływ na występowanie nadciśnienia w ciąży: zespół czynników psychofizycznych (stres) na stanowisku pracy oraz praca przy monitorze ekranowym. Wykazano statystycznie istotny wpływ stosowania hipotensyjnej farmakoterapii oraz kategorii zawodowej matki na urodzeniową masę ciała noworodków. Wnioski Nadciśnienie tętnicze w czasie ciąży występuje częściej w grupie kobiet wykonujących określone zawody. Większą ochroną należy objąć kobiety zatrudnione na stanowiskach takich jak ekspedientka czy kasjerka. Także hipotrofia płodu może mieć związek z zawodem wykonywanym przez kobietę w ciąży. Praca przy monitorze ekranowym może być czynnikiem związanym z niską urodzeniową masą ciała noworodka. Określenie wpływu czynników zawodowych na stan zdrowia kobiet w ciąży wymaga dalszych badań. Nadciśnienie Tętnicze 2011, tom 15, nr 5, strony 290&#8211;29

Discrimination of papillary thyroid cancer from non-cancerous thyroid tissue based on lipid profiling by mass spectrometry imaging

Introduction: The distinction of papillary thyroid carcinomas from benign thyroid lesions has important implication for clinical management. Classification based on histopathological features can be supported by molecular biomarkers, including lipidomic signatures, identified with the use of high-throughput mass spectrometry techniques. Formalin fixation is a standard procedure for stabilization and preservation of tissue samples, therefore this type of samples constitute highly valuable source of clinical material for retrospective molecular studies. In this study we used mass spectrometry imaging to detect lipids discriminating papillary cancer from not cancerous thyroid directly in formalin-fixed tissue sections. Material and methods: For this purpose imaging and profiling of lipids present in non-malignant and cancerous thyroid tissue specimens were conducted. High resolution MALDI-Q-Ion Mobility-TOF-MS technique was used for lipidomic analysis of formalin fixed thyroid tissue samples. Lipids were identified by the comparison of the exact molecular masses and fragmentation pathways of the protonated molecule ions, recorded during the MS/MS experiments, with LIPID MAPS database. Results: Several phosphatidylcholines (32:0, 32:1, 34:1 and 36:3), sphingomyelins (34:1 and 36:1) and phosphatidic acids (36:2 and 36:3) were detected and their abundances were significantly higher in cancerous tissue compared to non-cancerous tissue. The same lipid species were detected in formalin-fixed as in fresh-frozen tissue, but [M + Na]+ions were the most abundant in formalin fixed whereas [M + K]+ions were predominant in fresh tissue. Conclusions: Our results prove the viability of MALDI-MSI for analysis of lipid distribution directly in formalin-fixed tissue, and the potential for their use in the classification of thyroid diseases

Sleep Bruxism and Occurrence of Temporomandibular Disorders-Related Pain: A Polysomnographic Study

Introduction: The diagnosis of sleep bruxism is challenging due to the difficulties involved. Sleep bruxism can lead to clinical consequences, including pain in masticatory muscles, limitation of jaw mobility, headache, and the spectrum of symptoms associated with damage to the teeth and oral mucosa. Currently, only video-polysomnography can definitely diagnose sleep bruxism. Due to the risk of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in sleep bruxers, early diagnosis of pain in the temporomandibular region using questionnaires is recommended. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the relationship between the intensity of sleep bruxism and the occurrence of pain related to TMD.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on the patients of the Clinic of Prosthetic Dentistry operating at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry at the Wroclaw Medical University. Based on a positive medical history, a thorough examination for the diagnosis of probable sleep bruxism was carried out in the enrolled patients. Eligible patients were then subjected to a video-polysomnographic study. Each patient was asked to complete the TMD Pain Screener questionnaire to assess the occurrence of pain in jaw and temple area.Results: The results of the study showed that increased bruxism episode index (BEI) was statistically significantly correlated with increase of all types of bruxism episodes—phasic, tonic, and mixed—in all the studied patients; a significant correlation was also found with respect to division of patients into studied and control groups. The study also showed that there was no statistically significant difference between BEI values and scores of TMD Pain Screener. In all the studied patients, a higher BEI was not found to be correlated with the occurrence of TMD-related pain assessed by TMD Pain Screener; similarly, no correlation was found with respect to division of patients into studied and control groups.Conclusions: The occurrence of TMD-related pain is not related to the intensity of sleep bruxism. TMD Pain Screener may be used as an auxiliary tool in the diagnosis or risk of occurrence of TMD-related pain, whereas in the case of sleep bruxism, it has only limited diagnostic value.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT0308340

Ionic Conductivities of Molten CuI and AgI-CuI Mixtures

Ionic conductivities σ for molten CuI and AgI-CuI mixtures were measured in the temperature ranges of approximately 580-800 and 500-850 °C, respectively. The value of σ for molten CuI in the range is smaller than that for molten CuBr and CuCl. σ for molten AgI-CuI mixtures decreases with increasing CuI-concentration. The activation energies Ea for molten AgI-CuI system were determined from the analysis of temperature dependence of σ by using the by Arrhenius type equation. Ea for molten AgI-CuI gradually increase with increasing CuIconcentration

Evaluation of Relationship Between Sleep Bruxism and Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) Scores: A Polysomnographic Study

Sleep bruxism (SB) is a masticatory muscle activity during sleep characterized by teeth clenching or grinding and/or bracing or thrusting of the mandible. Morning headache is considered as a common symptom of SB; however, the relationship between SB and headache and its impact on patient's life is not clear. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the relationship between SB using polysomnography with video/audio recording and Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) scores. SB was evaluated in respondents by single-night diagnostic polysomnography with video/audio recording. The study found that Bruxism Episode Index was similar in the group with significant impact of headache on patient's life (HIT-6 score ≥ 50) and in group with little or no impact (HIT-6 score &lt; 50). A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between bruxism associated with arousal and HIT-6 score (r = 0.51, p &lt; 0.05) and between mixed bruxism and HIT-6 score (r = 0.58, p &lt; 0.05) in the subgroup with phasic bruxism. The results indicated the relationship between SB and impact of severity of headache on the patient's life measured by HIT-6 is only modest. It was also found that the impact of severity of headache measured by HIT-6 is altered only in those with phasic bruxism and is associated with arousal. Further research should elucidate the factors influencing the relationship between SB and headache.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials NCT03083405, WMU1/2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0308340