Differentiation and preservation status of wet meadows of the Calthion palustris alliance in areas covered by the agri-environmental scheme

The research subject is the differentiation of plant communities and the preservation status of wet meadows of the Calthion palustris alliance at sites included in subsidy packages 4 and 5 of the agri-environmental scheme. The habitat was studied on 697 agri-environmental plots located in different areas of Poland. The obtained results show high differentiation of the plant communities, which could be considered as representative of the Calthion palustris alliance meadows in Poland. Disturbances in the habitat conditions were observed on most of the plots and they included: disappearance of characteristic species of the Calthion palustris alliance, encroachment of native, expansive species as well as desiccation of the habitat and the associated eutrophication, caused mostly by unidirectional land drainage systems. The study also attempted to determine the conservation prospects of the habitat considering measures implemented under the agri-environmental scheme

Interdyscyplinarna opieka nad pacjentem z chorobą nowotworową

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed paperZ radością oddajemy do rąk Czytelników monografię, która powstała przy współpracy Polskiego Stowarzyszenia Pielęgniarek Onkologicznych oraz Wydziału Zdrowia i Nauk Medycznych Krakowskiej Akademii im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego. Celem niniejszej publikacji jest przygotowanie pielęgniarki do pełnienia specjalistycznej, profesjonalnej opieki nad chorym z chorobą nowotworową oraz nad jego rodziną. Monografi a składa się z części opracowanych zarówno przez praktyków, jak i teoretyków; jest pierwszą z cyklu publikacji przeznaczonych dla osób zajmujących się opieką nad chorym onkologicznie. Jej celem jest przedstawienie przede wszystkim modeli opieki nad pacjentami, praktycznych aspektów relacji pacjent – pielęgniarka, oraz doniesień z tych badań naukowych, których wyniki mają zastosowanie w praktyce pielęgniarskiej

ApoA-I Milano stimulates lipolysis in adipose cells independently of cAMP/PKA activation.

ApoA-I, the main protein component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), is suggested to be involved in metabolic homeostasis. We examined the effects of Milano, a naturally occurring ApoA-I variant, about which little mechanistic information is available. Remarkably, high fat-fed mice treated with Milano displayed a rapid weight loss greater than ApoA-I WT treated mice, and a significantly reduced adipose tissue mass, without an inflammatory response. Further, lipolysis in adipose cells isolated from mice treated with either WT or Milano was increased. In primary rat adipose cells, Milano stimulated cholesterol efflux and increased glycerol release, independently of β-adrenergic stimulation and phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase (Ser563) and perilipin (Ser522). Stimulation with Milano had a significantly greater effect on glycerol release compared with WT but similar effect on cholesterol efflux. Pharmacological inhibition or siRNA silencing of ABCA-1 did not diminish Milano-stimulated lipolysis, although binding to the cell surface was decreased, as analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. Interestingly, methyl-β-cyclodextrin, a well-described cholesterol acceptor, dose-dependently stimulated lipolysis. Together, these results suggest that decreased fat mass and increased lipolysis following Milano treatment in vivo is partly explained by a novel mechanism at the adipose cell level comprising stimulation of lipolysis independently of the canonical cAMP/PKA signaling pathway

Dynamics and stabilization of the human gut microbiome during the first year of life

SummaryThe gut microbiota is central to human health, but its establishment in early life has not been quantitatively and functionally examined. Applying metagenomic analysis on fecal samples from a large cohort of Swedish infants and their mothers, we characterized the gut microbiome during the first year of life and assessed the impact of mode of delivery and feeding on its establishment. In contrast to vaginally delivered infants, the gut microbiota of infants delivered by C-section showed significantly less resemblance to their mothers. Nutrition had a major impact on early microbiota composition and function, with cessation of breast-feeding, rather than introduction of solid food, being required for maturation into an adult-like microbiota. Microbiota composition and ecological network had distinctive features at each sampled stage, in accordance with functional maturation of the microbiome. Our findings establish a framework for understanding the interplay between the gut microbiome and the human body in early life