Journals
2018 EN
MatysiakBurzyńska Zuzanna E. · Nowakowska Magdalena · Domińska Kamila
+3 more
Abstract In mammalian cells, angiotensin II (AngII) binds to 2 distinct high‐affinity plasma membrane receptors: angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) and angiotensin receptor 2 (AT2R). Healthy human endometrium from women of reproductive age expresses all of the components of the renin‐angiotensin system. Many studies suggest that AngII, acting via AT1R, may have a role in the development and progression of cancer, which changes the expression of angiogenic factors, AngII and AT1R are correlated with the presence of endometrial cancer (EC). The aim of the current study was to identify the effects of AngII on the proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and mobility of ISHIKAWA, MFE296 and MFE280 EC cells with silenced AT1R. It also examines epithelial‐mesenchymal transition markers by gene expression analysis. The obtained results suggest that the silencing of AT1R expression alters the migration and invasion ability of EC cells. However, this silencing is not sufficient to inhibit the effects of AngII on EC cells, suggesting that AngII plays a more complex role in the development of EC.
Journals
2018 EN
Wąsowska Edyta · Puppel Kamila
BACKGROUND Recent data indicate that almost 60% of colostrum samples do not have enough antibodies to provide adequate protection for the calf. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of the level of production of cows on the content of immunostimulating components of protein fraction of colostrum. The observations were conducted on two farms that keep dairy cows. One of the farms was selected to represent a typical performance level for the mass population of dairy cows in Poland, about 5500 kg of milk per cow per year (LI) and the second one was characterized by a higher level of production, about 8000 kg (HI). RESULTS Based on the data obtained, 100% of the samples collected from LI had an immunoglobulin G (IgG) content >50 gL −1 , in the first collection. In the case of HI, 63% of the samples had an IgG content >50 gL −1 , with a distribution in the range of 10.7 to 72.7 gL −1 . The colostrum of LI cows was characterized by a higher content of lactoferrin, lysozyme, α ‐lactalbumin, and β ‐lactoglobulin compared to the milk of HI cows. CONCLUSIONS The immunostimulating components of colostrum declined rapidly in subsequent milkings or with the increased productivity of the cows. The concentration of IgG was negatively correlated with the performance level of cows, which means that high‐producing cows had colostrum with a low concentration of IgG. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Journals
2018 EN
Ciepielowski Grzegorz · PacholczykSienicka Barbara · Frączek Tomasz
+3 more
BACKGROUND The production of 'Polish Vodka' is restricted by law to the ethyl alcohol of agricultural origins obtained from rye, wheat, barley, oat, triticale and potatoes grown on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The current labeling system should guarantee that the spirit is authentic and of good quality but not all producers are honest. Unfortunately, authentic 'Polish Vodka' is the most often counterfeited by the addition of cheaper and more accessible maize spirits. These illegal practices significantly reduce costs of the spirit production. Therefore, determination of the botanical origin of alcohol in Poland is highly relevant. RESULTS Quantitative 2 H nuclear magnetic resonance and isotope ratio mass spectrometry were used to investigate the authenticity of 30 samples of Polish spirits. Several isotopic parameters were used to determine the botanical origin of 10 unknown samples. Both approaches led to the same conclusions regarding the percentage of maize‐derived ethanol addition. CONCLUSIONS Applied techniques are a valuable tool in the fight against counterfeiting of products. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Journals
2018 EN
Grodkowski Grzegorz · Sakowski Tomasz · Puppel Kamila
+1 more
Recent years have seen the rapid development of different devices which can be helpful in the daily work of livestock farmers. The growing size of livestock herds has led farmers to lose individual contact with their animals, while behavioral studies show that breeders can effectively and precisely monitor a herd of up to 100 cows. This was the main motivation for this study, which aims to identify and test various electronic devices which provide useful herd management data, including estrus detection, individual activity and body temperature measurement, monitoring rumen pH levels, milk quality and content as well as milk temperature and somatic cell count measurements. Some devices can detect the metabolic status of animals with a reasonable level of precision. Contemporary animal farms are offered a large number of systems for monitoring the behavior of the animals in the herd and helping to identify those that are intended for insemination or are too active or excessively apathetic. Monitoring devices support herd management and help to reduce costs through the early detection of animal diseases and nutritional problems. This review aims to compile and summarize the information currently available on the use of automatic herd control systems on dairy farms, as well as to discuss the interpretation of the results, providing a useful diagnostic tool in nutritional evaluations of dairy herds. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Journals
2018 EN
Kamińska Adrianna · Olejarz Patrycja · Borowczyk Kamila
+2 more
We have developed a simple, fast, accurate, and cheap method for the simultaneous determination of total cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione, and N ‐acetylcysteine in brain homogenates based on the reduction of disulfide bonds by tris(2‐carboxyethyl) phosphine, pre‐column derivatization of free thiol groups with 2‐chloro‐1‐methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate followed by ion‐pair reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography separation with ultraviolet detection. The separation of thiol derivatives was achieved in 10 min. Linearity was observed in the range of 10–300, 0.7–10, 2–30, and 3–20 μmol/L homogenate with a limit of detection of 3.7, 0.2, 0.8, and 1.2 μmol/L homogenate for cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione, and N ‐acetylcysteine, respectively. The precision, calculated as relative standard deviation, was in the range of 1.21–4.77, 1.53–14.35, 0.47–1.92, and 1.61–8.95% for cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione, and N ‐acetylcysteine, respectively. The presented method was successfully applied to the selective determination of total amino thiols in pig brain tissue samples.
Journals
2018 EN
Gajda Anna · Antczak Maja · Mitrowska Kamila
+1 more
Beeswax is a valuable honeybee product, which finds applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in cosmetic production. However, some substances used in apiculture, like tetracyclines, can be delivered to hives where they cause contamination of honeybee products such as beeswax. Tetracyclines are commonly used for the treatment of American and European foulbrood diseases, but in the European Union their usage by beekeepers is forbidden. Thus, a sensitive method for the analysis of tetracyclines in beeswax is an important analytical tool. A new liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of tetracyclines including oxytetracycline, 4‐epioxytetracycline, tetracycline, 4‐epitetracycline, chlorotetracycline, 4‐epichlorotetracycline, and doxycycline in beeswax was developed. The method involved dilution of beeswax in n ‐hexane after a melting step, liquid‐liquid extraction with oxalic acid and clean‐up using a weak cation exchange phase. Satisfactory separation was performed on an octadecyl column with 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile in a total run time of 5 min. The application of this method was evaluated by the analysis of real beeswax samples. The presence of oxytetracycline was confirmed in 5 out of 48 tested beeswax samples, which shows the method can be successfully used to determine the tetracyclines in beeswax.
Journals
2018 EN
Panova Irina · Drobyazko Alexander · Spiridonov Vasily
+4 more
The aim of this article is to demonstrate a novel polymer‐based technique for stabilization of soil against wind and water erosion. Conventional approaches deal with individual water‐soluble polymers, which, being deposited on the soil, are removed from the soil surface after rewatering. Here, we describe an elegant way for soil stabilization via deposition of interpolyelectrolyte complexes formed by two oppositely charged water‐soluble polymers. Electrostatic complexation in an aqueous solution of a cationic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) with an excess of water‐soluble anionic biopolymers, humic acids, results in formation of a negative non‐stoichiometric interpolyelectrolyte complex (NIPEC). Upon deposition of a NIPEC aqueous solution over soil and drying out, a protective layer (crust) forms on the surface, composed of NIPEC and soil particles, resistant to wind and water erosion. After destruction, the crust is completely restored by rewatering. The high stability of the NIPEC‐soil crust is due to a NIPEC block structure with hydrophilic free anionic units and hydrophobic mutually neutralized anionic/cationic units, which ensures optimum adsorption on the surface of soil particles and binds them to bigger aggregates. The NIPEC treatment retains the porous structure of soil that favors seed germination and plant development. Being effective absorbent of heavy metals, the NIPEC formulation ensures a normal seed germination in the presence of toxic Cu 2+ ions. Thus, the humics‐based NIPECs ensures antierosion protection and detoxification of soil. Additionally to ecological and agricultural applications, the NIPEC formulations have potential for immobilization of moving sands, conservation of mining dumps, treatment of road slopes, and so forth.
Journals
2018 EN
Šebelíková Lenka · Csicsek Gábor · Kirmer Anita
+4 more
Comparison of spontaneous revegetation and forestry reclamation can provide valuable information about the trajectories and rate of vegetation development applicable to restoration practice over broader geographical scales. In the current study, we sampled terrestrial vegetation in spontaneously revegetated and forestry reclaimed spoil heaps after brown coal mining differing in age in three regions across Central Europe (Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary). The main objective was to compare the course of vegetation development and species richness between the two restoration methods over a large geographical scale. In all geographical regions, species richness was higher on spontaneously revegetated sites. Although the starting point differed across regions, trajectories to woodland development converged with time. In addition, spontaneous revegetation was comparably as fast as forestry reclamation in developing towards woodland. Spontaneous revegetation proved to be more valuable and cost‐effective in terms of nature conservation and should be considered as an alternative restoration strategy to forestry reclamation in Central Europe.
Journals
2018 EN
Alvarez Carmen · Debnam Katrina · Clough Amber
+2 more
Supportive care for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) remains limited in primary care settings. Low‐income and Spanish‐speaking survivors of IPV are even more disadvantaged, given the dearth of linguistically and culturally appropriate interventions for IPV. We conducted semi‐structured individual interviews with 17 healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, and social workers, to describe how healthcare workers serving primarily low‐income, Latina populations are currently screening and responding to IPV disclosure, and to explore the acceptability of integrating an interactive, personalized safety decision aid application—myPlan app—into the clinic setting. Despite recognition of IPV as a problem, none of the clinical sites had a protocol to guide screening and response to IPV disclosure. Screening practices varied across the sites, sometimes conducted by medical assistants prior to the provider visit and other times by the physician or nurse provider. When IPV was disclosed, it was often during assessment for a presenting problem such as poor sleep or anxiety. Most healthcare workers felt that clinical and community resources were limited for their patients experiencing IPV. The “warm hand‐off” to a social worker was the most common response strategy when possible; otherwise, women were given information about available resources such as hotlines and safe houses. We discuss structural, family, and individual barriers to accessing safety resources for underserved women and review how an easily accessible safety decision app, such as myPlan, could be a resource for women to safely tailor an action plan for her situation.
Journals
2018 EN
Mizera Kamila · Chrząszcz Michał · Ryszkowska Joanna
Polyurethane elastomers (PUR) are used for the production of components subjected to abrasion. In many of these applications, the strength of polyurethane elastomers is not sufficient in spite of their modifications. In use PUR deteriorate as a result of mechanical and/or thermal degradation due to high loads and heat accumulation. To increase the strength properties of PUR and limit the accumulation of energy in the deformable material it is proposed to introduce to the PUR hollow glass spheres (HGSs). As part of the study the effect of these fillers on the properties of ureaurethanes was assessed. The resulting composites were characterized using thermal analysis techniques (DSC, TGA, and DMA), the chemical constitution was described via FTIR and the structure with use of SEM. The results of investigations of strength and tribological properties were presented. The filler is combined with the matrix by hydrogen bonding forming an additional cross‐linking of the macromolecules. Introduction of HGSs reduces the ability of the composites to suppress vibrations. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:2019–2028, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers