Leptin, leptin gene, leptin gene receptor polymorphisms and pregnancy

The article presents information about leptin as the major metabolic hormone. The structure, localization of the hormone and its receptor have been described focusing on maturation and fertility processes. Several polymorphisms of leptin gene and its receptor have been described as potential developmental factors of pregnancy complications such as diabetes mellitus or pregnancy induced hypertension.     

Carcinoma of the uterine cervix during pregnancy

Pregnancy offers a unique opportunity for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer, due to the fact that pregnant patients have many possibilities of gynecological and cytological examinations. There is much evidence that pregnant women have two to three-fold higher chance of having preneoplastic lesions and early, operable stages of disease diagnosed. The preneoplastic lesions do not require any intervention during pregnancy. However, precise, serial colposcopic examinations, completed by biopsy if necessary, must be seriously considered in order to exclude invasive cancer. The only indication for conization during pregnancy is to rule out or confirm microinvasive or invasive cancer, provided such diagnose can change the time and the way of delivery. Invasive cervical cancer diagnose is frequently associated with difficult medical and ethical decisions. The most proper approach should be considered, taking into account the benefit of the mother and the child. The decision is easier in the early stage of cancer, because it has been proven that six- to twelve-week delay of the beginning of the therapy does not deteriorate the cancer outcome but it enables the fetus to acquire sufficient lung maturity. Advanced carcinoma of the cervix forces us to take prompt therapeutic decisions. Both, the continuation of the pregnancy and the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy are still possible.     

The safety and tolerance of isoflavones (Soyfem) administration in postmenopausal women

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to isoflavones and their proprieties to alleviate the climacteric symptoms. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of standardized isoflavones extract (Soyfem) in moderate and medium-severe climacteric syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 555 postmenopausal women were recruited for the study. Out of this group, 169 women completed the study (12-month observation period). The patients were classified according to the intensity of climacteric symptoms (< or =34 points in Kupperman index). 1 or 2 tablets of Soyfem were administered twice a day,. RESULTS: A regular decrease of Kupperman index value and improvement of life quality were observed in the group of 169 postmenopausal women. We have noted a decrease in the intensity and number of hot flushes, diaphoresis (p < 0.05), diminished sleep disturbances (p < 0.05), decreased headache, dizziness, and arthrosis pain. The diminished intensity of tiredness, palpitation and breathlessness have been also observed (p < 0.05). 80% of all investigated women noted the regression of paresthesis, 20% indicated the decreased number of paresthesis (p < 0.05). Influence of Soyfem on the variability and moderation of depressive mood (p < 0.05) have been also positive evaluated by patients. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of Soyfem in the dosage 52 to 104 mg/24 hours (2 times daily 1 or 2 tablets) is a safe and effective therapy in the postmenopausal women with moderate and medium-severe climacteric syndrome evaluated according to the Kupperman index. Administration of Soyfem is connected with a good compliance and correlated with well-being in the investigated women allowing a long-term administration.     

Perinatal care needs and expectations of women with low vision or total blindness in Warsaw,Poland

Background

As estimated from the number of published studies, in Poland the research into the perinatal care experiences of women with low vision or total blindness remains limited.

Assessment of Surface Treatment Degree of Steel Sheets in the Bonding Process

The aim of the paper is to determine the influence of the surface treatment on the adhesive properties of steel sheet surfaces and the strength of the adhesive joints of steel sheets. The paper also aims to assess the degree of steel sheets’ surface treatment in the bonding process. Due to the many methods of surface treatment and types of materials, the assessment of the surface treatment method is extremely important in adhesive processes. Two variants of the surface treatment were used: without a paint coating and with a paint coating, divided into two groups (without degreasing and with degreasing). Additionally, in the case of the analysis of the steel samples without the paint coating, mechanical treatment was applied. Two-component epoxy adhesive, prepared on the basis of bisphenol A and a polyamide curing agent, was used to prepare the single-lap adhesive joints of the steel sheets. The tests determined: (i) the adhesive properties of the steel sheets’ surface based on the measurement of the contact angle of polar and apolar liquids (including wettability, work of adhesion, and surface free energy), (ii) surface roughness parameters (PN EN ISO 4287), and (iii) mechanical properties (load capacity and shear strength) of the steel sheets’ adhesive joints (EN DIN 1465). Contact angle measurements of the steel sheet surfaces showed that the polar liquid better reflects the obtained strength results of the analyzed adhesive joints than the apolar liquid. Furthermore, better wettability of the surface of steel sheets with both polar and apolar liquids was obtained for samples whose surface was subjected to degreasing. It can also be concluded that the wettability of the surface can be used as one of the indicators of the degree of the surface treatment for the bonding process.     

Prevalence of Orthorexia in Groups of Students with Varied Diets and Physical Activity (Silesia,Poland)

(1) Background: The literature emphasizes the role of many factors influencing the onset of eating disorders (EDs) and their mutual influence on each other. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the prevalence of orthorexic behaviors in groups of health-related and non-health-related students in terms of their differential health behaviors—diet and physical activity levels. (2) The study included 300 individuals representing two equal groups of fields of study, which for the study were called the health-related field (HRF) and the non-health-related field (NRF). (3) Results: Based on the results of the dietary assessment, it was found that the best dietary model was characterized by the HRF group; in this group, 97.2% of students were characterized by a very good and good dietary mode. The NRF group, on the other hand, was dominated by a sufficient dietary mode for 64.4% of all cases in this group (94 people), while the dietary model marked as “good” was less popular, at 24.6% of this group (36 people). (4) Conclusions: Based on the cited self-research and information from the literature, it can be concluded that the problem of orthorexia is still a new issue at the level of social sciences, medical sciences, and health sciences. The psychometric tools used in this study allowed us to demonstrate the prevalence of the aforementioned eating disorders in the sample groups of students.     

Success of targeted transperineal biopsy in patients on surveillance for grade group 1 prostate cancer

IntroductionWe aimed to determine the minimum cross-sectional ellipsoid area on magnetic resonance (MR) of intraprostatic nodules that best predicts for subsequent targeted biopsies revealing ≥ grade group (GG) 2 disease.MethodsForty-six patients previously diagnosed with GG 1 prostate adenocarcinoma who received cognitively fused, MR-guided, transperineal targeted biopsies in addition to six random biopsies were included in this analysis. A Youden cutpoint analysis was used to determine the ellipsoid area in the axial plane best predicting for ≥GG 2 disease within the targeted biopsy cores and logistic regression used to assess the result.ResultsMedian time from MR imaging to targeted biopsy was 2.4 (1.4–5.5) months. Forty of 46 (87%) patients had one nodule and 6/46 (13%) had two separate nodules on MR that received targeted biopsy. Of the 52 nodules, five (10%), 33 (63%), and 14 (27%) were Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Thirteen (25%), six (12%), and 33 (64%) were in the anterior, medial, and posterior regions of the prostate, respectively. Median area was 0.72 (0.49–1.29) cm² (average diameter 9.5 mm). Fifteen of 46 (33%) patients had ≥1 random biopsy and 20/52 (38%) nodules had ≥1 targeted biopsy revealing ≥GG 2 disease. The optimal area cutpoint was ≥0.7 cm², with an area under the curve of 0.671 (0.510–0.832). On logistic regression, area ≥0.7 cm² was solely predictive of targeted biopsy revealing ≥GG 2 disease (odds ratio 6.5, 1.3–32.4, p=0.022).ConclusionsNodule area ≥0.7 cm² may predict for transperineal-based targeted biopsies being positive for ≥GG 2 disease when 1–2 cores are taken.     

Assessment of the Impact of Ionizing Radiation Absorption on the Structural,Mechanical and Biophysical Properties of Textiles Used in Multilayer Space Suit

The article presents research on ergonomics, biophysical comfort and safety of protective clothing. The resistance of the structural, thermal and mechanical properties of five fabrics (CBXS400, GG200T, Twaron CT736, Dyneema HB26 and T1790C), differing in geometry and raw material composition used in space suits, to dangerous ionizing radiation (β and γ) occurring in space was tested. For both types of radiation, four identical one-time doses in the range of 25–100 kGy were used. The effect of the applied absorbed doses of β and γ radiation on the parameters of textiles influencing ergonomics and safety of the cosmonaut’s work was verified by structural tests (micro-computed tomography and optical microcopy), thermal resistance tests (sweating guarded-hotplate) and strength tests (tensile testing machine). Experimental studies of thermal properties are supplemented with heat transport simulations using the finite volume method performed with 3D models of real textiles. The greatest reduction of thermal resistance for Twaron CT736 (−0.0667 m²·°C·W⁻¹ for 100 kGy of β-radiation) and Dyneema HB26 (−0.0347 m²·°C·W⁻¹ for 50 kGy of β-radiation) is observed. Strength tests have shown that all tested textiles are resistant to both types of radiation. Three textiles were selected to create a three-layer assembly with potential application in a cosmonaut’s glove (Extravehicular Activity—EVA).     

Factors Affecting Dental Caries Experience in 12-Year-Olds,Based on Data from Two Polish Provinces

(1) Background: Dental caries is a chronic disease that affects a child’s dentition from the first stages of life. Several factors contribute to the development of the disease, including an improper diet. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify risk factors of dental caries in 12-year-old adolescents from Greater Poland and Lubusz Provinces (Poland). (2) Material and methods: The research was conducted in adolescents from five primary schools. A questionnaire consisted of close-ended questions on socioeconomic characteristics on family, diet, and oral hygiene habits. An assessment of the dentition was carried out in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. In addition to cavitated carious lesions, incipient caries lesions were noted according to the International Caries Detection and Assessment System, adapted for epidemiological studies (ICDASepiDMFt). (3) Results: The mean number of teeth with untreated caries; removed due to caries; and restored because of caries (DMFt) was 1.52 ± 1.90, while the ICDASepiDMFt index amounted to 2.64 ± 2.55, respectively. Children who did not brush every day had significantly higher odds of having ICDASepiDMFt > 0 than children brushing at least once daily (OR = 10.32, 95% CI = 1.36–78.32, p = 0.0240). Adolescents who drank sweet carbonated drinks every day had significantly higher ICDASepiDMTt than children who drank sweet carbonated drinks less frequently (p = 0.0477). (4) Conclusions: The research revealed that dental caries indices of 12-year-old adolescents from Greater Poland and Lubusz Provinces depend mainly on oral hygiene behaviors. The only significant nutritional factor that differentiated the caries intensity was the daily consumption of sweet carbonated drinks.     

Effect of the XIAP inhibitor Embelin on TRAIL-induced apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a potent inducer of apoptosis in a wide variety of tumor cells, while it has no toxicity for the majority of normal cells.Therefore, TRAIL may be a suitable agent for anticancer therapy. We previously reported that a number of pancreatic cancer cell lines show resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis via overexpression of XIAP and FLIP. The present study was conducted to further examine TRAIL-based therapeutic strategies by aiming to restore functional apoptotic pathways in resistant pancreatic cancer cells. METHODS: In various pancreatic cancer cell lines, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was evaluated in the presence or absence of an XIAP-inhibitor (Smac peptide). Second, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was evaluated in TRAIL-resistant AsPC-1 cells with or without FLIP antisense. Third, the combined effect of Smac peptide and FLIP antisense was tested, and the activation of apoptosis-related caspases and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase was evaluated. Finally, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was evaluated in the presence or absence of FLIP antisense and an XIAP inhibitor (embelin). RESULTS: Smac peptide enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner for several pancreatic cancer cell lines, but showed no effect on TRAIL-resistant AsPC-1 cells. Smac peptide alone had no influence on cell viability. TRAIL-induced apoptosis was restored in TRAIL-resistant AsPC-1 cells by exposure to FLIP antisense, which suppressed the expression of FLIP. The effect of TRAIL was augmented by the combination of FLIP antisense and Smac peptide. Similarly, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was restored by the combination of FLIP antisense and embelin. Activation of apoptotic caspases and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase was observed after sensitization of TRAIL-resistant pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic cancer cells gain resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis via expression of the antiapoptotic proteins XIAP and FLIP. Smac peptide and FLIP antisense could restore the apoptotic effect of TRAIL. An XIAP inhibitor, embelin, enhanced the effect of TRAIL in the presence of FLIP antisense. These findings may provide useful information for the development of TRAIL-based therapeutic strategies by restoring functional apoptotic pathways in resistant pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, a low molecular weight XIAP inhibitor like embelin could be a lead compound for the development of effective XIAP inhibitors.