Psychometric properties of the Polish version of two screening tests for gambling disorders: the Problem Gambling Severity Index and Lie/Bet Questionnaire

To date, no screening tests for gambling disorders have been adapted and validated in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of this study is to adapt the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and Lie/Bet questionnaire (Lie/Bet) and assess their psychometric properties once translated for use with the Polish population. A mixed sample (N = 300) was drawn from venues, social media, snowballing and treatment centers. PGSI had a higher coefficient of predictive power than Lie/Bet. However, differences between validated tests are not significant. Validation of screening tests of gambling disorders showed the necessity for verification of the scale of interpretation of results when conducting tests in Poland, changing cutoff values. The PGSI and Lie/Bet tests are short and easy to apply, they can be implemented in various types of institutions: for screening patients in primary health care facilities and for identifying comorbid gambling disorders in alcohol- and drug-dependence treatment facilities, and in social welfare centers. Key words: Europe, gambling, Lie/Bet, Problem Gambling Severity Index, problem gambling, psychometric properties, screening tests     

Photoluminescence and Energy Transfer in Double- and Triple-Lanthanide-Doped YVO4 Nanoparticles

Optical materials doped with several lanthanides are unique in their properties and are widely used in various fields of science and technology. The study of these systems provides solutions for noncontact thermometry, bioimaging, sensing technology, and others. In this paper, we report on the demonstration of YVO₄ nanoparticles doped with one, two, and three different rare earth ions (Tm³⁺, Er³⁺, and Nd³⁺). We discuss the morphology, structural properties, and luminescence behavior of particles. Luminescence decay kinetics reveal the energy transfer efficiency (up to 78%) for different ions under the selective excitation of individual ions. Thus, we found that the energy transition from Tm³⁺ is more favorable than from Er³⁺ while we did not observe any significant energy rearrangement in the samples under the excitation of Nd³⁺. The observed strong variation of REI lifetimes makes the suggested nanoparticles promising for luminescent labeling, anticounterfeiting, development of data storage systems, etc.     

Ferristatin II Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Vero Cells

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to have a significant impact on global public health. Multiple mechanisms for SARS-CoV-2 cell entry have been described; however, the role of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) in SARS-CoV-2 infection has received little attention. We used ferristatin II to induce the degradation of TfR1 on the surface of Vero cells and to study the consequences of such treatment on the viability of the cells and the replication of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrated that ferristatin II is non-toxic for Vero cells in concentrations up to 400 µM. According to confocal microscopy data, the distribution of the labeled transferrin and receptor-binding domain (RBD) of Spike protein is significantly affected by the 18h pretreatment with 100 µM ferristatin II in culture medium. The uptake of RBD protein is nearly fully inhibited by ferristatin II treatment, although this protein remains bound on the cell surface. The findings were well confirmed by the significant inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero cells by ferristatin II with IC₅₀ values of 27 µM (for Wuhan D614G virus) and 40 µM (for Delta virus). A significant reduction in the infectious titer of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant was noted at a ferristatin II concentration as low as 6.25 µM. We hypothesize that ferristatin II blocks the TfR1-mediated SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry; however, further studies are needed to elucidate the full mechanisms of this virus inhibition, including the effect of ferristatin II on other SARS-CoV-2 receptors, such as ACE2, Neuropilin-1 and CD147. The inhibition of viral entry by targeting the receptor on the host cells, rather than the viral mutation-prone protein, is a promising COVID-19 therapeutic strategy.     

Application of the CRISPR/Cas9 System to Study Regulation Pathways of the Cellular Immune Response to Influenza Virus

Influenza A virus (IAV) causes a respiratory infection that affects millions of people of different age groups and can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Currently, host genes, receptors, and other cellular components critical for IAV replication are actively studied. One of the most convenient and accessible genome-editing tools to facilitate these studies is the CRISPR/Cas9 system. This tool allows for regulating the expression of both viral and host cell genes to enhance or impair viral entry and replication. This review considers the effect of the genome editing system on specific target genes in cells (human and chicken) in terms of subsequent changes in the influenza virus life cycle and the efficiency of virus particle production.     

Video-Assisted Thyroidectomy Significantly Reduces the Risk of Early Postthyroidectomy Voice and Swallowing Symptoms

Background Voice and swallowing symptoms are frequently reported after thyroidectomy even in absence of objective voice alterations. We evaluated the influence of the video-assisted approach on voice and swallowing outcome of thyroidectomy. Methods Sixty-five patients undergoing total thyroidectomy (TT) were recruited. Eligibility criteria were: nodule size ≤30 mm, thyroid volume ≤30 ml, no previous neck surgery. Exclusion criteria were: younger than aged 18 years and older than aged 75 years, vocal fold paralysis, history of voice, laryngeal or pulmonary diseases, malignancy other than papillary thyroid carcinoma. Patients were randomized for video-assisted (VAT) or conventional (CT) thyroidectomy. Videostrobolaryngoscopy (VSL), acoustic voice analysis (AVA), and maximum phonation time (MPT) evaluation were performed preoperatively and 3 months after TT. Subjective evaluation of voice (voice impairment score = VIS) and swallowing (swallowing impairment score = SIS) were obtained preoperatively, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after TT. Results Fifty-three patients completed the postoperative evaluation: 29 in the VAT group, and 24 in the CT group. No laryngeal nerves injury was shown at postoperative VSL. Mean postoperative MPT, F ₀, F _low, F _high, and the number of semitones were significantly reduced in the CT group but not in the VAT group. Mean VIS 3 months after surgery was significantly higher than preoperatively in CT group but not in the VAT group. Mean SIS was significantly decreased 1 and 3 months after VAT but not after CT. Conclusions The incidence and the severity of early voice and swallowing postthyroidectomy symptoms are significantly reduced in patients who undergo VAT compared with conventional surgery. Presented at the ISW2007—IAES free paper session, Montreal, Canada, August 26–30, 2007.     

From the Cover: Climbing,falling, and jamming during ant locomotion in confined environments

Locomotion emerges from effective interactions of an individual with its environment. Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates. However, a diversity of organisms construct, inhabit, and move within confined spaces. Such animals are faced with locomotor challenges including limited limb range of motion, crowding, and visual sensory deprivation. Little is known about how these organisms accomplish their locomotor tasks, and such environments challenge human-made devices. To gain insight into how animals move within confined spaces, we study the locomotion of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, which constructs subterranean tunnel networks (nests). Laboratory experiments reveal that ants construct tunnels with diameter, D, comparable to body length, L = 3.5 ± 0.5 mm. Ants can move rapidly (> 9 bodylengths per s) within these environments; their tunnels allow for effective limb, body, and antennae interaction with walls, which facilitate rapid slip-recovery during ascending and descending climbs. To examine the limits of slip-recovery in artificial tunnels, we perform perturbations consisting of rapid downward accelerations of the tunnels, which induce falls. Below a critical tunnel diameter, D_s = 1.31 ± 0.02 L, falls are always arrested through rapid interaction of appendages and antennae with tunnel walls to jam the falls. D_s is comparable to the size of incipient nest tunnels (D = 1.06 ± 0.23 L), supporting our hypothesis that fire ants construct environments that simplify their control task when moving through the nest, likely without need for rapid nervous system intervention.     

Ex vivo expanded regulatory T cells CD4+CD25+FoxP3+CD127Low develop strong immunosuppressive activity in patients with remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by defect in regulatory function of CD4⁺CD25⁺ T cells. We demonstrated difference in proportion of regulatory T cells CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺CD127^low (Tregs) within the same patients’ relapse and remission. Proportion of peripheral Tregs (pTregs) dropped almost two times in the relapse compare to remission. Levels of pTregs in patients’ remission were lower than in healthy donors. Suppressive ability of pTregs was decreased in MS patients compared to healthy donors. Injections of expanded ex vivo autologous Tregs (eTregs) could be helpful in bringing up the level of Tregs in patients’ blood. We developed a simple method for ex vivo expansion of autologous Tregs within a short period of time. The final pool of cells consisted of 90-95% eTregs. When we started the culture with 10-20?×?10⁶ CD4⁺ T cells, we yield 300-400?×?10⁶ eTregs in a week. Expression of FoxP3 and Helios was calculated by two methods. Expanded ex vivo patients’ and donors’ Tregs were characterized by increased from three to five times expression of FoxP3, as well as almost doubled Helios expression. Peripheral Tregs in MS patients have decreased demethylation of FoxP3 gene promoter in comparison with donors. On the contrary, eTregs showed stable up-regulated demethylation without difference between MS patients and donors. MS patients’ and donors’ eTregs have much more suppressive ability than pTregs. Our data showed that eTregs can be applied as immunotherapy for MS patients and other autoimmune diseases if further investigated.     

Correlates of smoking initiation among young adults in Ukraine: a cross-sectional study

Background  

Aim: To estimate the impact of smoking restrictions in homes and schools, and tobacco advertising and information on smoking initiation by young people in Ukraine.