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The Position Statement on the principles of nutrition for children aged 1-3 years emphasizes that proper nutrition of children at this age determines their optimal psychometric development and has beneficial effects on the process nutritional programming, which reduces the risk of diet-related diseases in adulthood. Continued breastfeeding in the post-infancy period, together with the proper introduction of complementary foods, supplies all the nutritional needs of the child. A varied selection of food products is important to balance out the diet of a child in the context of energy and nutrient needs. Attention should be paid to products not recommended for frequent consumption, due to the possibility of the early development of improper eating habits that can lead to undesirable health consequences. Due to the potential risk of deficiency, adequate intake of iron, iodine, calcium and vitamin D, as well as of n-3 PUFAs (which is often insufficient) should be provided. Adequate dietary energy and protein intake protects children against protein–energy undernutrition and is crucial for their proper growth and development. An important element in the assessment of the development of children involves monitoring their nutritional status and physical development by systematically measuring their body weight and length/height and analyzing their weight gain. It is necessary to diagnose the causes of being underweight/overweight in children. Physical activity (such as outdoor walks, plays, and games) and healthy sleep hygiene are recommended. Physical activity, an adequate number of hours of sleep, and the quality of sleep in early childhood may improve immunity, reduce the risk of excessive weight gain, and consequently reduce the risk of obesity later in life. Other issues discussed include the functioning of the digestive system as one of the determinants of the nutrition of young children, basics of proper nutrition, risk of nutrient deficiencies and development of proper eating habits in early childhood.

Syndrom Gotowości Anorektycznej (SGA) oznacza uwarunkowany psychologicznie, społecznie i kulturowo zespół objawów, które mogą wskazywać na nieprawidłowości w zakresie realizowania potrzeby pokarmowej oraz stosunku do swojego ciała. W pracy przestawiono zależności pomiędzy stanem odżywienia a występowaniem poszczególnych objawów charakterystycznych SGA. Z analizy wynika, że dziewczęta z BMI ˃50 centyla (zarówno z normowagą jak i nadmierną masą ciała) częściej wprowadzały ograniczenia dietetyczne, odczuwały złość, gdy zjadły zbyt dużo, odczuwały obniżony nastrój i niezadowolenie z siebie, czuły się nieatrakcyjne i chciały poprawić swój wygląd w porównaniu do dziewcząt z pozostałych grup. Profilaktyką w zakresie występowania anoreksji powinny zostać objęte dziewczęta niezależnie od stanu odżywienia, jednak szczególną uwagę należy poświęcić dziewczętom z normowagą w górnej granicy normy oraz z nadwagą lub otyłością. Stwierdzony wśród dziewcząt nieważonych najwyższy odsetek dziewcząt z wysokim poziomem SGA wskazuje, że odmowa udziału w pomiarach antropometrycznych może być jednym z kryteriów świadczących o niewłaściwym stosunku do swojego ciała. Słowa kluczowe: syndrom gotowości anorektycznej, zaburzenia odżywiania, stan odżywienia, adolescencja

Relationships between diet, sex hormone concentrations, and the estrous cycle are important from the perspective of infertility and estrogen-dependent disease prevention and treatment. Four dietary interventions reflecting modern eating behaviors were explored. The study involved 50 female rats divided into five feeding groups. The impact of the amount of sucrose consumed (9% and 18% of the dietary energy content), alternating high-sucrose and sucrose-free diets, and a high-sucrose diet combined with intermittent one-day fasting on the estrous cycle and sex hormone concentrations in female rats was assessed. Even low amounts of dietary sucrose (9% of the dietary energy content) were found to lead to increased estradiol (E2) concentrations and decreased progesterone (Pg) concentrations. A high-sucrose diet, even when periodically applied, additionally led to a reduced concentration of luteinizing hormone (LH). The largest changes in the hormones tested were observed with one-day fasting coupled with the high-sucrose diet; in addition, the estrous phase was shortened and the estrous cycle was disrupted. The results of this study show that both the amount of dietary sucrose and also its uptake pattern affect the estrous cycle and sex hormone concentrations in female rats.

Tekst dotyczy zamieszkalej w Bialymstoku, mieście wojewodzkim w polnocno-wschodniej Polsce, spoleczności zydowskiej, w ktorej w okresie powojennym zachodzily procesy prowadzące do jej zupelnego zaniku. Liczebnośc tej populacji w konsekwencji wydarzen II światowej zmniejszyla sie z ponad 40 tys. do maksymalnie 1,5 tys. W artykule przedstawiono dalsze jej zmiany, zachodzące glownie na skutek ruchow wedrowkowych i procesow akulturacji. Przenalizowano rowniez strukture plci oraz wieku tej populacji, bardzo mocno zaburzonej na skutek Holokaustu. Analizie poddano takze strukture zawodową, bedąca efektem prob powrotu do zajec przedwojennych, ale ulegającą przemianom pod wplywem reform ustrojowych w Polsce. Kondycja bialostockich Żydow jest wyrazistym przykladem sytuacji, w jakiej mniejszośc ta znalazla sie w powojennej Polsce. Z tego wzgledu problem ten moze byc interesujący nie tylko dla badaczy historii lokalnej i regionalnej, ale takze wszystkich zainteresowanych losami Żydow w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej, skutkami demograficznymi II wojny światowej, jak i polityką narodowościową rządow komunistycznych i konsekwencjami wymuszonych przez nie przemian spoleczno-gospodarczych.

Background Studies on the effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) on the metabolism are scarce and their results are inconsistent. Objectives The aim of this research was to examine in an animal model the effect of replacing sucrose with HFCS-55 on the levels of glucose, insulin and leptin, and on the consumption of feed, body weight gain and fat storage. Material and methods The experiment was carried out on 30 Wistar male rats aged 5 months, fed 3 different diets, containing whole grains (group I), 10% sucrose (group II) and 10% HFCS (group III). Results It was found that the amount of daily energy intake was similar for all the groups of animals. There was no difference in fasting glucose and insulin level and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index. The higher leptin level was determined in blood plasma of the animal fed a feed with sucrose (group 2) compared to group 1 and group 3 (360 ng/mL vs 263 and 230 ng/mL, respectively). Despite the similar amounts of consumed energy, the animals fed with modified feeds achieved higher weight gain and the effect of HFCS-55 was similar to the effect of sucrose. Conclusions The obtained results indicate similar metabolic effects of HFCS-55 and sucrose in feed, at the level of 11% dietary energy value, on the energy intake, body weight gain and periorgan adipose tissue accumulation in rats. The results suggest that accusations against HFCS as the major dietary contributor to overweight and obesity are unfounded, and the total elimination of HFCS from the diet seems to be unnecessary. The modified feeds (containing both sucrose and HFCS) produced greater absolute weight gain and weight gain per kilojoule consumed compared to standard feeds. This may indicate not just a basic thermodynamic consequence of consuming more energy, but a change in the metabolic efficiency when consuming a diet with simple sugars and refined carbohydrates.

Background. Over the past 50 years, the average consumption of sugar worldwide has tripled, also the type of consumed sugar has changed. Due to high price of sucrose and its technological disadvantages, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become one of the most commonly used substitutes. Objective. The aim of the study was to compare, on the animal model, the effect of sugar type (sucrose vs high fructose corn syrup 55% of fructose) and the sugar form (solid vs fluid and solid) on the chosen parameters of carbohydrate-lipid metabolism. Material and methods. The experiment was carried out on 40 Wistar male rats aged 5 months, fed four isocaloric diets, containing: group I (SUC 15%) fodder with 15% sucrose, group II (HFCS 15%) fodder with 15% HFCS-55%, group III (SUC 7.5%+7.5%) – 7.5% sucrose in solid fodder and 7.5% sucrose water solution, group IV (HFCS 7.5%+7.5%) – 7.5% HFCS-55% in solid fodder and 7.5% HFCS water solution. Results. The effect of HFCS-55 on the parameters of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism was not equivalent of the effect of sucrose. Dietary use of HFCS-55 instead of sucrose causes adverse changes in blood parameters of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, particularly when provided in beverages, as at comparable weight gains to that of sucrose. More intense changes, manifesting in increased blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and uric acid, as well as increased liver fat content, were observed at simultaneous intake of sweeteners in solid foods and fluids, even with less sugar consumption, compared to solid food only. Conclusions. Dietary use of HFCS-55 causes adverse changes in blood parameters of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as at comparable weight gains to that of sucrose. But liquid form of sugar intake is more important insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease risk factor than the sugar type.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of weight status on body perception and satisfaction, occurrence of Anorexia Readiness Syndrome (ARS), and dietary behaviors in adolescent girls. The study was conducted among 516 girls aged 14 to 16 living in Szczecin (Poland). The ARS Diagnosis Questionnaire designed by Ziółkowska and the author’s own questionnaire about self-perception of body were used, and anthropometric assessment was performed. The weight status significantly affected weight status perception, body satisfaction, and dietary behaviors. The girls with a body mass index (BMI) > 50th percentile more often were dissatisfied with their bodies and more often showed at least a medium ARS level. The girls with a BMI ≤ 50th percentile more often overestimated their body weight, and transferred the feeling of being unattractive to their faces. Results of this study demonstrate the importance of education for adolescent girls to help realistically assess body size and promote healthy bodies and eating behaviors, regardless of the weight status.

Endothelial cells accompany the malignant cancer cell in almost every stage of metastatic process which includes: infiltration of tumor cells into the neighboring tissue, transmigration through endothelium (intravasation), survival in the blood stream, and extravasation followed by colonization of the target organ. The blood vessels within the tumor are heterogeneous, highly permeable, and chaotically branched therefore often described as abnormal or dysfunctional. These abnormalities are common for all components of the vessel wall and result from the activity of such factors as hypoxia and chronic growth factor stimulation. In this review, we focus not only on the distinctions in terms of the characteristic and function of tumor endothelial cells (TEC) as compared to normal endothelial cells (NEC), but also on all of these metastasis steps, which are accompanied by endothelial mediated mechanisms. Moreover, some therapeutic approaches directly or indirectly targeting the endothelium are discussed.

Background The objective of this study was to compare, in an animal model, the effect of different sugar types (sucrose vs. high-fructose corn syrup 55%) consumed as 10% by weight of the diet (11.6% of daily caloric intake) on the amount of food consumed, body weight, fatty tissue deposits, concentrations of selected lipids, and atherogenic indices of blood plasma. Material and method. The experiment was carried out on 30 5-month-old Wistar male rats, fed three differ- ent diets, containing, amongst other foods, (1) ground unrefined cereal grains, (2) sucrose, (3) high-fructose corn syrup. Results. Weight gains in animals on sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup diets were higher than those con- suming basic feed, but the effect was not associated with perivisceral fat accumulation. It has been found that all the atherogenic indices (Castellirs Risk Index I, Castellirs Risk Index II, Atherogenic Index of Plasma, Atherogenic Coefficient) were statistically significantly higher in animals on a high-fructose corn syrup diet compared to both the control group and those on a sucrose diet. Conclusion. The effect of the 55% high-fructose corn syrup on the tested parameters of lipid metabolism was not equivalent to that of sucrose. Using HFCS-55 instead of sucrose has an adverse effect on blood lipid parameters, while weight gains and peri-organ fat deposits are comparable. Moreover, the obtained results confirm that tested animals were susceptible to the adverse effects of sugars added to their diet, even in small amounts. This emphasises the need to precisely control the amount of added sugars in. Methods nd. The objective of this study was to compare, in an animal model, the effect of different sugar types (sucrose vs. high-fructose corn syrup 55%) consumed as 10% by weight of the diet (11.6% of daily caloric intake) on the amount of food consumed, body weight, fatty tissue deposits, concentrations of selected lipids, and atherogenic indices of blood plasma. Material and method. The experiment was carried out on 30 5-month-old Wistar male rats, fed three differ- ent diets, containing, amongst other foods, (1) ground unrefined cereal grains, (2) sucrose, (3) high-fructose corn syrup. Results Weight gains in animals on sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup diets were higher than those con- suming basic feed, but the effect was not associated with perivisceral fat accumulation. It has been found that all the atherogenic indices (Castellirs Risk Index I, Castellirs Risk Index II, Atherogenic Index of Plasma, Atherogenic Coefficient) were statistically significantly higher in animals on a high-fructose corn syrup diet compared to both the control group and those on a sucrose diet. Conclusions The effect of the 55% high-fructose corn syrup on the tested parameters of lipid metabolism was not equivalent to that of sucrose. Using HFCS-55 instead of sucrose has an adverse effect on blood lipid parameters, while weight gains and peri-organ fat deposits are comparable. Moreover, the obtained results confirm that tested animals were susceptible to the adverse effects of sugars added to their diet, even in small amounts. This emphasises the need to precisely control the amount of added sugars in the diet.

The aim of the study was to assess the reproducibility of a short-form, multicomponent dietary questionnaire (SF-FFQ4PolishChildren) in Polish children and adolescents. The study involved 437 children (6&ndash, 10 years old) and 630 adolescents (11&ndash, 15 years old) from rural and urban areas of Poland. The self-administered questionnaire was related to nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, active/sedentary lifestyle, self-reported weight and height, and socioeconomic data. The questionnaire was completed with a two-week interval&mdash, twice by parents for their children (test and retest for children), twice by adolescents themselves (adolescent&rsquo, s test and retest) and once by adolescents&rsquo, parents (parent&rsquo, s test). The strength of agreement measured using the kappa statistic was interpreted as follows: 0&ndash, 0.20 slight, 0.21&ndash, 0.40 fair, 0.41&ndash, 0.60 moderate, 0.61&ndash, 0.80 good, and 0.81&ndash, 1.00 excellent. Regarding the frequency of consumption of food items and meals, kappa statistics were 0.46&ndash, 0.81 (the lowest: fruit/mixed fruit and vegetable juices, the highest: Energy drinks) in test&ndash, retest for children, 0.30&ndash, 0.54 (fruit/mixed fruit and vegetable juices, breakfast, respectively) in adolescent&rsquo, s test&ndash, retest, 0.27&ndash, 0.56 (the lowest: Sweets, fruit, dairy products, the highest: Breakfast) in adolescent&rsquo, s test and parent&rsquo, s test. Lower kappa statistics were found for more frequently consumed foods (juices, fruit, vegetables), higher kappa statistics were found for rarely consumed foods (energy drinks, fast food). Across study groups, kappa statistics for diet quality scores were 0.31&ndash, 0.55 (pro-healthy diet index, pHDI) and 0.26&ndash, 0.45 (non-healthy diet index, nHDI), for active/sedentary lifestyle items they were 0.31&ndash, 0.72, for components of the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) they were 0.55&ndash, 0.93, for BMI categories (based on self-reported weight and height) they were 0.64&ndash, 0.67, for the nutrition knowledge (NK) of adolescents the kappa was 0.36, for the nutrition knowledge of children&rsquo, s parents it was 0.62. The Spearman&rsquo, s correlations for diet quality scores were 0.52&ndash, 0.76 (pHDI) and 0.53&ndash, 0.83 (nHDI), for screen time score they were 0.45&ndash, 0.78, for physical activity score they were 0.51&ndash, 0.77, for the FAS score they were 0.90&ndash, 0.93, and for the NK score they were 0.68&ndash, 0.80. The questionnaire can be recommended to evaluate dietary and lifestyle behaviors among children and adolescents.

Tekst opowiada historie nieformalnego ruchu mlodziezy z Grodna, ktorą w latach osiemdziesiątych XX w. polączyla fascynacja polską muzyką, glownie rockową. Od nazwy popularnego programu „Telewizyjna Lista Przebojow” nazwali sie TLP-istami. Przedstawiony zostanie spoleczno-polityczny kontekst tych szczegolnych zainteresowan i mozliwości ich rozwijania w realiach ostatniej dekady ZSRR. Zadane zostaną pytania o wplyw muzyki na styl zycia mlodziezy, reakcje otoczenia, a takze znaczenie dla ksztaltowania postaw. The phenomenon of “TV Hit-Parade” (TLP): the Grodno fans of Polish music Oral history – witnesses’ accounts, allowed to reconstruct the history of the informal movement “TLP” gathering Grodno youth in the 1980s. The source of interest in Polish music was the youthful need for rebellion, strengthened by the situation in the USSR, interest in Poland and political changes taking place there and fascination with Polish popular culture. It was perceived as an emanation of Western culture, but more accessible thanks to an understandable language. The people of TLP had a possibility to listen to favorite music and to get information about it thanks to receiving the Polish radio and television, buying the Polish press, as well as contacts with peers from Poland. They traveled abroad exceptionally. In the realities of the USSR of the 1980s, developing a passion required big effort and ingenuity, but it did not involve any risk. Despite the unmistakable political meaning and rebellious lyrics of rock songs, local authorities and services did not see the movement of fans as a danger. Contact with Polish music gave the youth a sense of community and freedom. Феномен «Телевизионного хит-парада» ( TLP ): гродненские фанаты польской музыки Устная история – рассказы очевидцев позволили реконструировать историю неформального движения „TLP”, которое объединяло гродненскую молодежь в 1980-х гг. Источником интереса к польской музыке была юношеская потребность бунта, усиленная положением в СССР, интерес к Польше и происходящих в ней политических переменах, увлечение польской Поп-культурой. Она воспринималась как проявление западной культуры, но более доступное благодаря понятному языку. У TLP-истов был доступ к любимой музыке и касающимся ее новостям благодаря возможности приема передач польского телевидения и радио, подписки на польскую прессу, а также контактом со сверстниками из Польши. Сами TLP-исты ездили заграницу в исключительных случаях. В реалиях СССР 80-х гг. развитие увлечения требовало усилий и находчивости, но не было связано ни с каким риском Несмотря на несомненный политический и мятежнический смысл текстов рок-песен, власти и местные службы не видели в фанатском движении угрозы. Контакт с польской музыкой дарил молодежи чувство общности и свободы.

The purpose of this research was to assess the amount of isoprostane 8-iPF2α-III, a marker of oxidation stress, in excreted urine. The study was conducted on 40 male rats aged 5 months. Group 1 received the basic diet, groups 2-4, the modified diet in which whole cereal grains were partly substituted with wheat flour and sucrose. Groups 1-2 received water to drink, groups 3 and 4 were given aqueous solutions of B group vitamins at different doses. On the fifth week of the experiment, a 24-h urine collection was conducted. The concentrations of creatinine and 8-iPGF2a-III were determined in urine samples. Modification of diet composition caused increased excretion of isoprostane, which may indicate enhancement of free-radical reactions in the examined animal. The provided supplementation decreased the value of this parameter expressed as a creatinine ratio, but not, however, to the values observed in the animals fed the basic diet. A stronger effect was observed with excess supplementation.

High levels of impulsivity can increase the vulnerability for development of alcohol dependence. Moreover, impulsivity is considered to be a predictor of poor treatment outcomes. Few studies, however, have directly examined the genetics of impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients. We analyzed the relationships between a well-recognized genetic marker of serotonin activity and levels of impulsivity as measured by both the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and the stop-signal task among 304 alcohol-dependent patients. The stop-signal task was used as an independent, objective method of estimating the level of behavioral impulsivity, and the BIS-11 as a self-report measure of global impulsivity. Blood was collected and analyzed for the T102C (rs6313) polymorphism in the serotonin type 2A receptor gene (HTR2A). Our results indicate a significant association between high levels of behavioral impulsivity and the C/C genotype of rs6313 in alcohol-dependent patients. The CC genotype has been previously found to be associated with a reduction in 5HT2A receptors in the central nervous system. These results support the hypothesis that genetic factors are important determinants of behavioral impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients, and that the serotonin system plays an important role in establishing its level.

A new class of Mannich bases 9-26, derivatives of 2-amino-1H-benzimidazole, were obtained in the condensation of Schiff bases 1-4 or 2-benzylaminobenzimidazoles 5-8 with selected secondary amines: morpholine, piperidine, N-methylpiperazine, N-phenylpiperazine, 1-(2-pyridyl)piperazine, 1(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine, 1-(2-pyrimidinyl)piperazine and formaldehyde in ethanol. The pyrimido[1,2-albenzimidazole derivatives 27-29 have been synthesized in the reactions of Schiff base 2 with selected compounds containing active methylene group: acetylacetone, benzoylacetone and malononitrile. The structures 1-29 were confirmed by the results of elementary analysis and their IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra. The products 1-29 are of interest for biological studies and can be substrates for further synthesis. All compounds were screened against the cells of MV4-11 human leukemia and then the most active of them 5, 7, 9-16, 24-26, 28, 29 were tested towards human T47D breast and A549 lung cancer cells as well as normal mouse fibroblasts (BALB/3T3). The most active compound against the cancer cell lines was 4-amino-3-cyano-2-(4-hydroxyphenylene)-1,2-dihydropyrimi-do[1,2-a]benzimidazole (29) (IC50 0.23 ± 0.05 µg/mL against MV4-11 cells) showing in parallel very low cytotoxicity towards mouse fibroblasts. Cisplatin was the control drug.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a consequence of liver damage, is associated with cognitive deficits. In this study, behavioral activity, non-associative learning, associative memory, cognitive coordination and flexibility were investigated in rats with subclinical HE evoked by thioacetamide treatment. Non-associative learning was studied in the open field (OF) set up in 12 HE and 8 saline-injected control rats (C). Memory was examined in spatial place avoidance tasks in 10 HE and 10 C rats. The Room+ Arena- task involved the selection of distal room stimuli from irrelevant arena stimuli (i.e. intramaze cues and/or self-motion information), which engages processes of cognitive coordination. Following the Room+ Arena- training, cognitive flexibility of rats was tested in the Arena+ place avoidance condition, which demands the previously ignored stimuli from arena. In the OF test HE and control rats behaved similar. They displayed high activity in the first block of each session and this pattern was stable. In both groups of rats darkness enhanced locomotor activity in comparison to light only in the first block. The HE and C rats avoided the to-be-avoided place in the Room+ Arena- task, whereas only HE rats were affected in the Arena+ task. In conclusion, these results demonstrate cognitive inflexibility in HE rats. We suggest that (1) the behavioral changes in the TAA model are typical of subclinical HE and (2) test for cognitive flexibility may be modified towards a routine use in patients with subclinical HE.

Metabolic processes of food additives which are "exogenous xenobiotics" are catalysed, primarily, by enzymes located in microsomes of hepatocytes affiliated to P-450 cytochrome superfamily, containing iron. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of diet composition and selected food additives on the erythrocyte system and iron metabolism in peripheral blood of male rats.The experiment was carried out on 30 male rats sorted into three equinumerous groups. For drinking animals received pure, settled tap water, animals from group III were receiving additionally an aqueous solution of sodium (nitrate), potassium nitrite, benzoic acid, sorbic acid and monosodium glutamate.Ascertained a significant effect of changes in diet composition on the increase in hematocrit marker value and the count of red blood cells in blood of animals examined. Used food additives diminished hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit value and red blood cell count, diminishing also iron concentration in serum, the total iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation with iron.Analysis of the results allowed ascertain adverse changes in values of the erythrocytic system markers, occurring under the influence of the applied mixture of food additives. Used food additives change the iron metabolism, most likely from the necessity of applied xenobiotics biotransformation by heme-containing monoxygenases of P-450 cytochrome.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the range of weight-loss programmes and behaviours associated with the use of slimming supplements observed among young women. The study in the form of questionnaire survey was carried out among 300 female students of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin during late autumn 2009. Analysis of the responses revealed that most of the women had tried to lose weight ever during their lives, many of them within the past six months. The respondents undertook weight-loss programmes regardless of their BMI, which may imply a disturbed perception of one's own body. In order to reduce body weight, the women applied various methods, usually modified diet and use slimming preparations. Among the preparations, the women most frequently mentioned appetite inhibitors or fat burning and thermogenesis enhancers. During the use of slimming enhancers, many women also changed their dietary patterns; such alterations were not necessarily nutritionally correct, due to either lack of knowledge on the principles of proper nutrition (which apply also during a weight-loss action) or due to abandoning these rules when applying the slimming aids. The observed dietary behaviours of the women may underlie serious nutrition-related health problems when they reach their middle age, but can also result in nutritional disorders in the near future.

The aim of the study was the estimation of the frequency intake and energy value of breakfasts and lunches consumed by school children. The group of 463 pupils of elementary and grammar schools selected at random from Pila was investigated in may 2008. Most of investigated pupils had declared the everyday consumption of breakfasts, however only half of them consumed it at home before turned out to school. Also lunch was consumed by the most of investigated children. Frequency breakfast intake decreased at older schoolchildren, but at a time the percentage of pupils preparing it individually increased, what suggests the diminution of the care of parents over the adolescent child. The energy value of consumed breakfasts and lunches was irregular Breakfasts characterized with too low, and lunches too high, participation of the energy compared to recommended daily dietary allowances. Consumed breakfasts were also incorrectly composed Breakfast vegetable and fruits and milk and its products consumption was too low.

The aim of the study was to estimate, on an animal model, the influence of diet composition and its supplementation with selected B vitamins on distribution of calcium and magnesium in the body. The change in diet composition was found to significantly reduce the calcium contents in the liver and blood of males as well as in the liver and kidney of females. The change enhanced calcium and magnesium accumulation in the skeletal muscles of the animals examined. In females, the effect was augmented by supplementation. The vitamin supplementation applied was conducive to incorporation into the bones calcium in males and magnesium in females, respectively. Analysis of the results allows to conclude that both the change in the diet composition and the supplementation of the diet modified by selected B vitamins significantly affected distribution of calcium and magnesium between different organs and tissues of the animals examined and probably modified the functional status of the organs and tissues in question. The magnitude and direction of the changes in most parameters analysed were sex-dependent.

Artykuł jest podsumowaniem prowadzonych na terenie Łodzi badań dotyczących funkcjonowania w świadomości mieszkańców miasta żydowskiej mniejszości narodowej. Opiera się on w całości na materiale empirycznym zebranym w latach 2009–2010 podczas realizacji projektu badawczego zatytułowanego: „Społeczność żydowska i niemiecka w Łodzi po 1945 roku”. Celem tej części projektu było poznanie opinii łodzian o funkcjonujących na terenie miasta mniejszościach (w opisywanym przypadku mniejszości żydowskiej). Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00. Grant Prezydenta Miasta Łodzi "Społeczność żydowska i niemiecka w Łodzi po 1945 roku", realizowany w latach 2009–2010 nr Ed. VII. 4346/G-26.

We reported previously that rabbit pleural and peritoneal macrophages (Møs) and human Mø stimulated with endotoxin (LPS) release a protein factor of 45 to 60 kd that induces local polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) infiltration upon intradermal injection in rabbits. In the case of the human Mø product, it was shown to be distinct from interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factors (TNF alpha), granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF), IL-6, and lower molecular weight PMNL chemotactic factors. Here, we examined resident rabbit alveolar Møs to determine if they produce a similar factor following in vitro or in vivo exposure to LPS. Following LPS exposure (0.3 to 30 ng/ml), alveolar Møs obtained from normal rabbits by bronchoalveolar lavage released PMNL recruiting activity within 3 h, as measured by the accumulation of 51Cr labeled blood PMNL at injected skin sites. Production of this activity was blocked by cycloheximide; it was heat labile and not affected by polymyxin B, which neutralized the LPS. On gel filtration chromatography, a major peak of activity was eluted at 45 to 60 kd and was free of IL-1 but partially overlapped with rabbit TNF alpha. Although active in vivo in PMNL recruitment into the tissues, these fractions did not induce PMNL migration in vitro in a filter chemotaxis assay. After sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) the predominant PMNL recruiting factor (PRF) eluted from gel slices corresponded to 22 to 32 kd, suggesting that this protein is a dimer under gel filtration conditions. These gel eluates did not contain TNF alpha activity. Following iv administration of sublethal doses of LPS (3 micrograms/kg) or of antibiotic killed Escherichi coli (10(9)/kg), peripheral lung fragments from perfused lungs spontaneously produced this PRF during ex vivo culture without further LPS stimulation. Lung tissue from normal rabbits did not release PRF spontaneously. We conclude that resident alveolar Møs produce a PRF protein in response to LPS that is distinct from IL-1, TNF alpha, and chemotactic factors and that the production of a similar protein by lung cells (probably Møs) is probably induced in vivo during endotoxemia or bacteremia. This factor may contribute to PMNL accumulation in the lung during pathologic processes.

A comprehensive series of solution and crystallographic studies reveal how simple, achiral, bivalent ligands of the cyclic pyruvate of glycerol promote face-to-face complex formation of the pentraxin, serum amyloid P component (SAP) into decamers. SAP, a protein of the human innate immune system, is universally present in amyloids, including cerebral amyloid deposits found in the brain of Alzheimer disease patients. Removal of SAP through a specific aggregation mechanism mediated by multivalent ligands appears to provide therapeutic benefit in the progression of this disease. Crystallographic studies reveal that in our novel series of ligands only the methyl and carboxylate moieties of the pyruvate ketal directly interact with the protein, but the geometric constraints imposed by the tether dictate which of two chair conformations are adopted by the pyruvate dioxane ring. Solution studies, as interpreted through a simple thermodynamic model, account for the distribution of pentameric and decameric bound states at different ligand concentrations and indicate that differences in the flexibility of the tether determine the geometry and stability of the specific aggregates formed between SAP and two different bivalent ligands. The factors affecting the design of ligands promoting face-to-face protein dimerization as well as potential biological implications are discussed.

The cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) enhance polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) adhesion to vascular endothelium by an endothelial cell dependent mechanism in vitro and induce PMNL infiltration in vivo In this study, we employed human umbilical vein endothelium (HUVE) cultured on microporous membrane filters to form a monolayer, a system in which PMNL adherence and PMNL transendothelial migration could be measured using 51Cr-labelled human PMNL. In this system, it was found that PMNL adhesion and migration were dependent on prior treatment of the HUVE monolayer with IL-1 or TNF alpha for at least 2 h and that cytokine could be removed prior to the addition of PMNL without any effect on the response. PMNL adherence to the HUVE was maximal by 30 min and was followed by progressive migration of PMNL across the monolayer and the membrane filter into the lower chamber. The effect of apical surface versus basal surface exposure of the HUVE monolayer to IL-1 alpha and TNF alpha on subsequent PMNL interaction with the HUVE monolayer in the absence of cytokine was examined. Apical or basal stimulation induced comparable PMNL adherence at 30 min following addition of PMNL (35.5% and 43.1%). However, basal (i.e., abluminal) exposure to IL-1 or TNF alpha of the HUVE induced significantly greater PMNL transendothelial migration (e.g., 27.8% vs. 15.4%; P less than 0.01). The expression of endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecules ELAM-1 and ICAM-1 following apical versus basal stimulation was determined by ELISA on viable cells. These adhesion molecules were upregulated to a similar extent under both conditions. These observations suggest that spacial localization or orientation of adhesion molecules may be influenced by basal versus apical cytokine stimulation or that other mechanisms are responsible for the preferential PMNL migration with basal stimulation. These findings may have implications for the in vivo interactions of PMNL with vascular endothelium, depending on whether the endothelium is exposed to IL-1 of TNF alpha via the blood on the luminal (apical) surface or via the extravascular space on the abluminal (basal) surface.

BACKGROUND. The animal model study was aimed at evaluating the effect of diet composition and energy drink intake on body weight, accumulation and distribution of deposited fatty tissue, and concentrations of glucose and triacylglycerols in blood plasma.The experiment was carried out on 30 male rats. The animals were sorted into three groups, fed on group I - standard feed, groups II and III - modified feed, in which part of whole wheat and corn grains were isocalorically substituted with wheat flour and saccharose. Animals from groups I and II were receiving settled tap water for drinking, whereas these from group III were administered 3 ml of an energy drink, and then were provided drinking water.In analysing the results obtained it was stated that the addition of the energy drink to diet affected diminished body weight gains of the animals (per energy unit in the diet) as compared to the group of animals fed modified diet. The animals receiving the energy drink were additionally characterised by a lower content of peri-intestinal and intramuscular fatty tissue, whereas were found to deposit significantly higher amounts of peri-cardiac fatty tissue. Samples of blood plasma of these animals were found to contain a significantly higher concentration of glucose, compared to those of the animals fed modified diet. In turn, the concentration of triacylglycerols was comparable in all groups of animals.The analysis of results achieved enabled concluding that the addition of energy drink to diet was significantly modifying the rate and tendency of metabolic changes, which was manifested in: increased glucose concentration in blood plasma, diminished body weight gains of the animals and deposition of peri-cardial fat.

Global consumption steadily increases due to development of aquaculture but also more efficient fisheries sector. Therefore, fish processing plants and ultimately consumers face products from new fish species which significantly differ in case of their nutritional values, technological or culinary properties. The aim of the study was to randomly collect specimens of bigeye sea perch, Helicolenus barathri; New Zealand sole, Peltorhamphus novaezeelandiae; white bass, Morone chrysops; thicklip grey mullet, Chelon labrosus and ridge scaled rattail, Macrourus carinatus and provide multidimensional characteristics i.e. species authentication, proximate assessment, structure and texture analysis as well sensory evaluation. Study confirmed authenticity of all fish samples and new DNA barcodes were introduced into database of fish profiles. Chemical composition of fillets differed significantly among species, and the unfavourable nutritional values had ridge scaled rattail, bigeye sea perch and New Zealand sole which had unfavorable fatty acid profile, high atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI) indexes, and low hypocholesterolemic to hypercholesterolemic acids ratio. On the other hand, fillets of freshwater white bass had the best PUFA:SFA ratio, and favourable TI and AI indexes from the consumer’s health point of view. Moreover, fillet of the white bass was selected by panellists as the most desirable. Structural analysis also revealed different degree of undesirable changes in fillets observed as breakdown of myofibrils and connective tissue. Multidimensional analysis characterized randomly selected sample and provided a set of useful information both for customers and fish processing sector.