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Kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT-II) is the astrocytic enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of kynurenic acid (KYNA), an endogenous inhibitor of the α7-nicotinic receptor and the NMDA receptor (NMDAr). A previous study demonstrated an increase of KYNA synthesis in the brain of rats with thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute liver failure. Here we show that TAA administration increases KAT-II expression in the rat cerebral cortex and the effect is mimicked in cerebral cortical astrocytes in culture treated with high (5 mM) concentration of ammonia. KAT-II expression in control and TAA-treated rats was increased by NMDAr antagonist memantine, and the effects of TAA and memantine appeared additive. In astrocytes, the NMDAr antagonist MK-801 raised KAT-II expression as well, while NMDA added alone had no effect. Glutamate decreased KAT-II mRNA level, which was attenuated by MK-801. The results suggest that stimulation of KAT-II expression during hepatic encephalopathy may be associated with a partial inactivation of astrocytic NMDAr by ammonia.

Folic Acid - The Occurrence and the Role in Human Nutrition Folic acid occurs naturally in the salt form of folic acid - the so-called folate. The human body cannot synthesize it, and therefore it must be supplied from outside. Folic acid is involved in the synthesis and proper functioning of RNA and DNA acids. It is essential for growth and division of all body cells, which is particularly important during active growth or in the fetal and newborn life. In children and adults, folate along with vitamin B12 are involved in the production of red blood cells. Current research indicate on the existence in Poland and in Central and Northern Europe of significant deficiencies of folic acid in the diet. Deficiency of folic acid in our diet is due to the fact that we consume more highly processed food. Stored and heat-treated food loses a large part of folates. The most common pathological processes associated with a deficiency of folic acid in the body are neural tube defects, megaloblastic anaemia, disturbances in the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular system, as well as the development of certain types of cancer. Effective methods to increase folate intake are still being searched for.

Summary Osteitis has been proven to play important role in patophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Computed tomography (CT), a standard diagnostic technique used to evaluate the extent of the sinus disease, fails to show the bone involvement in patients with CRS. In contrast single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) yields adequate information on remodeling and bone turnover. Persistent osteitis may be one of the reasons of failure of adequate medical and surgical therapy for CRS and discrepancies between extent of the disease as evaluated by CT and symptom scores. The aim of the study is to evaluate correlation between the results of CT and SPECT in patients with CRS. Material and methods 29 patients with CRS (15 with nasal polyps and 14 without nasal polyps) were evaluated with CT and SPECT. The mucosal involvement of CRS graded on Lund-Mackay Scale (LMS) was compared to degree of bone involvement evaluated by SPECT with the use of modified LMS. Results The mean LMS grade was 13,3 for CT and 9,8 for SCPECT (modified LMS). A positive correlation between the results of two imaging methods was found r = 0,72 (p Conclusions The bone involvement as evaluated by SPECT correlates with the degree of mucosal changes showed by CT.

Background Lichen planus still remains a disease of unclear etiology. Inconclusive reports exist on the role of stress the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in this disease. The objective of this study was to find associations between levels of stress and indices of the endocrine and immune response in patients with lichen planus. Methods A total of 57 patients with lichen planus and 27 healthy control volunteers took part in the study. All participants completed questionnaires measuring the frequency of stressful life events. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for levels of endocrine and immune parameters: neopterin, cortisol, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-18, soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), sIL-6R, sFasL, T lymphocyte antigens CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD69, HLA-DR, CD16/56, CD45RO and CD45RA. Results Patients differed significantly from the controls in the levels of neopterin (but not cortisol), expression of CD25, CD16, CD8, and CD45RA antigens on T lymphocytes. Patients had also significantly higher levels of sIL-2R, sFasL, sIL-6R and IL-18 than healthy controls. Patients and controls did not differ in the overall frequency of stressful life events experienced over 1 year prior to the study. However, two subgroups of patients with various stress levels differed significantly in the expression of CD25, HLA-DR, CD45RO, and CD45RA on T lymphocytes. Conclusions Our findings suggest that stress may alter numerous parameters of endocrine and immune response in lichen planus, which provides support for its role in the etiopathogenesis of this disease.

The operation of three hybrid constructed wetland systems composed with vertical flow (VF-CW) and horizontal flow (HF-CW) constructed wetlands was analysed. The analyses were carried out in two wetlands (CWs) located in northern Poland: in Wiklino and Wieszyno and one in Wiedersberg in Germany. The wetlands were supplied with domestic sewage after mechanical treatment. It was proved that the decomposition rate of organic matter was determined by proportions of organic hardly decomposed (COD-X(S)) and non-decomposed (COD-X(I)) suspension. It was proved that increase of organic matter (OM) concentration in filter material of first beds in plants: Wiklino and Wieszyno caused clogging and decreased removal efficiency. In the two-years long study no accumulation of organic matter in the VF-CW in Wiedersberg was observed. Therefore, the aerobic conditions maintained in the bed enabled efficient decomposition of soluble organic easy-to-decompose fraction (COD-S(S))and COD-X(S) and no accumulation of OM was observed. The effectiveness of COD removal in the VF-CW in Wiklino and Wieszyno was lower in comparison to Wiedersberg, which was due to lower biodegradation potential of treated sewage (in Wiklino) and accumulation of OM in the sub-surface bed layer, resulting in pores clogging and reduction of air inflow (in Wieszyno).

The effect of the different type of organic substance present in sewage on the organic matter accumulation and removal effectiveness in the hybrid constructed wetlands has been analysed. Effectiveness of organic matter removal from domestic sewage in hydrophyte beds depends on the type of organic matter fractions and their concentrations. Basing on analysis of COD fractions (soluble and suspended easy-to-decompose and hard-todecompose fractions) it was proven that accumulation of organic matter in hydrophyte beds is determined by hard-to-decompose suspended fraction. Colmatation in the HF-CW beds was observed for the loads over 10.0 CODXsg m−2 d−1, while in the VF-CW beds – for the loads over 12.5 CODXsg m−2 d−1.

Artykuł podejmuje problematykę zachowań żywieniowych młodzieży akademickiej uczelni warszawskich w kontekście profilaktyki będącej nieodłącznym elementem edukacji zdrowotnej. Konsekwencje braku zbilansowanej diety mają swoje odzwierciedlenie w statystykach, które pokazują, że coraz więcej osób ma problemy zdrowotne będące bezpośrednimi lub pośrednimi skutkami złych nawyków żywieniowych. Stąd też w niniejszej pracy podjęto rozważania nad tym zagadnieniem. Na podstawie wyników uzyskanych z ankiety badawczej oraz Inwentarza Zachowań Zdrowotnych (IZZ) analizie poddano zachowania żywieniowe studentów. Uzyskane rezultaty pozwoliły na ocenę braków występujących w ich zakresie. Taki stan rzeczy może się przyczynić do zwrócenia większej uwagi na problematykę żywienia w obszarze treści programowych realizowanych zarówno w środowisku szkolnym czy akademickim, jak i poza nim. Anna Pawlak

Macrophyte plants e.g. reed, cattails, bulrush, can be applied to sewage sludge utilisation. One of the first facilities of this type in the Gdansk region (Northern Poland) was established in Darzlubie in 1995 and primary sludge has been utilised in reed beds there. The objective of the undertaken research was evaluating the influence of sewage sludge storage on its chemical and biological properties. A total of 5.5 m thick layer of primary, anaerobically stabilised sludge (moisture 90-96%) was loaded to the reed bed during 6 years of operation. As a consequence of dewatering and biochemical transformation, the sludge layer decreased to 30 cm. Moisture, organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus contents, as well as coli index, Clostridium perfringens index and the number of Ascaris lumbricoides ova were measured. Also the contents of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr and Cd) were determined in sludge samples. The study showed that sludge storage in reed beds results in dewatering and partial stabilisation. In the reed lagoons in Swarzewo and Zambrow, dewatering of secondary sludges was investigated. The results of measurements of the quality of sludge and effluent from the reed lagoon in Zambrow are also presented.

The comic book Marzi by Marzena Sowa (script) and Sylvain Savoi (drawings) – is an autobiographical comic book series, published recently in France, concerning a childhood of the author in the eighties of the XX th century in Stalowa Wola in Poland. Apart from the hard conditions of living in the decaying communist system, the image of the relations of Marzi with her parents looks not very lightly. After reading all parts of the comic book series, the addressee is confronted with the confidence, that the childhood of this girl – although represented in warm colors (both in the word and image layers) was not so nice and happy. It was in that time when Marzi was confronted with the death of her beloved grandma, a guinea pig Perełka (Daisy), a cruelty against mentally ill relatives (aunt Henia), sexual prejudices (the figure of Arthur), exclusion of the poor, as well as with the jealousy towards richer relatives, living in France (aunt Irene) and a physical violence or psychical abuse. All that phenomena appear only with the revealing of the story and it turns out, that the mithization of the childhood of Marzi is not so much a try to deal with the trauma of the “great” history (Communist Poland), but with the trauma of “small”, local history – the history of the family.

Biologie, die Lehre vom Leben, hat in der schulischen Bildung die Aufgabe, den Schuler mit dem menschlichen Korper und seinen Funktionen bekannt zu machen. Vorbedingung fur ein richtiges Funktionieren des Menschen ist die Gesundheit, die nach dem neuesten Grundlagenmodell fur Gesundheitsforderung eine holistische Vision des Menschen, ein gewisses korperliches, psychisches und soziales Gleichgewicht mit der naturlichen Umwelt voraussetzt (vgl. Karski 1999).

Autonarration in “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” by Alison Bechdel, is analyzed as an artistic therapy, as a method of dealing with the trauma of homosexuality. The narration is seen as the most important category of ordering human life: thanks to it the individual is able to build her identity, to understand herself and others. The same story is told from a different perspective and it makes reinterpretation of events. The purpose of constructing autonarration is to understand the past, to deal with a problem, get rid of a trauma or to break a taboo. This kind of autonarration can arise not only during therapy session with a specialist, but also in the autobiographical texts. In Alison Bechdel’s comics breaking the taboo is also shown by embedding autonarration in the context of literary works (Wilde, Proust, Colette) and psychological works (Hermans, Ricouer).

Wobec zwiększającej się liczby ruchów ludnościowych zasadne wydaje się podejmowanie badań nad różnorakimi skutkami migracji, zarówno w sensie jed- nostkowym, jak i społecznym. Celem pracy jest wgląd w mechanizmy samoorga- nizacji polskiej rodziny emigracyjnej, z wykorzystaniem systemowej perspektywy rozumienia rodziny migracyjnej, inspirowaną podejściem S. Minuchina i takich ram teoretycznych, jak koncepcja „dzieci trzeciej kultury” R. H. Ussem oraz problemów akulturacji, roli sieci społecznego wsparcia a także psychologii miej- sca – nie-miejsca M. Augé.Dzięki zebranym metodą wywiadu zogniskowanego oraz rozmów indywidual- nych, jakościowo przeanalizowanym w grupie 48 rodziców (przy uwzględnieniu zmiennych: bliskości międzypokoleniowej, wzorców relacji zewnętrznych oraz unikatowej dla rodziny emigracyjnej zmiennej relacji z miejscem pobytu) informa- cjom przyporządkowano trzy modele funkcjonowania rodziny emigracyjnej, wyjaś- niające problemy nieefektywnych strategii akulturacyjnych na emigracji. Modele te odpowiadają rodzinom spójnym – uwikłanym – splątanym wg S. Minuchina:„rodzina-magnes” (o dużej bliskości międzypokoleniowej, wysokim poziomie lęku grupowego i spójnych wzorcach kontaktów zewnętrznych, wytwarzająca w efekcie relatywizm miejsca), „rodzina-kotwica (o niskiej bliskości międzypoko- leniowej, niespójnych wzorcach kontaktów zewnętrznych, wytwarzająca problem nieumiejscowienia oraz fatamorganę kotwicy u dzieci i separacji u rodziców) oraz „rodzina-repelent” (o niskiej bliskości międzypokoleniowej, niespójnych wzorcach kontaktów zewnętrznych, wytwarzająca alienację u matki i asymilację u córki).

Signal to noise by Neil Gaiman takes the game with his form, combines different media (comics, film, telephone, writing) and mixed species found within them. At the same time, this comic is part of a series of works by implementing a strategy for story within a story. The aim of this article is to study the relationship between the film script, which is hidden in the character’s head, and the second one — open, which will emerge only after his death. This relationship exposes the eternal impossibility of communication at different levels. From information theory of data transmission can be drawn the idea that in every field of human activity pattern can be applied to the signal to noise ratio. It allows distinguishing what is important, relevant, from what is unimportant, irrelevant. The communication problem is also related to the question of information overload. And both of these concepts, i.e. the signal to noise ratio and information overload, are used in Gaiman ’s comic book.

Polskie komiksy okolicznościowe i użytkowe: historyczne, religijne, społeczne.

Osteitis has been proven to play important role in patophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Computed tomography (CT), a standard diagnostic technique used to evaluate the extent of the sinus disease, fails to show the bone involvement in patients with CRS. In contrast single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) yields adequate information on remodeling and bone turnover. Persistent osteitis may be one of the reasons of failure of adequate medical and surgical therapy for CRS and discrepancies between extent of the disease as evaluated by CT and symptom scores.is to evaluate correlation between the results of CT and SPECT in patients with CRS.29 patients with CRS (15 with nasal polyps and 14 without nasal polyps) were evaluated with CT and SPECT. The mucosal involvement of CRS graded on Lund-Mackay Scale (LMS) was compared to degree of bone involvement evaluated by SPECT with the use of modified LMS.The mean LMS grade was 13,3 for CT and 9,8 for SCPECT (modified LMS). A positive correlation between the results of two imaging methods was found r = 0.72 (p0.0001).The bone involvement as evaluated by SPECT correlates with the degree of mucosal changes showed by CT.

Lichen planus still remains a disease of unclear etiology. Inconclusive reports exist on the role of stress the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in this disease. The objective of this study was to find associations between levels of stress and indices of the endocrine and immune response in patients with lichen planus.A total of 57 patients with lichen planus and 27 healthy control volunteers took part in the study. All participants completed questionnaires measuring the frequency of stressful life events. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for levels of endocrine and immune parameters: neopterin, cortisol, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-18, soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), sIL-6R, sFasL, T lymphocyte antigens CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD69, HLA-DR, CD16/56, CD45RO and CD45RA.Patients differed significantly from the controls in the levels of neopterin (but not cortisol), expression of CD25, CD16, CD8, and CD45RA antigens on T lymphocytes. Patients had also significantly higher levels of sIL-2R, sFasL, sIL-6R and IL-18 than healthy controls. Patients and controls did not differ in the overall frequency of stressful life events experienced over 1 year prior to the study. However, two subgroups of patients with various stress levels differed significantly in the expression of CD25, HLA-DR, CD45RO, and CD45RA on T lymphocytes.Our findings suggest that stress may alter numerous parameters of endocrine and immune response in lichen planus, which provides support for its role in the etiopathogenesis of this disease.

Organelles are known to respond to challenges caused by many stress factors. The morphology of the microtubular cytoskeleton and mitochondria during mutual interaction in coculture of Laccaria laccata with Trichoderma harzianum and T. virens were examined. Hyphae from the interaction region were sampled between 4 and 12 days of growth. Microtubules were labelled with a specific antibody and mitochondria with 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide, and the organelles were examined microscopically. The morphology of microtubules and mitochondria were similar in all three fungi. Microtubules were arranged in long arrays parallel to the hyphal axis and mitochondria formed an interconnected network. In hyphae growing within the interaction zone, microtubules became wavy and eventually fragmented or depolymerised, and mitochondria also became fragmented. The effects were time-dependent. In general, the organelles of all three fungi were affected during the interaction, but L. laccata was affected the least and to the same extent by each of the saprotrophic fungi. The saprotrophic fungi were affected by L. laccata to a similar extent at 4 and 8 days of interaction. Our results suggest that the studied fungi antagonistically affect each other at the cellular level, although the mechanisms involved remain to be elucidated.

Organelles of ectomycorrhizal fungi are known to respond to changes in the extracellular environment. The response of vacuoles, mitochondria and microtubules to short-term nickel (Ni2+) exposure were investigated in hyphal tip cells of a Paxillus involutus from a heavy metal-rich soil. Vacuoles, mitochondria and microtubules were labelled with Oregon Green 488 carboxylic acid diacetate, 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC6(3)) and anti-alpha-tubulin antibodies, respectively; hyphae were treated with NiSO4 in the range of 0-1 mmol l(-1) and examined microscopically. Untreated hyphal tip cells contained tubular vacuole and mitochondrial networks. Ni2+ caused loss of organelle tubularity and severe microtubule disruption that were exposure-time and concentration dependent. Fine tubular vacuoles thickened and eventually became spherical in some hyphae, tubular mitochondria fragmented and microtubules shortened and aggregated into patches in most hyphae. Tubular vacuoles reformed on NiSO4 removal and tubular mitochondria in the presence of NiSO4 suggesting cellular detoxification. These results demonstrate that Ni2+ induces changes in organelle and microtubule morphology. Recovery of tubular organelles to pretreatment morphology after Ni2+ exposure suggests cellular detoxification of the metal ion.