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BackgroundAn accurate understanding of dietary supplements (DS) is a prerequisite for informed decisions regarding their intake. However, there is a need for studies on this understanding among the public based on validated research tools. ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the knowledge about DS among Polish internet users with no medical education and to identify its determinants and design an appropriate predictive model. MethodsThe study protocol was prospectively registered with a statistical analysis plan. Polish users of a web-based health service and a social networking service were administered a survey consisting of the recently developed questionnaire on knowledge about DS, the questionnaire on trust in advertising DS, the beliefs about medicines questionnaire, and several other health-related single-item measures and sociodemographic questions. The results were subjected to general linear modeling. ResultsA total of 6273 participants were included. Of the 17 yes or no questions in the questionnaire of knowledge about DS, the mean number of correct responses was 9.0 (95% CI 8.9-9.1). Health service users performed worse than social networking users by 2.3 points (95% CI 2.1-2.5) in an analysis adjusted for potential confounders. Internet users had fewer true beliefs about DS if they presented higher trust in their advertising (adjusted β=−.37; 95% CI −.39 to −.34), used DS (adjusted β=−.14; 95% CI −.17 to −.12), experienced their positive effect (adjusted β=−.16; 95% CI −.18 to −.13), were older or younger than 35 years (adjusted β=−.14; 95% CI −.17 to −.12), expressed interest in the topic of DS (adjusted β=−.10; 95% CI −.13 to −.08), reported getting information about the products from friends (adjusted β=−.13; 95% CI −.15 to −.11), and believed that medicines are harmful (adjusted β=−.12; 95% CI −.15 to −.10). The proposed 5-predictor model could explain 31.2% of the variance in knowledge about DS. The model appeared resistant to overfitting and was able to forecast most of the observed associations. ConclusionsPolish internet users with no medical education exhibit some false beliefs regarding DS. Trusting the advertising of DS appears to conflict with knowledge about them. There is an urgent need for effective web-based educational campaigns on DS and the promotion of advertising literacy. After the proposed predictive model is externally validated, it may help identify the least informed target audience.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a significant player in the pathophysiology of various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite the established link between ER stress and inflammatory pathways, there remains a need for deeper exploration of the specific cellular mechanisms underlying ER stress-mediated neuroinflammation. This study aimed to investigate how the severity of ER stress (triggered by different concentrations of tunicamycin) can impact the release of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 from astrocytes and microglia, comparing the effects with those induced by well-known immunostimulants—tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Mild ER stress has a distinct effect on the cytokine release compared to more intense stress levels, i.e., diminished IL-6 production was accompanied by an increase in IL-8 level, which was significantly more pronounced in astrocytes than in microglia. On the contrary, prolonged or more severe ER stress induced inflammation in glial cells, leading to a time- and concentration-dependent buildup of proinflammatory IL-6, but unlike inflammatory agents, an ER stress inducer diminished IL-8 secretions by glial cells. The differences could hold importance in identifying ER stress markers as potential drug targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases or mood disorders, yet this requires confirmation in more complex animal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginsenosides can be isolated from various cultures of Panax quinquefolium L., American ginseng. The aim of the study was to determine the antibacterial activity of extracts from leaves, stalks, hairy root cultures and field roots of P. quinquefolium L. containing ginsenosides against Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from various clinical materials. The agar well diffusion assay was used to evaluate microbial growth inhibition at various concentrations of extracts. The susceptibility of the clinical isolates to recommended antibiotics was determined with the disk-diffusion method. The results showed that the tested extracts inhibited the growth of all S. aureus clinical isolates, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) with MIC values ranging from 0.5 mg/mL to 1.7 mg/mL. The level of antimicrobial activity of extracts depends on the ginsenoside content. Both field roots and hairy root cultures represent excellent sources of these metabolites. Extracts with ginsenosides were found to inhibit multidrug-resistant staphylococci and can be a valuable complement to antistaphylococcal therapy.

The intake of psychobiotic bacteria appears to be a promising adjunct to neuropsychiatric treatment, and their consumption may even be beneficial for healthy people in terms of mental functioning. The psychobiotics' mechanism of action is largely outlined by the gut-brain axis; however, it is not fully understood. Based on very recent studies, we provide compelling evidence to suggest a novel understanding of this mechanism: bacterial extracellular vesicles appear to mediate many known effects that psychobiotic bacteria exert on the brain. In this mini-review paper, we characterize the extracellular vesicles derived from psychobiotic bacteria to demonstrate that they can be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, penetrate to the brain, and carry the intracellular content to exert beneficial multidirectional action. Specifically, by regulating epigenetic factors, extracellular vesicles from psychobiotics appear to enhance expression of neurotrophic molecules, improve serotonergic neurotransmission, and likely supply astrocytes with glycolytic enzymes to favor neuroprotective mechanisms. As a result, some data suggest an antidepressant action of extracellular vesicles that originate even from taxonomically remote psychobiotic bacteria. As such, these extracellular vesicles may be regarded as postbiotics of potentially therapeutic application. The mini-review is enriched with illustrations to better introduce the complex nature of brain signaling mediated by bacterial extracellular vesicles and indicates knowledge gaps that require scientific exploration before further progress is made. In conclusion, bacterial extracellular vesicles appear to represent the missing piece of the puzzle in the mechanism of action of psychobiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the properties of human varicose vein (VV) endothelial cells (HVVEC) in comparison to the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The cells were treated with three bioactive compounds with proven beneficial effects in the therapy of patients with VV, diosmin, escin, and bromelain. Two concentrations of tested drugs were used (1, 10 mg/mL), which did not affect the viability of either cell type. Escin led to a slight generation of reactive oxygen species in HUVEC cells. We observed a slight release of superoxide in HVVEC cells upon treatment with diosmin and escin. Diosmin and bromelain showed a tendency to release nitric oxide in HUVEC. Using membrane fluorescent probes, we demonstrated a reduced fluidity of HVVEC, which may lead to their increased adhesion, and, consequently, a much more frequent occurrence of venous thrombosis. For the first time, we show the mechanism of action of drugs used in VV therapy on endothelial cells derived from a VV. Studies with HVVEC have shown that tested drugs may lead to a reduction in the adhesive properties of these cells, and thus to a lower risk of thrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although the causative agent of Lyme disease (LD) has been known for a long time, and so far it has been possible to develop patterns useful in diagnosis and treatment, several factors continue to complicate the management of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. These include high species diversity of the spirochete causing LD and the lack of a treatment that could guarantee a complete and sustained eradication of infection in all patients. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of patients with LD based on the measurement of LD-related antibodies generated in response to the highly immunogenic VlsE antigen evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Lyme Trace ELISA). Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 10 healthy volunteers (control group) and 21 outpatients (experimental group) with LD, living in the West Pomeranian Province of Poland. The serum samples of the experimental and control groups were tested with the anti-Borrelia IgG plus VlsE ELISA, anti-Borrelia IgG immunoblot, and anti-VlsE IgG Lyme Trace ELISA. Results: Research showed that the mean value of anti-VIsE IgG antibody concentration decreased after treatment by 41.6%, 35.9%, and 31.7% in the serum dilutions 1:101, 1:1010, and 1:10100, respectively. A statistically significant difference was obtained in antibody concentration in the serum dilution 1:101 before (R) and after (R*) treatment. The R/R* ratio presented at least a 4-fold decrease in antibody concentration in 2 patients (9.5%), thereby suggesting the effectiveness of the therapy. In serum samples diluted at 1:101 and 1:1010, antibody levels showed an increase after treatment in 7 patients (33.3%), and at a dilution of 1:10100, this increase was found in 6 patients (28.6%). The R/R* ratio differed significantly between the subgroups, where the antibody concentration increased after treatment and then decreased. Conclusion: Summing up, it can be concluded that the Lyme Trace ELISA assay used in the study to assess the level of anti- -VlsE IgG antibodies showed insufficient satisfactory results in the assessment of monitoring the effectiveness of treatment in patients with LD before and after the treatment. The assessment of the effectiveness of treatment should, as such, still be based on the evaluation of the clinical symptoms of the disease, treating the quantification of IgG antibodies with the use of recombinant VlsE antigens as an additional tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]