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Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is the third member of gasotransmitter family together with nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. H 2 S is involved in the regulation of blood pressure by controlling vascular tone, sympathetic nervous system activity and renal sodium excretion. Moderate age-dependent hypertension and endothelial dysfunction develop in mice with knockout of cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), the enzyme involved in H 2 S production in the cardiovascular system. Decreased H 2 S concentration as well as the expression and activities of H 2 S-producing enzymes have been observed in most commonly used animal models of hypertension such as spontaneously hypertensive rats, Dahl salt-sensitive rats, chronic administration of NO synthase inhibitors, angiotensin II infusion and two-kidney-one-clip hypertension, the model of renovascular hypertension. Administration of H 2 S donors decreases blood pressure in these models but has no major effects on blood pressure in normotensive animals. H 2 S donors not only reduce blood pressure but also end-organ injury such as vascular and myocardial hypertrophy and remodeling, hypertension-associated kidney injury or erectile dysfunction. H 2 S level and signaling are modulated by some antihypertensive medications as well as natural products with antihypertensive activity such as garlic polysulfides or plant-derived isothiocyanates as well as non-pharmacological interventions. Modifying H 2 S signaling is the potential novel therapeutic approach for the management of hypertension, however, more experimental clinical studies about the role of H 2 S in hypertension are required., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The disabled are a group with heterogeneous structure of causes and needs. Assessment of these causes and needs requires prospective studies in order to use the results within public health actions, indispensable for pursuing the challenges of sustained development. The aim of the study was determination of the problems and needs of the disabled in various areas of their functioning, according to such characteristics as: gender, age, causes of disability, place of residence, level of education, formal status of disability, and socio-economic standard., Material and Methods: The examined population were 676 disabled aged from 19-98, including 56.4% of females, and 43,6% of males; rural inhabitants constituted 38.0%. The study was conducted by the method of purposive sampling, using the following research tools: the Disability Questionnaire, and the Scientific-Research Protocol. Statistical analyses were performed by means of the statistical package IBM SPSS Statistics v. 27; the p values p<0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: The most frequently occurring problems were material difficulties, lack of rehabilitation in the place of residence, hindered access to a physician, difficulties with settling official matters, loneliness, too infrequent contacts with the family, negative attitudes of the local community towards disability, and family disagreements. Some of these problems were significantly more frequent among rural inhabitants., Conclusions: The majority of the problems hindering daily life of the disabled fell within social rather than medical categories. Age, level of education, degree of disability, legal status, and material standard were most frequent determinants of the occurrence of health and social problems according to the place of residence.

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and inorganic polysulfides are important signaling molecules; however, little is known about their role in adipose tissue. We examined the effect of H 2 S and polysulfides on insulin sensitivity of the adipose tissue in rats. Plasma glucose, insulin, non-esterified fatty acids, and glycerol were measured after administration of H 2 S and the polysulfide donors, Na 2 S and Na 2 S 4 , respectively. In addition, the effect of Na 2 S and Na 2 S 4 on insulin-induced glucose uptake and inhibition of lipolysis was studied in adipose tissue explants ex vivo. Na 2 S and Na 2 S 4 administered in vivo at a single dose of 100 μmol/kg had no effect on plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. In addition, Na 2 S and Na 2 S 4 did not modify the effect of insulin on plasma glucose, fatty acids, and glycerol concentrations. Na 2 S and Na 2 S 4 had no effect on the antilipolytic effect of insulin in adipose tissue explants ex vivo. The effect of insulin on 2-deoxyglucose uptake by adipose tissue was impaired in obese rats which was accompanied by lower insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and Akt. Na 2 S 4 , but not Na 2 S, improved insulin signaling and increased insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake by adipose tissue of obese rats. The results suggest that polysulfides may normalize insulin sensitivity, at least in the adipose tissue, in obesity/metabolic syndrome.

Introduction: Acromegaly is an endocrine disorder caused predominantly by pituitary adenoma leading to autonomic oversecretion of growth hormone and secondary elevation of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Consequently, there are both theoretical and experimental grounds for establishing a correlation between this disorder and the higher incidence of neoplasms., Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the incidence and types of neoplasms among patients with acromegaly., Material and Methods: The study included 67 patients with acromegaly, aged between 24 and 75±18.8 years, 46 women (68.7%) and 21 men (31.3%), BMI: 30.7±5.7 kg/m2, age at diagnosis 49.1±12.5 years, with the medians of GH and IGF-1 levels at diagnosis of 11.3 ng/ml and 663.8 ng/ml, respectively. A retrospective analysis of medical records with particular regard to physical examination, medical history, laboratory and imaging tests was performed., Results: Fifty-one patients (76.1%) suffered from at least one neoplasm, among whom 48 patients (71.6%) had benign proliferations, whereas malignant neoplasms (larynx, endometrial and colon cancers) were found in only three patients (4.5%)., Conclusions: Benign neoplasms were found in majority of patients with acromegaly (71.6%) most notably: nodular goiter and colon polyps; malignant lesions were rare (4.5%). Only every fifth patient suffered from no neoplastic proliferations. No correlations between the studied parameters and the incidence of neoplasms were found, most likely due to the small number of patients. This is the reason for proposing the creating of the first national register of incidences of neoplasms among acromegalic patients.

Introduction and Objective: Current literature provides contradictory information on the role of adiponectin (AdipoQ) in the course of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the changes after delivery. The aim of the study was to measure AdipoQ concentration in blood of women with GDM, and to conduct a comparative analysis of AdipoQ concentrations in gestation at 3 and 12 months after delivery., Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 50 women diagnosed with GDM between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. Three months after delivery, 41 women underwent further tests, while 12 months after delivery 30 patients. All patients underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation at GDM diagnosis at 3 and 12 months after delivery. Laboratory evaluation included fasting glucose, fasting insulin, OGTT and lipid parameters in serum. Serum AdipoQ concentration was measured at GDM diagnosis as well as at 3 and 12 months after delivery., Results: AdipoQ concentrations did not differ significantly between the groups during gestation (p=0.7054) and 3 months after delivery (p=0.9732), while a significant rise was observed 12 months after delivery, compared to the values during pregnancy (p=0.0006). AdipoQ in the GDM group 12 months after delivery inversely correlated with fasting glucose and 2-hour post-load plasma glucose after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (r=-0.37*; p<0.05 and r=-0.42, p<0.05, respectively)., Conclusions: An increased level of AdipoQ after delivery in the comparison to women with GDM may be a marker for reversibility of carbohydrate metabolism disorders, while a negative correlation between AdipoQ and glucose levels suggests that this parameter may be a predictor In the future of disturbances in glucose tolerance in women with GDM.

Introduction and Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pregnancy complication which increases the risk for maternal and foetal complications during pregnancy, and also significantly increases the cardiovascular risk for women's health in the postpartum. Current literature provides contradictory information on the role of adiponectin (AdipoQ) in the course of GDM. The aim of the study was to measure AdipoQ concentration in blood of women with GDM and to find correlations between this adipokine and clinical and biochemical parameters of the atherogenic risk., Material and Methods: The GDM group included 50 women diagnosed with GDM between 24 - 28 weeks of gestation who underwent routine prenatal tests for GDM in compliance with the guidelines of the Polish Diabetes Association. All patients underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation at GDM diagnosis. Laboratory tests included serum AdipoQ concentration, fasting glucose and insulin, OGTT, lipid parameters, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in serum., Results: The GDM group showed significantly elevated fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR values, total cholesterol, LDLcholesterol and triglicerydes as compared with the control group (p<0.05). The atherogenic index, CRP, fibrinogen in women with GDM were significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.05). AdipoQ concentrations did not differ significantly between the groups during gestation (p=0.7054). No correlations, except with the neonatal weight (r= - 0.29, p<0.05), were found between AdipoQ and the studied parameters., Conclusions: Based on the conducted studies, it may be conclude that women with early diagnosed and promptly treated GDM have a normal adiponectin level, although insulin resistant changes and increased cardiovascular risk in basic metabolic parameters are observed. Moreover, adiponectin does not reflect the atherogenic risk in pregnant women with GDM.