Search

Introduction and objective: Oral hormonal contraception (COC) is a highly popular, as well as extensive group of medications. A significant impact of chronic COC therapy on parameters of lipid metabolism, carbohydrates, binding globulins, coagulation system and body weight of patients has been proven. Given the continuously increasing number of women using COC, initiating therapy at progressively younger ages it is reasonable to investigate the impact of individual medications on patients’ organisms completing knowledge with conclusions from newly conducted research, as well as the influence of new types of drugs on the studied indicators. Material and method: The literature was reviewed in the Pubmed database, GoogleScholar, the positions of the Polish gynecological society with the use of keywords. State of knowledge: The use of COC is widespread among women. According to the citied studies, over 80% of premenopausal women have declared using oral contraceptives. Typically, COCs consist of a combination of estrogen and progestin components, offering various possible combinations and dosing regimens. Despite their high efficacy in preventing pregnancy, their impact on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as consequences remains incompletely understood. Older generations of progestins, due to their similarity to testosterone, can cause negative androgenic effects, while more recent progestins are expected to be neutral. Summary: Each type of therapy is characterized by individual impact on the patients’ organism, however, the majority of progestins affect the increase of triglycerides, HDL and have ambiguous effect on LDL. COC has a limited influence on BMI, carbohydrate metabolism, coagulation system and glycemia.

Introduction and purpose: Vitamin E is an antioxidant substance. It has been noted that the pathomechanism of many diseases in pregnancy is rooted in oxidative stress. Much of them have an incompletely understood mechanism, and thus treatment is not as effective. Vitamin E is a readily available and important antioxidant. It is reasonable to investigate whether there are links between supplementation with this vitamin and improved outcomes of conditions in pregnant women. Conditions such as preeclampsia (also in a group of women with type 1 diabetes), preterm premature rupture of membranes, spontaneous preterm birth, respiratory diseases were considered. Material and method: The literature was reviewed in the Pubmed database, GoogleScholar, in the Via Medica journal database, the positions of the Polish gynecological society with the use of keywords. State of knowledge: According to the cited studies, routine use of vitamin E in combination with other supplements has no discernible benefit. No differences were found in groups taking antioxidants from placebo groups in the context of pregnancy diseases. There were side effects of supplementation and for this reason supplementation with this antioxidant should not be ordered without clear indications. Conclusions: The information gathered does not indicate the usefulness of vitamin E supplementation in pregnancy. The issue of the use of antioxidants in the fight against diseases that occur during pregnancy requires further research.

Introduction and purpose: In the past, fungi were considered a very low-value meal, however in modern literature, they are increasingly more frequently studied for their nutritional and medical properties. They are being currently reconsidered as an abundant source of nutrients that may be incorporated in diets of individuals of special medical needs, such as obese and diabetic patients. The purpose of this review is to evaluate one of the most common edible mushroom species, Cantharellus cibarius (girolle, golden chanterelle) for its health promoting properties with particular emphasis on its vitamin D content. It was of considerable importance for us to analyse the amount of vitamin D in the mentioned mushroom, as this micronutrient deficiency is fairly common in the human population. Material and method: The available literature was reviewed as provided by PubMed database and Google Scholar, with the use of keywords. State of knowledge: Golden chanterelle mushroom is a valuable source of proteins, mineral ingredients like potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium, while containing low amounts of sodium and fat. The mushroom is especially valuable for its rich content of vitamin D, ranging up to 63 μg/100g fresh weight. Conclusions: This paper may help other scientists expand their research on golden chanterelle properties. Moreover, girolle, as naturally containing many pro-health metabolites, may serve as natural supplementation of microelements.

Despite the decreasing number of cases, cataract is still the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. The search for the causes of this disease, its risk factors and the relationship with systemic diseases is the subject of many studies and attracts the attention of scientists around the world. One of the most common cause of cataract and probably the most frequently reported in the literature, is aging. Other commonly described causes of cataracts are external factors and acquired diseases. Although genetic diseases are not the most common disorders associated with the occurrence and development of cataract, this review takes a broader look at this particular aspect, describing the relationship between cataracts and a group of genetic diseases. The links between cataracts and genetic diseases have been investigated. This review focuses on the diseases most frequently reported in the literature to be associated with cataracts, such as Down syndrome, myotonic dystrophy, neurofibromatosis type 2, Marfan syndrome, Wilson disease and Alport syndrome. The associations of cataracts with various genetic diseases, confirmed in previously published studies, were described. Despite the fact that it is difficult to distinguish individual factors influencing the development of cataract, the analyzed literature examples allowed to demonstrate that cataract in the course of the genetic disorders discussed in this review is not accidental.