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Appendicular osteosarcoma (OSA) is a highly aggressive and metastatic primary bone tumour in dogs. Standard therapy is amputation and adjuvant chemotherapy (e.g. with doxorubicin). Liposomal drug delivery may augment therapeutic efficacy and reduce negative side effects. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-liposomal doxorubicin treats human metastatic cancers effectively. The study aimed was to evaluate PEG-liposomal doxorubicin’s inhibitory effect on canine metastatic proliferation and migration in vitro. It also aimed to appraise the drug’s extravasation inhibition in vivo using the human medicine–proven chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane ex ovo model.

Previous research has provided strong evidence for a pronounced role of time perspective (TP) in various areas of human functioning, including cognitive processes, mental and physical health, environmental behaviors, and relationship quality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of individual differences in TP in work-related attitudes and behaviors. In a sample of 200 office workers, we administered a set of questionnaires measuring TPs, job satisfaction, work engagement, Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) and Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB). Additionally, we controlled for the Big Five personality traits which may be related to the work-related outcomes of interest. Analyses of the data revealed that Future-Positive TP predicted more desired work-related outcomes, i.e., higher job satisfaction, work engagement, and OCB, and lower CWB. An opposite pattern of associations was observed for Present-Fatalistic, Deviation from Balanced Time Perspective, and (partially) for Future-Negative TPs. The vast majority of these effects were still significant after controlling for personality traits. Using path modelling we also demonstrated that the effects of TPs on work behaviors (OCB and CWB) are mostly mediated by job satisfaction and engagement. The present results suggest that TP theory may prove to be a useful tool in organizational psychology for understanding individual differences in work behaviors., Author(s): Katarzyna Wojtkowska [sup.1] , Maciej Stolarski [sup.1] , Gerald Matthews [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.12847.38, 0000 0004 1937 1290, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, , Stawki Str. 5/7, [...]

This study compared the vegetable intake of preschool children from three European countries [Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom (UK)] and explored the parent, child, and environmental factors that predicted intake in each country. A total of 408 parents of preschoolers (Italy: N = 61, Poland: N = 124, and UK: N = 225; child mean age = 32.2 months, SD = 9.47) completed an online survey comprising a set of standardised questionnaires. For all three countries, the questionnaires included measures of children’s vegetable intake (VegFFQ), child eating behaviour (CEBQ-FF), parents’ mealtime goals (FMGs), and sociodemographic questions about family background and environment. In the UK and Italy, additional questionnaires were used to assess child temperament (EAS-T) and parents’ feeding practices (CFPQ). The results showed that the number of child-sized portions of vegetables consumed per day varied significantly across countries; Polish children consumed the most (∼3 portions) and Italian children the least (∼1.5 portions). Between-country differences were seen in parents’ goals for family mealtimes; compared to Italian parents, Polish and UK parents were more motivated to minimise mealtime stress, increase family involvement in meal preparation, and share the same foods with family members. British and Italian parents also adopted different feeding practices; parents in the UK reported more use of healthy modelling behaviours and more use of foods to support their child’s emotion regulation. In terms of child factors, Italian children were reported to be more emotional and more sociable than British children. Analyses of the relationships between the parent, child, and environmental factors and children’s vegetable intake revealed both similarities and differences between countries. Negative predictors of vegetable intake included child food fussiness in the UK and Poland, child temperament (especially, shyness) in Italy, and the use of food as a reward and child emotionality in the UK. Positive predictors included the parental mealtime goal of ‘family involvement’ in the UK. These results highlight differences in the extent to which European preschoolers achieve recommended levels of vegetable intake, and in the factors that influence whether they do. The results suggest a need to develop healthy eating interventions that are adopted to meet the specific needs of the countries in which they are implemented.

Abstract Phosphorus (P) is one of the key nutrient compounds for phytoplankton grow. In the conducted work, eutrophication indexes were used for the assessment of eutrophication level of water course (Służewiecki Stream) and the waters of nearby lakes (Bottom Berensewicz’s Pond, Wyścigi Pond, Wilanowskie Lake). Calculating eutrophication indexes were based on the most important indicators which is crucial for eutrophication process: total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), chlorophyll a (Chl(a)) and water transparency. The research revealed that the concentration of phosphorus and nitrogen in the analysed waters determined intensity of trophic processes. The average concentration of both indicators was high: 0.81 mg/l TP and 6.8 mg/l TN. During this research, two approaches were used: trophic state index (TSI) and trophic level index (TLI). TSI (TP) in Służewiecki Stream were, respectively: 83 and 6.5 whilst for standing waters (lake and ponds) 87 and 6.6. Both indexes indicated high trophic state and confirmed that eutrophication is a serious endangerment for analysed surface waters. Calculated indexes used in the assessment were sufficient and effective for sustainable water protection and management of water quality in Służewiecki Stream and in standing waters.

Simple Summary: Simple Summary: The aim of our research was to assess the expression of the selected proteins involved with inflammation and carcinogenesis, in order to expand knowledge of FISS and non-FISS. Matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, cyclooxygenase-2, and P-glycoprotein were evaluated with the immunohistochemistry method. Our results showed that the expressions of COX-2, MMP-9, and PGP were significantly higher in FISS than in non-FISS Feline injection-site sarcomas (FISSs) are aggressive neoplasms that have been associated mostly with vaccination. Feline noninjection-site sarcomas (non-FISSs) are less frequently observed in cats and may arise in any anatomic site. This study aimed to determine the differences in the expression of the selected proteins (matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and P-glycoprotein (PGP)) and their correlation with the mitotic count in FISS and non-FISS, in order to characterize their immunohistochemical features. A preliminary study of eleven samples of FISS and eight samples of non-FISS was performed using immunohistochemistry. Among all the tested sarcomas, 80.4% of the tumors were positive for COX-2, 90.2% were positive for MMP-9, and 100% were positive for PGP. The results showed that the expressions of COX-2, MMP-9, and PGP were significantly higher in FISS than in non-FISS (COX-2—p ≤ 0.001; MMP-9—p ≤ 0.05; and PGP—p ≤ 0.05). A Spearman rank correlation analysis showed a moderate negative correlation between the expression of COX-2 and MMP-9 in FISS (r = −0.52). A strong negative correlation between COX-2 and PGP (r = −0.81), a moderate positive correlation between MMP-2 and MMP-9 (r = +0.69), and a moderate negative correlation between MMP-2 and PGP (r = −0.44) were observed in non-FISS. In summary, our study presents the immunohistochemical profile of the proteins involved with inflammation and carcinogenesis in FISS and non-FISS, which can contribute to expanding the knowledge of tumor biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Coronary atherosclerosis and periodontal disease, due to their prevalence, are a serious epidemiological problem. Pathophysiological evidence points to their possible common inflammatory etiopathological background. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between the presence and severity of periodontitis, systemic inflammation and selected parameters of myocardial injury and heart function in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Methods The study group consisted of 71 patients 54.22 (7.05)-year-old hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction. The patients underwent a coronary angiographic examination and echocardiography. The following laboratory parameters were determined: blood morphology, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen, troponin I, creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), lipidogram, glucose, creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), thyroid stymulating hormone (TSH), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Dental assessment of the patients was performed and the following indicators were included: the number of teeth preserved, approximal plaque index (API), bleeding on probing (BoP), pocket depth (PD), the number of bleeding periodontal pockets ≥ 4 mm in depth (NoPD ≥ 4 mm), the percentage of bleeding periodontal pockets ≥ 4 mm in depth (%PD ≥ 4 mm), clinical attachment loss (CAL). The control consisted of 40 patients 52 (± 8.43)-year-old without a history of coronary heart disease. These patients were subjected to a periodontal examination using the above parameters and classification methods. The following statistical tests were implemented: Shapiro–Wilk test, Levene's test, Mann Whitney's U analysis, Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); the post-hoc analysis was performed with the use of Tukey's honest significant difference test (HSD), Kruskal–Wallis's non-parametric test, Spearman's rank correlation, logistic regression analysis, linear regression analysis and ROC analysis. Results The BoP (bleeding on probing) significantly correlated with fibrynogen (R-0.36; p-0.006). All indices regarding the pocket depth correlated significantly with the number of leukocytes: PD (R-0.27; p-0.02), NoPD ≥ 4 mm (R-0.28, p-0.02), %PD ≥ 4 mm (R-0.27; p-0.02). PD (R-0.28; p-0.01) and NoPD ≥ 4 mm (R-0.24; p-0.04) were also associated significantly with the level of hsCRP. The BoP is correlated closely with the levels of BNP (R-0.29, p-0.02). The multifactorial analysis showed that significant predictors of myocardial infarction are API and BoP. The analysis showed that API and BoP are important predictors of troponin levels. Linear regression analysis showed that only CAL is a significant predictor of BNP. Conclusions Patients with acute myocardial infarction have worse periodontal status compared to people without coronary heart disease. Greater severity of periodontitis, plaque accumulation and bleeding on probing are associated with acute myocardial infarction. Periodontitis is a risk factor for myocardial infarction and also affects the degree of post-infarction left ventricular damage, which means that there is an inflammatory link between these two diseases.

Objectives: Recent studies suggest that the clinical presentation of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is determined by the host immune responses to the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The aim of the study was to characterize immune responses in TBE to give a better insight into the immunopathogenesis of this disease. Methods: Anti-TBEV antibody levels, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood lymphoid populations, and concentrations of CXCL13 (a potent B-cell and T-cell chemoattractant), were analyzed in 35 patients with TBE (20 adults and 15 children). Results: When compared with the blood, the CSF lymphoid population was significantly enriched in CD4+ T-cells and relatively depleted in natural killer (NK) cells and B lymphocytes. In comparison with TBE meningitis, patients suffering from TBE meningoencephalitis (n = 11, 31%) had a 3.5-fold higher median CSF CXCL13 concentration, 1.8-fold higher CSF/serum ratio of anti-TBEV IgG antibodies, and 1.8-fold higher median CSF cell count. CSF CXCL13 levels did not change significantly in children with TBE meningitis receiving supportive treatment, but decreased in children with TBE meningoencephalitis who received intravenous steroids. Conclusions: CD4+ cells are abundant in the CSF of patients with TBE. CXCL13 may be involved in the neuropathology of TBE by attracting different subsets of lymphocytes to the CSF. Keywords: Tick-borne encephalitis, Meningitis, CXCL13, Flow cytometry

The occurrence of MYC-negative Burkitt lymphoma (BL) has been discussed for many years. The real frequency of the MYC insertion in MYC-negative BL is still unknown. Fine-needle aspiration biopsies of 108 consecutive patients with clinicopathologically suspected BL (suspBL) were evaluated by flow cytometry, classical cytogenetics, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We found 12 cases (11%) without the MYC rearrangement by FISH with a MYC breakapart probe: two patients (1.9%) with cryptic MYC/IGH fusion (finally diagnosed as BL) and 10 patients (9.3%) with 11q gain/loss (finally diagnosed as Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration). The exact breakpoints of the cryptic MYC/IGH were investigated by next-generation sequencing. The MYC insertions’ breakpoints were identified in PVT1 in the first case, and 42 kb upstream of 5′MYC in the second case. To date, a molecular characterization of the MYC insertion in BL has only been reported in one case. Detailed descriptions of our MYC insertions in a routinely and consecutively diagnosed suspBL cohort will contribute to resolving the issue of MYC negativity in BL. In our opinion, the presence of the MYC insertions in BL and other lymphomas might be underestimated, because routine genetic diagnostics are usually based on FISH only, without karyotyping.

This research examined samples of mineral water available on the Polish market. The contents of radionuclides in 12 samples of water were determined: cesium 137Cs, thorium 232Th, potassium 40K, and radium 226Ra; and heavy metals: zinc, copper, chromium, nickel, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Spectrometric analysis showed the presence of a 232Th track in one sample (Franciszek water) with a concentration of 2.4 ± 2.1 mBq/L above the LLD (low limit of detection); 40K potassium was detected in all samples. In the case of radium 226Ra, its presence above the detection threshold was found in nine water samples. No artificial element 137Cs was found in the mineral waters. The tests showed the concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb) present in the waters. The limit values are specified by the Ministry of Health Regulation. Copper, cadmium, and chromium did not exceed the permissible values. In the case of nickel, the normalized values (20 μg/L) were exceeded in only two waters: Słotwinka and Józefowianka. Only in the Amita water did we find that the value of 1.0 μg/L was exceeded. The concentration of zinc, for which no limit is set in the regulation, was the highest, ranging from 287 to 1.30 μg/L. The greatest threat to people drinking the studied mineral waters is lead, which in eight waters exceeded the permissible value of 10 μg/L.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has reduced the sense of security of people in everyday life. The efforts of managers in the workplace to minimize the health risks and economic damage, however, can provide the employees with a greater sense of security. The aim of this study was to identify the types of workplace responses to the pandemic outbreak with respect to the characteristics of employees and their employers accomplishing the differences in subjective sense of workplace security before the pandemic and during the outbreak. Three hundred and thirty-seven Polish employees completed an online survey during the first 2 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Using the cluster analysis, we identified four subgroups of employees differing in their sense of workplace security, work-related psychological factors, and perceived management styles of their supervisors. Employees led by developers and executive managers sustained a high sense of work security and positive attitude to work, while those led by compromisers and deserter managers suffered from the highest drop of subjective security. In this study, we proposed how employees can be protected from overreactions and unnecessary panic in a time of global crisis by virtue of the psychological competences of their supervisors and employers.

Even though there is no common energy policy, EU energy strategy sets the background of the energy landscape in Europe. EU energy policy responds to different challenges in the energy market. One of them is climate change. Growing emissions of greenhouse gases aroused world's interest aimed at reducing the harmful impact of the energy industry on the environment. The European Union has undertaken a low-emission strategy set out in the package called “3x20”. The aim of the study is on one hand to present program measures and regulations taken in the EU in the recent period for sustainable energy management and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and on the other try to assess program’s implementation by Member States. The article presents the current state in terms of achieving the objectives of the “3x20” package in 2017, with a special diagnosis of conditions and trends in the Central and Eastern Europe countries that joined the EU after 2004.Paper includes the analysis of the official EU documents within energy policy and empirical evidence on their implementation. The analysis uses the literature review and data from the Passport, Eurostat and OECD databases. Methods employed in this study include critical literature review and secondary data analysis.

Introduction and purpose Self-efficacy is defined as an indicator of what a person thinks they can do in various circumstances (Bandura, 1997). The present study examines whether participation in Horse Assisted Education workshops dedicated to the development of leadership competencies contributed to changes in the perception of self-efficacy. Materials and methods This study uses the GSES along with the LSES scale, which was constructed for the purposes of this study to measure the perception of self-efficacy within four leadership functions (Griffin, 1984). The 24 study subjects participated in Horse Assisted Education leadership competency development workshops. Measurement with the use of questionnaires was carried out three times – prior to the workshop, after the workshop and two weeks after the workshop. Results No changes in terms of generalized perception of self-efficacy were shown in the first and the second measurement, whereas the third measurement showed a significant increase. Measurements performed with the LSES questionnaire showed an increase in the perception of self-efficacy in performing leadership functions immediately after the workshops. A detailed analysis of changes within each of the presented leadership functions showed growth in the perception of self-efficacy in the second measurement with regard to motivating skills, and in the third measurement – in relation to planning and organizing work, with no changes in terms of controlling skills. Conclusions The results of the present study show that Horse Assisted Education can be used as an effective tool to strengthen the perception of self-efficacy in leadership skills. It is necessary to conduct research that takes into account replication on a larger population, and to test the effectiveness of the method in other applications.

The ongoing transformation of the Polish power sector have been shaped by a number of factors. In this article, both external conditions for the Polish energy market—such as the country’s membership in the European Union—and internal ones—including domestic energy resources and demand for electricity, or the structure of the Polish economy—have been analysed. This study focuses specifically on the issue of development of clean generation technologies as these are fundamental to the energy-transition process. Its determinants have been examined empirically. To this end, econometric models have been developed using sectoral data from the Polish electric power industry. Improvements in technology have been measured as innovation inputs, that is, RD&D investments in environmental technologies. Explanatory variables encompass economic as well as institutional measures: energy price, environmental policy stringency, long-term interest rate, market concentration and protection of intellectual property rights. The findings obtained point to a positive impact of the variables named on the innovative activity in Poland, with the exception of market concentration, which was proven to be statistically insignificant.

Artykuł dotyczy jednej z anegdot (II, 28) zawartych w anonimowym zbiorze Facecye polskie. Celem artykułu jest wskazanie różnic między opowieścią o kardynale Bordeaux i szalbierzu z Facetiarum liber (Confabulationum liber) Poggia Braccioliniego a polskim tekstem i próba odpowiedzi na pytanie o źródła modyfikacji, których upatrywać można m.in. w popularnych kolekcjach dowcipnych historii nawiązujących do dzieła Braccioliniego i rozpowszechnionych w Europie XVI wieku (przede wszystkim Die Geschichte des Pfarrers vom Kalenberg oraz Sowiźrzał krotochwilny i śmieszny).

The growing number of municipal sewage treatment plants in Poland raises the problem of managing more and more sludge. The thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge (TTMSS), which significantly reduces the volume of waste, results in an increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the fly ashes – the final products of the process. The search for methods of utilization of fly ash from TTMSS resulted in attempts to use it in hardening slurries widely used in hydro-engineering. Due to the nature of the application of this material in the cut-off walls (exposure to groundwater flow) one of the key issues is the degree of heavy metal immobilization. The paper attempted to determine the degree of leaching of selected heavy metals from the hardened hardening slurry, composed of fly ash from TTMSS. For this purpose, the eluates were prepared from samples, after various periods of curing, using a dynamic short-term method called “Batch test”. The liquid used for leaching was: distilled water and 0.1 molar EDTA solution – to determine the amount of potentially mobile heavy metal forms. The results show the possibility of the safe usage of fly ash from TTMSS as an additive for hardening slurries.

Abstract Background Hepatic lipid accumulation is closely related to the development of insulin resistance, which is regarded as one of the most significant risk factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although the exact molecular pathway leading to impaired insulin signaling has not been definitively established, ceramides are suspected mediators of lipid induced hepatic insulin resistance. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the serum ceramides concentration in obese children with NAFLD. Methods The prospective study included 80 obese children (aged 7–17 years, median 12 years) admitted to our Department to diagnose initially suspected liver disease. Patients with viral hepatitis (HCV, HBV, CMV), autoimmune (AIH), toxic and metabolic (Wilson’s disease, alfa-1–antitrypsin deficiency) liver diseases and celiac disease were excluded. NAFLD was diagnosed based on pediatric diagnostic criteria in obese children with liver steatosis in ultrasound (US) as well as elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) serum activity after exclusion of other major liver diseases listed before. Ultrasonography was used as a screening method and for qualitative assessment of the steatosis degree (graded according to Saverymuttu scale). Advanced steatosis was defined as a score > 1. The total intrahepatic lipid content (TILC) was assessed by magnetic resonance proton spectroscopy (1HMRS) which is the most accurate technique for assessment of ectopic fat accumulation. Fasting serum concentration of ceramides was measured in 62 children. Results NAFLD was diagnosed in 31 children. Significant, positive correlation was found between total serum concentration of ceramides and insulin (r = 0.3, p = 0.02) and HOMA-IR (r = 0.28, p = 0.03). Total ceramide concentration as well as specific fatty acid-ceramides (FA-ceramides) concentrations, namely: myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, behenic and lignoceric were significantly higher (p = 0.004, p = 0.003, p = 0.007, p

Interest in issues surrounding work–life balance has increased in recent years. Some studies stress the consequences of work–life balance, while others put emphasis on the ways in which people manage to keep the balance. We decided to combine both points of view. The presented study focuses on personal strategies for combining family and work roles and their consequences for maintaining the work–family balance and satisfaction with work and quality of life. There were 289 participants in the study. The instruments used were Work–Family Linkage Questionnaire, Work–Family Fit Questionnaire, Satisfaction of Life Scale and Job Satisfaction Scale. The procedure of adapting the Work–Family Linkage Questionnaire (WFLQ) into Polish was conducted to enable the use of the tool in Poland for the first time. Good psychometric properties of WFLQ were confirmed. The results showed that the individual strategy for combining family and work roles determines the work–home balance, as well as satisfaction with life and career. For example, the amount of negative spillover from home and from work was correlated positively with role conflict and negatively with satisfaction with life, while the amount of positive spillover correlated positively with facilitation and experienced satisfaction with life.

Abstract Background The existence of mitochondria-related organelles (MROs) is proposed for eukaryotic organisms. The Amoebozoa includes some organisms that are known to have mitosomes but also organisms that have aerobic mitochondria. However, the mitochondrial protein apparatus of this supergroup remains largely unsampled, except for the mitochondrial outer membrane import complexes studied recently. Therefore, in this study we investigated the mitochondrial inner membrane and intermembrane space complexes, using the available genome and transcriptome sequences. Results When compared with the canonical cognate complexes described for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, amoebozoans with aerobic mitochondria, display lower differences in the number of subunits predicted for these complexes than the mitochondrial outer membrane complexes, although the predicted subunits appear to display different levels of diversity in regard to phylogenetic position and isoform numbers. For the putative mitosome-bearing amoebozoans, the number of predicted subunits suggests the complex elimination distinctly more pronounced than in the case of the outer membrane ones. Conclusion The results concern the problem of mitochondrial and mitosome protein import machinery structural variability and the reduction of their complexity within the currently defined supergroup of Amoebozoa. This results are crucial for better understanding of the Amoebozoa taxa of both biomedical and evolutionary importance.