High Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi Antibodies in Jaworzno, Poland: A Retrospective Study Revealing Endemic Lyme Borreliosis.

BACKGROUND This retrospective study of 704 adult residents of Jaworzno, Poland, aimed to evaluate medical personnel awareness of episodes of Lyme borreliosis and serum antibody levels for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study included 704 residents of Jaworzno, Poland, who had no more than 12 months between tick bite and screening. The study consisted of a self-designed questionnaire survey and an analysis of IgG and IgM antibodies against B. burgdorferi sensu lato using an enzyme-linked assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis, when necessary, to confirm the results. RESULTS A total of 558 residents (79.3%) confirmed having contact with a tick, 84 (11.9%) responded that they did not remember having contact with a tick, and 62 (8.8%) denied having contact with a tick. Regarding IgG, the ELISA showed 183 (25.99%) positive, 440 (62.5%) negative, and 81 (11.5%) equivocal results. Regarding IgM, the ELISA showed 180 (25.57%) positive, 435 (61.79%) negative, and 89 (12.64%) equivocal results. Positive and equivocal results for the IgG and IgM classes using the ELISA test were confirmed in 36 cases (13.64%) for IgG and in 53 cases (19.70%) for IgM using Western blot analysis. CONCLUSIONS The ELISA method obtained similar values for positive, negative, and equivocal results in the serological test. This was reflected in the survey conducted on residents who reported a tick bite and later received a positive result in the ELISA test as well as an approximate time between the bite and removal of the tick.

Diagnostics and Treatment of Extrameningeal Solitary Fibrous Tumors.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms that account for less than 2% of all soft tissue masses. In the latest WHO 2020 Classification of Soft Tissue Tumors, extrameningeal SFT was listed as intermediate (rarely metastasizing) or malignant neoplasms. Due to the lack of characteristic clinical features, their diagnosis and treatment remain challenging. The pathogenesis of SFT is often associated with the presence of fusions of the NAB2-STAT6 gene on the 12q13 chromosome. Cytoplasmic CD34 positive staining is considerably characteristic for most SFTs; less frequently, factor XII, vimentin, bcl-2, and CD99 are present. A key factor in the diagnosis is the prevalent nuclear location of STAT6 expression. Radical resection is the mainstay of localized SFTs. In the case of unresectable disease, only radiotherapy or radio-chemotherapy may significantly ensure long-term local control of primary and metastatic lesions. To date, no practical guidelines have been published for the treatment of advanced or metastatic disease. Classical anthracycline-based chemotherapy is applicable. The latest studies suggest that antiangiogenic therapies should be considered after first-line treatment. Other drugs, such as imatinib, figitumumab, axitinib, and eribulin, are also being tested. Definitive radiotherapy appears to be a promising therapeutic modality. Since standards for the treatment of advanced and metastatic diseases are not available, further investigation of novel agents is necessary.

Knowledge and opinions of patients and medical staff about patients' rights.

OBJECTIVES: The awareness of patients' rights among medical personnel and patients themselves, together with their opinions concerning these rights, is a challenging issue for health professionals. Patients' rights are very specific legal regulations that have been drafted to protect patients' dignity and autonomy. The main objective of this research was to assess the knowledge of patients' rights among medical personnel of health care institutions and among patients themselves. Specific objectives were also adopted, such as: assessment of the impact of the mode of hospital admissions on the knowledge of patients' rights, analysis of factors influencing the knowledge of patients' rights and the analysis of sources of knowledge concerning patients' rights. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted among two groups: patients and medical personnel. A group of 618 patients (including 411 women and 207 men) and 901 medical professionals (doctors, nurses, midwives) was examined via a questionnaire designed to verify their knowledge of patients' rights and to collect their opinions on the applicable laws. An integral part of the questionnaire for patients was The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: The research showed a high knowledge of patient's rights demonstrated by the surveyed doctors, nurses and midwives. Good knowledge of patients' rights among healthcare professionals was reflected in good level of informing patients about their rights, which correlates with their high level of awareness. CONCLUSIONS: The following conclusions were drawn based on the research: education, seniority and profession determine the knowledge and respecting patients' rights, the mode of admission to hospital is a factor determining the knowledge of applicable patients' rights, medical staff's lack of knowledge about existing patients' rights has a significant impact on exercising these rights or their violation.

Synthesis of Dolichols in Candida albicans Is Co-Regulated with Elongation of Fatty Acids.

Protein glycosylation requires dolichyl phosphate as a carbohydrate carrier. Dolichols are α-saturated polyprenols, and their saturation in S. cerevisiae is catalyzed by polyprenyl reductase Dfg10 together with some other unknown enzymes. The aim of this study was to identify such enzymes in Candida. The Dfg10 polyprenyl reductase from S. cerevisiae comprises a C-terminal 3-oxo-5-alpha-steroid 4-dehydrogenase domain. Alignment analysis revealed such a domain in two ORFs (orf19.209 and orf19.3293) from C. albicans, which were similar, respectively, to Dfg10 polyprenyl reductase and Tsc13 enoyl-transferase from S. cerevisiae. Deletion of orf19.209 in Candida impaired saturation of polyprenols. The Tsc13 homologue turned out not to be capable of saturating polyprenols, but limiting its expression reduce the cellular level of dolichols and polyprenols. This reduction was not due to a decreased expression of genes encoding cis-prenyltransferases from the dolichol branch but to a lower expression of genes encoding enzymes of the early stages of the mevalonate pathway. Despite the resulting lower consumption of acetyl-CoA, the sole precursor of the mevalonate pathway, it was not redirected towards fatty acid synthesis or elongation. Lowering the expression of TSC13 decreased the expression of the ACC1 gene encoding acetyl-CoA carboxylase, the key regulatory enzyme of fatty acid synthesis and elongation.

Yil102c-A is a Functional Homologue of the DPMII Subunit of Dolichyl Phosphate Mannose Synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In a wide range of organisms, dolichyl phosphate mannose (DPM) synthase is a complex of tree proteins Dpm1, Dpm2, and Dpm3. However, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it is believed to be a single Dpm1 protein. The function of Dpm3 is performed in S. cerevisiae by the C-terminal transmembrane domain of the catalytic subunit Dpm1. Until present, the regulatory Dpm2 protein has not been found in S. cerevisiae. In this study, we show that, in fact, the Yil102c-A protein interacts directly with Dpm1 in S. cerevisiae and influences its DPM synthase activity. Deletion of the YIL102c-A gene is lethal, and this phenotype is reversed by the dpm2 gene from Trichoderma reesei. Functional analysis of Yil102c-A revealed that it also interacts with glucosylphosphatidylinositol-N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase (GPI-GnT), similar to DPM2 in human cells. Taken together, these results show that Yil102c-A is a functional homolog of DPMII from T. reesei and DPM2 from humans.

Inhibition of Dephosphorylation of Dolichyl Diphosphate Alters the Synthesis of Dolichol and Hinders Protein N-Glycosylation and Morphological Transitions in Candida albicans.

The essential role of dolichyl phosphate (DolP) as a carbohydrate carrier during protein N-glycosylation is well established. The cellular pool of DolP is derived from de novo synthesis in the dolichol branch of the mevalonate pathway and from recycling of DolPP after each cycle of N-glycosylation, when the oligosaccharide is transferred from the lipid carrier to the protein and DolPP is released and then dephosphorylated. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the dephosphorylation of DolPP is known to be catalyzed by the Cwh8p protein. To establish the role of the Cwh8p orthologue in another distantly related yeast species, Candida albicans, we studied its mutant devoid of the CaCWH8 gene. A double Cacwh8∆/Cacwh8∆ strain was constructed by the URA-blaster method. As in S. cerevisiae, the mutant was impaired in DolPP recycling. This defect, however, was accompanied by an elevation of cis-prenyltransferase activity and higher de novo production of dolichols. Despite these compensatory changes, protein glycosylation, cell wall integrity, filamentous growth, and biofilm formation were impaired in the mutant. These results suggest that the defects are not due to the lack of DolP for the protein N-glycosylation but rather that the activity of oligosacharyltransferase could be inhibited by the excess DolPP accumulating in the mutant.

The role of Alg13 N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase in the expression of pathogenic features of Candida albicans.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenic potential of Candida albicans depends on adhesion to the host cells mediated by highly glycosylated adhesins, hyphae formation and growth of biofilm. These factors require effective N-glycosylation of proteins. Here, we present consequences of up- and down-regulation of the newly identified ALG13 gene encoding N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase, a potential member of the Alg7p/Alg13p/Alg14p complex catalyzing the first two initial reactions in the N-glycosylation process. METHODS: We constructed C. albicans strain alg13∆::hisG/TRp-ALG13 with one allele of ALG13 disrupted and the other under the control of a regulatable promoter, TRp. Gene expression and enzyme activity were measured using RT-qPCR and radioactive substrate. Cell wall composition was estimated by HPLC DIONEX. Protein glycosylation status was analyzed by electrophoresis of HexNAcase, a model N-glycosylated protein in C. albicans. RESULTS: Both decreased and elevated expression of ALG13 changed expression of all members of the complex and resulted in a decreased activity of Alg7p and Alg13p and under-glycosylation of HexNAcase. The alg13 strain was also defective in hyphae formation and growth of biofilm. These defects could result from altered expression of genes encoding adhesins and from changes in the carbohydrate content of the cell wall of the mutant. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This work confirms the important role of protein N-glycosylation in the pathogenic potential of C. albicans.

Dissecting the role of dolichol in cell wall assembly in the yeast mutants impaired in early glycosylation reactions.

Evidence is presented that temperature-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, impaired in dolichol kinase (Sec59p) or dolichyl phosphate mannose synthase (Dpm1p) activity have an aberrant cell wall composition and ultrastructure. The mutants were oversensitive to Calcofluor white, an agent interacting with the cell wall chitin. In accordance with this, chemical analysis of the cell wall alkali-insoluble fraction indicated an increased amount of chitin and changes in the quantity of beta1,6- and beta1,3-glucan in sec59-1 and dpm1-6 mutants. In order to unravel the link between the formation of dolichyl phosphate and dolichyl phosphate mannose and the cell wall assembly, we screened a yeast genomic library for a multicopy suppressors of the thermosensitive phenotype. The RER2 and SRT1 genes, encoding cis-prenyltransferases, were isolated. In addition, the ROT1 gene, encoding protein involved in beta1,6-glucan synthesis (Machi et al., 2004) and protein folding (Takeuchi et al., 2006) acted as a multicopy suppressor of the temperature-sensitive phenotype of the sec59-1 mutant. The cell wall of the mutants and of mutants bearing the multicopy suppressors was analysed for carbohydrate and mannoprotein content. We also examined the glycosylation status of the plasma membrane protein Gas1p, a beta1,3-glucan elongase, and the degree of phosphorylation of the Mpk1/Slt2 protein, involved in the cell wall integrity pathway.

Assessment of daily nutrition ratios of opiate-dependent persons before and after 4 years of methadone maintenance treatment.

The aim of the study was the evaluation of the changes in nutritional habits of opiates dependent persons during 4 years of attendance in methadone maintenance treatment conducted by the Department of Toxicology of CMUJ in Kraków. These criteria were fulfilled by 30 persons (23 males and 7 females). They were examined before the methadone treatment and after 4 years of treatment. During Initial and final examinations for each of examined person the 24-hour recall had been performed three times. The information about daily supply of main nutrients (proteins, fats, fatty acids, carbohydrates, dietary fibre, cholesterol), minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, sodium) and vitamins (vitamin A, B1, B2, niacin, C) were obtained. The results were compared with daily norms (N) recommended on the safe level of intake. The normal range was established on the level +/-10% of normal values (+/-10% N). The changes between the results of following examinations were tested by using the t-student test. After 4 years of methadone treatment an increase in energy, vitamins, minerals and main nutritional ingredients intake was noted in women group. In men group a decrease in energy, proteins and carbohydrates intake was noted and fats intake, mainly unsaturated fatty acids, was increased. Vitamins were consumed in lower amounts and among minerals lower consumption in case of iron and sodium was noticed. In comparison with the recommended values in the initial examination in women group too low intake concerned fibre and vit. A, B,, calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium was noticed. In group of men too low intake (below recommended values) of energy, carbohydrates, fiber, vit. B1, B2, C, niacin, calcium and magnesium was noticed. After 4 years of methadone maintenance treatment in group of women too low intake only of vit. B1 and iron was noticed. In group of men it concerned vit. B1, B2, C, niacin and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Overexpression of GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae corrects defects in dolichol-linked saccharide formation and protein glycosylation.

Thermosensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, affected in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) located glycosylation, i.e. in Dol-P-Man synthase (dpm1), in beta-1,4 mannosyl transferase (alg1) and in alpha-1,3 mannosyltransferase (alg2), were used to assess the role of GDP-Man availability for the synthesis of dolichol-linked saccharides. The mutants were transformed with the yeast gene MPG1 (PSA1/VIG9) encoding GDP-Man pyrophosphorylase catalyzing the final step of GDP-Man formation. We found that overexpression of MPG1 allows growth at non-permissive temperature and leads to an increase in the cellular content of GDP-Man. In the alg1 and alg2 mutants, complemented with MPG1 gene, N-glycosylation of invertase was in part restored, to a degree comparable to that of the wild-type control. In the dpm1 mutant, the glycosylation reactions that depend on the formation of Dol-P-Man, i.e. elongation of Man(5)GlcNAc(2)-PP-Dol, O-mannosylation of chitinase and synthesis of GPI anchor were normal when MPG1 was overexpressed. Our data indicate that an increased level of GDP-Man is able to correct defects in mannosylation reactions ascribed to the ER and to the Golgi.

Screening for prostate cancer in a population of South Poland--studies 2000.

According to the frequency of appearance, prostatic carcinoma is said to be the fourth new growth tumour in men in Poland. Course of prostatic cancer in early period is symptomless therefore the number of death because of the prostatic cancer is still being increased. The improvement of this situation in our country might be done by introducing the mass, screening studies. Since 1.09.2000 to 31.12.2000 a preventive programme of diagnosis prostatic gland diseases has been performed by the Department of Pathophysiology Medical College Jagiellonian University in Cracow. 8089 men 50-69 years old (mean 60.2 +/- 5.83) were investigated. In the first step, digital per rectum examination (DRE), serum PSA level determination, urine test and IPSS questionnaire were carried out. The abnormal results (an increase of PSA above 4 ng/ml and/or or a palpable nodule in the per rectum examination) allowed to select 284 patients, who in the second stage underwent transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and the biopsy. Presence of early prostatic carcinoma has been diagnosed and confirmed in 28 patients. The possibly tentative diagnosis of cancer was considered in 1383 patients. In the light of our results we must underline that these screening procedures seems to be important, especially respecting to the fact of possibility early diagnosis of prostatic cancer.

[Dietary assessment of pregnant women with different anthropometric measures]. / Sposób zywienia kobiet w ciazy a wybrane wskazniki antropometryczne.

Dietary assessment of pregnant women influences very strongly the fetus development and is very important for nutritional status of pregnant women after delivery. The aim of presented studies was the comparison of diet of women with different weight gain during pregnancy. In every trimester of pregnancy anthropometric measurement (height, weight, skinfolds thickness, body fat) were made. Depending on pre-pregnancy BMI (body mass index) weight increase during whole pregnancy was considered as correct, if was similar to recommendations of The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science or wrong when was different from recommendations mentioned above. Dietary assessment was estimated by the 24 hour recall method. Energy intake, as well as intake of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids and fiber was established for all women. There were examined 97 women, living in Krakow. Three times (in every trimester) were examined 27 women. There were 6 women with excess weight gain (two overweight, one obese, three with proper pre-pregnant BMI). The average weight gain was 15.4 kg (8.4-24.2 kg). The subcutaneous fat deposition did not change in pregnancy in group of women with excess weight gain because the skinfolds thickness did not change significantly. There were also no significant differences in dietary assessment of women with correct and incorrect weight gain. The average energy, protein, carbohydrates and fiber intakes were similar to nutritional recommendations for pregnant women. Fatty acids intake was excessive in both groups of examined women. Presented studies indicates that diet is only one from large number of factors which influences the pregnancy outcome.