A novel method for rapid and quantitative detection of bisphenol A in urine.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is classified as an endocrine disruptor (ED) and it can interact with variety of hormone receptors leading to hormonal disruption and increased risk of various adverse health effects. Reducing human exposure to BPA is one of the main challenges of public health, as it is constantly present in daily life. A low-cost and commonly applied method to enable determination of BPA in the patient's body has yet to be developed. Currently available techniques are expensive, time-consuming, and require access to highly equipped analytical chemistry laboratories. Here we describe a fast and cheap engineered lateral flow assay of our design, to detect of BPA in urine samples. The technology not only provides an opportunity to perform rapid medical diagnostics without the need for an access to the central laboratory but also a means for self-diagnosis by the patient. The addition of ß-glucuronidase improves the sensitivity of detection as it releases the free BPA from glucuronide complexes in urine. This invention may become a demonstrated analytical means for lowering human exposure to BPA and probably also to other EDs and consequently, may be useful in decrease of the risk for several lifestyle diseases.

Medical, psychological and socioeconomic aspects of aging in Poland: assumptions and objectives of the PolSenior project.

Both descriptive and longitudinal studies of aging are nowadays a subject of growing interest in different countries worldwide. However, in Poland and other Central-Eastern European countries, such comprehensive, nationally representative, multidimensional studies were never performed in the past in elderly population. The present paper describes the PolSenior project including its objectives, sample selection and structure, methods, fieldwork procedures and study flow. The aim of the project was to examine medical, psychological and socioeconomic aspects of aging in Poland. The research sample included 5695 respondents (2899 males and 2796 females) split into six equally sized age groups of elderly individuals (65-69 years, 70-74 years, 75-79 years, 80-84 years, 85-89 years, 90+years) and one group of subjects just about to enter old age (55-59 years). Subjects were recruited using three stage stratified, proportional draw. The response rate was 42% and ranged from 32% to 61% between provinces. The study consisted of three visits performed by trained nurses including questionnaire survey, comprehensive geriatric assessment and blood and urine sampling. The questionnaire consisted of medical and specific socioeconomic questions. The comprehensive geriatric assessment included blood pressure and anthropometric measurements, as well as selected scales and tests routinely used in the examination of elderly subjects. Blood and urine samples were collected from 4737 and 4526 individuals, respectively. More than 50 biochemical parameters were measured, and DNA was isolated and banked. In a selected group of 1018 subjects, a medical examination by a physician was performed. The self-rated health was lower in females than in males in age groups 70-84, but similar in individuals of both sexes aged 65-69 and 85 years. Besides providing data on health and functioning of elderly population, the PolSenior project aims to analyze interrelationships between different elements of health and social status, and between genetics and health status in advanced age. The results of the PolSenior project will facilitate prioritizing the state's public health and social policies in elderly population. Such a program provides also an excellent starting point for longitudinal studies and a basis for comparative analysis between Poland and other European countries or regions.