Towards A New Approach for the Description of Cyclo⁻2,4-Dihydroxybenzoate, A Substance Which Effectively Mimics Zearalenone in Imprinted Polymers Designed for Analyzing Selected Mycotoxins in Urine.

A method of purifying cyclododecyl 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate as a potential replacement template molecule for preparation of molecularly-imprinted polymers for isolation of zearalenone in urine was developed. Full physicochemical characteristics of cyclododecyl 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate for the first time included crystallographic analysis and molecular modelling, which made possible the determination of the similarity between the cyclododecyl 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate and zearalenone molecules. The obtained molecularly-imprinted polymers show very high in vitro selectivity towards zearalenone due to specific interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding, molecular recognition interaction). The achieved extraction recovery exceeds 94% at the tested concentration levels (20⁻500 ng·mL-1) with a relative standard deviation below 2%. Immunosorbents were found to have lower recoveries (below 92.5%) and RSD value between 2 and 4% for higher concentrations of the studied substance (400 ng·mL-1).

[Comorbidity of chronic heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. / Wspólwystepowanie przewleklej niewydolnosci serca i przewleklej obturacyjnej choroby pluc.

Cardiovascular diseases most frequently coexist with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The studies report on over 10 million patients of population suffering both chronic heart failure (CHF) and COPD. Similarity of the clinical symptoms and risk factors found in the medical history of patients with chronic heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often causes diagnostic mistakes. At present, medicine has the wide range of diagnostic methods. Among them: well taken medical history, chest radiogram, determination of the serum concentration of natriuretic peptides, spirometry with bronchial reversibility test and many others should be mentioned. The skillfull interpretation of their results guarantee the possibility of more effective treatment. Pulmonary hypertension constitutes the link between the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and CHF. Although its clinical manifestations are not specific and can be partially masked by the symptoms of COPD, the possibility of its existance should be taken under consideration in every patient with worsening effort toleration or intensification of dysponoea and stable spirometric values with the lack of other causes. It should be emphasized that, apart from the diagnostic leading to diagnosis of those two conditions in one patient, there are also the possible interactions of their concurrent treatment.

[The usefulness of natriuretic peptides measurements in the diagnostics of chosen cardiovascular diseases]. / Rola oznaczen peptydów natriuretycznych w diagnostyce wybranych chorób ukladu krazenia.

Natriuretic peptides compose the group of neurohormones produced by the myocardium in response to its walls stretching caused by the volume or pressure overload. They restrain the sodium kidney reabsorbtion, thus increasing the diuresis and natriuresis. They also participate in blood pressure, initial load as well as the water-mineral balance regulation. The main representatives of this group are ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide) and BNP (brain netriuretic peptide). With regard to slow dynamics of the serum levels changes, the measurements of BNP play an important role in cardiological diagnotics. Its serum concentration raises in these cardiovascular diseases that are connected with the left ventricle overload. So it can be treated as a specific left ventricle dysfunction marker, whereas its high concentrations correlate with the functional class according to NYHA. It also can be used in risk stratification in patients with the acute coronary syndrome and pulmonary embolism, as well as helping to differentiate the pulmonary and cardiac causes of acute dyspnoea. The serum level of NT-proBNP (N-terminal propeptide of brain natriuretic peptide) is also the independent predictive factor of the recurrence of atrial fibrillation after the restoring the sinus rhythm.

Analytical procedure for the determination of zearalenone in environmental and biological samples.

The metabolism of zearalenone (ZEA) and analytical methods for determining the presence of ZEA and its metabolites are discussed in this study. Similar to phytoestrogens, solid metaloestrogens, pharmaceuticals, and selected pesticides, ZEA is a substance that displays endocrine activity. ZEA is accumulated in living organisms, and it is capable of contaminating all trophic levels of the food chain, from grain, maize, and other crop plants to human consumers. Zearalenone has a structure similar to that of estrogen (the presence of a macrocyclic lactone ring), it has an affinity for estrogen receptors, and it competes with 17ß-estradiol for binding the estrogen receptor in natural pathways. As endocrine disruptors, zearalenone and its metabolites can also contribute to carcinogenic mutations associated with female secondary sex characteristics. The determination of zearalenone and its metabolites in various matrices, first of all biological and environmental samples, poses significant problems. A variety ways of extracting and purifying zearalenone, including liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction, are described. Furthermore, it describes the possibility of applying a plurality of sensitive and specific instrumental methods, chromatographic techniques (TLC, HPLC, GC) as well as other methods (immunoaffinity chromatography).