The impact of sound exposure on heart rate variability in adolescent students.

Previous studies of physiological responses to music and noise showed the effect on the autonomic nervous system. The heart rate variability (HRV) has been used to assess the activation of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The present study was aimed to examine HRV with exposure to four sine-wave pure tones (20 Hz, 50 Hz, 2 kHz and 15 kHz) in an environment where the sound intensity exceeded level 65 dB (A-weighted). The participants (20 adolescent girls) were lying in supine position during exposure protocol divided into 6 periods, the first time with generated sounds and the second time without sounds. In the protocol without sound exposure, the low frequency band of the HRV spectrum was increased compared to the basal state before examination (period_1: 6.05+/-0.29 ms(2) compared to period_5: 6.56+/-0.20 ms(2), p<0.05). The significant increase of root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (rMSSD, period_1: 4.09+/-0.16 s compared to period_6: 4.33+/-0.12 s, p<0.05) and prolongation of R to R peak (RR) interval (period_1: 889+/-30 ms compared to period_5: 973+/-30 ms, p<0.001) were observed in the protocol without sound exposure comparing to the protocol with sound exposure where only bradycardia was observed. Contrary to rather polemical data in literature our pilot study suggests that sounds (under given frequencies) have no impact on the heart rate variability and cardiac autonomic regulation.

Biotechnological conversion of spent coffee grounds into lactic acid.

This work investigates the potential bioconversion of spent coffee grounds (SCG) into lactic acid (LA). SCG were hydrolysed by a combination of dilute acid treatment and subsequent application of cellulase. The SCG hydrolysate contained a considerable amount of reducing sugars (9·02 ± 0·03 g l-1 , glucose; 26·49 ± 0·10 g l-1 galactose and 2·81 ± 0·07 g l-1 arabinose) and it was used as a substrate for culturing several lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and LA-producing Bacillus coagulans. Among the screened micro-organisms, Lactobacillus rhamnosus CCM 1825 was identified as the most promising producer of LA on a SCG hydrolysate. Despite the inhibitory effect exerted by furfural and phenolic compounds in the medium, reasonably high LA concentrations (25·69 ± 1·45 g l-1 ) and yields (98%) were gained. Therefore, it could be demonstrated that SCG is a promising raw material for the production of LA and could serve as a feedstock for the sustainable large-scale production of LA. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Spent coffee grounds (SCG) represent solid waste generated in millions of tonnes by coffee-processing industries. Their disposal represents a serious environmental problem; however, SCG could be valorized within a biorefinery concept yielding various valuable products. Herein, we suggest that SCG can be used as a complex carbon source for the lactic acid production.

[Knowledge about cervical cancer among respondents in Slovakia and the Czech Republic - Aurora Project]. / Vedomosti respondentov na Slovensku a v Cechách o karcinóme cervixu - projekt Aurora.

OBJECTIVE: The Aurora Project, aimed at promotion of cervical cancer prevention, was realised with the support of the European Commission. The project included 14 partners from 11 EU countries. The objective of this contribution was to analyse the level of knowledge on cervical cancer among respondents in the project partner countries and to compare the situations in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Data were obtained within one of the project outputs: Work Package 2 (WP2) Dissemination of Aurora Project Objectives and Results. METHODS: The questionnaire used included 10 questions (available at the project website www.aurora-project.eu) and has been translated into 11 languages of the project partners. In total, 2111 questionnaires were analysed (91.7% response rate), among them 246 were from Slovakia and 305 from the Czech Republic. Descriptive statistical methods and the χ2 test were used to analyse data. RESULTS: The level of knowledge in Slovak and Czech respondents was comparable in answers to seven questions. Statistically significant differences were observed in answers to questions about anatomy and cervical cancer therapy. Answers to the question, 'What are the symptoms of cervical cancer in the early stages?', should be considered as crucial to understand attitudes of the lay population towards prevention. There were 7% of women in the Czech Republic and 16% in Slovakia with the opinion that there is some clinical manifestation of such a condition. This means that women with such an opinion have no reason to visit a gynaecologist while no signs of a disease are present. The period during which they do not attend a preventive check-up is sufficient for the development of precancerous lesions or even cancer. CONCLUSION: Recommendations of doctors play a key role in primary and secondary prevention of the disease. An important part of interventions includes information campaigns and educational programmes. The internet is another important source of information, especially for younger generations. Together, these can contribute to increased participation in preventive check-ups by education of the general public. Thus, the disease can be detected early and the development of cervical cancer prevented.