[Assessment of the content of antioxidant vitamins in respective seasons of the year in diets of junior high school adolescents living in Bialystok]. / Ocena zawartosci witamin antyoksydacyjnych w poszczególnych porach roku w dietach mlodziezy gimnazjalnej zamieszkalej w Bialymstoku.

Many ailments due to improper diet in childhood turn out to be civilization diseases in adults. Therefore, the assessment of nutrition state and eating habits, apart from a variety of food components, should also refer to vitamin consumption. A particular attention should be given to antioxidant vitamins. The aim of the study was to analyse the content of vitamins A, E and C, according to the season of the year, in the diets of junior high school adolescents from Bialystok. The study involved adolescents of both sexes, aged 13-15 years, chosen by collective randomisation. Eating habits were assessed using the method of the 24-hour dietary history prior to the investigation as recommended by the institute of Food and Feeding in Warsaw. The vitamin content in the menu was calculated with a computer programme FOOD2. The results were compared with a daily norm recommended for sex and age, and subjected to statistical analysis with the t-Student test. The content of vitamins A and E in the diets of adolescents in the respective seasons largely exceeds the norm, which may be related to higher fat consumption than recommended. The content of vitamin C in the menu also goes beyond the recommended norm. In the diets of girls in spring the norm was exceeded twice.

[Comparison of nutrition status of middle school children from Bialystok and its vicinity]. / Porównanie stanu odzywienia mlodziezy gimnazjalnej zamieszkalej w Bialymstoku i jego okolicach.

Nutrition state of gymnasium pupils living in the country and towns was evaluated. The study included 294 schoolchildren, boys and girls, drawn by lot from two public middle schools. The current body height and mass were assessed with regard to centile chart age norms. Relative body mass index (BMI) was calculated. School children with overweight and underweight were selected. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using t-Student test. Nutrition state indices of girls living in town show lover body mass and greater height compared to their peers from the country. The percentage of overweight boys living in town is high (25%); young people of both sexes living in the country show overweight in approximately 17%. About 13% of school children living in town and 7% from the country are underweight. The results indicate that in the group of school children involved in the study early prevention against obesity and chronic underweight should be employed.

[Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of nourishment of middle school pupils from Bialystok]. / Jakosciowa i ilosciowa ocena zywienia mlodziezy gimnazjalnej z Bialegostoku i okolic.

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of nourishment of gymnasium pupils from Bialystok and its vicinity was conducted on 294 schoolchildren of both sexes, drawn by lot from two public middle schools. Their nourishment was qualitatively assessed according to Szewczynski's classification. The quantitative analysis used the previous day 24-hour history method. Caloricity of meals and the content of basic nutrients were calculated using a computer program FOOD 2. The results were compared with the recommended sex and age norms for moderate physical activity and subjected to statistical analysis using t-Student test. The study has shown that the majority of meals consumed by young people are incorrect. The menus are characterized by too high fat content. The diets of boys from the country exceed the norm of caloricity, and like the menus of boys from town, contain too much protein.

Effect of heavy metal cations on the activity of cathepsin D (in vitro study).

We studied the effect of heavy metal cations: Fe²âº, Cu²âº, Zn²âº, Cd²âº, Hg²âº, Pb²âº on the activity of cathepsin D in human aorta homogenate and blood serum. The concentration of cations was 1 mmol/l. Hemoglobin was the cathepsin D substrate. The activity of cathepsin D was determined at pH 3.5. Only Hg²âº cations inhibit the activity of cathepsin D. Cations Hg²âº damage lysosomes and release cathepsin D from these organelles.