Ukraine war refugees - threats and new challenges for healthcare in Poland.

BACKGROUND: Between February 2022, when the war in Ukraine began, and April 1, 2022, the number of refugees to neighboring countries reached 4,137,842 people. The majority have fled to Poland. The main challenge for the health system in Poland in this situation is how to develop effective adaptation measures. AIM: The aim of this study is to describe threats and challenges to public health related in particular to infectious diseases and to identify the resources of the healthcare system that are necessary to meet the needs of the recent war refugees and the Polish population. METHODS: Scientific publications, statistical data from national and international organizations, information obtained from public institutions in Poland and Ukraine, and reliable sources of up-to-date information on the Internet were used. Key data on threats and challenges to public health were collected and presented. FINDINGS: Differences were observed between Poland and Ukraine in terms of immunization programmes and their implementation as well as in relation to the prevalence of selected infectious diseases. The increase in demand for healthcare resources in Poland was estimated on the basis of current indicators. Both the possibilities of counteracting epidemic threats related to the current situation and possible consequences for the availability of services and the health condition of all people currently staying in Poland were presented. CONCLUSION: European countries may experience public health threats due to the influx of war refugees. The data presented could be useful for European countries while developing effective strategies to mitigate public health issues.

Antitumour and apoptotic effects of a novel Tris-peptide complex obtained after isolation of Raoultella ornithinolytica extracellular metabolites.

AIMS: The characterization of the antitumour activity and chemical identification of the compounds obtained after the isolation of extracellular metabolites of bacteria Raoultella ornithinolytica. METHODS AND RESULTS: The fraction with anticancer activity against the HeLa cell line, T47D and TOV-112D was obtained from the supernatants of R. ornithinolytica culture using ion-exchange chromatography, and separated by Sephadex G-50 medium gel filtration into two subfractions. The obtained compounds were analysed using Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization MS/MS spectrometry. The antitumour activity of the two subfractions was analysed using 5-bromo-2-deoxy-uridine kit. The subfraction with the highest activity against HeLa cells was identified as Tris-peptide complex. The amino acid sequence of the peptide from the complex was found to be TDAPSFSDIPN and molecular weight was estimated at 1430·6576 Da. Cytotoxic, cytopathic and apoptotic effects in HeLa cells treated with the active complex were observed; however, the cytotoxic effect against normal human skin fibroblasts was minimal. CONCLUSIONS: The Tris-peptide complex from R. ornithinolytica showed selective antitumour activity against the HeLa cell line. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The Tris-peptide complex due to the high selectivity can be used in biomedicine, and its derivatives may contribute to the development of new anticancer compounds.