Biofortification of Plant- and Animal-Based Foods in Limiting the Problem of Microelement Deficiencies-A Narrative Review.

With a burgeoning global population, meeting the demand for increased food production presents challenges, particularly concerning mineral deficiencies in diets. Micronutrient shortages like iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, and magnesium carry severe health implications, especially in developing nations. Biofortification of plants and plant products emerges as a promising remedy to enhance micronutrient levels in food. Utilizing agronomic biofortification, conventional plant breeding, and genetic engineering yields raw materials with heightened micronutrient contents and improved bioavailability. A similar strategy extends to animal-derived foods by fortifying eggs, meat, and dairy products with micronutrients. Employing "dual" biofortification, utilizing previously enriched plant materials as a micronutrient source for livestock, proves an innovative solution. Amid biofortification research, conducting in vitro and in vivo experiments is essential to assess the bioactivity of micronutrients from enriched materials, emphasizing digestibility, bioavailability, and safety. Mineral deficiencies in human diets present a significant health challenge. Biofortification of plants and animal products emerges as a promising approach to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies, necessitating further research into the utilization of biofortified raw materials in the human diet, with a focus on bioavailability, digestibility, and safety.

Spinal cord infarction after tumor removal surgery of the thoracic region - a case report.

Spinal cord infarction is very rare condition and usually occurs in the thoracic region of the spine. The etiology is often unknown and patophysiology can be diverse. The stroke may occur while performing a surgical procedure, but it is also found in vascular diseases, for example dissecting aneurysms, vasculitis and vascular malformations. A CASE REPORT: The authors present the case of a 62 year old woman admitted to the Neuroortopedics department due to metastasis of papillary renal carcinoma to the spine. During physical examination no neurological deficits were found. However magnetic resonance imaging revealed pathological tissue covering the left pedicle of the Th9 vertebra, penetrating the spinal canal, and compressing the spinal cord. The patient was qualified to the surgery and underwent tumor removal and transpedicular stabilization of the spine. The operation proceeded on schedule, without complications. After the operation the patient did not have any neurological deficits. In the first 24 hours post-surgery paresis of the lower limbs appeared, which rapidly deepened until the right limb was paralyzed. Due to the lack of improvement after administration of solumedrol, and suspicion of hematoma at the surgical site, the patient was qualified for reoperation. Intraoperatively there was no compression of the spinal cord, nonetheless, after being awaken from surgery, no active movements were found in the left lower limb. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed and revealed spinal cord infarction in its ventral part extending from Th9 to Th12. CONCLUSIONS: Even in procedures where no surgical complications appeared it should be noted that the rare risk of spinal cord infarction exists.

[Chirurgiczne leczenie uszkodzen polaczenia czaszkowokregoslupowego]. / Surgical treatment of damage to the cranio-vertebral junction.

Damages of the cranio-vertebral junction include bone and ligamentous structures. Due to the unique design of the C0-C1-C2 complex and biomechanical properties, they represent a major surgical challenge. Treatment of damage to this area involves decompression of nerve structures with simultaneous occipito-cervical fixation from posterior access. AIM: The aim of the study was to analyze patients operated on due to damage to the cranio-vertebral junction in 2009-2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical documentation of 78 patients was analyzed in which occipito-cervical stabilization was performed due to damages in the C0-C1-C2, in the period 2009-2018 in the Department of Neuroortopedics Mazovian Rehabilitation Center STOCER. Demographic data, ie age and sex of patients, causes of C0-C1-C2 damage, perioperative complications, duration of surgery, time of hospitalization and perioperative blood loss were assessed in the study. The operating result was evaluated based on the bone fusion obtained. RESULTS: The occipital-cervical stabilization operations constituted on average 0.96% of all spinal surgery using implants. The most common indications for surgical treatment were injuries, especially in men (35.9%) and the consequences of rheumatoid arthritis, especially in women (29.5%). There were 37 females from 29 to 77 years (mean 54+/-25) and 41 men from 21 to 71 years (mean 53+/-23). The highest number of procedures was performed without laminectomy (53.8%) and in the C1 region (38.5%). The number of observed complications after the performed procedures was lower than in the reported literature, with surgical site infections occurring in 2.6% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the accepted surgical procedure with the use of spine implants in patients with damage to the cranio-cervical junction was justified and the procedures performed correctly. A small number of complications indicates that the implemented procedure in the perioperative period is appropriate and ensures the patient's safety.

[Leczenie operacyjne zlaman zeba obrotnika z dostepu przedniego]. / Surgical treatment of the odontoid fractures from anterior approach.

The surgical treatment of the odontoid fractures is an important problem in the practice of medical teams involved in spinal surgery. There is still no consensus on dealing with fractures C2. The stabilization of the rodontoid with 1 or 2 cannulated screws (AOSF) is currently one of the options in the treatment of C2 unstable fractures since Bohler and Nakanishi introduced this method. AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the risk of complications in the early perioperative period of patients subjected to the stabilization procedure of the odontoid using AOSF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective results of treatment of patients with odontoid fractures treated surgically with AOSF in the neuroortopedic ward in 2009-2018 were analyzed. The study also assessed the size of blood loss during surgery, the duration of surgery, the average time of hospitalization, the number of days in the ward after surgery. Perioperative complications, spinal cord injury, hematoma and wound area infection, the number of reoperations and intra- and perioperative mortality were also assessed. RESULTS: Most of the 47 patients treated with AOSF exceeded 50 years of age. The duration of the operation was on average 95 +/- 15 min. Only one patient required early reoperation on the second postoperative day due to a hematoma within the neck accompanied by dyspnea. Intra- and post-operative blood loss did not exceed 100 ml, and in 42 (89%) patients, there was no trace. There were no signs of surgical site infection. 19 patients (40%) from the operated group had additional fractures. The average time of hospitalization was 6.7 +/- 2.3 days, and the duration of stay after surgery 3.6 +/- 2.2 days. In the postoperative period, no cardiorespiratory complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: A high safety profile of the stabilization of the odontoid was found using AOSF. Stabilization from the anterior approach enables early mobilization of the patients and shortening the time of hospital stay.

Design and characteristics of gellan gum beads for modified release of meloxicam.

The aim of the presented work was to design, formulate and evaluate the properties of low-acyl gellan macro beads with the potential application as carriers for oral delivery of meloxicam (MLX) in the prophylaxis of colorectal cancer. The beads were obtained by means of ionotropic gelation technique. Calcium chloride (1.0%, 9.0 × 10-2 M) was used as the cross-linking agent. Nine different polymer, drug and surfactant (Tween®80) mixtures were used for production of the beads. The quantitative compositions of the mixtures were generated with the application of the Design of Experiments (DoE) modulus from the STATISTICA Software. The prepared formulations revealed 7.2-27.0% of drug loading and 29.2-50.7% drug encapsulation efficiency. It turned out that 0.5% amount of gellan gum in the mixtures was not sufficient to obtain spherical beads. The morphology and surface of the dried beads were analyzed by SEM. Raman spectra confirmed that MLX did not undergo structural changes during production of the beads. The swelling behavior and degradation of the beads were evaluated in three simulated gastrointestinal fluids at different pH (1.2; 4.5; 6.8). The MLX in vitro release studies were conducted on USP apparatus IV, working in the open loop mode. The obtained results showed that MLX release from the dried beads was pH-dependent. The formulations obtained from mixtures containing 1.0 and 1.5% of gellan may be considered as oral dosage forms for MLX, intended to omit the stomach and release the drug in the distal parts of the gastrointestinal tract.