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Continuously growing stream of nanoparticles being released to environment rises a fundamental question concerning interactions with living organisms and fate. They are being discharged in variety of forms, starting from simple isolated nanostructures and ending up with very complex species often embedded into diverse matrix components. Metal based nanoparticles (MNPs) are a major group of nanospecies with production approaching one third of the global nano-market. They exhibit plethora of shapes and chemical compositions and tend to induce remarkable divergent effects on plants. Any reliable examination of the latter should take into consideration major environmental factors like, soil texture, temperature, pH, osmotic pressure, content and composition of organic matter, redox status of the soil environment, ionic strength, cation exchange capacity, mineral composition, interaction with others elements as present in the soil matrix and in root exudates. The uptake of MNPs by roots occurs simultaneously with the physical and chemical reactions ongoing in rhizosphere and can influenced the nutrient absorption processes. The latter should be of a special importance when nanosized materials are being introduced to environment with either agrochemicals or substances used in soil or water remediation technologies. Despite numerous studies, the impact of nanoparticles on plants is not entirely recognized as yet. In particular, the problem of full comparability and transferability of experimental results is not to be neglected. Therefore, the proper implementation of methodologies standardization and cultivation conditions are issues which cannot be dismissed. The future rise of production and usage of nanoparticles in agriculture and protection of environment should be obviously preceded by the development of trustful safety rules and protocols.

Introduction: The development of biological sciences, as well as cultural and civilizational changes have led to the emergence of practice within the medicine of science, called psychiatry. Already at the turn of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Karl Jaspers - a German scholar - father of psychopathology - in the work “Allgemeine Psychopathologie” crystallized his intuitions in the field of psychopathology, which classifies and describes states that are deviations from the physiological mental state of a human being. Material and method: his paper reviews available literature to approximate the symptoms of the most interesting psychopathological syndromes in psychiatry such as: Clerambault syndrome, Otheller syndrome, Cotard syndrome, Ekboma syndrome and Folie à deux. Results: A multitude of psychopathological syndromes results from the wealth of survival of psychiatric patients. They represent the delusions of different contents that develop in a primitive way or as a consequence of other types of disorders. Psychopathological teams have been inspiring the poets and directors for centuries. The relationship between psychiatry and culture, film and literature undoubtedly testifies to its interdisciplinary nature. Discussion: Despite the passage of time, the descriptions of these syndromes with a rich historical description, symptomatology and criteria have not lost their relevance and are still a clinical reality.

Alongside with the development of social activity of older people, the process of increasing the educational activity of this group should follow. This type of activity makes it possible to not only to broaden knowledge and acquire new skills and competencies, but also to update the skills or knowledge already possessed, which specifically refers to the ability and willingness to take an active and skillful attitude to preparation for retirement. Educational activity plays also an important role in creating social bonds, and thus is crucial to a successful, active and happy life in the old age. As it turns out, the older a person is, the less likely they participate in improving / changing education. For obvious reasons, this applies primarily to formal education. Lifelong learning (especially in the age group 50+) is a key element of active aging, because it enables to develop new skills till the end of a professional career and during retirement, thus promoting social functions of seniors and their well-being. The educational achievements of adults are regarded as an indicator of knowledge and skills available in the economy. Selected results of the survey conducted within the BALL Erasmus + Project will be presented. The degree of preparation to retirement is going to be discussed in the following dimensions: the perception of retirement and attitudes towards it; degree of preparation to retirement in four main areas: finances, learning, personal development and active retirement; preferred forms of action to prepare for retirement.

Farmland soil typical for the Polish rural environment was used in pot experiment to estimate the impact of cadmium and zinc on the manganese, lead and copper uptake by lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L). Bioavailable and total forms of investigated metals in soil and metal concentrations in plants were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The plant photosynthesis indicators were also examined. Intensification of photosynthesis upon the high zinc and cadmium soil supplementation was observed. This effect was not detected at low metal concentrations. ANOVA proved that cadmium and zinc treatments influenced manganese, lead and copper transfer from soil and their concentration in plants. Zinc uptake and accumulation in either roots or above-ground parts in plant was inversely proportional to cadmium concentration in soil. Manganese concentration in roots decreased upon the soil supplementation with either zinc or cadmium. It suggests that the latter ions are transported via symplastic pathways and compete with manganese for similar transporters. The opposite situation was observed for lead and copper. Soil supplementation with cadmium and zinc affects manganese, lead and copper concentrations and photosynthesis intensity in lemon balm plant. The following combined interactions in either normal or stress conditions are important indicators of the migration pathways.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a popular herb widely used in medicine. It is often cultivated in soils with substantial heavy metal content. Here we investigate the associated effects of cadmium and copper on the plant growth parameters augmented by the manganese, zinc, and lead uptake indicators. The concentration of all elements in soil and plants was determined by the HR-CS FAAS with the ContrAA 300 Analytik Jena spectrometer. Bioavailable and total forms calculated for all examined metals were augmented by the soil analyses. The index of chlorophyll content in leaves, the activity of net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and intercellular concentration of CO2 were also investigated. Either Cd or Cu acting alone at high concentrations in soil are toxic to plants as indicated by chlorophyll indices and gas exchange parameters. Surprisingly, this effect was not observed when both metals were administered together. The sole cadmium or copper supplementations hampered the plant&rsquo, s growth, lowered the leaf area, and altered the plant&rsquo, s stem elongation. Analysis of variance showed that cadmium and copper treatments of lemon balm significantly influenced manganese, lead, and zinc concentration in roots and above ground parts.

In the context of the human capital of older people in parallel with the development of social activity of this age group, the process of educational activity increasing should occur. This type of activity makes it possible not only to increase the knowledge and acquisition of new skills and competencies, but also to update already held skills or knowledge, which is especially associated with the ability and willingness to actively and skillfully prepare for retirement. Educational achievements of older people are considered as an indicator of knowledge and skills available in the economy. Widely understood activity enhances the potential of older people to actively participate in the society through paid employment, volunteering, active participation in civic life and resourcefulness to independent life. The article presents the selected results of the research conducted within the project BALL (Be Active Through Lifelong Learning) Erasmus +, in three main areas: the perception of retirement and attitude towards it, the degree of preparation for retirement in four main areas: finance, learning, personal development and active retirement as well as preferred forms of actions to prepare for retirement.

The importance of universities of the third age in the lives of older people is determined by the fields of interest and activities they are offered there. U3As constitute essential and valuable areas of activation and socio-cultural animation of the elderly. The variety of activities realized by U3As, among others from the area of education, culture, and health prevention, perfectly underlines the fact that they are institutions, which include in the scope of their activities not only education, but also social support, social participation and socio-cultural animation.

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder and, because of some behavioral characteristics, individuals affected by the disease are known as silent angels. Girls with Rett syndrome perform stereotyped movements, they have learning difficulties, their reaction time is prolonged, and they seem alienated in the environment. These children require constant pediatric, neurological and orthopedic care. In the treatment of Rett syndrome physical therapy, music therapy, hydrotherapy, hippotherapy, behavioral methods, speech therapy and diet, are also used. In turn, psychological therapy of the syndrome is based on the sensory integration method, using two or more senses simultaneously. In 80% of cases, the syndrome is related to mutations of the MECP2 gene, located on chromosome X. The pathogenesis of Rett syndrome is caused by the occurrence of a non-functional MeCP2 protein, which is a transcription factor of many genes, i.e. Bdnf, mef2c, Sgk1, Uqcrc1. Abnormal expression of these genes reveals a characteristic disease phenotype. Clinical symptoms relate mainly to the nervous, respiratory, skeletal and gastrointestinal systems. Currently causal treatment is not possible. However, researchers are developing methods by which, perhaps in the near future, it will be possible to eliminate the mutations in the MECP2 gene, and this will give a chance to the patient for normal functioning. The paper presents the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease, genetic, clinical, pharmacological aspects and other forms of Rett syndrome treatment.

Education is now being more and more frequently considered as an area that is important not only for children and young people, but also for the working-age and retirement-age populations. Rapid socio-economic growth, characterised, e.g., by the development of new technologies, requires individuals and communities to continuously acquire and broaden their knowledge and skills. Social groups that fail to follow this trend often find it difficult to fit in with the contemporary knowledge society. This situation not only marginalises a large number of citizens but also denies their needs. Continuous education, provided, e.g., by universities of the third age, not only prevents this, but also provides the elderly with opportunities for full participation in socio-cultural life and social integration with their environment. This article explores the issue of education in late adulthood, addressing it from two angles. Firstly, it presents education as an element of active and happy ageing, and secondly, as an area for the social integration of the elderly during the changes in their social roles, characteristic for the old age.

Przedmiotem prezentowanych w niniejszej pracy badan byly postawy doroslych Polakow wobec starości i starzenia sie. Dotyczyly one m.in. autoidentyfikacji z wlasną starością. Przyjecie tej perspektywy badawczej wynikalo ze wzrastającego zainteresowania kwestiami starości, a szczegolnie postrzeganiem jej w kategoriach wyzwania i zadania dla nowych generacji. Innym powodem podjecia tej tematyki byla chec zweryfikowania zalozenia, ze na to, jaki mamy stosunek do wlasnej starości, wplywa postawa wobec starości powszechnie obowiązująca w danym spoleczenstwie. Badania mialy odpowiedziec m.in. na pytanie, czy takie zmienne niezalezne, jak plec, wiek wspolwystepują z określonymi postawami wobec wlasnej starości.

Spoleczenstwa potrzebują do swojego istnienia i rozwoju zasobow w postaci: zaufania, wartości, norm rozbudowanych pionowych i poziomych sieci interakcji. Wielkośc tych zasobow w istotny sposob zalezy od typu ladu spolecznego funkcjonującego w danym spoleczenstwie. Demokratyczne panstwo istnieje, rozwija sie lub podlega degeneracji wraz z zasobami, ktorymi dysponuje. Zasob, jakim jest kapital spoleczny, stanowi jeden z kluczowych czynnikow decydujących o dyspozycji danego spoleczenstwa do rozwoju i utrzymania ladu spoleczno-moralnego opartego na demokratycznych zasadach zycia spolecznego i poszanowaniu praw czlowieka.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is extensively cultivated as either an important spice and food additive or a source of essential oil crucial for the production of natural phenylpropanoids and terpenoids. It is frequently attacked by fungal diseases. The aim of the study was to estimate the impact of thiuram contact time on the uptake of manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead by Ocimum basilicum L. The relevant plant physiological parameters were also investigated. Two farmland soils typical for the Polish rural environment were used. Studies involved soil analyses, bioavailable, and total forms for all investigated metals, chlorophyll content, and gas exchange. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine concentration of all elements. Analysis of variance proved hypothesis that thiuram treatment of basil significantly influences metal transfer from soil and their concentration in roots and aboveground parts. This effect is mostly visible on the 14th day after the fungicide administration. Thiuram modifies mycoflora in the rhizosphere zone and subsequently affects either metal uptake from the soil environment or their further migration within the basil plant. Notable, those changes are more evident for basil planted in mineral soil as compared to organic soil with higher buffering capacity.

Współczesne społeczeństwa zachodnie podtrzymują w formie zakamuflowanej nierówności społeczne związane z posiadaniem lub brakiem zasobów indywidualnego kapitału społecznego, kulturowego, ekonomicznego. Pisząc o zakamuflowanej formie podtrzymywania nierówności mowa jest o systemie edukacji, który w oparciu o mechanizm selekcji szkolnej dokonuje utrwalenia istniejące struktury klasowej. W artykule została podjęta próba ukazania, że, jak mimo postępującego pluralizmu społeczno-politycznego i rozwoju społeczeństwa obywatelskiego, system edukacji szkolnej promuje osoby z wysokim zasobami wskazanych typów kapitału i ogranicza start uczniów o mniejszych zasobach. O takiej reprodukcji nierówności społecznych w swych pracach pisał P. Bourdieu, którego teoria kapitału społecznego będzie punktem wyjścia prowadzonych rozważań. Omówiono także teorię kapitału społecznego P. Bourdieu, mechanizmy selekcji szkolnej jako kluczowego elementu reprodukującego nierówności i podziały społeczne. P. Bourdieu wskazywał, że kapitał kulturowy jest jedną z podstawowych barier na drodze do awansu społecznego. Jednak wykorzystanie szans, które daje jednostce otoczenie, zależy tylko od jej indywidualnych działań i zdolności, mających na celu podtrzymywanie i rozwijanie odziedziczonego kapitału społecznego. The modern Western societies sustain in a hidden form the social inequalities resulting from possession or lack of resources of individual social, cultural and economic capital. The hidden form of sustaining the equalities refers to the education system, which consolidates the existing class structure on the basis of the school selection mechanism. In the presented paper an attempt will be made to show how, despite the progressing social and political pluralism and development of the civil society, the school education system favours individuals with high resources of certain types of capital to disadvantage of pupils with fewer resources. Such reproduction of social inequalities was described in works by P. Bourdieu, whose theory of social capital will be the starting point for the analysis. The key components of the paper will be: discussion of P. Bourdieu’s theory of social capital and presentation of school selection mechanisms as the key factor reproducing social inequalities and divisions. P. Bourdieu indicated that cultural capital was one of the basic and often hidden barriers to social advancement. However, whether an individual makes use of opportunities offered by the environment depends only on his/her specific activities and skills aiming at sustaining and developing the inherited social capital. Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is extensively cultivated as either an important spice and food additive or a source of essential oil crucial for the production of natural phenylpropanoids and terpenoids. It is frequently attacked by fungal diseases. The aim of the study was to estimate the impact of thiuram contact time on the uptake of manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead by Ocimum basilicum L. The relevant plant physiological parameters were also investigated. Two farmland soils typical for the Polish rural environment were used. Studies involved soil analyses, bioavailable, and total forms for all investigated metals, chlorophyll content, and gas exchange. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine concentration of all elements. Analysis of variance proved hypothesis that thiuram treatment of basil significantly influences metal transfer from soil and their concentration in roots and aboveground parts. This effect is mostly visible on the 14th day after the fungicide administration. Thiuram modifies mycoflora in the rhizosphere zone and subsequently affects either metal uptake from the soil environment or their further migration within the basil plant. Notable, those changes are more evident for basil planted in mineral soil as compared to organic soil with higher buffering capacity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11270-017-3508-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In this work the effects of thiuram on the uptake of lead and copper by lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) were examined. Thiuram (tetramethylthiuram disulphide) is used as a fungicide to protect seeds, fruit, vegetables, ornamentals, turf crops, and herbs from a variety of fungal diseases. The preliminary investigation involved soil analyses (content of organic substances, acidity, total lead and copper, exchangeable and bioavailable forms, and mechanical analysis). The analysis showed that the soil used for the study was not contaminated with lead or copper. In this work the amounts of lead and copper were determined in roots and above-ground parts of: (a) plants untreated with thiuram; (b) plants which were sprayed with thiuram (3 mg per pot). It was found that thiuram influences the amount of lead and copper accumulated in the plant. The treatment of the plants with thiuram caused an increase of the content of lead in the roots (65, 75 days with fungicide) and reduction of lead in the above-ground parts...

A case of a patient suffering from Streptococcal suppurative pericarditis with cardiac tamponade and acute renal failure as a first symptom of disseminated lung cancer is presented. The examination of pericardial fluid only confirmed Streptococcal infection as a cause of exudative pericarditis. The neoplasmatic cells were not found in the examined fluid. Next, chest CT and bronchoscopy were performed due to the lack of clinical improvement, recurrence of severe pericardial effusion and enlargement of the upper mediastinum found on chest radiogram. CT and bronchoscopy allowed to establish the final diagnosis - disseminated lung cancer.

The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of soil pH on the uptake of copper, zinc, and manganese by Valeriana officinalis. Preliminary studies involved soil analyses to determine acidity, organic matter content, and copper, zinc, and manganese total and bioavailable forms. The study involved atomic absorption spectrometry to determine the concentration of the elements, and mineral soil of pH = 5.1 was used in the study, as being typical for central Poland. The copper, zinc, and manganese contents were determined in plants grown in soils which had been modified to cover a wide range of pH values 3÷13. The intensity of germination was strongly pH dependent with the highest yield obtained in original, unmodified soil. Surprisingly, high soil alkalinity stimulated copper and manganese uptake while at the same time resulting in a decrease in zinc content.