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Introduction: Circuit training is a form of body conditioning with endurance and resistance components. Given the function of skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ secreting various myokines involved in maintaining glucose metabolism homeostasis, our study focused on estimating the impact of the implemented training program on the direction of changes in myokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and irisin in women newly diagnosed with insulin resistance. Methods: This prospective controlled trial randomly divided 42 women into two groups. The training group performed circuit training combining strength (50%-80% of one-repetition maximum) and endurance (50%-75% of heart rate reserve) exercises for 3 months, three 33-min sessions weekly. Exercises were performed on five weight and two cardio machines. The control nontraining group did not change their previous activity. Body composition indicators and IL-6, IL-10, FGF21, and irisin levels were measured before and after the intervention. The data for 27 patients were analysed using two-way repeated measures analyses of variance. Results: The pattern of change in serum IL-6 levels over time differed significantly between the groups ( p < 0.05). The patterns of change did not differ significantly between groups for IL-10, FGF21, and irisin. Conclusion: The circuit training program implemented in women newly diagnosed with insulin resistance significantly increased their serum IL-6 and not their IL-10, FGF21, and irisin levels. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04528693., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Joanna Karolkiewicz et al.)

There is a need to investigate the effect of lifestyle modifications on cardiometabolic health-related issues that occur during menopause. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of resistance and endurance circuit training program alone (exercise group, n = 34) with the effect of time-restricted eating (16:8) combined with a training program (combination group, n = 28) on cardiometabolic health in 62 menopausal women (aged 51.3 ± 4.69 years). Testing was conducted before and after a 12-week period and included an assessment of body composition, glycemic control, lipid panel, blood pressure, and anthropometric measurements. Decreases in body mass index and systolic blood pressure were significantly greater in the combination group than in the exercise group (F(1,60) = 4.482, p = 0.038, η 2  = 0.07; F(1,57) = 5.215, p = 0.026, η 2  = 0.08, respectively, indicating moderate effects). There were significant decreases in fat mass (p = 0.001, r = 0.654), glucose level (p = 0.017, r = 0.459), insulin level (p = 0.013, r = 0.467), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (p = 0.009, r = 0.499), waist circumference (p = 0.002, r = 0.596), and waist-to-height ratio (p = 0.003, r = 0.588) (indicating moderate effect) in the combination group, while there were no significant changes in the exercise group. There were no changes in lipid panel indicators in either group. This is the first study to investigate the effect of time-restricted eating combined with exercise in menopausal women. The results of the study provide evidence that the combination of time-restricted eating and exercise leads to a greater body mass index reduction than exercise alone in menopausal women.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06138015 registered 18 November 2023-Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06138015 ., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The colonization of microbes and the resulting formation of biofilms on dental implants are significant contributors to peri-implantitis and the failure of these implants. The aim of the research was to analyze the impact of density and depth of laser texturing of the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy surface on the colonization of selected microorganisms and biofilm formation. Standard strains of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and yeasts from the American Type Culture Collection-ATCC-were used to demonstrate the ability to form single-species biofilms in vitro. The study evaluated three types of titanium samples with different texture density and depth. The colonization and biofilm formation abilities of the tested microorganisms were assessed. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis. Among the analyzed strains, L. rhamnosus showed the highest colonization of the tested surfaces. It was found that there is no relationship between the texture parameters and the number of colony-forming units (CFU/mL) for C. albicans , S. mutans, and L. rhamnosus . For the F. nucleatum strain, it was shown that the number of colony-forming bacteria is related to the texture density.

Introduction and Objective: The profession of a physiotherapist is associated with various risks related to manual work, repetitive activities, an uncomfortable prolonged position of joints in some body postures forced by the work, and the standing position, which all impose considerable load on the upper and lower extremities and the spine. The aim of the study was to analyse ailments reported by physiotherapists in relation to their age, gender, seniority, the number of working hours per day, and body position during work., Material and Methods: The study involved 120 physiotherapists working in various types of employment. The research was carried out using an author-design questionnaire based on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The occurrence of the ailments was analysed in relation to respondents' age, gender, seniority, number of working hours per day, and body position during work. An analysis of the relationships between the variables was carried out. The analysis of qualitative variables was performed using the χ2 test., Results: The results showed that the majority of physiotherapists complained of fatigue (78.8%), leg pain (61.9%), spine pain (60.2%), headache (59.3%), and shoulder pain (52.5%). It was shown that such symptoms as fatigue, dizziness, leg pain, finger pain, headache, wrist pain, drowsiness, and numbness, were correlated with age., Conclusions: The pain symptoms reported by the surveyed physiotherapists affected different parts of the body and appeared with different frequency and intensity. The majority of the physiotherapists declared problems with the lower spine, neck, wrists, hands, upper spine, and shoulders. Thigh pain was the most commonly reported symptom, whereas neck pain was reported the least frequently. The lower spine and ankles were indicated as body areas with the most severe and the weakest pain, respectively.

Gluten-free bread is increasingly popular among individuals with celiac disease, and The incorporation of mushroom flour offers a novel method to enhance its nutritional profile, antioxidant content, and sensory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and sensory characteristics of gluten-free bread with varying amounts of chaga mushroom flour (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%). The total contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were measured using a spectrophotometric method. Antioxidant activity was assessed through DPPH and FRAP methods, while textural properties were evaluated using the TPA test. Bread colour was analysed using the CIELab system, and sensory evaluation was performed by a panel of trained consumers. The results showed that gluten-free bread enriched with chaga flour had increased polyphenol and flavonoid content and enhanced antioxidant activity. The highest levels of polyphenols, flavonoids, DPPH, and FRAP activity were found in bread with 20% chaga. The addition of chaga mushroom significantly affected the bread's hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness. Specifically, 20% chaga flour had the most pronounced effect on hardness and elasticity, while 15% chaga flour had the greatest impact on chewiness and cohesiveness. The bread's colour darkened with higher chaga concentrations. The results of sensory evaluation showed a negative correlation between consumer preferences and bread fortified with chaga mushroom flour. The overall consumer acceptability score indicates that only a small addition of mushroom flour (up to 10%) can be used to bake gluten-free bread.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyse excess deaths by major causes of death and associated changes in the mortality pattern of the Polish population in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: The study used data on all deaths in Poland which occurred between 2010 and 2020 ( N = 3,912,237). 10-year mortality trends for 2010-2019 were determined. An analysis of time trends has been carried out with joinpoint models and Joinpoint Regression Program. Based on the determined regression models, the number of deaths expected in 2020 and the number of excess deaths due to selected causes were calculated., Results: The crude death rates of all-cause deaths increased from 2000 to 2019 at an average annual rate of 1% ( p = 0.0007). The determined regression model revealed that the number of deaths in 2020 should have been 413,318 (95% CI: 411,252 to 415,385). In reality, 477,355 people died in Poland that year. The number of excess deaths was therefore 64,037 (15.5%). According to data from Statistics Poland the number of COVID-19-related deaths was 40,028, the number of non-COVID-19 deaths was 24,009. The largest percentage increase over the expected number of deaths was observed for suicide (12.5%), mental and behavioral disorders (7.2%) and diseases of circulatory system (5.9%). A lower than expected number of deaths was observed for malignant neoplasms (-3.2%) and transport accidents (-0.1%)., Conclusion: The difference between expected and observed non-COVID-19 deaths in 2020 indicates a need for further analysis of the causes of excess mortality., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Pikala, Krzywicka and Burzyńska.)

This paper studies the effect of different ultrasonic parameters on the yield of extraction and antioxidant activity of selected phenolic compounds from Sorbus intermedia berries. The sonication was carried out in two modes: continuous and pulse. In the pulse mode, the samples were sonicated with the following processor settings: 1 s on-2 s off. The effective ultrasonic processor times were 5, 10, and 15 min, and the total extraction times were 15, 30, and 45 min. The results showed that the duty cycle significantly affected the antioxidant activity of the extracts and the yield of chlorogenic acid, rutin, and total flavonoids. Compared to the continuous mode, the pulse ultrasound increased the extraction yield of rutin by 5-27%, chlorogenic acid by 12-29%, and total flavonoids by 8-42%. The effect of the duty cycle on the extraction yield was dependent on the intensity and duration of the ultrasound treatment. The mechanism of the influence of the pulsed ultrasound field on the extraction process has been elucidated. This research clearly demonstrated the superiority of pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction for production of antioxidants from Sorbus intermedia berries., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The laser micro-machining was carried out on a station equipped with a TruMicro 5325c laser emitting ultraviolet radiation (343 nm wavelength) in picosecond pulses. On the surface of the Ti6Al7Nb alloy, dimple texturing with a constant diameter of ~200 μm, different depths (from ~5 to ~78 μm) and density (from 10% to 50%) were produced. The value of surface free energy was determined with the Owens-Wendt method using two measuring liquids: distilled water and diodomethane. The Staphylococcus epidermidis strain was used to test the adhesion of bacteria. It was found that the surface free energy value is influenced by both of the texture parameters (density, depth). The density also affects the potential for biofilm formation. Based on the analysis, it was shown that with an increase in surface free energy, the number of adhering microorganisms increases exponentially. Moreover, the study shows that there is a correlation between the number of adhering microorganisms and surface free energy.

Introduction: Given the specificity of the occupation of professional drivers, fatigue is a very serious problem. Tired drivers can pose a huge threat to themselves and to other users of public roads. The effects of fatigue can lead to loss of drivers' and other users' health or life., Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze some aspects of fatigue in Polish professional drivers (e.g. symptoms of fatigue reported by drivers, their frequency and number, critical hours, and fatigue management) in relation to such variables as the job seniority, the mode of transport, and the covered distance., Material and Methods: The study involved 398 professional drivers. The method of research based on an anonymous electronic survey., Results: The survey showed that 89% of the respondents declared that they suffered from fatigue at work. The most common symptoms of fatigue reported by the drivers included drowsiness (76% of the respondents), eye strain (67%), lack of concentration (45%), and lack of energy (44%). The mean number of fatigue symptoms indicated by drivers involved in different modes of transport and covering different distances did not differ significantly., Conclusions: The analysis revealed that the everyday experience of fatigue reported by the surveyed drivers depends on job seniority. There is a significant difference in the occurrence of critical hours experienced by drivers covering different distances.