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Introduction: The impact of consensus, prescription choices and efficacy trends on clinical practice over time has not been studied in depth.Aims & Methods: International multicenter prospective non-intervention-al registry aimed to evaluate the decisions and outcomes of H. pyloriman-agement by European gastroenterologists. All infected adult patients were systematically registered at AEG-REDCap e-CRF from 2013 to December 2021. Variables included: previous eradication attempts, prescribed treatment, adverse events, and outcomes. Modified intention- to-treat (mITT) and time trend analyses were performed. Data were subject to quality review.Results: So far 49, 739 patients from 29 European countries have been in-cluded, and 35, 203 (71%) were first-line empirical prescriptions. Overall, the most common prescribed treatments in the 2013-21 period were triple therapies ; however, a shift in antibiotic regimens was identi-fied. Triple therapies decreased from over 50% of prescription in 2013/15 to less than 25% in 2020/21 ; likewise, non-bismuth concomitant therapy use decreased from 21% in 2013/14 to 13% in 2020/21, while three-in-one single- capsuleincreased from 0- 1% in 2014/2015 to 17% in 2020/21. An increase in the average duration of treatments from 9.8 days in 2013 to 13 days in 2021 was identified, as well as the daily high- dose of PPIs increasing from 16% in 2013 to 50% in 2021. Detailed description of most common treatments is shown in Table 1. Re-garding the effectiveness of each specific treatment, no trend was identi-fied (data now shown) ; however, there was a 10% overall improvement in first-line mITT overall effectiveness from 2013 to 2021. Conclusion: European gastroenterological practice is constantly adapting to the newest published evidence and recommendations (reducing the use of triple therapies and increasing both the duration of treatment and the dose of PPIs), with a subsequent progressive improvement in overall effectiveness.

Introduction: Management of Helicobacter pylori infection (H. pylori) re-quires co- treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and the use of an- tibiotics to achieve successful eradicationAims & Methods: To evaluate the role of PPIs in the eradication of H. py-lori, based on the “European Registry onHelicobacter pylori Management” (Hp- EuReg).The Hp-EuReg is a multicentre, prospective, non-interventional, registry assessing decisions and outcomes of H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists in routine clinical practice. Countries recruiting more than 1, 000 patients were included. Effectiveness was assessed by modi- fied intention-to-treat (mITT). Data were quality reviewed.Results: Overall, 22, 078 patients from 5 countries were analysed. Optimal (»90%) first-line mITT effectiveness was achieved with the following treatments: 14-day clarithromycin- amoxicillin- bismuth quadruple therapy, and 14- day metronidazole-tetracycline-bismuth quadruple therapy, both inde-pendently of the PPI dose prescribed ; in all 10- or 14-day therapies with high-dose PPIs (except with standard 10-day triple therapy) ; in 10-day se-quential and 10- day quadruple clarithromycin-amoxicillin- bismuth, and 10-day quadruple metronidazole- tetracycline- bismuth with standard-dose PPIs. None of the 7-day therapies achieved optimal cure rates re-gardless of the PPI dose used. The PPI dose was significantly associated with the effectiveness of: 10- or 14- day standard triple and quadruple con-comitant therapies, and 10-day quadruple sequential and metronidazole-tetracycline-bismuth therapies. Table 1 details the mITT effectiveness by duration and PPI dose used.Conclusion: In first-lineH. pylori treatment, ≥90% effectiveness is obtained with standard-dose PPIs in 10-day sequential and 10- or 14-day bismuth quadruple therapies and with high-dose PPIs in all 10- or 14-day therapies except with standard 10-day triple therapy.

Introduction: Introduction: Randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses, primarily from Asian countries, have reported good effectiveness with high-dose dual therapy (HDDT, i.e., PPIs plus high amoxicillin doses) when prescribed for H. pylorifirst-line or rescue treatment. However, combining amoxicillin with PPIs in the 1990s in several European countries yielded suboptimal results. The objective was to analyse the effectiveness, com-pliance and safety of HDDTin the European real clinical practice.Aims & Methods: Methods: International, multicenter, prospective non- interventional Registry aimed at evaluating the decisions and outcomes of H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists. All infected adult cases treated with HDDT were registered at AEG- REDCap e-CRF up to June 2021. Patients receiving HDDT (amoxicillin 1, 000 mg three times a day plus a PPI), with or without bismuth, in any treatment line and for at least 10 days, were selected for inclusion.Results: Sixty patients received HDDT (98% compliance), 19 of them as first-line and 41 as rescue treatment (2nd–6th line). Overall HDDT effec- tiveness was 52% (per-protocol) and 51% (modified intention-to- treat, mITT). First-line and rescue treatment lines were similarly effective. Cure rates were lower when patients had previously received metronidazole (mITT 32% vs. 70%, p

Introduction: Antibiotic resistance is the main factor influencing the ef-ficacy of treatments to eradicate the infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The treatments including clarithromycin are the most frequently used in first-line ; however, the bacterial resistance to clarithromycin in treatment-naïve patients in Europe is, overall, >20%.Aims & Methods: To assess the effectiveness of first-line H. pylori treat- ments in Europe according to the resistance to clarithromycin.Non-interventional, prospective, multicenter, international European re-gistry on the management of H. pylori (Hp-EuReg). All culture-diagnosed infected adult patients were registered at AEG-REDCap e-CRF from 2013 to 2021. Per-protocol (PP) analysis was performed based on the presence or absence of bacterial resistance to clarithromycin in treatment-naïve pati-ents. The data was subject to quality control.Results: In total, 2, 479 culture-naïve patients were included. Of these, 627 (25%) reported resistance to clarithromycin. The eradication rate with the standard triple therapy (PPI+clarithromycin+amoxicillin) in patients susceptible to clarithromycin was 92% (424/460). The eradication rate in these clarithromycin-susceptible patients was higher both with the con-comitant regimen (PPI+clarithromycin+amoxicillin+metronidazole) and with the sequential treatment with tinidazole (95%, 882/929), and also with the bismuth quadruple regimen (PPI+bismuth+tetracycline+metronidazole) as single capsule (100%, 67/67) (p

Background: The impact of consensus, prescription choices and efficacy trends on clinical practice over time has not been studied in depth. Methods: International multicenter prospective non-interventional registry aimed to evaluate the decisions and outcomes of H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists. All infected adult patients were registered at AEG-REDCap e-CRF up to February 2021. Modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and time trend analyses were performed. Results: So far 29, 634 first-line empirical prescriptions from 31 European countries have been included. Overall, the most common prescribed treatments in the 2013-20 were triple therapies ; however, a shift in antibiotic regimens was identified. Triple therapies decreased from over 50% of prescription in 2013/15 to less than 20% in 2018/20. Non- bismuth concomitant therapy use decreased from 21% in 2013/14 to 13% in 2019/20, while Pylera® increased from 0-1% in 2014/2015 to 19% in 2019/20. An increase in the average duration of treatments from 11 to 13 days in 2013-2020, and of the daily dose of PPI, was identified (No trend was identified (data now shown) ; however, there was an 8% overall improvement in first-line mITT overall effectiveness from 2013 to 2020 (Table 1). Conclusions: European gastroenterological practice is constantly adapting to the newest published evidence and recommendations (reducing the use of triple therapies and increasing the duration of treatment and the dose of PPIs), with a subsequent progressive improvement in overall effectiveness.

Introduction: The best approach for Helicobacter pylori management re-mains unclear. An audit process is essential to ensure clinical practice is aligned with best standards of care.Aims & Methods: International multicentre prospective non-intervention-al registry starting in 2013 aimed to evaluate the decisions and outcomes in H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists. Patients were registered in an e-CRF by AEG-REDCap up to February 2021. Variables in-cluded: demographics, previous eradication attempts, prescribed treat-ment, adverse events, and outcomes. Modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were performed and data were subject to quality review to ensure information reliability.Results: In total 41, 562 patients from 31 European countries were evaluat-ed and 29, 634 (70%) first-line empirical H. pylori treatments were included for analysis. Triple therapy with amoxicillin and clarithromycin was most commonly prescribed (39%), followed by non-bismuth concomitant treat-ment (18%) and bismuth quadruple (three-in-one single capsule) (12%), achieving 84%, 90% and 94% mITT eradication rate, respectively. Over 90% effectiveness was obtained only with 10 and 14-day bismuth quadru- ple or with 14-day concomitant treatment (Table). Longer treatment dura-tion, higher acid inhibition and compliance were associated with higher eradication rates. Conclusion: Management of H. pylori infection by European gastroenter-ologists is heterogeneous. Only quadruple therapies lasting at least ten days are able to achieve over 90% eradication rates.

Background: After a first eradication attempt, approximately 10-20% of patients will fail to achieve H. pylori eradication. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of second-line empirical treatments. Methods: A systematic prospective registry of the clinical practice of European gastroenterologists (31 countries) on H. pylori management was established. All infected adult patients were systematically registered at AEG-REDCap e-CRF until February 2021. Modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and per- protocol (PP) analyses were performed. Results: Overall, 5, 228 patients received a second-line empirical therapy. Overall effectiveness was 84% (both by mITT and PP). Over 97% of patients were compliant. AEs were reported in 28% of the cases. Most frequent second-line prescriptions and effectiveness per antibiotic combination is shown in table 1. After failure of first-line clarithromycin-containing treatment, optimal eradication (>90%) was obtained with moxifloxacin-containing triple therapy, or quadruple therapy with levofloxacin and bismuth. In patients receiving triple regimens containing levofloxacin or moxifloxacin and levofloxacin-bismuth quadruple regimens, cure rates were optimized with 14-day regimens using high doses of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). However, Pylera® or quadruple therapy with levofloxacin and bismuth achieved consistent eradication rates regardless of the PPI dose, duration of therapy, or previous firstline treatment regimen. Conclusion: Empirical second-line regimens including either 14-day triple therapies with levofloxacin or moxifloxacin, or 14-day levofloxacin-bismuth quadruple or 10-day bismuth quadruple therapies provided optimal effectiveness. However, many other second-line treatments evaluated reported low eradication rates.

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend the “test and treat” strategy in young patients without alarm symptoms. Objective: To evaluate the type of tests used for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in naïve patients in Europe. Methods: International multicentre prospective European Registry on H. pylori Management (Hp- EuReg) collecting all adult patients where a diagnostic test was used were registered at AEG- REDCap e-CRF until February 2021. Results: In total, 27, 776 naïve patients from 20 European countries were included in the analysis (61% female, 47%

Background: The best approach for Helicobacter pylori management remains unclear. An audit process is essential to ensure clinical practice is aligned with best standards of care. Design: International multicentre prospective non- interventional registry starting in 2013 aimed to evaluate the decisions and outcomes in H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists. Patients were registered in an e-CRF by AEG-REDCap up to April 2020. Variables included: demographics, previous eradication at-tempts, prescribed treatment, adverse events, and outcomes. Modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and per- protocol (PP) analyses were performed and data were subject to quality review to ensure information reliability. Results: In total 36, 319 patients from 29 European countries were evaluated and 24, 882 (70%) first-line empirical H. pylori treatments were included for analysis. Triple therapy with amoxicillin and clarithromycin was most commonly prescribed (40%), followed by concomitant treatment (19%) and bismuth quadruple (Pylera®) (10%) achieving 83%, 91% and 95% mITT eradication rate, respectively. Over 90% effectiveness was obtained only with 10 and 14-day bismuth quadruple or 14-day concomitant treatment. Longer treatment duration, higher acid inhibition and compliance were associated with higher eradication rates. Conclusions: Management of H. pylori infection by European gastroenterologists is heterogeneous. Only quadruple therapies lasting at least 10 days are able to achieve over 90% eradication rates.

Background: The impact of consensus, prescription choices and efficacy trends on clinical practice over time has not been studied in depth. Methods: International multicenter prospective non- interventional registry aimed to evaluate the decisions and outcomes of H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists. All infected adult patients were registered at AEG-REDCap e-CRF up to April 2020. Modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and time trend analyses were performed. Results: So far 24, 882 first-line empirical prescriptions from 29 European countries have been included. Overall, the most common prescribed treatments in 2013-20 were triple therapies ; however, a shift in antibiotic regimens was identified. Triple therapies decreased from >50% of prescription in 2013/15 to less than 20% in 2018/20 ; concomitant therapy decreased from 21% in 2013/14 to 13% in 2019/20, while Pylera® increased from 0-1% in 2014/2015 to 18% in 2018/20. An increase in the average duration of treatments from 10.9 days in 2013 to 12.0 in 2020, and of the daily dose of PPI was identified. No trend was identified regarding the effectiveness of each specific treatment (data now shown) ; however, an overall 5% improvement in first-line mITT effectiveness was observed. Conclusions: European gastroenterological practice is constantly adapting to the newest published evidence and recommendations (reducing the use of triple therapies and increasing the duration of treatment and the dose of PPIs), with a subsequent improvement in overall effectiveness.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between ADHD symptoms, executive functioning problems, and benefit from extended time testing accommodations. Method: College students completed a battery of measures assessing processing speed and reading fluency, reading comprehension (under two different time limits), symptoms of ADHD, executive functioning deficits, and perceptions of need for extended time. Results: Students reporting more symptoms of ADHD and executive functioning deficits actually benefited less from extended time, and students’ perceptions of their timing needs did not predict benefit. Conclusion: Students with more ADHD symptoms are less likely to use extended time effectively, possibly because of their associated executive functioning problems. These results suggest there may be little justification for examining a student’s ADHD symptoms when making extended time accommodation decisions.

The contents of phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activities were assessed in a carrot collection comprising 35 cultivars, landraces and breeding populations. The accessions originated from various world regions and they represented Eastern and Western carrot gene pools. In two-year field trial carrot roots of orange, red, yellow, white and purple color were cultivated, freeze-dried and analyzed for phenolic content by Folin-Ciocalteu assay and UV/Vis assay. Radical scavenging activity in the extracts was determined with a stable DPPH radical. Carrots developing purple roots possessed on average 9 times more phenolics than roots of other colors. Furthermore, they were rich in anthocyanins that caused very high antiradical activity. Red carrots showed higher antioxidant activity than orange, yellow and white carrots and in the season of lower rainfall they accumulated higher amounts of phenolic compounds. Carrots of Asian origin belonging to Eastern gene pool were more often purple or red and richer in phenolics and had higher antiradical activity than those from the Western gene pool with mainly orange roots. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11130-013-0351-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Students with disabilities are often given tests under accommodated conditions to reduce the effect of their disability on their scores. Students’ perceptions of their own accommodations are important for several reasons and have been the topic of a number of research studies. Some studies have tested students under multiple conditions and asked for their reactions; other studies have given general attitude surveys about accommodations. Research has shown that accommodations generally reduce anxiety and discomfort during testing, but students’ opinions about the practice of providing accommodations are often conflicted and depend on the particular accommodation under discussion. This review describes the current research on students’ perceptions of accommodations, derives implications for practicing school psychologists, and offers further questions to guide future research.

The ‘Spartacus’ F1 sweet pepper was grown in a plastic tunnel on rockwool during 2006-2008. A fertigation technique was used for water and fertiliser application. The tunnel was divided into two parts covered with different plastic films. The first part of the tunnel was covered with a film that transmitted less light than the film covering the second part. In both parts of the tunnel, the plants were divided into two groups. One group of plants was fertilised with just nitrate nitrogen (100% N-NO3) and the other one with three forms of nitrogen (N-NO3:N-NH4:N-NH2 in a ratio of 50:13:37). Fruits were harvested mature green and red. Concentrations of nitrate and ammonium ions as well as total nitrogen and free amino acids were analysed in the plant material. Nitrate and nitrite reductase activities were also investigated, and dry matter content and soluble sugars were also determined. Higher light intensity increased nitrate concentration in red pepper fruits but decreased ammonium ion content. These tendencies were not as obvious in green fruits. In most cases, red fruits fertilised with three nitrogen forms accumulated more nitrates than those fertilised with N-NO3. This observation was similar in the case of green fruits. In most cases, pepper fruits accumulated more ammonium ions in the case of N-NO3 fertilisation than when three forms of nitrogen were applied, but the differences were not always statistically significant. Higher nitrate reductase activity was observed in the case of better light conditions as well as mixed nitrogen fertilisation in red pepper fruits. No differences were observed in the case of nitrite reductase activity between fruits harvested from various treatments in red and also green fruits, with some exceptions. The green fruits of pepper had higher nitrate reductase activity than the red ones. It can be summarised that various light conditions influenced the nitrogen metabolism of pepper fruits as well as the different nitrogen forms applied with fertilisers.

Effect of Maturity Stage and Short-Term Storage on the Biological Quality of Sweet Pepper Fruits Sweet pepper plants of Spartacus cultivar were grown in plastic tunnel on rockwool using the fertigation technique. The three year experiment was carried out in 2006-2008. Fruits were harvested every year in three maturity stages: green, turning and red. The contents of ascorbic acid, phenols, soluble sugars, nitrate and ammonium ions, total nitrogen, free amino acids and dry matter were determined in freshly harvested fruits as well as after short-term (two weeks) storage. Red pepper fruits accumulated significantly more ascorbic acid, soluble sugars and phenols in comparison with the green and turning ones. The level of nitrate ions was highest in the green fruits and decreased during their ripening while the ammonium ion concentration increased. The lowest content of amino acids was observed in green fruits. Two week storage at 5-8°C, followed by two days at room temperature caused the reduction of nitrate ions in green and red fruits. Ammonium ion content as well as phenol and soluble sugar level increased in stored fruits, irrespectively of their maturity stage. Ascorbic acid content increased in the stored turning and red pepper fruits as related to its initial concentration. Dry matter content did not change after storage. Biological quality of harvested pepper fruits depended of their maturity stage, however, their response to short-term storage was similar.

In the heads of four red cabbage cultivars and two DH lines (one of red and one of white type), as well as in the standard white cabbage ‘Lennox F1’ cultivar, the contents of phenolic substances (total, phenylpropanoids, flavonols and anthocyanins) were estimated. Antiradical scavenging activity was determined using the DPPH and ABTS methods. The level of phenolics of all the groups, especially that of the anthocyanins, as well as RSA, was much higher in red cabbage in comparison to white. Among red cabbage assays, also a considerable variability of antioxidative parameters was observed. Four-month commercial storage resulted in a significant reduction in phenol compounds in red cabbage, but this was not the case in the white cultivar. Radical scavenging activity did not significantly change after cold storage, except in 2005/06, when a decrease in RSA measured by the DPPH method was noticed. The values of RSA determined by the ABTS method exceeded those determined by DPPH.

Although the mortality for gastric cancer is decreasing in Western Europe and United States, it still remains high in Eastern Europe. This study was aimed at evaluating short- and long-term results of surgical treatment of gastric cancer performed in Latvia Oncology Center.Retrospectively collected data from 461 patients who underwent gastrectomy with curative intent in Latvia Oncology Center from January 2001 to December 2005 were analyzed statistically.An average (range) of 92.2 (81-102) R0-R1 gastrectomies was performed each year. Post-operative complications occurred in 75 patients (16.3%); in-hospital mortality was 3.3%. The overall 5-year survival was 50.8%. In 444 cases (96.3%) there was histopathologic confirmation of R0-resection with a 5-year survival of 52.5% (P0.001). Considering pT category, 5-year survival was 88.6% for pT1 patients, 65% for pT2, 42.3% for pT3 and 27% for pT4 (P0.001). Considering pN category, 5-year survival was 67% for pN0 patients, 30% for pN1 and 29% for pN2-3 (P0.001).Clinico-pathologic characteristics of patients who underwent resection with curative intent are comparable to other Western experiences. Short- as well as long-term results are also similar if not for pN+ patients where no difference between pN1 and pN2 cases was observed.

Effect of Nitrogen Form and Type of Polyethylene Film Covering Tunnel on Nutrient Content of Hydroponically Grown Sweet Pepper The effect of nitrogen form (nitrate or nitrate-ammonia-amide) and a type of polyethylene film (two types, differing light transmission, light dispersion and PAR) covering a tunnel on the content of macroelements in the leaves of sweet pepper being in different stages of growth were studied. The plants were grown in rockwool slabs, using a drip fertigation system without recirculation. In each part of the tunnel there were two sets of cultivation gutters independently supplied with nutrient solution containing different forms of nitrogen: nitrate (100% N-NO3), nitrate-ammonia-amide (50% N-NO3, 13% N-NH4, 37% N-NH2). Dry matter and mineral composition were determined in the leaves with petioles. The leaves were collected in three stages of growth, e.g. intensive vegetative growth, flowering and full fruiting. The plants fed with nitrate N form contained more Ca and Mg, irrespective of a type of polyethylene film and stage of growth. N form had no effect on K content, except in plants being in flowering. In all stages of growth, irrespective of a type of polyethylene film, the plants fed with nitrate-ammonia-amide N form accumulated more N. The effect of a type of polyethylene film covering a tunnel on nutritional status of the plants being in stage of intensive vegetative growth or flowering was not univocal. However, in fruiting chemical composition, except N content in year 2007, did not depend on a tunnel part.

Two years experiment was carried out to compare the nutritional composition in bulbs of ten onion cultivars grown in the field conditions. Pyruvic acid, ascorbic acid and soluble sugars were determined in the edible part of onion bulbs. In most cultivars the content of pyruvate as the pungency index was ranged between 3-7 μmol g-1 fresh weight (medium pungency), however, three of them exceeded 7 μmol g-1 fresh weight (high pungency). A higher level of pyruvate corresponded in most cases with higher sugar content but was not correlated with that of ascorbic acid.

CONTEXT: Recent studies have addressed the need to better understand the nature and risk of depression and suicide in physicians. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a sample of practicing physicians, their perceptions of the impact of depression on their work lives, and their perceptions of the impact of being a physician on their pursuit of mental health care. DESIGN: An anonymous survey was mailed in April 2005 that included the Patient Health Questionnaire depression module (PHQ-9) and other Likert-style questions. PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand randomly selected practicing physicians in Michigan, from whom 1154 usable responses were received (23% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of depressive symptoms and the perceptions by respondents of the impact of depression on work roles and on their approach to seeking mental health care. RESULTS: Moderate to severe depression scores were reported by 130 physicians (11.3%). Roughly one quarter of respondents reported knowing a physician whose professional standing had been compromised by being depressed. Physicians reporting moderate to severe depression were 2 to 3 times more likely to report substantial impact on their work roles compared to physicians with minimal to mild depression scores, including a decrease in work productivity (57.7% vs. 18.5%; p < .001) and a decrease in work satisfaction (90.8% vs. 36.2%; p < .001). The same physicians were 2 to 3 times more likely to report a wide range of dysfunctional and worrisome approaches to seeking mental health care compared to physicians with minimal to mild depression scores, including a higher likelihood that they would self-prescribe antidepressants (30.0% vs. 9.9%; p < .001) and a higher likelihood that they would avoid seeking treatment due to concerns about confidentiality (50.7% vs. 17.3%; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to severe depression scores are reported by a substantial portion of practicing physicians in Michigan, with important influences on physician work roles and potential negative impact on licensing and medical staff status. The risk of being stigmatized may cause depressed physicians to alter their approach to seeking mental health care, including seeking care outside their medical community and self-prescribing antidepressants. Destigmatization of depression in physicians and interventions to improve the mental health care of physicians in ways that do not compromise their professional standing should receive more attention. Language: en

Phenolic constituents (total phenols, phenylpropanoids, flavonols and anthocyanins) and antioxidant ability were determined in bee pollen of 12 plant species. Antioxidant ability was measured as total antioxidant activity, radical-scavenging activity and activity against free hydroxyl radical. Great variability of phenolic contents was observed in the pollen of investigated species. Total antioxidant activity differed considerably (0.8–86.4% inhibition of lipid peroxidation), however, in most of the examined pollens, it was high and corresponded with the phenylpropanoid level. Great differences in the radical-scavenging activity (8.6–91.5% of DPPH neutralization) and in the hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity (10.5–98% inhibition of deoxyribose degradation) were observed and were not correlated with the content of phenolic compounds. In most of the investigated plant species, antioxidative capacity of bee pollen was very high.

The herbs of lemon balm, oregano, and peppermint were analysed immediately after harvest and after drying to determine their antioxidant activity and content of total phenolics, l -ascorbic acid, and carotenoids. The strongest inhibition of linoleic acid (LA) peroxidation was found for fresh and dried oregano. For peppermint and lemon balm it was significantly lower and decreased after drying. The ability to scavenge the free radical DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) was very high in almost all tested samples, exceeding 90%. The three species tested had a very high content of total phenolics and drying of oregano and peppermint resulted in their considerable increase. The highest content of ascorbic acid was determined in fresh peppermint and lemon balm and carotenoid content was at a similar level in all the species tested. Drying caused great losses of these compounds.

The superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the antiradical activity (RSA) together with the phenylopropanoids, flavonoids and chlorophyll levels in flower bud tissue were estimated during short-term storage of broccoli Lord cultivar. Catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities were detected in broccoli flower branchlets. The activity of SOD increased gradually at both storage temperatures (20 and 5 °C), while the RSA increased only in higher temperature. Increase in catalase activity was observed after 1-day storage of non-packaged broccoli at 20 °C, followed by its decrease, and after 1- and 3-day storage of the packaged heads. In the case of low temperature the enzyme activity increased only after 10 days of storage. Storage of broccoli at room temperature caused the significant increase of peroxidase activity, while at low temperature (5 °C) activity of the enzyme rose after 10 days. During the storage, the accumulation of phenylopropanoids and flavonoids in broccoli flower buds was observed. The rapid decrease of chlorophyll was observed only in the case of broccoli heads stored at 20 °C. Applying of polyethylene foil to packaging of broccoli heads during storage in most cases decreased the SOD, CAT, POD antiradical activities and phenol content, and slowed down chlorophyll decomposition in flower buds. The obtained results emphasize the active role of antioxidant components of broccoli flower buds senescing during short-term storage, especially in intense stress conditions.

The antioxidant capacity was determined in the peel of two apple cultivars (Jonagold and S'ampion) stored for 120 days at 1 °C, either in the regular cold chamber or in CA (2% CO 2 /2% O 2 ). During long-term cold storage as well as during an additional 7 day storage of fruits at 16 °C, total phenols, total antioxidant activity (TAA), and radical scavenging activity (RSA) increased considerably, irrespective of the storage conditions. A slight decrease in anthocyanins was observed in apples stored in air, while the CA treatment did not cause any significant changes. Increase of soluble peroxidase (POD) activity was much stronger in apples kept in air than in CA, while, after a subsequent 7 day storage at high temperature, a further increase in enzyme activity was observed in all treatments. The high activity of polyphenoloxidase (PPO), determined in freshly harvested fruits, dropped to low (Jonadgold) or undetectable (S'ampion) levels after cold storage, both in the regular chamber and in CA, and increased slightly after the high temperature treatment. In the stored fruits a marked ethylene evolution was found, especially when stored in air.

In broccoli heads grown in spring and in autumn, and harvested at four various developmental stages antioxidant ability as well as certain indices of plant senescence were investigated. Development of broccoli heads was accompanied by losses of chlorophyll and ascorbic acid. At pre-florescence stage accumulation of soluble phenolics was observed. Activity of peroxidase in the initial stage of growth increased significantly and its high level was mantained during the whole growing period. The profound evolution of ethylene was manifested by plants of the pre-florescence stage.

Some metabolic changes in broccoli heads stored under commonly-applied conditions were investigated. Freshly harvested broccoli of Lord cultivar were stored at 20°C and at 5°C for 3 and 7 days, respectively, either non-packaged or packaged in polymeric film samples. Short-term storage at room temperature induced accumulation of total phenols, especially in non-packaged broccoli. With low-temperature treatment, phenol content rose only after 7 day storage of non-packaged heads. Both low temperature and application of polymeric foil stopped losses of ascorbic acid. Total antioxidant activity increased considerably during storage in all treatments. Changes of fatty acids were manifested as a slight decrease in saturated fatty acids in cold storage and increase of polyunsaturated fatty acids in most treatments. Metabolism of fatty acids did not correspond to thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (products of lipid peroxidation).

Antioxidant capacity of edible parts and tunic of nine selected onion cultivars of yellow, red and white color was estimated in freshly harvested bulbs and after long-term winter storage. Phenolic substances such as total, phenylpropanoids, flavonols and anthocyanins were detected by spectrophotometric and HPLC methods. Radical scavenging activity was measured in tissue extracts and expressed as the percentage of DPPH neutralization. Great variability of phenolics was observed in the onion flesh as well as in the tunic, the level of them determined in the skin was considerably higher in comparison with the edible parts. Antiradical activity of the flesh was poor, however, in the tunic exceeded 60% and was correlated with content of total phenols. Five month storage did not affect either phenolic substances or RSA in onion tunic while in flesh the significant decrease of antiradical activity was noted.

The authors are indebted to the collaborators in the participating centres and all parents, children, teachers and other school staff who participated in the surveys. There are many field workers and funding agencies who supported data collection and national, regional and international meetings, including the meetings of the ISAAC Steering Committee. Unfortunately, these are too numerous to mention (they are acknowledged elsewhere) but the authors particularly wish to thank the funders who supported the ISAAC International Data Centre including the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand, the National Child Health Research Foundation, the Hawke’s Bay Medical Research Foundation, the Waikato Medical Research Foundation, Glaxo Wellcome New Zealand and Astra New Zealand, as well as Glaxo Wellcome International Medical Affairs for finding the regional coordinating centres. The International Data Centre is now supported by a grant from the BUPA Foundation., The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase One showed large worldwide variations in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema, up to 10 to 20 fold between countries. Ecological analyses were undertaken with ISAAC Phase One data to explore factors that may have contributed to these variations, and are summarised and reviewed here. In ISAAC Phase One the prevalence of symptoms in the past 12 months of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema were estimated from studies in 463,801 children aged 13 - 14 years in 155 centres in 56 countries, and in 257,800 children aged 6-7 years in 91 centres in 38 countries. Ecological analyses were undertaken between symptom prevalence and the following: Gross National Product per capita (GNP), food intake, immunisation rates, tuberculosis notifications, climatic factors, tobacco consumption, pollen, antibiotic sales, paracetamol sales, and outdoor air pollution. Symptom prevalence of all three conditions was positively associated with GNP, trans fatty acids, paracetamol, and women smoking, and inversely associated with food of plant origin, pollen, immunisations, tuberculosis notifications, air pollution, and men smoking. The magnitude of these associations was small, but consistent in direction between conditions. There were mixed associations of climate and antibiotic sales with symptom prevalence. The potential causality of these associations warrant further investigation. Factors which prevent the development of these conditions, or where there is an absence of a positive correlation at a population level may be as important from the policy viewpoint as a focus on the positive risk factors. Interventions based on small associations may have the potential for a large public health benefit., peer-reviewed

Although the strategy for Helicobacter pylori infection management is well defined and quite well followed in a number of situations, including peptic ulcer disease, the issue of H. pylori screening and eradication in the general population still remains. The following debate attempts to find the answer of whether or not H. pylori screening should be performed in the asymptomatic population for preventing gastric cancer. As yet, there is no final evidence-based consensus about the need to screen for H. pylori in order to decrease the incidence of gastric cancer.

This paper describes the dynamic modeling and control system development to maintain a constant air speed in the test section of a laboratory wind tunnel. The previous manual operation procedure of this wind tunnel during a typical test with multiple operating conditions had been tedious and awkward at best. The wind tunnel system dynamics have been accurately characterized using single-input, single output (SISO) experimental step responses for specified operating conditions. The implementation of the subsequent control system has improved performance such that this wind tunnel system now can be used like a commercial wind tunnel and both as a classroom instruction tool and as a research tool. This work has been performed by an undergraduate team for the two-semester capstone design course for the Mechanical Engineering Department at Bradley University. This project incorporates many aspects of a mechanical engineer’s education such as mechanical design, sensor selection, software mastery, dynamic analysis, and feedback control implementation. This project also crosses traditional mechanical engineering boundaries because of its connection to the fields of fluid dynamics, system dynamics, and control systems.

There is evidence that the prevalence of allergies and asthma differs between populations in western and eastern Europe. This study investigated the prevalence of wheezing, rhinitis and eczema among schoolchildren in urban and rural areas of Scandinavia and the formerly socialist countries of Eastern Europe. A total of 79,000 children from two age groups (13-14 yrs and 6-7 yrs) in 18 study centres responded to a questionnaire within the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC). The 12 month period prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema was calculated. The prevalence of wheezing among the 13-14 yr old children was 11.2-19.7% in Finland and Sweden, 7.6-8.5% in Estonia, Latvia and Poland and 2.6-5.9% in Albania, Romania, Russia, Georgia and Uzbekistan (except Samarkand). The prevalence of itching eyes and flexural dermatitis varied in a similar manner between the three regions. The regional differences were less pronounced among the 6-7 yr old children in the seven participating centres. The highest prevalence of rhinitis was recorded in April-July in Scandinavia and during the winter months in the other countries. The prevalence of atopy-related disorders was higher in Scandinavia than in Estonia, Latvia and Poland, which in turn had a higher prevalence than five other countries of eastern Europe with a culture less similar to western Europe. This supports the hypothesis that "Western life style" is associated with a high prevalence of childhood allergy.

The aim of this work was to determine the relative contributions of ADPglucose and UDPglucose to starch synthesis in two non-photosynthetic tissues, the developing club of the spadix of Arum maculatum and suspension cultures of Glycine max . Rates of starch accumulation during growth are compared with estimates of the maximum catalytic activities in vitro of ADPglucose starch synthase, ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase, UDPglucose pyrophosphorylase and UDPglucose starch synthase. The latter could only be measured at high concentrations (10–30 mM) of UDPglucose. Clubs of Arum and cells of Glycine contained 292 and 6.8 nmol UDPglucose per gram fresh weight, respectively. The corresponding figures for ADPglucose were 29 and 0.4. From the above data it is argued that in both Arum club and Glycine cells the activity of UDPglucose starch synthase is too low to make any quantitatively significant contribution to starch synthesis. The activities of ADPglucose starch synthase and pyrophosphorylase were high enough to mediate the observed rates of starch accumulation. It is suggested that starch synthesis in these tissues is via ADPglucose.

Sugar disappearance during reconditioning of cold-stored (1,2 and 6°C) Polish potato varieties and strains was investigated. A high sugar level usually increased the rate of sugar loss during subsequent reconditioning, though there were some exceptions. Comparison of two reconditioning temperatures (20 and 30°C) showed that the higher temperature did not increase the rate of sugar loss and because of higher total losses it is not recommended for practical use.

The effect of bruising on total phenols, total glycoal/kaloids (TGA), and ascorbic acid content of Katahdin potatoes was studied. Following bruising, tubers were stored at either 5° or 20°C for I, 3, 6, and I2 wk. Unbruised whole tubers served as controls and bruised halves were compared with unbruised halves. Both halves of bruised tubers were higher in phenols, TGA and lower in ascorbic acid than unbruised controls. Bruised halves contained significantly more phenols, TGA and less ascorbic acid than unbruised halves. Storage temperature did not affect ascorbic acid content but the greatest accumulation of phenols occurred at 5°C and the highest TGA at 20°C storage temperature. Cortex tissue was significantly lower in ascorbic acid than pith tissue.

1) Air adsorbed on potato tuber surface can result the accidental error, decreasing the true value of tuber density. Some deviations from normal temperature do not seem to change substantialy the tuber density. 2) The dry matter determination should be precisely reexamined in a special series of experiments. The improper method can introduce a systematic error, increasing or decreasing the results. 3) It is necessary to compare mostly used methods of starch determination in potato tubers and to estimate the possible systematic errors. 4) The various slope of the regression line: dry mater/starch vs. potato density, can be resulted by different factors as follows: the variable intercellular spaces, the proportional systematic errors in analytical determination, the variable dry matter density, and increasing (or decreasing) value of non-starch substances. 5) The intercellular spaces can result either a constant or a proportional systematic errors in the tuber density determination. They can be eliminated by vacuum infiltration procedure, which should be, however, verified. 6) The dry matter determination seems to be difficult analytical problem and it has not been definitely solved until now. 7) The Maercker's constant has been until now an open question and its variability should be verified from analytical point of view. Analytische Bemerkungen zur Erklarung einiger Abweichungen bei der Bestimmung von Trockensubstanz und Starke aus der Dichte von Kartoffelknollen. 1) An der Oberflache von Kartoffelknollen adsorbierte Luft kann den zufalligen Fehler der Verringerung des wahren Wertes der Knollendichte hervorrufen. Geringe Abweichungen von der Normaltemperatur scheint die Knollendichte nicht wesentlich zu verandern. 2) Die Trockensubstanzbestimmung sollte sorgfaltig uberpruft werden. Die ungeeignete Methodik kann einen systematischen Fehler hervorrufen. 3) Es ist notwendig, die am haufigsten verwendeten Methoden zur Starkebestimmung in Kartoffelknollen miteinander zu vergleichen und die moglichen systematischen Fehler zu bestimmen. 4) Die unterschiedlichen Steigungen der Regressionsgeraden Trockensubstanz/Starke gegen Kartoffeldichte konnen durch verschiedene Faktoren hervorgerufen werden, und zwar durch verschieden grose Interzellularraume, proportionale systematische Fehler bei der analytischen Bestimmung, verschiedene Trockensubstanzdichten und ansteigende (oder absinkende) Werte der Nichtstarkesubstanzen. 5) Die Interzellularraume konnen entweder in einem konstanten oder einem proportionalen systematischen Fehler bei der Knollendichtebestimmung erscheinen. Sie konnen durch ein Vakuum-Infiltrationsverfahren eliminiert werden. 6) Die Trockensubstanzbestimmung durfte ein schwieriges analytisches Problem sein, das bis heute noch nicht eindeutig gelost wurde. 7) Die Maercker-Konstante stellt immer noch eine offene Frage dar, und ihre Veranderlichkeit sollte unter analytischen Gesichtspunkten gepruft werden.

1. Guided Imagery is an independent nursing intervention that has been used successfully in older adults to decrease the stress associated with illness and hospitalization. 2. Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the elderly. It is related to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and sensory deprivation. 3. Discharge teaching that is individualized, realistic, and age-related is the most effective with older adults. 4. The results of this study indicate that discharge teaching using guided imagery has the potential to decrease depression in older adults after discharge from the hospital.