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In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in consumer interest in participating in the sharing economy. One of the markets in which this is particularly visible is the clothing market. Dynamic technological progress and the virtualisation of life have contributed to the creation of applications with which consumers can buy, exchange or borrow clothes. The use of this type of application is treated as a manifestation of sustainable consumption. The main aim of the article is to determine the influence of selected motives on the attitudes towards these applications and their use. The article discusses the results of the research conducted in 2021 on a sample of 412 respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used in the process of analysing the results. The research results suggest that the most important motives for using the discussed applications were economic and utility, with their impact on attitudes towards these applications and the willingness to use them confirmed. Social motives turned out to be the lowest-rated group of determinants. Moreover, their negative impact on both attitudes towards the application and the willingness to use it was confirmed. Ecological motives turned out to be relatively important determinants of using the discussed solutions. Their influence on attitudes towards the application and consumption behaviour was confirmed.

Research background: Ageing societies is a global phenomenon. In the media and the press, there strongly exists a stereotype of elderly people being poorly adjusted to social change, lonely, poor and not open to market novelties. However, an in-depth description of the senior consumer market segment shows their high degree of variety and differentiation in their approach to purchasing product innovations.

Research background: The growing segment of elderly consumers implies the need to permanently explore the needs and expectations of older people in relation to the offer of food products. This is because, as the research results show, the households of the elderly are characterized by the different fulfillment of needs compared to others.

Magnetic properties of single crystalline Ga1-XFexTe (x = 0.05) have been measured. GaTe and related layered III-VI semiconductors exhibit a rich collection of important properties for THz generation and detection. The magnetization versus field for an x = 0.05 sample deviates from the linear response seen previously in Ga1-xMnxSe and Ga1-xMnxS and reaches a maximum of 0.68 emu/g at 2 K in 7 T. The magnetization of Ga1-xFexTe saturates rapidly even at room temperature where the magnetization reaches 50% of saturation in a field of only 0.2 T. In 0.1 T at temperatures between 50 and 400 K, the magnetization drops to a roughly constant 0.22 emu/g. In 0 T, the magnetization drops to zero with no hysteresis present. The data is consistent with Van-Vleck paramagnetism combined with a pronounced crystalline anisotropy, which is similar to that observed for Ga1-xFexSe. Neither the broad thermal hysteresis observed from 100-300 K in In1-xMnxSe nor the spin-glass behavior observed around 10.9 K in Ga1-xMnxS are observed in Ga1-xFexTe. Single crystal x-ray diffraction data yield a rhombohedral space group bearing hexagonal axes, namely R3c. The unit cell dimensions were a = 5.01 Å, b = 5.01 Å, and c = 17.02 Å, with a = 90°, β = 90°, and γ = 120° giving a unit cell volume of 369 Å ³. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing emergence of multi-drug resistant microbial strains has kept the scientific world searching for novel bioactive compounds with specific chemical characteristics. Accordingly, researchers have started exploring the understudied metabolites from endophytes as a new source of bioactive compounds. In this context, the current study was designed to evaluate the bioactive properties of endophytic fungi from the Mokrzański forest in Wrocław, Poland that have not yet been fully researched. Forty-three endophytic fungi were isolated from twelve distinct plants. Following their cultivation, fungal extracts were separately prepared from biomass and cell-free filtrates, and their antibacterial, antifungal (against human and plant pathogens), and antioxidant properties were examined. Five promising fungi after screening were identified to possess all of these activities. These strains and their respective plant hosts were Trichoderma harzianum BUK-T ( Fagus sylvatica ), Aspergillus ochraceus ROB-L1 ( Robinia pseudoacacia ), Chaetomium cochliodes KLON-L1, Fusarium tricinctum KLON-L2 ( Acer platanoides ), and Penicillium chrysogenum SOS-B2 ( Pinus sylvestris ). Moreover, gamma irradiation at several doses (Gy) was separately applied to the fungal cultures to study their effects on the recorded activities. Finally, compounds after preparative thin-layer chromatography fractionation of the five fungal strains were identified by GC-MS. These findings suggest that the isolated endophytic fungi could serve as novel sources of bioactive metabolites with antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties, potentially paving the way for future research and the development of new bioactive compounds.

Currently, there is an increasing number of cases of fungal infections caused by opportunistic strains of the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa , mainly in immunocompromised patients during hospitalization. The excessive use of antibiotics and azole compounds increases the risk of resistance to microorganisms. A new alternative to these drugs may be synthetic phthalide lactones with a structure identical to or similar to the natural ones found in celery plants, which show low toxicity and relatively high fungistatic activity. In the present study, the fungistatic activity of seven phthalide lactones was determined against R. mucilaginosa IHEM 18459. We showed that 3- n -butylidenephthalide, the most potent compound selected in the microdilution test, caused a dose-dependent decrease in dry yeast biomass. Phthalide accumulated in yeast cells and contributed to an increase in reactive oxygen species content. The synergistic effect of fluconazole resulted in a reduction in the azole concentration required for yeast inhibition. We observed changes in the color of the yeast cultures; thus, we conducted experiments to prove that the carotenoid profile was altered. The addition of lactones also triggered a decline in fatty acid methyl esters.

Propenylbenzenes, including isosafrole, anethole, isoeugenol, and their derivatives, are natural compounds found in essential oils from various plants. Compounds of this group are important and valuable, and are used in the flavour and fragrance industries as well as the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient process for synthesising oxygenated derivatives of these compounds and evaluate their potential biological activities. In this paper, we propose a two-step chemo-enzymatic method. The first step involves the synthesis of corresponding diols 1b-5b from propenylbenzenes 1a-5a via lipase catalysed epoxidation followed by epoxide hydrolysis. The second step involves the microbial oxidation of a diasteroisomeric mixture of diols 1b-5b to yield the corresponding hydroxy ketones 1c-4c , which in this study was performed on a preparative scale using Dietzia sp. DSM44016, Rhodococcus erythropolis DSM44534, R. erythropolis PCM2150, and Rhodococcus ruber PCM2166. Application of scaled-up processes allowed to obtain hydroxy ketones 1-4c with the following yield range 36-62.5%. The propenylbenzene derivatives thus obtained and the starting compounds were tested for various biological activities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, haemolytic, and anticancer activities, and their impact on membrane fluidity. Fungistatic activity assay against selected strains of Candida albicans results in MIC 50 value varied from 37 to 124 μg/mL for compounds 1a , 3a-c , 4a,b , and 5a,b . The highest antiradical activity was shown by propenylbenzenes 1-5a with a double bond in their structure with EC 50 value ranged from 19 to 31 μg/mL. Haemolytic activity assay showed no cytotoxicity of the tested compounds on human RBCs whereas, compounds 2b-4b and 2c-4c affected the fluidity of the RBCs membrane. The tested compounds depending on their concentration showed different antiproliferative activity against HepG2, Caco-2, and MG63. The results indicate the potential utility of these compounds as fungistatics, antioxidants, and proliferation inhibitors of selected cell lines., 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 © 2023 Hernik, Szczepańska, Ghezzi, Brenna, Włoch, Pruchnik, Mularczyk, Marycz, Olejniczak and Boratyński.)

Novel compounds with antidepressant activity via monoamine oxidase inhibition are being sought. Among these, derivatives of 3- n -butylphthalide, a neuroprotective lactone from Apiaceae plants, may be prominent candidates. This study aimed to obtain the oxidation products of 3- n -butylphthalide and screen them regarding their activity against the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) isoform. Such activity of these compounds has not been previously tested. To obtain the metabolites, we used fungi as biocatalysts because of their high oxidative capacity. Overall, 37 strains were used, among which Penicillium and Botrytis spp. were the most efficient, leading to the obtaining of three main products: 3- n -butyl-10-hydroxyphthalide, 3- n -butylphthalide-11-oic acid, and 3- n -butyl-11-hydroxyphthalide, with a total yield of 0.38-0.82 g per g of the substrate, depending on the biocatalyst used. The precursor-3- n -butylphthalide and abovementioned metabolites inhibited the MAO-A enzyme; the most active was the carboxylic acid derivative of the lactone with inhibitory constant (K i ) < 0.001 µmol/L. The in silico prediction of the drug-likeness of the metabolites matches the assumptions of Lipinski, Ghose, Veber, Egan, and Muegge. All the compounds are within the optimal range for the lipophilicity value, which is connected to adequate permeability and solubility.

Piperonal is a compound of key industrial importance due to its attractive olfactory and biological properties. It has been shown that among the fifty-six various fungal strains tested, the ability to cleave the toxic isosafrole into piperonal through alkene cleavage is mainly found in strains of the genus Trametes . Further studies involving strains isolated directly from different environments (decaying wood, fungal fruiting bodies, and healthy plant tissues) allowed the selection of two Trametes strains, T. hirsuta Th2&#95;2 and T. hirsuta d28, as the most effective biocatalysts for the oxidation of isosafrole. The preparative scale of biotransformation with these strains provided 124 mg (conv. 82%, isolated yield 62%) and 101 mg (conv. 69%, isolated yield 50.5%) of piperonal, respectively. Due to the toxic impact of isosafrole on cells, preparative scale processes with Trametes strains have not yet been successfully performed and described in the literature.

Whisky lactone is a naturally occurring fragrance compound in oak wood and is widely used as a sensory additive in food products. However, safe and efficient methods for the production of its individual enantiomers for applications in the food industry are lacking. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient and highly stereoselective process for the synthesis of individual enantiomeric forms of whisky lactones. The proposed three-step method involves (1) column chromatography separation of a diastereoisomeric mixture of whisky lactone, (2) chemical reduction of cis-and trans -whisky lactones to corresponding syn-and anti -diols, and (3) microbial oxidation of racemic diols to individual enantiomers of whisky lactone. Among various bacteria in the genera Dietzia , Gordonia , Micrococcus , Rhodococcus, and Streptomyces , R. erythropolis DSM44534 and R. erythropolis PCM2150 effectively oxidized anti-and syn -3-methyl-octane-1,4-diols ( 1a-b ) to corresponding enantiomerically pure cis-and trans -whisky lactones, indicating high alcohol dehydrogenase activity. Bio-oxidation catalyzed by whole cells of these strains yielded enantiomerically pure isomers of trans -(+)-(4 S ,5 R ) ( 2a ), trans -(-)-(4 R ,5 S ) ( 2b ), and cis -(+)-(4 R ,5 R ) ( 2d ) whisky lactones. The optical density of bacterial cultures and the impact of the use of acetone powders as catalysts on the course of the reaction were also evaluated. Finally, the application of R. erythropolis DSM44534 in the form of an acetone powder generated the enantiomerically enriched cis -(-)-(4 S ,5 S )-isomer ( 2c ) from the corresponding syn -diol ( 1b ). The newly developed method provides an improved approach for the synthesis of chiral whisky lactones., 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 © 2023 Hernik, Gatti, Brenna, Szczepańska, Olejniczak and Boratyński.)

The resistance of Candida albicans and other pathogenic yeasts to azole antifungal drugs has increased rapidly in recent years and is a significant problem in clinical therapy. The current state of pharmacological knowledge precludes the withdrawal of azole drugs, as no other active substances have yet been developed that could effectively replace them. Therefore, one of the anti-yeast strategies may be therapies that can rely on the synergistic action of natural compounds and azoles, limiting the use of azole drugs against candidiasis. Synergy assays performed in vitro were used to assess drug interactions Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index. The synergistic effect of fluconazole ( 1 ) and three synthetic lactones identical to those naturally occurring in celery plants-3- n -butylphthalide ( 2 ), 3- n -butylidenephthalide ( 3 ), 3- n -butyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrophthalide ( 4 )-against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. albicans ATCC 2091, and C. guilliermondii KKP 3390 was compared with the performance of the individual compounds separately. MIC 90 (the amount of fungistatic substance (in µg/mL) inhibiting yeast growth by 90%) was determined as 5.96-6.25 µg/mL for fluconazole ( 1 ) and 92-150 µg/mL for lactones 2-4. With the simultaneous administration of fluconazole ( 1 ) and one of the lactones 2-4 , it was found that they act synergistically, and to achieve the same effect it is sufficient to use 0.58-6.73 µg/mL fluconazole ( 1 ) and 1.26-20.18 µg/mL of lactones 2-4 . As fluconazole and phthalide lactones show synergy, 11 new fluconazole analogues with lower toxicity and lower inhibitory activity for CYP2C19, CYP1A2, and CYP2C9, were designed after in silico testing. The lipophilicity was also analyzed. A three-carbon alcohol with two rings was preserved. In all compounds 5-15, the 1,2,4-triazole rings were replaced with 1,2,3-triazole or tetrazole rings. The hydroxyl group was free or esterified with phenylacetic acid or thiophene-2-carboxylic acid chlorides or with adipic acid. In structures 11 and 12 the hydroxyl group was replaced with the fragment -CH 2 Cl or = CH 2 . Additionally, the difluorophenyl ring was replaced with unsubstituted phenyl. The structures of the obtained compounds were determined by 1 H NMR, and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. Molecular masses were established by GC-MS or elemental analysis. The MIC 50 and MIC 90 of all compounds 1-15 were determined against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. albicans ATCC 2091, AM 38/20, C. guilliermondii KKP 3390, and C. zeylanoides KKP 3528. The MIC 50 values for the newly prepared compounds ranged from 38.45 to 260.81 µg/mL. The 90% inhibitory dose was at least twice as high. Large differences in the effect of fluconazole analogues 5-15 on individual strains were observed. A synergistic effect on three strains- Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. albicans ATCC 2091, C. guilliermondii KKP 339-was observed. Fractional inhibitory concentrations FIC 50 and FIC 90 were tested for the most active lactone, 3- n -butylphthalide, and seven fluconazole analogues. The strongest synergistic effect was observed for the strain C. albicans ATCC 10231, FIC 0.04-0.48. The growth inhibitory amount of azole is from 25 to 55 µg/mL and from 3.13 to 25.3 µg/mL for 3- n -butylphthalide. Based on biological research, the influence of the structure on the fungistatic activity and the synergistic effect were determined.

A number of biopigment applications in various industrial sectors are gaining importance due to the growing consumer interest in their natural origin. Thus, this work was conducted to valorize endophytic fungi as an efficient production platform for natural pigments. A promising strain isolated from leaves of Origanum majorana was identified as Monascus ruber SRZ112 produced several types of pigments. The nature of the pigments, mainly rubropunctamine, monascin, ankaflavin, rubropunctatin, and monascorubrin in the fungal extract was studied by LC/ESI-MS/MS analyses. As a first step towards developing an efficient production of red pigments, the suitability of seven types of agro-industrial waste was evaluated. The highest yield of red pigments was obtained using potato peel moistened with mineral salt broth as a culture medium. To increase yield of red pigments, favourable culture conditions including incubation temperature, incubation period, pH of moistening agent, inoculum concentration, substrate weight and moisture level were evaluated. Additionally, yield of red pigments was intensified after the exposure of M. ruber SRZ112 spores to 1.00 KGy gamma rays. The final yield was improved by a 22.12-fold increase from 23.55 to 3351.87 AU g -1 . The anticancer and antioxidant properties of the pigment's extract from the fungal culture were also studied. The obtained data indicated activity of the extract against human breast cancer cell lines with no significant cytotoxicity against normal cell lines. The extract also showed a free radical scavenging potential. This is the first report, to our knowledge, on the isolation of the endophytic M. ruber SRZ112 strain with the successful production of natural pigments under solid-state fermentation using potato peel as a substrate., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The demand for natural food flavorings increases every year. Biotransformation has become an attractive approach to obtain natural products. In this work, enantiomerically pure (R)-(+)-δ-decalactone was obtained by reduction of the C=C double bond of natural massoia lactone in a continuous-flow reactor. Of 13 different ene-reductases isolated, purified and tested, OYE3 was found to be the most efficient biocatalyst. The selected biocatalyst, either in the form of purified enzyme, cell lysate, whole cells or immobilized cells, was tested in the batch system as well as in the packed-bed flow bioreactor. The biotransformation performed in batch mode, using Ca 2+ -alginate immobilized cells of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)/pET30a-OYE3, furnished the desired product with complete conversion in 30 min. The process was intensified using a continuous-flow reactor-membrane filtration system (flow 0.1 mL/min, substrate concentration 10 mM, pH 7, 24 °C) with cell lysate as biocatalyst combined with a cofactor regeneration system, which allowed obtaining > 99% bioconversion of massoia lactone., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Phthalides are bioactive compounds that naturally occur in the family Apiaceae. Considering their potentially versatile applications, it is desirable to determine their physical properties, activity and metabolic pathways. This study aimed to examine the utility of whole-cell biocatalysts for obtaining 3-butyl-3-hydroxyphthalide, which is the metabolite formulated during mammalian metabolism of 3- n -butylidenephthalide. We performed transformations using 10 strains of fungi, five of which efficiently produced 3-butyl-3-hydroxyphthalide. The product yield, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, reached 97.6% when Aspergillus candidus AM 386 was used as the biocatalyst. Increasing the scale of the process resulted in isolation yields of 29-45% after purification via reversed-phase thin layer chromatography, depending on the strain of the microorganism used. We proposed different mechanisms for product formation; however, hydration of 3- n -butylidenephthalide seems to be the most probable. Additionally, all phthalides were tested against clinical strains of Candida albicans using the microdilution method. Two phthalides showed a minimum inhibitory concentration, required to inhibit the growth of 50% of organisms, below 50 µg/mL. The 3- n -butylidenephthalide metabolite was generally inactive, and this feature in combination with its low lipophilicity suggests its involvement in the detoxification pathway. The log P value of tested compounds was in the range of 2.09-3.38.

Apiaceae plants exhibit a broad spectrum of activities, for instance, antithrombotic, hypotensive, antioxidant, and insecticidal. They also provide a source of phthalides, which display antimicrobial activity. Considering the fact of rising resistance of both bacteria and fungi against commonly used antibiotics, developing of new naturally derived compounds is undeniably attractive approach. To our best knowledge, there are no other reviews concerning this subject in the literature. In view of above, an attempt to summarize an antimicrobial potential of isolated compounds and extracts from Apiaceae plants has been made, by specifying techniques of activity determination and methods of extraction. Techniques of antimicrobial activity evaluation are mainly based on bioautography, diffusion, and dilution methods. Therefore, we focused on in vitro data described in literature so far., (Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The study show usefulness of rapeseed cake, rich in fats and proteins byproduct generated after oil production, which may be used as a microbial medium for lipase and protease biosynthesis. Of 26 different filamentous fungi screened by solid-state fermentation, Penicillium camemberti AM83 was found to abundantly produce lipase and protease. Various process parameters were then optimized to maximize lipase and protease secretion, including carbon and nitrogen source, C/N ratio, metal ions, temperature, moisture content, initial pH, and inoculum size. Lipase production increased approximately 11.2-fold in solid-state cultures on rapeseed cake supplemented with lactose and calcium chloride, alkalinized to pH 8, hydrated to 80%, and inoculated with 1.2 × 10 6 spores/mL. Similarly, protease production increased approximately 8.4-fold in optimized cultures inoculated with 3.2 × 10 8 spores/mL, and grown on rapeseed cake with lactose and ammonium sulfate at pH 9 and moisture content 60%. The results highlight the potential economic value of solid-state fermentation on rapeseed cake to produce industrial hydrolases.

In this study, solid-state fermentation (SSF) was proposed as an alternative approach to obtain optically pure forms of one of the most common aroma compounds, whisky lactone. Filamentous fungi were used for enantioselective hydrolysis of a racemate of trans and cis whisky lactones, utilizing rapeseed cake as a growth medium. Among the tested fungi, Fusarium oxysporum AM13 and Papularia rosea AM17 were chosen for further studies. Various process parameters, including temperature, moisture content of solid media, and substrate concentration were optimized to maximize the efficiency of the kinetic resolution process. After optimization of the culture conditions (33 °C temperature, 60% moisture content, and substrate concentration of 3 mg/g oilseed cake), F. oxysporum AM13 resolved a mixture of trans -(+)-(4 S ,5 R ) and cis -(+)-(4 R ,5 R ) whisky lactones with enantiomeric excess (ee), ee > 99% and ee = 98%, respectively. This study presents an inexpensive and environmentally friendly method for the production of enantiomerically pure aroma lactones via the solid-state fermentation of oilseed cake. The results revealed that SSF is an effective method for acquiring highly valued and industrially demanded compounds with negligible economic cost., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Lactone 2a of a bicyclo[4.3.0]nonane structure is a good starting material for synthesis of many attractive compounds. Enantiomerically enriched (-)-(3aR,7aS)-lactone 2a is produced by whole cells of bacteria. In order to examine the impact of the absolute configuration on biological activity we evaluated the process affording the opposite isomer. To this purpose Candida pelliculosa ZP22 characterized by high dehydrogenase activity was used. The goal of presented work was to perform bioreactor scale microbial one-pot oxidation of diol with selected yeast strain C. pelliculosa ZP22 to obtain chiral (+)-(3aS,7aR)-lactone 2a. The idea was to influence on alcohol dehydrogenase activity by increasing the activity of pro-(+)-ADH and simultanously diminishing the activity of pro-(-)-ADH. The optimization of biotransformation conditions involved the manipulation of the nutritional and physical parameters. Selection of the optimal medium in order to improve yield and process enantioselectivity was based on a two-level factorial design methodology. We have also studied the relationship between microbial growth and biosynthesis of lactone 2a. Preparative oxidation of diol 3a (400 mg/L, 2.9 mM) catalyzed by C. pelliculosa ZP22 in an optimized conditions afforded enantiomerically enriched (+)-(3aS,7aR)-isomer of lactone 2a with the isolated yield (30%).

Objective: Preterm labour is defined as the onset of labour between weeks 23 and before 37 of gestation. The purpose of this study was to compare the cytokine profile in the blood serum of patients experiencing threatened premature labour, along with the time of delivery and the foetus body mass at birth., Methods: The study included 89 women hospitalised at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinical Hospital in the period 2011-2013. Group 1 comprised 31 patients diagnosed with threatened preterm labour, prior to tocolytic treatment. Group 2 comprised 32 patients with tocolytic treatment. Group 3 constituted the control group., Results: Groups 1, 2 and 3 differed considerably in terms of the week of delivery of pregnancy (p = 0.006). Analogous results were obtained by analysing the body mass at birth, where a statistically significant difference in body mass at birth was found between Groups 1, 2 and 3 (p  < 0.001). Our analysis focussed on the cytokine profile of the women included in the study, but no considerable changes in cytokine concentration were observed., Conclusions: No statistically significant differences were found in the cytokine profile among those patients in normally progressing pregnancy or in threatened preterm labour. No suitability of progesterone treatment in threatened preterm labour was observed.

In the current study, we present a green toolbox to produce ecological compounds like lactone moiety. Rhodococcus erythropolis DSM 44534 cells have been used to oxidize both decane-1,4-diol () and decane-1,5-diol () into the corresponding γ- () and δ-decalactones () with yield of 80% and enantiomeric excess (ee) = 75% and ee = 90%, respectively. Among oxidation of meso diols, (-)-(1S,5R)-cis-3-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]non-7-en-2-one (5a) with 56% yield and ee = 76% as well as (-)-(2R,3S)-cis-endo-3-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]dec-7-en-2-one (6a) with 100% yield and ee = 90% were formed. It is worth mentioning that R. erythropolis DSM 44534 grew in a mineral medium containing ethanol as the sole source of energy and carbon Chirality 28:623-627, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The aim of the study was to determine in vitro biological activity of fruit ethanol extract from Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai (Japanese quince, JQ) and its important constituents (-)-epicatechin (EC) and chlorogenic acid (CA). The study also investigated the structural changes in phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes, and erythrocyte membranes (RBC) induced by the extract. It was found that the extract effectively inhibits oxidation of RBC, induced by 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH), and PC liposomes, induced by UVB radiation and AAPH. Furthermore, JQ extract to a significant degree inhibited the activity of the enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, involved in inflammatory reactions. The extract has more than 2 times greater activity in relation to COX-2 than COX-1 (selectivity ratio 0.48). JQ extract stimulated growth of the beneficial intestinal bacteria Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum. In the fluorimetric method by means of the probes Laurdan, DPH and TMA-DPH, and (1)H-NMR, we examined the structural changes induced by JQ and its EC and CA components. The results show that JQ and its components induce a considerable increase of the packing order of the polar heads of lipids with a slight decrease in mobility of the acyl chains. Lipid membrane rigidification could hinder the diffusion of free radicals, resulting in inhibition of oxidative damage induced by physicochemical agents. JQ extract has the ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of human serum albumin through static quenching. This report thus could be of huge significance in the food industry, pharmacology, and clinical medicine.

Objective: To assess presence of HPV infection and identification of the most common HPV types in patients with abnormal cytology based on the Bethesda system (atypical squamous cells)., Material and Method: 81 women with abnormal cytology based on the Bethesda system (atypical squamous cells) were qualified for the study. Material was taken from the cervical canal, the vaginal portion of the cervix and the vagina onto a liquid medium to detect HPV DNA and genotyping of 19 most common oncogenic types of high and medium risk was performed with the Papillomastrip method and for HPV types 6 and 11 with the PCR method., Results: HPV was detected in 53 out of 81 examined women, which accounted for 66%. The most common HPV types were: 6/11 - 23 cases (43% of women with infection), 16 - 23 cases (43% of women with infection), 18 and 33 with 9 cases each (17% of women with infection). Coexistence of 6/11 with 16 or 18 - 13 concerned 15 patients (28% of women with infection) and presence of HPV 16 or 18 was detected in 28 cases (53% of women with infection). Positive HPV type contained in the quadrivalent vaccine against human papillomavirus 6/11 and 16 or 18 was detected in 38 patients (72% of women with infection). 40% of HPV positive women were infected with only one type of the virus, 26%--with two types and 23% with three types., Conclusion: In 81 women with abnormal cytology based on the Bethesda system (atypical squamous cells) within 66% of HPV positive results the most common were type 6/11 (of low oncogenic potential but responsible for anogenital warts) and type 16 of high oncogenic potential.

Unlabelled: The genetic factor remains the most frequent cause of spontaneous abortions. Examination of the fetal tissue from spontaneous miscarriages shows that 75% of them were caused by abnormal karyotype. Other reasons, albeit rare, included submicroscopic genomic rearrangements, monogenic diseases, and polygenic inheritance disorders of the embryo., Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the incidence of chromosomal aberrations in material from the miscarriage., Material and Methods: The study included 47 samples of miscarriage material from 47 women. Fluorescent hybridization in-situ (FISH) was used for genetic examination., Results: Chromosomal abnormalities were diagnosed in 72% of the samples, with trisomy 21 (25.5%), trisomy 16 (17%), and trisomy 18 (12.8%) as the most common. An abnormal number of copies of chromosome 18, 21, 22, indicating the coexistence of trisomy 18, 21, 22, was detected in 1 patient. It was another miscarriage in case of 14 subjects (29.8%)., Conclusions: Chromosomal aberrations were diagnosed in the majority of fetal tissue samples from spontaneous miscarriages. More than one chromosomal aberration in a single embryo is an extremely rare occurrence. Miscarriage due to chromosomal aberrations occurred in the vast majority of women > 35 years of age.

A group of biodegradable alanine-derived gemini quaternary ammonium salts (bromides and chlorides) with various alkyl chains and spacer lengths was tested for anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm activity. The strongest antifungal activity was exhibited by bromides with 10 and 12 carbon atoms within hydrophobic chains (N,N'-bis(1-decyloxy-1-oxopronan-2-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethylpropane-1,3-diammonium dibromide and N,N'-bis(1-dodecyloxy-1-oxopronan-2-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethane-1,2-diammonium dibromide). It was also demonstrated that these gemini surfactants enhanced the sensitivity of Candida albicans to azoles (itraconazole and fluconazole) and polyenes (amphotericin B and nystatine). Gemini quaternary ammonium salts effectively inhibited fungal cell adhesion to polystyrene and silicone surface. These compounds reduced C. albicans filamentation and eradicated C. albicans and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa biofilms, as it was shown in crystal violet and fluorescent staining. None of the tested compounds were cytotoxic against yeast mitochondrial metabolism.

Six analogues of natural trans-4-butyl-cis-3-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-2-one (3) and three derivatives, 11, 12, and 13, of Vince lactam (10) were synthesized and tested as fungistatic agents against Botrytis cinerea AM235, Penicillium citrinum AM354, and six strains of Aspergillus. Moreover, bioresolution carried out by means of whole cell microorganisms and commercially available enzymes afforded opposite enantiomerically enriched (-) and (+) isomers of Vince lactam (10), respectively. The effect of compound structures and stereogenic centers on biological activity has been discussed. The highest fungistatic activity was observed for four lactones: 3, 4, 7, and 8 (IC50 = 104.6-115.2 μg/mL) toward B. cinerea AM235. cis-5,6-Epoxy-2-aza[2.2.1]heptan-3-one (13) indicated significant fungistatic activity (IC50 = 107.1 μg/mL) against Aspergillus glaucus AM211. trans-4-Butyl-cis-3-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-2-one (3) and trans-4-butyl-cis-3-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]non-7-en-2-one (7) exhibited high fungistatic activity (IC50 = 143.2 and 110.2 μg/mL, respectively) against P. citrinum AM354 as well.

The Escobar variant of multiple pterygium syndrome (MPS) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder which may lead to many serious or even lethal fetal abnormalities. MPS is characterized by pterygia, arthrogryposis (joint contractures), and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). In the case described below, increased fetal nuchal translucency was the first abnormality diagnosed already in the first trimester of pregnancy. Other symptoms of the disease were found during the second trimester of pregnancy using ultrasonography examination. Also, genetic amniocentesis revealed no genetic disorders and the Escobar syndrome was diagnosed post mortem. Parental and maternal genetic examinations were performed and allowed for early prenatal diagnostics in the next pregnancy resulting in the birth of a healthy newborn.

Studies focused on the possible use of spider webs as environmental pollution indicators. This was a first time ever attempt to use webs as indicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution. The aim of the study was (a) to evaluate whether webs are able to accumulate PM-associated road traffic emissions and be analyzed for organic toxics such as PAHs, (b) to assess if the distance from emission sources could have an influence on the accumulation level of pollutants, and (c) to determine types of pollution sources responsible for a structure of monitoring data set. Webs of four species from the family Agelenidae were sampled for PAHs presence. Data from vehicle traffic sites (i.e., road tunnel, arterial surface road, underground parking) and from railway traffic sites (i.e., two railway viaducts) in the city of Wroclaw (Southwest of Poland) showed a significantly higher mean concentrations of PAHs than the reference site 1 (municipal water supply works). We also found a significant differences at sites differed by the distance from emission sources. The result of PCA analysis suggested three important sources of pollution. We conclude that spider webs despite of some limitations proved useful indicators of road traffic emissions; they could be even more reliable compared to use of bioindicators whose activity is often limited by a lack of water and sun.

Five optically active and sixteen racemic lactones (nine of them new) of bicyclo[4.3.0]nonane structure were synthesized. IC(50) values for the following phytopathogens were determined: Aspergillus ochraceus AM 456, Fusarium culmorum AM 282, Fusarium oxysporum AM 13, Fusarium tricinctum AM 16. Effect of compound structures, especially stereogenic centers, on fungistatic activity has been discussed. The highest fungistatic activity was observed for trans-7,8-dibromo-cis-3-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-2-one (3c), IC(50) = 30.1 μg/mL (0.10 μM/mL), and cis-7,8-epoxy-cis-3-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-2-one (3b), IC(50) = 72.2 μg/mL (0.47 μM/mL), toward F. oxysporum AM 13.

In the title compound, C(8)H(12)O(2), the cyclo-hexane ring exhibits a chair conformation and the δ-lactone ring is axially bonded to the cyclo-hexane ring. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, resulting in ribbons extending along [010].

A diagnostic procedure in the medical treatment of middle hydrothorax at haemodynamically efficient fetus has been presented in the research. Container of the liquid in the fetal thorax has been observed since the eleventh week of pregnancy. Infection by TORCH viruses has been excluded and typical 46,XX female karyotype has been found in the cytogenic test. A liquid in the pericardial sack (without any sings of the fetal heart defect) was observed in the ECHO examination from 23 to 37 week of pregnancy. Cesarean section was made after 37 weeks of pregnancy and the new-born baby was found to be in good condition, with body mass of 3130g and 9 points in the Apgar scale. The child cardiologist did not diagnose any heart disorders. Awaiting attitude, while monitoring the state of the fetus, seems to be the right course of action in cases of haemodynamically efficient fetus with isolated hydrothorax.

The enzymatic lactonization of three acyclic gamma, delta-epoxy esters (ethyl 3,7-dimethyl-4,5-epoxyoctanoate, ethyl 3,7,7-trimethyl-4,5-epoxyoctanoate, and ethyl 3,3,7-trimethyl-4,5-epoxyoctanoate) by apple fruit (Malus silvestris) and Jerusalem artichoke bulb (Helianthus tuberosus L.) was investigated. The substrates were transformed into a mixture of isomeric delta-hydroxy-gamma-lactones and gamma-hydroxy-delta-lactones. The gamma-lactones (yields ranging from 45-70%) predominated over delta-lactones (yields ranging from 8-40%). The composition of the product mixture depended on the structure of substrate as well as the biocatalyst. The enzymatic system in these biocatalysts also exhibited diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity.

The ability of 19 microorganisms to perform the enantioselective lactonization of racemic gamma,delta-epoxy ester 3a and its 7-methyl homolog 3b was checked. It was found that Rhodotorula rubra preferentialy transformed both substrates to (-)-enantiomers of trans delta-hydroxy-gamma-lactones with ee 76% for 3a and 24% for 3b. The best efficiency (20-30%) and enantioselectivity (ee 60-100%) of formation of (-)-gamma-hydroxy-delta-lactones 6a and 6b was observed for lactonization by Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium semitectum, respectively., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)