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The continuing rise in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration causes stomatal closing, thus critically affecting transpirational water loss, photosynthesis, and plant growth. However, the primary CO2 sensor remains unknown. Here, we show that elevated CO2 triggers interaction of the MAP kinases MPK4/MPK12 with the HT1 protein kinase, thus inhibiting HT1 kinase activity. At low CO2, HT1 phosphorylates and activates the downstream negatively regulating CBC1 kinase. Physiologically relevant HT1-mediated phosphorylation sites in CBC1 are identified. In a genetic screen, we identify dominant active HT1 mutants that cause insensitivity to elevated CO2. Dominant HT1 mutants abrogate the CO2/bicarbonate-induced MPK4/12-HT1 interaction and HT1 inhibition, which may be explained by a structural AlphaFold2- and Gaussian-accelerated dynamics-generated model. Unexpectedly, MAP kinase activity is not required for CO2 sensor function and CO2-triggered HT1 inhibition and stomatal closing. The presented findings reveal that MPK4/12 and HT1 together constitute the long-sought primary stomatal CO2/bicarbonate sensor upstream of the CBC1 kinase in plants.

Introduction Stress is inextricably linked to mental well-being while stressful events remain a major contributor to many common psychosomatic disorders. Traumatic events are universal stressors. Only some individuals participating in stressful events do not develop full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but many of them manifest psychosomatic symptoms with a strong psychological component Objectives The current study compared the severity of somatization, anxiety, depression, and distress in medical university students who were exposed and in those who were not exposed to a traumatic event. Methods Data were collected from 594 students of different faculties of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland. Participants were asked whether or not they had experienced any psychological trauma events and were asked to rate the intensity of psychosomatic symptoms they manifested. The data was collected using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) questionnaire and The Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4 DSQ). Results The study found that 78% of study participants experienced a traumatic event while 15% of them reported moderate and severe PTSD symptoms. 45% subjects reported moderate or high stress levels, 23% subjects reported symptoms of depression while 30% reported symptoms of anxiety. The analysis also demonstrated 26% of students participating in the study reported somatic symptoms. In the subgroup of study participants with trauma history trauma sufferers, 36% subjects declared they experienced a one-time event, 23% subjects experienced trauma event twice while others experienced trauma ≥three times. The number of traumatic events was positively associated with the number of PTSD symptoms and severity of psychosomatic manifestations such as stress, depression, anxiety and somatization. In addition, the study analyzed whether traumatic events resulted from conscious and intentional harm by others. In this respect, 16% of subjects declared they participated in an event that was consciously and intentionally caused by others (e.g., battering or abuse). Students who experienced traumatic events related to intentionally harming another person were characterized by a greater severity of depression. Conclusions Study indicates that experiencing traumatic events is associated with a greater severity of a range of psychosomatic symptoms. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Introduction The psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic can have a lasting impact on the emotional well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs). Healthcare professionals working during the pandemic experienced increased occupational stress due to the high risk of contracting the virus, work overload, significantly increased working hours and overlapping job responsibilities Objectives The study aimed to assess the dynamics of mental health and coping and to analyze how HCWs’ emotional responses to a pandemic at the beginning of the pandemic and at the two-year follow-up. This study compared the results of examination of emotional response of HCWs in 2020 and 2022. The relationships between stress and alexithymia, emotional processing, and negative / positive affect in healthcare professionals were analyzed. Methods All respondents of the study were hospital or ambulatory healthcare professionals. Overall, 285 subjects were examined in 2020 while 252 subjects were examined in 2022. Respondents completed several questionnaires such as e.g., the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Emotional Processing Scale (EPS), and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Results Significant increased scores were observed forthe following parameters: alexithymia, identifying feelings, verbalizing feelings, operative thinking style, emotional processing, suppression, signs of unprocessed emotion, controllability of emotions, avoidance of emotional triggers, impoverished emotional experience, surrogate activities, denial, substance use, self-blame, stress, negative mood, somatic disorders, concern, dysfunction, depression, anxiety state and trait. The results were significantly lower for planning, using instrumental support, positive reframing, acceptance, religion, using emotional support, venting and positive mood. Statistically significant differences could not be found for acceptance, active coping, humor and behavioral disengagement Conclusions Research indicates that exposure to the pandemic a pandemic is associated with greater severity of a range of symptoms in HCWs. Two years of the pandemic may have led to psychological impairment. HCWs are more likely to use coping focused on emotional freezing, suppression, avoidance and / or an increase in negative emotions. Clinical observations indicate that caring for others does not correlate with appropriate self-care Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between the level of boredom experienced at work and the strategies chosen as the most effective - either offensive (non-escapist strategies, i.e., strategies for enriching the employee experience) or defensive (boreout strategies/escapist strategies) - strategies for dealing with this experience. This requires first developing a typology of offensive strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A diagnostic survey was used to obtain data, and to verify the hypothesis, an attendance analysis and an index of deviation from equal distribution were applied separately to the two aforementioned groups of strategies. The survey included questions based on an abbreviated version of the Boredom Vulnerability Scale and a typology of boreaut strategies in the literature. Findings: It was confirmed that independently from the level of perceived boredom at work may be preferred defined offensive and defensive behavioral strategies. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of the survey are related to the diagnostic survey method used. The methodological and empirical knowledge gained is intended to improve the methodology of planned future nationwide representative surveys. Practical implications: The results of the survey may be useful to employers who want to understand employees' experiences of boredom and who want to improve those experiences - in line with the Employee Experience idea. Social implications: Boredom at work can imply undesirable behaviors and financial consequences for employers. They are associated with, among other things, the deterioration of employees' health and their counterproductive conduct. Originality/value: The originality relates to the included research context (Employee Experience) and the typology of non-escapist strategies proposed based on this context, as well as to - relating to employee behavioral strategies towards boredom - the results of empirical studies differentiating defensive and offensive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years, ultrasonography (US) has been a widely accepted modality used for joint assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Given the efficacy of present day therapies, there is scepticism whether it is required in the first place. The most recent clinical Targeting synovitis in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (TaSER) and Clinical Tight Control Therapy (ARCTIC) trials’ results appear to contradict it, yet this does not necessarily mean ultrasound has no place in modern rheumatology. The possibility of detecting inflammation at a subclinical level carries a tremendous predictive value, enabling identification of patients likely to experience an exacerbation in the coming months. Therefore, US should be a part of the decision-making process regarding treatment modification or introduction of any additional interventions, such as glucocorticosteroid injections. The results of the most recent clinical trials do not negate the usefulness of US, but merely suggest that it ought to be used in moderation.

Fluorescence spectroscopy is usually applied in physics, chemistry and related sciences. However, in recent years we can observe a growing interest in fluorescence spectroscopy for medical diagnostics. Currently, it is beginning to be used in the monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity. As the knowledge on RA increases, growing importance is being placed on the evaluation of synovitis. Today, it is difficult to imagine contemporary rheumatology without ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, it turns out that these are not the only methods allowing one to visualise subclinical lesions, particularly synovitis. Fluorescence optical imaging (FOI) is also useful for the evaluation of inflammatory lesions in the joints. In the future, FOI may become competitive with “traditional” imaging studies. It is characterised by low cost, short duration and similar sensitivity to US.

Abstract Strigolactones are a group of phytohormones that control developmental processes including shoot branching and various plant–environment interactions in plants. We previously showed that the strigolactone perception mutant more axillary branches 2 (max2) has increased susceptibility to plant pathogenic bacteria. Here we show that both strigolactone biosynthesis (max3 and max4) and perception mutants (max2 and dwarf14) are significantly more sensitive to Pseudomonas syringae DC3000. Moreover, in response to P. syringae infection, high levels of SA accumulated in max2 and this mutant was ozone sensitive. Further analysis of gene expression revealed no major role for strigolactone in regulation of defense gene expression. In contrast, guard cell function was clearly impaired in max2 and depending on the assay used, also in max3, max4, and d14 mutants. We analyzed stomatal responses to stimuli that cause stomatal closure. While the response to abscisic acid (ABA) was not impaired in any of the mutants, the response to darkness and high CO2 was impaired in max2 and d14‐1 mutants, and to CO2 also in strigolactone synthesis (max3, max4) mutants. To position the role of MAX2 in the guard cell signaling network, max2 was crossed with mutants defective in ABA biosynthesis or signaling. This revealed that MAX2 acts in a signaling pathway that functions in parallel to the guard cell ABA signaling pathway. We propose that the impaired defense responses of max2 are related to higher stomatal conductance that allows increased entry of bacteria or air pollutants like ozone. Furthermore, as MAX2 appears to act in a specific branch of guard cell signaling (related to CO2 signaling), this protein could be one of the components that allow guard cells to distinguish between different environmental conditions.

Summary: Land plants evolved multiple adaptations to restrict transpiration. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not sufficiently understood.We used an ozone‐sensitivity forward genetics approach to identify Arabidopsis thaliana mutants impaired in gas exchange regulation.High water loss from detached leaves and impaired decrease of leaf conductance in response to multiple stomata‐closing stimuli were identified in a mutant of MURUS1 (MUR1), an enzyme required for GDP‐l‐fucose biosynthesis. High water loss observed in mur1 was independent from stomatal movements and instead could be linked to metabolic defects. Plants defective in import of GDP‐l‐Fuc into the Golgi apparatus phenocopied the high water loss of mur1 mutants, linking this phenotype to Golgi‐localized fucosylation events. However, impaired fucosylation of xyloglucan, N‐linked glycans, and arabinogalactan proteins did not explain the aberrant water loss of mur1 mutants.Partial reversion of mur1 water loss phenotype by borate supplementation and high water loss observed in boron uptake mutants link mur1 gas exchange phenotypes to pleiotropic consequences of l‐fucose and boron deficiency, which in turn affect mechanical and morphological properties of stomatal complexes and whole‐plant physiology. Our work emphasizes the impact of fucose metabolism and boron uptake on plant–water relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article includes the content of sample experiments whose results may be useful in the management of human capital creativity. It presents selected experiment concepts concerning ideational fluency, flexibility and originality and their subordination to basic patterns: simple real experimental patterns, simple basic pre-experimental patterns, simple basic quasi-experimental patterns. In addition, it includes the account of the experiment on attitude shaping. Methodical, ethical and economic limits of experiment application were determined, based on the analysis of reference books related to the method of the experiment and creativity management. The way to understand the constraints is included below in the glossary of key phrases. The subject of the study was chosen on the basis of the existent research gap. As results from analyses based on the study of foreign reference books conducted by J. Samul [2015], the experiment is still a rarely used research method in the area of human capital management. It can, therefore, be concluded that the same also (and perhaps even more so) applies to experiments concerning the management of employee creativity.

Objectives : Hypertrophic and exudative synovitis of the knee is one of the earliest symptoms in rheumatic diseases. In the case of pharmacotherapy failure, other methods which directly remove the inflamed synovial membrane are used – synovectomies. Radiosynovectomy (RSV) is the radiopharmaceutical application of colloidal solution to joint cavities. In this study, the authors assessed the efficacy of knee radiosynovectomy with yttrium-90 (Y-90) in several groups of patients divided into certain rheumatic diseases. Material and methods : The study group consisted of 70 patients aged from 29 to 65 years with hypertrophic and exudative synovitis of the knee in rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthrosis and spondyloarthropathies. Radiopharmaceutical colloid of Y-90, with a radiation dose of 185-222 MBq in a volume of 2-3 ml, was administered to joint. Then the knee joint was immobilized for 72 h. During visits V1, V2, V3 and V4, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured and ultrasound of the knee was performed. Disease activity was evaluated by the WOMAC scale, HAQ and 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Results : The most significant difference of synovial hypertrophy, before and after the procedure, was obtained in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Variability of effusion before and after the procedure in all groups was comparable and statistically significant. The greatest improvement in variability of inflammatory parameters, before and 4 weeks after radiosynovectomy, was observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusions : In the therapeutic algorithm radiosynovectomy should be located between conservative treatment and operative procedures. Radiosynovectomy does not require hospitalization or prolonged rehabilitation. Radiosynoviorthesis affects the patient’s general condition, which is associated with eliminating pain and restoring joint function.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic connective tissue disease. The development of comorbidities often occurs in the course of RA. One of them is osteoporosis, which has serious social and economic effects and may contribute to the increase in the degree of disability and premature death of the patient. Due to the young age in which RA disease occurs, densitometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine is the basic examination in osteoporosis diagnostics. In the course of RA, much more frequently than in healthy persons of the same age, osteoporotic fractures of vertebral bodies occur, which hinder a correct assessment in the DXA test. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often undergo computed tomography (CT) examination of the abdominal cavity for other medical indications than suspected spinal injury. Then, CT examination may also serve for the assessment of bone density, especially in patients with osteoporotic fractures.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are chronic progressive inflammatory diseases, leading to joint damage and reducing the physical fitness of patients. They are among the most common rheumatic diseases. However, their etiology and symptomatology are different. Formerly, AS was often wrongly diagnosed as RA. Today there are no major diagnostic difficulties in differentiation between these diseases, thanks to modern laboratory tests and imaging. However, a problem may arise when the patient has symptoms typical for both diseases simultaneously. Cases of coexistence of RA with AS – according to our best knowledge – are rare. This study aims to compare our experience in diagnosis and treatment of concomitant RA and AS with the experience of other researchers. Implementation of the proper diagnostic algorithm, allowing for correct diagnosis of both diseases in one patient, may be useful for differential diagnosis of similar cases in the future.

Objectives : Diabetes develops much more often in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than in healthy population. One of the parameters which allow to evaluate the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is the level of advanced glycation end products (AGE) in the skin. In patients suffering from RA, an increase in AGE level may be also linked with the course of the underlying disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between the AGE level and the course of RA as well as other risk factors for the development of diabetes and CVD. Material and methods: The study included 148 patients divided into three groups: group I – patients with RA (n = 102, 79 F/23 M), group II – patients with RA and diabetes (n = 21, 14 F/7 M), group III – healthy individuals (n = 25, 16 F/9 M). Each patient underwent a skin autofluorescence signal (SAF) examination with an AGE Reader, which allows the assessment of AGE level, as well as being subjected to the laboratory tests panel. Additionally, patients from group I and II have had their DAS28 (ESR) indicator calculated. Results: In groups I, II, and III, the respective mean SAF values, expressed in arbitrary units [au], were to 2.54, 2.74, and 1.96 au. Between-group differences in terms of mean SAF values were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions : Significantly higher mean SAF values in groups I and II as compared to group III suggest that the increase in the AGE level in patients with RA is linked with the underlying disease and does not have to correspond with the real risk of diabetes and CVD. In conclusion, despite the known limitations of the technique, measuring AGE levels allows for closer monitoring of RA patients who are at a higher risk of developing diabetes.