Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Interactions between Food or Herbal Products and Oral Anticoagulants: Evidence Review, Practical Recommendations, and Knowledge Gaps.

Interactions between food and oral anticoagulants (OACs), particularly vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin, are widely recognized and may also be clinically relevant for direct OACs. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions with food or herbs can lead to anticoagulation potentiation, increased risk of bleeding, or reduced drug efficacy, all compromising patient safety. We conducted a systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on PubMed for assessments of interactions between OACs and various ingestants.

Defining heparin resistance: communication from the ISTH SSC Subcommittee of Perioperative and Critical Care Thrombosis and Hemostasis.

The term heparin resistance (HR) is used by clinicians without specific criteria. We performed a literature search and surveyed our SSC membership to better define the term when applied to medical and intensive care unit patients. The most common heparin dosing strategy reported in the literature (53%) and by survey respondents (80.

Application of TDA AAS to Direct Mercury Determination in Postmortem Material in Forensic Toxicology Examinations.

Mercury is a heavy metal with high toxicity, the level of which depends on the form of the metal. One of the newer techniques for determining trace amounts of total mercury in various materials, including biological samples, is thermal decomposition, amalgamation and atomic absorption spectrometry (TDA AAS). The TDA AAS method was optimized and validated using a mercury analyzer (DMA-80).

New evidences for a role of mGluR7 in astrocyte survival: Possible implications for neuroprotection.

A specific activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) has been shown to be neuroprotective in various models of neuronal cell damage, however, its role in glia cell survival has not been studied, yet. Thus, we performed comparative experiments estimating protective effects of the mGluR7 allosteric agonist AMN082 in glia, neuronal and neuronal-glia cell cultures against various harmful stimuli. First, the transcript levels of mGluR7 and other subtypes of group II and III mGluRs in cortical neuronal, neuronal-glia and glia cell cultures have been measured by qPCR method.

Chromium in Postmortem Material.

Recently, considerable attention has been paid to the negative effects caused by the presence and constant increase in concentration of heavy metals in the environment, as well as to the determination of their content in human biological samples. In this paper, the concentration of chromium in samples of blood and internal organs collected at autopsy from 21 female and 39 male non-occupationally exposed subjects is presented. Elemental analysis was carried out by an electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion.

The contribution of p53 and Y chromosome long arm genes to regulation of apoptosis in mouse testis.

Apoptosis of excessive or defective germ cells is a natural process occurring in mammalian testes. Tumour suppressor protein p53 is involved in this process both in developing and adult male gonads. Its contribution to testicular physiology is known to be modified by genetic background.

Cadmium Concentration in Human Autopsy Tissues.

The concentration of cadmium in human tissues obtained on the basis of autopsies of non-poisoned Polish people (n = 150), aged from 1 to 80 years, examined between 1990 and 2010, is presented. The following values were found in wet digested samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) (mean ± SD, median, and range, μg/g of wet weight): brain 0.020 ± 0.

A Discovered Ducal Seal Does Not Belong to the Incorporation Charter for the City of Krakow Solving the Mystery Using Genetic Methods.

The Incorporation Charter for the city of Krakow, the former capital of Poland, is one of the most valuable documents stored in the National Archives in Krakow. The document, which was written in 1257 on parchment, grants Krakow the Magdeburg rights and regulates its legal, statutory, economic and settlement-related aspects. The Charter was placed in the National Register of the Memory of the World UNESCO programme in 2014.

Ancient DNA in historical parchments - identifying a procedure for extraction and amplification of genetic material.

Historical parchments in the form of documents, manuscripts, books, or letters, make up a large portion of cultural heritage collections. Their priceless historical value is associated with not only their content, but also the information hidden in the DNA deposited on them. Analyses of ancient DNA (aDNA) retrieved from parchments can be used in various investigations, including, but not limited to, studying their authentication, tracing the development of the culture, diplomacy, and technology, as well as obtaining information on the usage and domestication of animals.

Evaluation of a Parchment Document, the 13th Century Incorporation Charter for the City of Krakow, Poland, for Microbial Hazards.

The literature of environmental microbiology broadly discusses issues associated with microbial hazards in archives, but these publications are mainly devoted to paper documents. There are few articles on historical parchment documents, which used to be very important for the development of literature and the art of writing. These studies present a broad spectrum of methods for the assessment of biodeterioration hazards of the parchment document in question.

Detection of Mercury in Human Organs and Hair in a Case of a Homicidal Poisoning of a Woman Autopsied 6 Years After Death.

In the described case of the death of a 53-year-old woman, no toxicological examination was performed directly after death (only an anatomopathological autopsy), although symptoms of serious gastrointestinal disturbances had been present (the woman had been hospitalized twice in the course of several months). It was assumed that the cause of death was myocardial infarction. Five years later, some new circumstances came to light which suggested that somebody could have administered some poison (metals, cyanides) to the woman.

Evaluation of a modified sampling method for molecular analysis of air microflora.

A serious issue concerning the durability of economically important materials for humans related to cultural heritage is the process of biodeterioration. As a result of this phenomenon, priceless works of art, documents, and old prints have undergone a process of decomposition caused by microorganisms. Therefore, it is important to constantly monitor the presence and diversity of microorganisms in exposition rooms and storage areas of historical objects.

Optimization and Validation of an ETAAS Method for the Determination of Nickel in Postmortem Material.

In this article, optimization and validation of a procedure for the determination of total nickel in wet digested samples of human body tissues (internal organs) for forensic toxicological purposes are presented. Four experimental setups of the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using a Solaar MQZe (Thermo Electron Co.) were compared, using the following (i) no modifier, (ii) magnesium nitrate, (iii) palladium nitrate and (iv) magnesium nitrate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate mixture as chemical modifiers.

An economical and combined method for rapid and efficient isolation of fungal DNA.

DNA isolation is a crucial step of conducting genetic studies in any organism. However, this process is quite difficult when studying fungi because of the need to damage the fungal cell walls of specific structures. In this study, we developed a method for the rapid and efficient isolation of fungal DNA based on simultaneous mechanical and enzymatic cell wall degradation.

Expression of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors in the reproductive system of male mice.

Although the presence of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors in the central nervous system is well documented, they have recently been found in peripheral and non-neuronal tissues. In the present study we investigated the expression of group III mGlu receptors in the reproductive system of male mice. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the presence of mGlu6, mGlu7 and mGlu8 (but not mGlu4) receptor transcripts in testes and epididymides from adult mice.

ICP OES and CV AAS in determination of mercury in an unusual fatal case of long-term exposure to elemental mercury in a teenager.

In this work, a case of deliberate self-poisoning is presented. A 14-year-old girl suddenly died during one of the several hospitalizations. Abdominal computer tomography showed a large number of metallic particles in the large intestine.

Application of ICP-OES to the determination of barium in blood and urine in clinical and forensic analysis.

Exposure to barium (Ba) mostly occurs in the workplace or from drinking water, but it may sometimes be due to accidental or intentional intoxication. This paper presents a reliable, sensitive method for the determination of Ba in blood and urine: inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after microwave digestion of samples. The overall procedure was checked using Seronorm Whole Blood L-2, Trace Elements Urine and spiked blood and urine samples (0.

Optimization and validation of a procedure for the determination of total chromium in postmortem material by ETAAS.

A study was conducted to optimize and validate a procedure for the determination of total chromium in wet digested samples of human blood and body tissues for forensic toxicological purposes. Five experimental setups of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using a Solaar MQZe (Thermo Electron Co.) were compared, using the following: (i) no modifier, (ii) magnesium nitrate, (iii) palladium nitrate, (iv) magnesium and palladium nitrate mixture and (v) palladium nitrate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate mixture as chemical modifiers.

[Long-term follow-up after intravenous injection of mercury--two cases report].

In this paper we present the long-term follow-up of two patients, after injection of metallic mercury. Case 1. In 1997, 29-years-old man injected himself to left elbow about 20 ml of metallic mercury by mistake (he was heroin abuser for short time).

Pregnancy in a patient with cancer and heart failure: challenges and complexities.

A 24-year-old African American female (L.R.) with a history of smoking and gestational diabetes was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Semen quality parameters and embryo lethality in mice deficient for Trp53 protein.

Trp53 is a protein which is able to control semen parameters in mice, but the extent of that control depends on the genetic background of the mouse strain. Males from C57BL/6Kw, 129/Sv, C57BL×129 -p53+/+ (wild type controls) and C57BL×129-p53-/- (mutants) strains were used in the study, and histology and light microscopy were applied to evaluate the influence of genetic background and Trp53 (p53) genotype on testes morphology and semen quality in male mice. We showed that sperm head morphology, maturity and tail membrane integrity were controlled only by the genetic background of C57BL/6Kw and 129/Sv males, while testes weight and sperm concentration depended on both the genetic background and p53 genotype.