Publications by authors named "Natalia Kurhaluk"

This review provides an analysis of the current literature on the health and nutrition of blood donors, examining key aspects that affect the quality of donated blood and the well-being of donors. The review discusses effective iron absorption facilitated by key nutrients and presents evidence on the importance of a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and folic acid. The review examines the differences in iron levels between men and women and highlights the role of sex hormones in regulating iron metabolism.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of L-arginine, intermittent hypoxia training (IHT), and acute stress on oxygen-dependent processes in rats, including mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, microsomal oxidation, and the intensity of lipoperoxidation processes. In addition, our study investigated how the modulatory effect of the NO synthase mechanism on the concentration of catecholamines (CA), such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, and their biosynthetic precursors (DOPA, dopamine) varies depending on the cholinergic (acetylcholine, Ach-acetylcholinesterase, AChE) status in rats. This study investigated the protective stress-limiting effects of L-arginine impact and IHT in the blood and liver of rats.

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Knowledge about determinants of addiction in people taking addictive substances is poor and needs to be supplemented. The novelty of this paper consists in the analysis of innovative aspects of current research about relationships between determinants of addiction in Polish patients taking addictive substances and rare available data regarding the relationships between these factors from studies from recent years from other environments, mainly in Europe, and on the development of genetic determinants of physiological responses. We try to explain the role of the microelements Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Zn, Cr, Ni, Tl, Se, Al, B, Mo, V, Sn, Sb, Ag, Sr, and Ba, the toxic metals Cd, Hg, As, and Pb, and the rare earth elements Sc, La, Ce, Pr, Eu, Gd, and Nd as factors that may shape the development of addiction to addictive substances or drugs.

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Background/aims: Lead exposure is known to induce oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in modulating oxidative stress, with L-arginine as a precursor of NO and N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) as an inhibitor of NO synthase, an enzyme that catalyses the production of nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine.

Methods: This study investigated the differential effects of L-arginine and L-NNA on markers of oxidative stress and biochemical changes in brain tissue from rats with different levels of resistance to hypoxia exposed to lead nitrate.

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Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and its incidence is rising rapidly. Acute ischemic stroke is a subtype of stroke that accounts for the majority of stroke cases and has a high mortality rate. An effective treatment for stroke is to minimize damage to the brain's neural tissue by restoring blood flow to decreased perfusion areas of the brain.

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Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate biomarkers of oxidative stress (2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, aldehyde and ketone derivatives of oxidatively modified proteins and total antioxidant capacity), the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase), that of lysosomal enzymes (alanyl aminopeptidase, leucyl aminopeptidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and acid phosphatase) and changes in biochemical parameters (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, de Ritis ratio, lactate dehydrogenase activity, lactate and pyruvate levels and their ratio) in the liver tissue of fish that were vaccinated against enteric redmouth disease and challenged with its causative agent, the bacterium .

Material And Methods: The vaccine was administered orally to trout, some of which were challenged with 61 days later. For comparison, unvaccinated and unchallenged trout and unvaccinated and challenged trout were also evaluated.

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Background/aims: Assessment of the levels of vital blood parameters in donors is essential to evaluate their health status, ensure their suitability for donation, preserve the integrity of the circulatory system, and facilitate comprehensive health monitoring. The aim of our study was to analyse the levels of haemoglobin, haematocrit, erythrocyte count, MCV, MCH, and MCHC in 12 groups of first-time donors and experienced donors of both sexes at the John Paul II Regional Blood Donation and Treatment Centre in Słupsk, northern Poland. The donors were divided into three age groups (18-30 years, 31-45 years, and 46-65 years).

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Male infertility is a world multifactorial problem modulated by environmental and genetic factors. Male aspects account for 20-50 % of infertility cases. Our results are unique because they treat the importance of components participating in the determination of male infertility (environmental and immunogenetic determinants, seminological analysis, lipoperoxidation, genetic determinants, role of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium and boron).

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Background/aims: Individual resistance to hypoxia is an important feature of the physiological profile of an organism, particularly in relation to lead-induced toxicity.

Methods: Our study focused on evaluating parameters of mitochondrial oxygen consumption, microsomal oxidation, intensity of lipoperoxidation processes and antioxidant defences in the liver of rats with low (LR) and high (HR) resistance to hypoxia to elucidate the mechanisms of action of L-arginine and the NO synthase inhibitor L-NNA before or after exposure to lead nitrate.

Results: Our study suggests that the redistribution of oxygen-dependent processes towards mitochondrial processes under the influence of the nitric oxide precursor amino acid L-arginine is an important mechanism for maintaining mitochondrial respiratory chain function during lead nitrate exposure (3.

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Exposure to heavy metals and lifestyle factors like smoking contribute to the production of free oxygen radicals. This fact, combined with a lowered total antioxidant status, can induce even more damage in the development of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Despite the fact that some researchers are looking for more genetic factors underlying AS, most studies focus on polymorphisms within the genes encoding the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system.

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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease, which often develops in older people, but this is not the rule. AMD pathogenesis changes include the anatomical and functional complex. As a result of damage, it occurs, in the retina and macula, among other areas.

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There is still a need to investigate the relationships between glycophytes and halophytes and the many biotic and abiotic factors in their natural environments. Therefore, we study the effects of the type of environment on the ecophysiological responses and condition of the glycophyte Elder L., the macrophyte Common Reed (Cav.

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Background/aims: Important benefits of intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) have emerged as an effective tool for enhancing adaptive potential in different pathological states, among which acute hypoxia dominates. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the mechanisms related to the effects of the nitric oxide system (nitrites, nitrates, carbamide, and total polyamine content) on ADP-stimulated oxygen consumption and oxidative phosphorylation in heart and liver mitochondria and biomarkers of oxidative stress in the blood, heart, and liver of rats exposed to the IHT method and acute hypoxia and treated with the amino acid L-arginine (600 mg/kg, 30 min) or the NO synthase inhibitor L-NNA (35 mg/kg, 30 min) prior to each IHT session.

Methods: We analysed the modulation of the system of oxygen-dependent processes (mitochondrial respiration with the oxygraphic method, microsomal oxidation, and lipoperoxidation processes using biochemical methods) in tissues during IHT in the formation of short-term and long-term effects (30, 60, and 180 days after the last IHT session) with simultaneous administration of L-arginine.

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Nutritional status disorders have the most significant impact on the development of cardiovascular and oncologic diseases; therefore, the interest in the study of palm oil as among the leading components of nutrition has been increasing. The data examined in this review were sourced from the Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), PubMed and PubMed Central, MEDLINE, CAPlus/SciFinder, and Embase databases; experts in the field; bibliographies; and abstracts from review analyses from the past 15 years. This review summarizes recent research data focusing on the quantitative and qualitative composition of nutrition of modern humans; concepts of the relationship between high-fat diets and disorders of insulin functioning and transport and metabolism of fatty acids; analyses of data regarding the palmitic acid (16:0) to oleic acid (18:1) ratio; and the effect of diet based on palm oil consumption on cardiovascular risk factors and lipid and lipoprotein levels.

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Relationships between protective enzymatic and non-enzymatic pro-antioxidant mechanisms and addictive substances use disorders (SUDs) are analyzed here, based on the results of previous research, as well as on the basis of our current own studies. This review introduces new aspects of comparative analysis of associations of pro-antixidant and neurobiological effects in patients taking psychoactive substances and complements very limited knowledge about relationships with SUDs from different regions, mainly Europe. In view of the few studies on relations between antioxidants and neurobiological processes acting in patients taking psychoactive substances, this review is important from the point of view of showing the state of knowledge, directions of diagnosis and treatment, and further research needed explanation.

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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease that usually develops in older people. Pathogenetic changes in this disease include anatomical and functional complexes. Harmful factors damage the retina and macula.

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Anti-ageing biology and medicine programmes are a focus of genetics, molecular biology, immunology, endocrinology, nutrition, and therapy. This paper discusses metabolic therapies aimed at prolonging longevity and/or health. Individual components of these effects are postulated to be related to the energy supply by tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and free radical production processes.

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Introduction: Determination of morphological and biochemical blood indices facilitates assessment of the health and welfare of horses, their nutrient demand, the effects of training already undertaken, and the horses' suitability for exercise. Identification of the season-dependent components and the effects of sex and exercise on changes in frequently referenced haematological and biochemical parameters was the main goal of the current study.

Material And Methods: The blood morphology of 21 healthy adult Shetland ponies (11 mares and 10 stallions) aged 6.

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Environmental studies in Northern Poland are example of the functioning of ecophysiological relationships under anthropogenic impact. The aim of our studies was to investigate sex-dependent effects on the alterations in the concentration of chemical elements in soil samples collected from habitats of feral pigeon Columba livia f. urbana from Northern Poland, as well as feathers, biomarkers of oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, and total cholinesterase activity in tissues (liver, kidney, brain).

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Background/aims: Currently, it is proven that the cellular metabolism of nitric oxide is necessary to maintain optimal health and adaptation of the organism to the impact of various environmental factors. The aim of this work was to reveal the biological role of nitric oxide, its metabolic changes, and its mechanism of action in tissues under hypoxia, as well as the possibility of tissue metabolism correction through NO-dependent systems under the influence of Krebs cycle intermediates.

Methods: A systematic assessment of the effect of succinate (SC, 50 mg/kg b.

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Unlabelled: Ageing is a natural ontogenetic phenomenon that entails a decrease in the adaptive capacity of the organism, as a result of which the body becomes less adaptable to stressful conditions. Nitrate and nitrite enter the body from exogenous sources and from nitrification of ammonia nitrogen by intestinal microorganisms. This review considers the mechanisms of action of l-arginine, a known inducer of nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis, and nitrates as supplements in the processes of ageing and aggravated stress states, in which mechanisms of individual physiological reactivity play an important role.

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The review summarises the data of the last 50 years on the effectiveness of the amino acid L-arginine in therapeutic practice in conditions accompanied by different-origin hypoxia. The aim of this review was to analyse the literature and our research data on the role of nitric oxide in the modulation of individual physiological reactivity to hypoxia. The review considers the possibility of eliminating methodological conflicts in the case of L-arginine, which can be solved by taking into account individual physiological reactivity (or the hypoxia resistance factor).

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Aims: Low-intensity infrared laser irradiation with output emissions of the laser and LED for in vitro irradiation of plasma and erythrocyte samples collected from healthy individuals and diabetes mellitus (DM) patients was used in the current study.

Methods: The generated emission was in the range 0.85-0.

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The objective of the current study was to determine the photoperiod-induced variations and the impact of exercise on oxidative stress biomarkers [2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), aldehydic (AD) and ketonic (KD) derivatives of oxidatively modified proteins (OMP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] and biomarkers of metabolic alterations [glucose, urea, and uric acid and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)] in the blood of Shetland pony mares and stallions involved in recreational horseback riding. Twenty-one healthy adult Shetland ponies (11 mares and 10 stallions) aged 6.5 ± 1.

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Based on studies of the wintering population of mute swans in large urban agglomerations, it is possible to identify and infer the impact of environmental pollution in coastal regions near Baltic Sea on the physiological and biochemical changes in the blood of waterfowls. Hematological and biochemical changes in the blood in relation to chemical elements in their feathers are a useful tool for general ecophysiological conclusions. Hematological changes and blood chemistry in Mute Swan Cygnus olor is particularly environmentally dependent, therefore we examined hematological picture (red blood cells RBC, white blood cells WBC, heterophiles, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, hemoglobin, heterophile to lymphocyte ratio H/L, biochemical indicators (glucose, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, magnesium, total protein), stability of erythrocyte membranes, concentration of Ca, P, Mg in the blood, concentration of Al, Zn, Rh, Cu, Ru, Fe, Pb in feathers, in wintering population of 172 mute swans of different age (juvenile, adult) and gender, in three coastal types of areas of Southern Polish zone of Baltic Sea (Słupsk, Gdynia, Sopot).

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