Organophosphonates (OPs) are a unique group of natural and synthetic compounds, characterised by the presence of a stable, hard-to-cleave bond between the carbon and phosphorus atoms. OPs exhibit high resistance to abiotic degradation, excellent chelating properties and high biological activity. Despite the huge and increasing scale of OP production and use worldwide, little is known about their transportation and fate in the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rocks surrounding Wieliczka salt deposits are an extreme, deep subsurface ecosystem that as we studied previously harbors many microorganisms, including methanotrophs. In the presented research bacterial community structure of the Wieliczka Salt Mine was determined as well as the methanotrophic activity of the natural microbiome. Finally, an enrichment culture of methane-consuming methanotrophs was obtained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe area of sunflower crops is steadily increasing. A beneficial way of managing sunflower waste biomass could be its use as a feedstock for biochar production. Biochar is currently being considered as an additive for improving soil parameters, including the ability to oxidise methane (CH) - one of the key greenhouse gases (GHG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochar promotes C sequestration and improvement of soil properties. Nevertheless, the effects of biochar addition on soil condition are poorly understood, especially with respect to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A large proportion of GHG emissions derive from agriculture and, thus, recognition of the effect of biochar addition to soil on GHG emissions from terrestrial ecosystems is an important issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLooking for new, sustainable ways to utilize plastics is still a very pertinent topic considering the amount of plastics produced in the world. One of the newest and intriguing possibility is the use of insects in biodegradation of plastics, which can be named entomoremediation. The aim of this work was to demonstrate the ability of the insect to biodegrade different, real plastic waste.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethane and carbon dioxide are one of the most important greenhouse gases and significant components of the carbon cycle. Biogeochemical methane transformation may occur even in the extreme conditions of deep subsurface ecosystems. This study presents methane-related biological processes in saline sediments of the Miocene Wieliczka Formation, Poland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to changes in the energy market, it is projected that lignite excavation will be reduced in the near future. Cessation of exploitation is associated with restitution of natural water conditions and flooding of the resources left in the mines. Flooded lignite mines are a potential source of greenhouse gases (GHG) (CH CO and NO), which should be monitored due to growing environmental concerns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe biofilms and water samples from a model installation built of PVC-U, PE-HD and cast iron pipes were investigated using standard heterotrophic plate count and 16S rRNA Next Generation Sequencing. The results of the high throughput identification imply that the construction material strongly influences the microbiome composition. PVC-U and PE-HD pipes were dominated with Proteobacteria (54-60%) while the cast pipe was overgrown by Nitrospirae (64%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethanogenesis occurs in many natural environments and is used in biotechnology for biogas production. The efficiency of methane production depends on the microbiome structure that determines interspecies electron transfer. In this research, the microbial community retrieved from mining subsidence reservoir sediment was used to establish enrichment cultures on media containing different carbon sources (tryptone, yeast extract, acetate, CO/H).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) plays a pivotal role in many inflammatory processes, including the progression of atherosclerosis and the response of the arterial wall to injury. We previously demonstrated that dexamethasone (Dex) inhibits MCP-1 mRNA accumulation in smooth muscle cells by decreasing its half-life. The effect of Dex was dependent upon the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and independent of new transcription.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe prevalence of the familial defective apolipoprotein B-100 (FDB) Arg3500Gln mutation in 525 unrelated hypercholesterolaemic Polish subjects was evaluated. DNA samples were screened for FDB mutation using SSCP method. Presence of mutation was confirmed using a mismatch MspI PCR strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: During the last decade, the beneficial changes in lifestyle and in medical care increased average life expectancy, particularly in patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. Unfortunately this also increased the number of patients, particularly among the elderly, who are susceptible to complications of these conditions such as heart failure. Uncontrolled hypertension is known to be a primary cause of heart failure and is also known to be very prevalent and frequently uncontrolled in the Polish population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fibrinogen and factor VII activity are known to be related to atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, but population differences in clotting factors and modifiable characteristics that influence their levels have not been widely explored.
Methods: This paper examines correlates of plasma fibrinogen concentration and factor VII activity in 2443 men and women aged 35-64 in random samples selected from the residents in two districts in urban Warsaw (618 men and 651 women) and from rural Tarnobrzeg Province (556 men and 618 women) screened in 1987-1988, and assesses which characteristics might explain urban-rural differences. Fibrinogen and factor VII activity were determined using coagulation methods.
The sample of 1309 men and 1337 women, aged 35-64, randomly selected for the first Warsaw Pol-Monica screening performed in 1984, was followed up in 1992. All deaths were registered according to the cause of death based on death certificate diagnosis. The proportional hazard Cox model was used for univariate heart rate (HR) analysis and for multivariate analysis after adjustment for covariates (HR divided into 4 subgroups).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPol Arch Med Wewn
January 1994
Analysis of the efficacy and tolerability of gemfibrozil (Gevilon-Parke Davis) was performed including 29 patients aged 19-69 years with primary hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP) type IIb-16 persons, IV-13 persons. All patients got dietary recommendations and received gemfibrozil 450-900 mg/day for 3 months. In both types of HLP a significant reduction of serum cholesterol (TCh)--15.
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