Religious values and social distance as activators of norms to reduce food waste when dining out.

Empirical research is required to identify psychological and psychographic factors which can activate or amplify norms of foodservice customers towards food waste reduction. By surveying 446 foodservice customers in Poland, a country with a large population of religion followers, this study examines the influence of religious values on personal norms and explores the moderating effect of social distance on injunctive norms. The results indicate that religious values do not activate personal norms directly but affect them indirectly via such mediating factors as the feeling of compassion and family upbringing. Close encounters, such as family and friends, amplify the effect of injunctive norms while distant encounters, such as fellow countrymen, do not. This suggests that measures for food waste reduction should be designed to appeal to the foodservice customers' feeling of compassion. The measures should also remind foodservice customers that their (grand)parents and friends would disprove food waste.

Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system-from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic applications.

Few millions of new cancer cases are diagnosed worldwide every year. Due to significant progress in understanding cancer biology and developing new therapies, the mortality rates are decreasing with many of patients that can be completely cured. However, vast majority of them require chemotherapy which comes with high medical costs in terms of adverse events, of which cardiotoxicity is one of the most serious and challenging. Anthracyclines (doxorubicin, epirubicin) are a class of cytotoxic agents used in treatment of breast cancer, sarcomas, or hematological malignancies that are associated with high risk of cardiotoxicity that is observed in even up to 30% of patients and can be diagnosed years after the therapy. The mechanism, in which anthracyclines cause cardiotoxicity are not well known, but it is proposed that dysregulation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), one of main humoral regulators of cardiovascular system, may play a significant role. There is increasing evidence that drugs targeting this system can be effective in the prevention and treatment of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity what has recently found reflection in the recommendation of some scientific societies. In this review, we comprehensively describe possible mechanisms how anthracyclines affect RAAS and lead to cardiotoxicity. Moreover, we critically review available preclinical and clinical data on use of RAAS inhibitors in the primary and secondary prevention and treatment of cardiac adverse events associated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

The Use of Geotechnical Methods to Determine the Deformation Parameters of the Ground in Terms of Operation and Safety of Mortar Use.

During firing from a mortar, an important issue is the parameters of compressibility of the ground on which the mortar is placed. This affects the operation of the mortar (including safety). During the qualification tests of the mortar, the influence of different types of terrains on its strength and work during shooting should be examined. Until now, in the Polish standardization documents there was no clear description of the ground parameters used for these kinds of tests. Analysis of the literature also did not allow to determine the dependence of the mortars displacement in the function of the type of ground and its geotechnical parameters. In view of the above, it has become important to draw up a research problem in the form of determining the types of soil with parameters, enabling the mortar tests to be carried out in conditions as close as possible to combat conditions. Therefore, the authors carried out the theoretical calculations and field tests with the use of geotechnical methods such as static and dynamic load tests to determine the parameters of the ground for mortar testing. Preliminary tests were conducted using the prescribed measurement methods and a comparative mortar firing test. Subsequently, an analysis of the results was carried out and the possibilities of using the tested methods of measuring the parameters of soil compressibility were determined.

New Peptides as Potential Players in the Crosstalk Between the Brain and Obesity, Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases.

According to the World Health Organization report published in 2016, 650 million people worldwide suffer from obesity, almost three times more than in 1975. Obesity is defined as excessive fat accumulation which may impair health with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke), and some cancers. Despite medical advances, cardiovascular complications are still the leading causes of death arising from obesity. Excessive fat accumulation is caused by the imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. The pathogenesis of this process is complex and not fully understood, but current research is focused on the role of the complex crosstalk between the central nervous system (CNS), neuroendocrine and immune system including the autonomic nervous system, adipose tissue, digestive and cardiovascular systems. Additionally, special attention has been paid to newly discovered substances: neuropeptide 26RFa, preptin, and adropin. It was shown that the above peptides are synthesized both in numerous structures of the CNS and in many peripheral organs and tissues, such as the heart, adipose tissue, and the gastrointestinal tract. Recently, particular attention has been paid to the role of the presented peptides in the pathogenesis of obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular system diseases. This review summarizes the role of newly investigated peptides in the crosstalk between brain and peripheral organs in the pathogenesis of obesity, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases.

Properties of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) after Thermo-Oxidative Aging.

The influence of the thermo-oxidative aging semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate process on the thermal and mechanical properties was analysed in the article. For this purpose, PET was aged at 140 °C for 21, 35 and 56 days. The research showed that as a result of aging, the amount of the crystalline phase increases by about 8%, which translates into the properties of the aged material. The glass transition and melt temperature of lamellar crystals formed during first and second crystallisation increase with aging. The mechanical properties of the material were analysed in the temperature range of 25 to 75 °C. The tests were showing an increase in Young's modulus and a decrease in elongation at the break as a result of aging. This phenomenon was particularly visible during tests at 75 °C and during the morphological observation of the fracture surface, where the fracture character of the material changes from ductile to brittle. In the case of the material aged for the longest time, the temperature has a negligible influence on the elongation at break.

Urinary levels of CCL2 and CXCL10 chemokines as potential biomarkers of ongoing pathological processes in kidney allograft: an association with BK virus nephropathy.

INTRODUCTION: Early prognostic markers that identify high­risk kidney transplant recipients may lead to optimization of immunosuppressive therapy and improved long­term outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess whether the measurement of urinary concentrations of CCL2 and CXCL10 chemokines can be a valuable noninvasive tool for identifying ongoing pathological processes in a kidney allograft. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 40 patients who underwent a protocol biopsy within 1­year post kidney transplant. The urinary concentrations of CCL2 and CXCL10 with reference to creatinine in urine were assayed in all patients. On the basis of biopsy results, a study group was selected (n = 25), including patients with a diagnosis of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy grades II to III (n = 16), BK virus (BKV) nephropathy (n = 4), or mild inflammatory lesions fulfilling the criteria for mild rejection processes or borderline lesions (n = 11). Patients with normal biopsy results were included in a control group (n = 15). RESULTS: The ratio of CCL2 to creatinine (CCL2:Cr) was a significant independent predictor of BKV ephropathy (odds ratio, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.2; P = 0.04). The CXCL10:Cr ratio was not found to be an independent predictor of BKV nephropathy (odds ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.99-1.71; P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The CCL2:Cr and CXCL10:Cr ratios may predict BKV nephropathy. The diagnostic value of CCL2 and CXCL10 in BKV infection should be further evaluated.

Expression of cyclins A and E in melanocytic skin lesions and its correlation with some clinicopathologic features.

Cyclins play a fundamental role in the cell cycle. Recent studies have focused on their role in the development of various malignancies. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the expression of cyclins A and E in common nevi, dysplastic nevi and malignant melanomas, and to investigate the relationship between cyclin expression and some pathological parameters such as tumor thickness, ulceration, regression, and mitotic rate, as well as several clinical and phenotypic parameters such as skin phototype, hair and eye color, number of nevi, personal or family melanoma history, and personal history of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). A total of 102 melanocytic skin lesions, including 30 common nevi, 38 dysplastic nevi and 34 melanomas, were examined. Expression of cyclins was detected by immunohistochemistry and quantified as a percentage of immunostained cell nuclei in each sample. Significant differences in expression of both cyclins were found between all lesion types: the median percentage of cyclin A-positive nuclei was 8.2% in melanomas, 3.4% in dysplastic nevi, and 0.95% in common nevi (p < 0.001). The corresponding percentages for cyclin E were 9.5%, 4.25% and 1.44% (p < 0.001). Expression of both cyclins was significantly higher among patients with a personal history of NMSC. Cyclin A was also significantly overexpressed in patients with a high total nevus count (TNC) compared to moderate and low TNC. Expression of cyclins did not significantly correlate with the other clinicopathologic features investigated. These findings indicate the possible involvement of cyclins A and E in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma. Our results also show a potential diagnostic significance of these cyclins as markers allowing discrimination between dysplastic nevi and melanoma.