Predictors of the Occupational Burnout of Healthcare Workers in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The study aims at analysing the occupational burnout phenomenon, the level of anxiety and depression, as well as the quality of life (QOL) of healthcare workers (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 497 healthcare workers examined across Poland. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Short Form (WHOQOL BREF) were used. A total of 71.63% (356) of the respondents presented high and moderate levels of emotional exhaustion during the pandemic, 71.43% (355) reported low and moderate job satisfaction levels, whereas 40.85% (203) displayed high and moderate levels of depersonalization. A group of 62.57% (n = 311) demonstrated clear or borderline states of anxiety disorders, while 38.83% (n = 193) suffered from depression or its borderline symptoms. Direct predictors of occupational burnout included: escalating depression; quality of life domains such as the physical, psychological and social; being provided personal protective equipment (PPE) by an employer; age; medical profession; and material status. Emotional exhaustion appeared to be much higher in nursing and 'other' medical professionals than in physiotherapists (p = 0.023). In the times of pandemic, the occupational burnout prophylaxis ought to be focused on early recognition of depression like symptoms and their treatment, as well as providing the staff with PPE and satisfying earnings.

Production and Properties of Starch Citrates-Current Research.

Starch modification by chemical reaction is widely used to improve the properties of native starch. Modified by citric acid, starch is characterized by specific properties resulting from the presence of citrate residues and as a result of cross-linking starch. The chemicals used for preparing starch citrates are safe for human health and the natural environment compared to the harsh chemicals used for conventional modifications. Starch citrates are traditionally produced by heating starch-citric acid mixtures in semi-dry conditions or by a heat moisture treatment. The conditions of the modification process (roasting temperature, heating time, citric acid dose) and the botanic source or genotype of starch determine the degree of substitution and the properties of the obtained preparations. Changes of starch properties occurring during esterification lead to reduced relative crystallinity, resulting in a decrease in the affinity for water, the gelatinization parameters, and the viscosity of starch citrate. However, one of the most important outcome of the modification is the formation of resistant starch (RS), which has increased resistance to the action of amylolytic enzymes. Currently, new methods for producing starch citrates with improved functional and rheological properties while maintaining the highest possible content of resistant starch are being sought. The article presents an overview of recent studies on the production, properties. And applicability of starch citrates with special attention paid to their role as preparations of resistant starch (RS). The use of citric acid for modification of starch is better for the technology process, while using cross-linking is better than simply using esterification.

The relationship between the level of physical activity, independence in daily activities, and life quality and satisfaction in women over 80 living in rural areas - a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Better medicine and health care steadily increases the human life expectancy. Growing number of elderly people and the imbalance of population structure will affect many fields of life, including social security system, joborientation and culture. Therefore it is crucial that the elderly maintain not only good physical health but keep the ability to self-care as long as possible, stay functionally fit and express satisfaction of life in all domains. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyse the factors that affect the quality of life in different domains (physical, psychological, social and environmental), like the independence in performing everyday life activities and the level of physical activity of women above 80 years old, living in own households. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed from March to August 2015 in Opole, Lower Silesia and Silesia voivodeship, mosty in rural areas, on 67 women, age above 80 (average 82.9), who filled the standarized questionnaires of life quality (WHOQOL-BREF), physical activity (IPAQ), and self-maintenance in daily living (IADL, Lawton scale). RESULTS: The results show that the life satisfaction of women above 80 years old living in own households in rural areas is highest in the social and environmental domains, while is the lowest in physical health domain. There is a strong positive correlation between the level of physical activity, the level of self-maintenance and the life quality in four of its domains. CONCLUSIONS: Self-maintenance and higher level of physical fitness, which are the components of functional fitness, positively correlate with self-assesed life-satisfaction in all domains. It is crucial to stress the importance of physical activity in seniors, preferably in way of dedicated exercising of moderate and high intensity, that will bring benefits not only in domain of physical health but in overall well-being and higher life-satisfaction, the significant factors in healthy ageing.

MYO5B mutations in patients with microvillus inclusion disease presenting with transient renal Fanconi syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: : Microvillus inclusion disease (MVID) is a rare congenital enteropathy associated with brush border atrophy and reduced expression of enzymes at the enterocytes' apical surface. MVID is associated with mutations in the MYO5B gene, which is expressed in all epithelial tissues. Whether organs other than the intestine are affected in MVID is unclear. We report 2 patients with MVID that developed renal Fanconi syndrome while receiving total parenteral nutrition. Renal Fanconi syndrome has been correlated to apical plasma membrane defects in kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells. The aim of the present study was to determine whether MYO5B mutations in these patients correlate with similar apical plasma membrane defects in renal tubular epithelial cells as observed in the intestine. METHODS: : Biopsies from kidney, duodenum, ileum, jejunum, and colon of 2 patients with MVID carrying MYO5B mutations and of age-matched controls were fixed in paraffin and analyzed with immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: : Structural defects of the brush border and apical recycling endosome organization are observed in enterocytes of all of the segments of the small intestine and colon. MYO5B mutations in patients with MVID with renal Fanconi syndrome do not correlate with aberrant apical plasma membrane morphology or altered apical recycling endosome organization in renal tubular epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: : MYO5B mutations have divergent effects on the apical membrane system in kidney and intestinal epithelial cells. Epithelial defects presented in MVID are therefore likely triggered by intestine-specific factors, the identification of which may provide new targets and open avenues for the development of alternative therapeutic strategies to combat this devastating disease.

Functional characterization of mutations in the myosin Vb gene associated with microvillus inclusion disease.

OBJECTIVES: Microvillus inclusion disease (MVID) is a rare autosomal recessive enteropathy characterized by intractable diarrhea and malabsorption. Recently, various MYO5B gene mutations have been identified in patients with MVID. Interestingly, several patients with MVID showed only a MYO5B mutation in 1 allele (heterozygous) or no mutations in the MYO5B gene, illustrating the need to further functionally characterize the cell biological effects of the MYO5B mutations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The genomic DNA of 9 patients diagnosed as having MVID was screened for MYO5B mutations, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry on the material of 2 patients was performed to investigate resultant cellular consequences. RESULTS: We demonstrate for the first time that MYO5B mutations can be correlated with altered myosin Vb messenger RNA expression and with an aberrant subcellular distribution of the myosin Vb protein. Moreover, we demonstrate that the typical and myosin Vb-controlled accumulation of Rab11a- and FIP5-positive recycling endosomes in the apical cytoplasm of the cells is abolished in MVID enterocytes, which is indicative of altered myosin Vb function. Moreover, we report 8 novel MYO5B mutations in 9 patients of various ethnic backgrounds with MVID, including compound heterozygous mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Our functional analysis indicates that MYO5B mutations can be correlated with an aberrant subcellular distribution of the myosin Vb protein, and apical recycling endosomes, which, together with the additional compound heterozygous mutations, significantly strengthen the link between MYO5B and MVID.

Recycling endosomes in apical plasma membrane domain formation and epithelial cell polarity.

Recycling endosomes have taken central stage in the intracellular sorting and polarized trafficking of apical and basolateral plasma membrane components. Molecular players in the underlying mechanisms are now emerging, including small GTPases, class V myosins and adaptor proteins. In particular, defects in the expression or function of these recycling endosome-associated and endosome-regulating proteins have been implicated in cell surface polarity defects and diseases, including microvillus inclusion disease, arthrogryposis-renal dysfunction-cholestasis syndrome, and virus susceptibility. Key findings are that recycling endosomes recruit and deliver core polarity proteins to lateral cell surfaces and initiate the biogenesis of apical plasma membrane domains and epithelial cell polarity. Here, we review recent data that implicate recycling endosomes in the establishment and maintenance of epithelial cell polarity.