Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex metabolic disease connected especially with lipid and carbohydrate disturbances. It is postulated that oxidative stress (OS) is linked to metabolic syndrome, constituting a novel component of its pathogenesis. Aim We aimed to examine the plasma level of oxidatively modified proteins––advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and ischemia modified albumin (IMA)––as well as thiol (SH) groups and evaluate their connection with metabolic agents in relation to MetS prevalence. Subjects and methods The levels of AOPP, IMA and SH groups were measured spectrophotometrically in 106 patients with MetS risk factors and in 32 control subjects. Results The levels of examined parameters differed significantly between patients with MetS risk factors and the control group. AOPP significantly correlated with glucose (r = 0.30, p = 0.008), HDL-Ch (r = −0.34, p = 0.005), TG (r = 0.48, p < 0.001) and fibrinogen (r = 0.37, p < 0.001). The levels of AOPP and IMA increased progressively with the number of MetS risk factors, being the most significant for AOPP. The highest values of AOPP were associated with the presence of at least three risk factors. Only AOPP were an independent determinant for MetS occurrence in the studied population (OR = 2.72, p = 0.04). Mutual dependence between metabolic, oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters was revealed. Conclusions Oxidative modifications of proteins are increased in MetS and accumulation of MetS risk factors enhances manifestation of OS. AOPP is the most appropriate parameter for determination of OS, with potential diagnostic value in MetS patients.

New cultivars of lavender adapted to arid steppe conditions were developed by the Institute of Rice of Ukrainian National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS). This work is a part of the characterization process of the new cultivars. The chemical composition of the essential oil of the seven new Lavandula angustifolia and eight new Lavandula x intermedia cultivars was investigated and compared. In total, 71 different compounds were identified. Linalool and linalool acetate were the main components in both species in ranges of 26.14–57.07% and 9.08–24.45%, respectively. They were followed by terpinen-4-ol (2.16–22.44%), lavandulyl acetate (2.12–10.23%), and lavandulol (1.30–3.14) in the case of L. angustifolia and camphor (10.11–12.55%), borneol (5.49–8.71%), and eucalyptol (0.47–7.41%) in the case of L. x intermedia. The oils had a valuable terpene profile—a high linalool content and the substantial presence of lavandulol and its ester. Nevertheless, they did not comply with the industry standards, mostly due to high levels of terpinene-4-ol. Evidently, a high content of terpinen-4-ol is a characteristic feature of L. angustifolia oils bred in Ukraine. Additionally, the LA3 cultivar yielded an oil with some of the highest linalool contents reported in the literature. Statistical analysis and literature data allowed for the comparative analysis of the gathered data. MANOVA, PCA, and HCA marked caryophyllene oxide as another potential differentiating compound between studied species.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an overall increase in stress and depression in society. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the psychological condition of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore factors influencing their daily functioning. The study focused on four main aspects such as mental well-being, sexuality, concern about financial status, and trust in medical authorities. The study was based on a specially designed survey. The questionnaire was created using Google Forms and shared on social media sites. A total of 630 students participated in the survey, 17 surveys were excluded due to incomplete data and 613 surveys (97.30%) were considered for the final analysis. During isolation, 68.0% of students experienced fear of missing out (FOMO). A total of 73.4% were frustrated due to spending a lot of time in front of a computer. A significant decrease in motivation to study was reported by 78.1% of the respondents. Students showed significantly different attitudes towards sexuality. Concern about the financial situation was reported by 48.7% of respondents. The state of the Polish economy was of concern to 86.4% of respondents. A total of 74.5% of students declared concern about their career development. During the pandemic, 59.0% of respondents became concerned about their health. The attitude towards vaccination was described as positive by 82.5% of the respondents. The percentage of respondents experiencing negative psychological effects relative to the overall epidemiological situation of COVID-19 is troubling. Given the unexpected length and severity of the pandemic, we suggest that students’ concerns be more thoroughly understood and addressed.

Periodontal therapy focuses on thorough removal of subgingival calculus and plaque products followed by the smoothing out of root surfaces. However, such conventional mechanotherapeutic approaches are inefficient with regard to microbial biofilm elimination from the space between the root and deep periodontal pockets. Therefore, local chemotherapeutic agents need to be applied. Local antimicrobial treatment is also considered a safer treatment, as it avoids systemic complications related to drug application. In this study, porous matrices consisting of gelatin (GE) and cellulose derivatives (carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)) were loaded with antimicrobial drug metronidazole (MTZ). The matrices’ structural morphology, physiochemical properties, swelling and degradation ratio, mechanical properties, and MTZ release from the matrices were analyzed. Additionally, cytotoxicity tests for fibroblast and osteoblast cell cultures (L929 and U2-OS, respectively) and antimicrobial activity assessments of MTZ-loaded matrices against anaerobic Bacteroides sp. Bacteria were performed. Finally, clinical application of HEC matrices into periodontal pockets was conducted. The applied matrices showed a high antibacterial efficacy and a moderate cytotoxicity in vitro. The clinical application of HEC dressings corresponded with the decrease of periodontal pockets’ depth and bleeding observed 1 month after a single application. The presented results show that intra-pocket application of metronidazole using manufactured matrices may serve not only as a support for a standard treatment in periodontal practice but also as an alternative to systemic drug administration in this setting. Clinical data were analyzed using a nonparametric Friedman’s ANOVA for dependent trials.

Phonation disorders after thyroidectomy are among the most common complications and occur as a result of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury. The multivariate analysis of risk factors for phonation disorders after thyroidectomy was assessed. A group of 830 patients with 1500 RLNs at risk of injury during thyroidectomy were analyzed retrospectively. The impact of the method of RLN identification, age, sex, BMI, kind of thyroid surgery, pathology, surgeon’s experience and thyroid volume on vocal cord paralysis was analyzed. We found that the retrosternal goiter and the volume above 100 mL were the most important risk factors for both transient and permanent paralysis. Thyroid cancer had a statistically significant impact on the increase in permanent paralysis, while this indication had practically no impact on transient paralysis. Among patients over 65 years with obesity, the probability of transient complications approximately doubled, with no effect on the permanent paralysis. Men were approximately 1.7 times more likely to develop any type of phonation disorder. Secondary operations more than doubled the risk of transient and permanent vocal cord paralysis. Thyroidectomy with only visual RLN identification was associated with a risk of both transient and permanent vocal cord paralysis almost two times higher, compared to neuromonitoring.