Barbara Poniedziałek

Poznan University of Medical Sciences · Department of Environmental Medicine

Aphanizomenon gracile and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii are extensively studied Nostocales of wide geographical distribution and have potential to produce toxins. However, a number of knowledge gaps regarding their toxicity and related health risks in certain locations, including Europe, exists. The present study applied a polyphasic approach to s...

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is known to induce cytotoxic effects in eukaryotic cells although the exact mechanism underlying these alterations is not fully explained. Given that CYN was previously found to decrease the proliferation of human lymphocytes through DNA damage and cell cycle arrest followed by an increase in the apoptotic rate, the present...

Despite a significant interest in cyanotoxins over recent decades, their biological role is still poorly elucidated. Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a cyanobacterial metabolite that is globally identified in surface fresh- and brackish waters and whose producers are observed to spread throughout different climate zones. This paper provides a comprehens...

The biological role of cyanobacteria secondary metabolites is relatively unknown although several possible hypotheses have been discussed. In the following study the effect of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and metabolites of non-CYN producing Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii strain on growth, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and microcystin-LR (MC-LR)...

Human endometrium is a thick, blood vessel-rich, glandular tissue which undergoes cyclic changes and is potentially sensitive to the various endogenous and exogenous compounds supplied via the hematogenous route. As recently indicated, several metals including Cd, Pb, Cr and Ni represent an emerging class of potential metalloestrogens and can be im...

Elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) without the need for medical intervention, known as spontaneous clearance (SC), occurs at a significantly lower rate than in the case of hepatitis B virus infection and only in selected individuals, such as reportedly in Keith Richards, a guitarist of The Rolling Stones. The present paper provides an updated n...

Despite remarkable progress in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, it remains a significant global health burden, necessitating the development of an effective prophylactic vaccine. This review paper presents the current landscape of HCV vaccine candidates and approaches, including more traditional, based on inactivated virus, and m...

The discovery of perchlorate in martian regolith, ubiquitously distributed at levels far exceeding those noted on Earth, raises challenges for in situ resource utilization and life-supporting systems. However, this challenge can be overcome by organisms with extreme tolerance to various stressors, characterization of the mechanisms supporting such...

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced an interest in the relationship between air pollution and respiratory viral infections, indicating that their burden can be increased under poor air quality. This paper reviews the pathways through which air pollutants can enhance susceptibility to such infections and aggravate their clinical course and outcome....

Understanding how the infectious disease burden was affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is pivotal to identifying potential hot spots and guiding future mitigation measures. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze the changes in the rate of new cases of Poland's most frequent infectious diseases during the entire COVID-19 pandemic and after the...

Long COVID (LC) is characterized by persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection, with various mechanisms offered to explain its pathogenesis. This study explored whether adaptive humoral anti-SARS-CoV-2 responses differ in LC. Unvaccinated COVID-19 convalescents (n = 200) were enrolled, with 21.5% (n = 43) presenting LC three months post-inf...

There is evidence that influenza vaccination may provide additional benefits by inducing training of innate immunity and increasing humoral responses to heterologous challenges. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies dominate the early phase of the adaptive response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, but whether their production may be associated with previous in...

Antibiotic resistance is a major challenge to public health, but human-caused environmental changes have not been widely recognized as its drivers. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the relationships between environmental degradation and antibiotic resistance, demonstrating that the former can potentially fuel the latter with significant...

Air pollution may affect the clinical course of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between exposure of adult patients to mean 24 h levels of particulate matter sized <10 μm (PM 10) and <2.5 μm (PM 2.5) and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) during a week before their hospitalization due to SARS-CoV-2 infecti...

Accumulating evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 can potentially trigger autoimmune processes, which can be responsible for the long-term consequences of COVID-19. Therefore, this paper aims to review the autoantibodies reported in COVID-19 convalescents. Six main groups were distinguished: (i) autoantibodies against components of the immune system, (ii...

The present study assesses the seroprevalence of antibodies against seasonal human al-phacoronaviruses 229E and NL63 among adult patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, and its association with the humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and its severity, and influenza vaccination. A serosurvey was conducted to quantify the presence of IgG antibodies a...

This study evaluated the damage to the endothelial tight junctions (TJs) in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) and investigated whether FGR is related to blood–brain barrier disintegration and, subsequently, to the appearance of proteins indicative of neuronal injury in maternal blood. The studied group included 90 pregnant w...

How frequently autoantibodies against angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) occur in patients infected by SARS‐CoV‐2 is understudied and limited to investigations on a small sample size. The presence of these antibodies may contribute to the long‐lasting effects of COVID‐19 observed in some individuals, particularly if IgG class antibodies would e...

There is evidence that vaccination against seasonal influenza can improve innate immune responses to COVID-19 and decrease disease severity. However, less is known about whether it could also impact the humoral immunity in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The present study aimed to compare the SARS-CoV-2 specific humoral responses (IgG antibodies agai...

The vaccination campaigns brought hope to minimizing the COVID‐19 burden. However, the emergence of novel, highly transmissible Omicron lineage of SARS‐CoV‐2 and the waning of neutralizing antibodies a few months after vaccination has brought concerns over the vaccine efficacy. The present work analyzed the relationships between COVID‐19 vaccine co...

There is a pressing need to identify novel antiplatelet agents, an alternative to acetylsalicylic acid and thieno-pyridines, to broaden the prevention of cardiovascular events, the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Invertebrate coelomocytes structurally and functionally resemble the thrombocyte-like cells of vertebrates; therefore, t...

This study aimed to compare the occurrence and nuisance of adverse events following administration of each COVID-19 vaccine dose between two groups: individuals given three doses of mRNA vaccine (homologous group, 3 × mRNA, n = 252) and those given two doses of adenoviral vector vaccine further boosted with mRNA vaccine (heterologous group, 2 × AZ...

Air pollution can adversely affect the immune response and increase the severity of the viral disease. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between symptomatology, clinical course, and inflammation markers of adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalized in Poland (n = 4432) and air pollution levels, i.e., mean...

Air pollution, to which children are more susceptible than adults, can promote airway inflammation, potentially exaggerating the effects of respiratory viral infection. This study examined the association between the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 in unvaccinated pediatric patients hospitalized in Poland (n=766) and levels of particulate matter...

Cyanobacteria are good candidates for various martian applications as a potential source of food, fertilizer, oxygen, and biofuels. However, the increased levels of highly toxic perchlorates may be a significant obstacle to their growth on Mars. Therefore, in the present study, 17 cyanobacteria strains that belong to Chroococcales, Chroococcidiopsi...

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is mainly caused by failure of the uteroplacental unit. The exact pathogenesis remains unclear. The cause is thought to be related to abnormal platelet activation, which may result in microthrombus formation in the small vessels of the placenta. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) may initiate the pathological process of pl...

Background: Excessive metabolic excitation of platelets after cardiac procedures may be related to some adverse events but assessment of their metabolic activity is not routine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate which of the basic platelet morphological parameters best reflects their metabolic status. Methods: The blood samples of 22card...

Pursuing vaccinations against COVID-19 brings hope to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and remains the most rational decision under pandemic conditions. However, it does not come without challenges, including temporary shortages in vaccine doses, significant vaccine inequity, and questions regarding the durability of vaccine-induced immunity that rem...

COVID-19 vaccinations are essential to mitigate the pandemic and prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the serum antibody levels in vaccinated individuals gradually decrease over time, while SARS-CoV-2 is undergoing an evolution toward more transmissible variants, such as B.1.617.2, ultimately increasing the risk of breakthrough infections...

Background: Intervention-induced platelet hypercoagulability may pose a risk of serious adverse events for patients. Aims: The aim of this study was to assess whether surgical (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) differ in periprocedural platelet activity. Methods: The total number of 24 patients with a mean age (SD) of 71...

Vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to the success of COVID-19 vaccination programs. The present cross-sectional online survey of adult Poles (n = 1020) expressing a willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was conducted between February and March 2021 and aimed to assess (i) the general trust in different types of vaccines, (ii) the level of ac...

There is increasing evidence that programmed cell death (PCD) in cyanobacteria is triggered by oxidative stress and that it contributes to the survival of the cyanobacterial population such as Microcystis aeruginosa. At the same time, microcystins (MCs) released during cell lysis have been implicated in colony formation (enabled by the release of p...

Toxicity of cyanobacteria is the subject of ongoing research, and a number of toxic metabolites have been described, their biosynthesis pathways have been elucidated, and the mechanism of their action has been established. However, several knowledge gaps still exist, e.g., some strains produce hitherto unknown toxic compounds, while the exact dynam...

The cause of nutritional deficiencies, apart from an insufficient quantitative and qualitative supply of food, may also include food allergies and intolerances. Considering the global challenges to prevent nutritional deficiencies in different environmental settings, various methods of food fortification may provide, at least partially, the solutio...

Oxidative stress is regarded to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This study evaluated the prognostic value of serum oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase activity (CAT), and s...

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading global cause of mortality indicating the need to identify all possible factors reducing primary and secondary risk. This study screened the in vitro antiplatelet and anticoagulant activities of hot water extracts of eight edible mushroom species (Agaricus bisporus, Auricularia auricularia-judae, Coprinus c...

Arthrospira spp. (known commercially as Spirulina) and Chlorella spp., valued for their evidence-based nutritional and bioactive properties, are cultivated for the purpose of production of food supplements for worldwide distribution. However, the quality and safety of the final product depends on culturing and manufacturing conditions. The present...

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. In the caption of Fig. 2, comment given during proofreading process was erroneously inserted.

The objective of this study was to compare oxidative stress indices in 24 patients (mean ± SD age 71 ± 13 years) undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) versus transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), copper/zinc ratio (Cu/Zn), activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and thiobarbituric acid...

As yet European strains of Raphidiopsis raciborskii (previously Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii) have not been found to produce known cyanotoxins although their extracts have caused adverse effects in mammals, as shown using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. The present study investigated whether R. raciborskii isolated from Western Poland a...

Background. Baby-Led-Weaning (BLW) is increasingly popular as a complementary feeding practice although its safety, limitations and advantages have not been widely studied as yet. Material and Methods. The present survey employed an anonymous online questionnaire to learn from experience (their concerns, perceived advantages, disadvantages, and ove...

The authors would like to correct the error in the "Abstract" section of original publication. The correct sentence should read "The sampled waters were highly acidic (pH 2.1-4.9) and had high electrical conductivity (2.80-15.61 mS cm-1).

The market of food supplements (FS) in European Union (EU) is on the rise. The present study investigated the content of essential (Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Zn) and toxic elements (Cd, Cr(VI), Ni and Pb) in 168 FS produced in the EU and designed to support various health aspects (nutrition, neurological function, reproduction, weight loss...

Altered function of maternal platelets has been evidenced in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) but intraplatelet burden of trace elements, factors known to affect platelet activity, remains unknown in IUGR pregnancy. This study assessed the intraplatelet status of Ca, Cu, Mg, Na, K, P, Zn and their ratios (Ca/P, Ca/Mg, Na/K, Cu/Zn) in IUGR pre...

The study investigated effect of substrate supplementation with Se alone or in combination with Cu or/and Zn Se on (1) the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus eryngii; (2) elements accumulation in mushrooms; (3) the antioxidant activities of bio-enriched mushroom extracts in human platelets. The accumulation of elements generally increased...

China is the first and Poland the fifth the greatest producers of cultivated mushrooms worldwide. Because new species are being domesticated and gaining popularity there is a need to study their biological activities and chemical composition. In this study, a multi-elemental analysis was conducted on 14 culinary and/or medicinal mushroom species cu...

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are used in a growing number of applications, and their release to environment has increased over the decades. Knowledge of REEs in human milk and factors that could possibly influence their concentration is scarce. This study evaluated the concentrations of 16 REEs (Ce, Eu, Er, Gd, La, Nd, Pr, Sc, Sm, Dy, Ho, Lu, Tb, Tm,...

The present study investigated the interrelationships between the concentration of total polyphenols (TP), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lactate dehydrogenase activity (LDH) and content of toxic elements (Al, As, Cd, Ni, Pb) in human colostrum milk (n = 75), and further assessed their potential association with maternal l...

The combustion of fossil fuels has resulted in rapidly increasing emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), which has caused serious human health and environmental problems. NO capture has become a research focus in gas purification because NO accounts for more than 90% of NOx and is difficult to remove. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), features the l...

Altered function of platelets can lead to cardiovascular complications in numerous disorders. Various studies aimed to investigate mechanisms triggering platelets activation cascade show a significant role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in this matter. Moreover, ROS are known causal factor of oxidative stress that can result in DNA, lipid and pro...

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a naturally occurring alkaloid produced by a variety of cyanobacteria and known to induce oxidative stress-mediated toxicity in eukaryotic cells. Despite extensive research on the mechanism of CYN toxicity, an understanding of the structural features responsible for this toxicity and the mechanism by which it can enter t...

Flow cytometry (FCM) is routinely used in medical and veterinary diagnostics although it is also widely applied in environmental studies, including phytoplankton investigations. Cyanobacteria are widespread photosynthetic microorganisms that attract attention due to their ecology and potential toxicity. Therefore, novel research tools are being app...

Although an increase in dietary lithium (Li) has been suggested as a possible method for mood stabilization and for decreasing violence and suicidal rates, no Li-enriched food has entered the market. Here we continue to explore the feasibility of mushrooms in this respect and have investigated the growth, accumulation and mineral content (Ca, K, Mg...

The global population of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo L.) is on the rise. These birds, characterized by rapid metabolism, can deposit large quantities of feces, and because they breed on the land but forage on water, both terrestrial and aquatic environments can be simultaneously affected by their activities. The contribution of great corm...

Aim: The study aimed to evaluate high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) as a diagnostic and predictive marker in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Material/methods: Medical history of 106 patients with IBD revealed hsCRP concentrations at diagnosis and during the follow-up period. Results: The study showed that the majority of investigated...

Objective: To evaluate the content of Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in human endometrium (END), endocervix (ECX), and endometrial (END-P) and endocervical (ECX-P) polyps in relation to histologic image and female demographic characteristics and habits. Design: Tissues were collected during curettage of the uterine cavity, subjected to histopat...

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the accuracy of selected laboratory markers in assessing disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The analysis included serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, IFN-γ, hsCRP, peripheral regulatory T cells, as well as fecal calprotectin and lactoferrin. Patients and methods: A group...

Trace metals may be supportive to mammalian reproduction but also reveal certain toxicities. The present study investigated the content of selected metals (Ca, Cd, Cu, Mn, Mg, Ni, Pb, Zn) in uterine and testicular tissue of free-ranging and household cats and its relation with hair metal status, cats' age, weight, physical activity, diet and inhabi...

Introduction: The cause of a significant number of miscarriages remains unexplained. There is a need to identify the potential role of environmental, dietary and lifestyle factors in the risk of pregnancy loss. The present study was the first to investigate the content of embryonic material in respect to eight metals (aluminium, cadmium, chromium,...

Context: The Caucasian giant hogweeds (Heracleum sosnowskyi and H. mantegazzianum) are aggressive invaders successfully spreading across different parts of Europe. Their sap containing linear furanocoumarins can lead to a persisting cutaneous dermatitis and massive skin necrosis. Objective: We aimed to assess the awareness of the giant hogweeds’ t...

The Caucasian giant hogweeds (Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. and H. manntegazzianum Sommier et Lever) are aggressive invaders that are successfully spreading in different parts of the world. The skin exposure to these plants may lead to phototoxicity and even chemical burns manifested by cutaneous, full-thickness, long-lasting dermatitis and in extre...

Introduction. It has been recognized that environmental pollution can affect the quality of health of the human population. Heavy metals are among the group of highly emitted contaminants and their adverse effect of living organisms has been widely studied in recent decades. Lifestyle and quality of the ambient environment are among these factors w...

Smoking is a well-established environmental risk factor in Crohn's disease (CD). The study was aimed to investigate possible gender differences in the effect of smoking on the course of CD, with a special focus on selected immune parameters such as Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and regulatory T cells (Tregs). A group of 55 adults with CD was enrolled to t...

The study aimed to compare the accuracy of selected biologic markers in assessing the disease activity in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The analysis included serum IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, TNF-a, IFN-g, hsCRP, peripheral CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + regulatory T cells, as well as fecal calprotectin and lactoferrin. A group of 55 adults with CD was enrolled...

Introduction. Aluminium (Al), the most ubiquitous metal in the earth crust, has been shown to reveal a potential metalloestrogenic action. Despite an increasing interest in Al exposure in human, there is essentially no information on its status in the reproduction system. Aim. The present work investigated the content of Al in female endometrial t...

Introduction. Breast cancer is a global health threat which requires systematic basic health education and increasing the public attention and awareness. Therefore, breast self-examination (BSE), however controversial, was largely promoted in many countries including Poland. Moreover, the national breast screening programmes (BSP) were made availab...

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria) has worldwide distribution and is well known for producing the toxic alkaloid, cylindrospermopsin (CYN). Strains unable to synthesize this compound but potentially toxic were recently identified in Europe. Here, for the first time the effect of cell-free extracts of a non-CYN-producing stra...

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease, affecting approximately 2–4% of the population in western countries. Patients with a more severe form of the disease are typically considered for systemic therapy, including biologics. In spite of the overall superiority of biologic agents, the treatment response may differ substant...

Abstract The human gastrointestinal track harbors hundreds of species of commensal organisms, collectively known as microbiota. The composition of the intestinal microbiota is changeable by various factors, such as host genotype, diet, antibiotics, pathogen infections, among others. Changes in these factors can cause microbiome disruption known as...

This paper describes the potential application of a freely suspended cyanobacterial biomass of Microcystis aeruginosa as a sorption material for toxic metals, cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) from aqueous solutions. In order to identify the most suitable conditions for removal of these elements (concentration range: 1-20 mg L-1), the laboratory experimen...

The global expansion of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) producing cyanobacteria in surface freshwater increases the risk of human exposure and poisoning. Following ingestion, CYN is transported with blood in general circulation to the liver and kidneys, and can potentially interact with immune system cells. In the present study, we investigated whether CY...

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is considered an important risk factor for developing Crohn’s disease (CD), contributing to a more severe course of the disease. Conversely, smoking is believed to have a beneficial effect on the course of ulcerative colitis (UC), a second major condition of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Aim: To investigate the...

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN), a cyanobacterial toxin, presents a risk to human health due to its relatively high chemical stability, a global spread of its producers and its occurrence in drinking-water reservoirs. Despite a broad interest in its toxicity to eukaryotes, little is known about the potential effects of CYN on the human immune system. Here...

Background/aims: Crohn's disease (CD) is characterized by a transmural often granulomatous Th1-driven inflammatory process hallmarked by an increased production of IL-12, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. Accumulating evidence suggests that the numerical defect within the regulatory T cell (Tregs) compartment might contribute to this imbalance between pro-...

Słowa kluczowe: metale ciężkie, izolacja chloroplastów, cystometria przepływowa, skanu-jący mikroskop konfokalny. Key words: heavy metals, isolations of chloroplasts, flow cytometry, scanning confocal mi-croscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the flow cytometry as a method for the assessment of autofluorescence emission of chloroplasts iso...

Urbanization can considerably affect water reservoirs by, inter alia, input, and accumulation of contaminants including metals. Located in the course of River Cybina, Maltański Reservoir (Western Poland) is an artificial shallow water body built for recreation and sport purposes which undergoes restoration treatment (drainage) every 4 years. In the...