Analytically confirmed presence of psychoactive substances, especially new psychoactive substances in a group of patients hospitalized with mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of psychoactive substances diagnosis

OBJECTIVES

The study assessed the presence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in comparison to "classic" drugs in the group of newly admitted patients with mental and behavioral disorders due to the use of psychoactive substances diagnosis (section F11-19 according to ICD-10).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data from anamnesis and the blood and urine samples were collected from 116 patients diagnosed with mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use. All of them expressed written informed consent. Analytical confirmation was obtained by highperformance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Liquid-liquid extraction was used for sample preparation.

RESULTS

In the sample, 108 (93%) of 116 were positive for psychoactive substances (including 96 cases where >1 substance was found), 69% of individuals were tested positive for opioids and 67% for benzodiazepines. Eleven (9%) of 116 patient samples were positive for NPS. We detected 7 different substances. Six of them were synthetic cannabinoids: PB-22, MDMB-CHMICA, MMB-CHMICA, AB-CHMINACA, MMB-FUBINACA, THJ-2201 and one synthetic cathinone 3-CMC.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence and NPS profile (the predominance of synthetic cannabinoids) are similar in the group of people with addiction to psychoactive substances as in populations of people taking recreational drugs and the overdose patients admitted to the hospital. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(4):485-95.

Microwave support of the alcoholic fermentation process of cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis

The search for a balance between the energy-related challenges of the future and providing nutritional security has resulted in the development of a market for biofuels of successive generations. The larger their portion in biofuel production, the less the prices of agricultural products will increase. The use of algae, cyanobacteria and aquatic plants in the production of liquid fuels is an alternative. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of thermal hydrolysis on degradation of polysaccharides contained in biomass of cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis and to assess the effectiveness of ethanol production from preconditioned biomass. The study is aimed at the selection of the most advantageous parameters of thermochemical hydrolysis to reach the experiment variant with the best effects, degree of polysaccharide degradation and effectiveness of alcohol fermentation. The experiment was divided into two stages; in stage I, the possibility of obtaining fermentable sugars by hydrothermal and chemical treatment of the substrate was tested. Stage II involved an assessment of the effectiveness of the pretreatment methods to produce bioethanol in alcohol fermentation. Yeast used in industrial ethanol production-Saccharomyces cerevisiae As4-was used in the alcohol fermentation. The results have shown that the temperature of 150 °C was the most beneficial for the process of thermohydrolysis, and the mash in the microwave-heated sample contained the highest concentration of alcohol (0.97 g/l), which is 98% more than in the control mash and 37% more than in the conventionally heated sample.

Fruit Physical Features, Phenolic Compounds Profile and Inhibition Activities of Cranberry Cultivars (Vaccinium macrocarpon) Compared to Wild-Grown Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)

This study analysed fruits of cranberry cultivars: Ben Lear, Bergman, Early Richard, Pilgrim and Stevens and compared them with wild-grown cranberry fruits. The fruits were characterised in terms of dimensions, colour, content of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins, and hydroxyl radical and trypsin inhibition activities. It was shown that the wild-grown cranberry fruits were characterised by much smaller dimensions and redder colour than fruits of the cranberry cultivars. The most phenolic compounds were found in the Early Richard fruits (357.6 mg/100 g fw), and they showed the highest antitrypsin activity. The highest anthocyanin content (60.6 mg/100 g fw) was determined in the Pilgrim fruits, while the Ben Lear fruits were the richest source of proanthocyanidins (27.9 mg/100 g fw). The antioxidant activity was correlated with the content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, while the antitrypsin activity was correlated with phenolic compounds and anthocyanin contents.

Remediation of cobalt-polluted soil after application of selected substances and using oat (Avena sativa L.)

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of soil application of manure, clay, charcoal, zeolite, and calcium oxide in remediation of soil polluted with cobalt (0, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 mg Co kg^-1 of soil). The following were determined: weight of harvested plants as well as the content of cobalt in grain, straw, and roots of oat. In addition, tolerance index (Ti), cobalt bioconcentration (BCF), translocation (TF), and transfer (TFr) coefficients were derived. In the series without amendments, the increasing doses of cobalt had a significant effect by decreasing the yields of oat grain and straw and the mass of its roots. Also, lower tolerance index values were noted in the objects polluted with cobalt, especially with its highest dose. The application of manure had the strongest effect on increasing the mass of particular organs of the test plant, while the application of charcoal led to a significant decrease in this respect. The application of all substances to the soil, and especially manure and calcium oxide, resulted in higher tolerance index Ti values. The growing contamination of soil with cobalt caused a significant increase in the content of this element in oat and in the values of the translocation coefficient, in contrast to the effects noted with respect to the bioconcentration and transfer coefficients. All the substances applied to soil reduced the content of cobalt and its bioconcentration in oat straw, in opposition to grain and roots, limited its translocation, but elevated the transfer of this element from soil to plants. Soil contamination with cobalt promoted the accumulation of lead and copper in grain, cadmium, lead, nickel, zinc, manganese, and iron in straw, as well as cadmium, nickel, zinc, and manganese in oat roots. As the cobalt dose increased, the content of other trace elements in oat organs either decreased or did not show any unambiguous changes. Of all the tested substances, the strongest influence on the content of trace elements was produced by calcium oxide in straw and roots and by zeolite in roots, whereas the weakest effect was generated by manure in oat grain. Oat is not the best plant for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with cobalt.

Content of macronutrients in oat (Avena sativa L.) after remediation of soil polluted with cobalt

The purpose of this study was to determine the remediation effect of various substances (manure, clay, charcoal, zeolite and calcium oxide) on limiting the influence of high cobalt doses (0, 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg of soil) on the content of macroelements in grain, straw and roots of oat. The doses of cobalt applied in this experiment as well as soil amendments such as manure, clay, charcoal, zeolite and calcium oxide had a significant effect on the content of the analysed macronutrients in grain, straw and roots of oat. In the series without any neutralising substances, the soil contamination with cobalt caused an increase in the content of nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, calcium and, partly, potassium, in grain, straw and roots of oat. Among the neutralising substances tested, the most unambiguous effect was produced by manure, which raised the content of all macronutrients (except calcium and magnesium) in oat grain, straw and roots. The influence of the other substances on the content of macronutrients in oat plants was less equivocal. However, all of them, especially calcium oxide, tended to induce a decrease in the content of most macronutrients in grain, straw and roots of oat.

Technologies for deodorization of malodorous gases

There is an increasing number of citizens' complaints about odor nuisance due to production or service activity. High social awareness imposes pressure on entrepreneurs and service providers forcing them to undertake effective steps aimed at minimization of the effects of their activity, also with respect to emission of malodorous substances. The article presents information about various technologies used for gas deodorization. Known solutions can be included into two groups: technologies offering prevention of emissions, and methodological solutions that enable removal of malodorous substances from the stream of emitted gases. It is obvious that the selection of deodorization technologies is conditioned by many factors, and it should be preceded by an in-depth analysis of possibilities and limitations offered by various solutions. The aim of the article is presentation of the available gas deodorization technologies as to facilitate the potential investors with selection of the method of malodorous gases emission limitation, suitable for particular conditions.