Haematological malignancies are a frequently diagnosed group of neoplasms and a significant cause of cancer deaths. The successful treatment of these diseases relies on early and accurate detection. Specific small molecular compounds released by malignant cells and the simultaneous response by the organism towards the pathological state may serve as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers or as a tool with relevance for cancer therapy management. To identify the most important metabolites required for differentiation, an 1H NMR metabolomics approach was applied to selected haematological malignancies. This study utilized 116 methanol serum extract samples from AML (n= 38), nHL (n= 26), CLL (n= 21) and HC (n= 31). Multivariate and univariate data analyses were performed to identify the most abundant changes among the studied groups. Complex and detailed VIP-PLS-DA models were calculated to highlight possible changes in terms of biochemical pathways and discrimination ability. Chemometric model prediction properties were validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and statistical analysis. Two sets of eight important metabolites in HC/AML/CLL/nHL comparisons and five in AML/CLL/nHL comparisons were selected to form complex models to represent the most significant changes that occurred.

The global biodiversity crisis is becoming one of the key challenges for the global community. At the same time, hands-on knowledge of local biodiversity is decreasing among young people, replaced by information about global issues and/or artificial products provided by the media. While information and computer technologies (ICT) are blamed for the alienation of people from the natural world surrounding them, they may also be used for education about wildlife. The article describes a case study of the use of ICT for education about local biodiversity. A progressive web app (PWA) as a universal software solution for all types of devices was used for creating a virtual educational path within the biodiversity-rich urban park. The PWA complements and expands existing educational facilities, provides a multimedia experience when learning about local biodiversity, and introduces elements of gamification to increase the motivation of users.

No abstract