Eight different poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/salt aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS's) were characterized at 23 °C. PEGs with different molecular weights (1500 and 8000) were combined with different salts (sodium or potassium citrates and formates) to study the effect of each ATPS constituent in the phase diagram. The binodal curve and several tie-lines were determined for each system using common analytical techniques described in the literature for ATPS's (cloud point method, conductivity, and gravimetric analysis after lyophilization). According to the results, it was found that each ATPS constituent produced a particular effect in the phase diagram. For the salts, changes in the anion produced larger variations in the heterogeneous region size than changes of the cation. Thus, the effect of salt type seems to be largely dependent on the anion, which makes the dominant contribution. The ability to form ATPS's is connected with the Gibbs energy of hydration, ΔG hyd , of the anions: more negative ΔG hyd values facilitate ATPS formation. Changes in the PEG molecular weight affected also the phase diagram: the size of the heterogeneous region increases with the increase in the polymer molecular weight.

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A b s t r a c t Diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), an antimicrobial agent, are in common use and can be often detected in the environment. The constructed wetland systems (CWs) are one of the technologies to remove them from the aquatic environment. The final effect of the treatment processes depends on many factors, including the interaction between plants and the plant-associated microorganisms present in the system. Bacteria living inside the plant as endophytes are exposed to secondary metabolites in the tissues. Therefore, they can possess the potential to degrade aromatic structures, including residues of pharmaceuticals. The endophytic strain MG7 identified as Microbacterium sp., obtained from root tissues of Phalaris arundinacea exposed to DCF and SMX was tested for the ability to remove 2 mg/l of SMX and DCF in monosubstrate cultures and in the presence of phenol as an additional carbon source. The MG7 strain was able to remove approximately 15% of DCF and 9% of SMX after 20 days of monosubstrate culture. However, a decrease in the optical density of the MG7 strain cultures was observed, caused by an insufficient carbon source for bacterial growth and proliferation. The adsorption of pharmaceuticals onto autoclaved cells was negligible, which confirmed that the tested strain was directly involved in the removal of DCF and SMX. In the presence of phenol as the additional carbon source, the MG7 strain was able to remove approximately 35% of DCF and 61% of SMX, while an increase in the optical density of the cultures was noted. The higher removal efficiency can be explained by adaptive mechanisms in microorganisms exposed to phenol (i.e. changes in the composition of membrane lipids) and by a co-metabolic mechanism, where non-growth substrates can be transformed by non-specific enzymes. The presence of both DCF and SMX and the influence of the supply frequency of CWs with the contaminated wastewater on the diversity of whole endophytic bacterial communities were demonstrated. The results of this study suggest the capability of the MG7 strain to degrade DCF and SMX. This finding deserves further investigations to improve wastewater treatment in CWs with the possible use of pharmaceuticals-degrading endophytes.K e y w o r d s: endophytic bacteria, constructed wetlands, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, biodegradation Węgrzyn A. and Felis E.

Aim of the study. The 4C Mortality Score was created to predict mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and has to date been evaluated only in respiratory system disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate its application in patients with COVID-19-associated acute ischaemic stroke (AIS).Clinical rationale for study. COVID-19 is a risk factor for AIS. COVID-19-associated AIS results in higher mortality and worse functional outcome. Predictors of functional outcome in COVID-19-associated AIS are required. Materials and methods.This was a retrospective observational study of patients with AIS hospitalised in seven neurological wards in Małopolska Voivodship (Poland) between August and December 2020. We gathered data concerning the patients' age, sex, presence of cardiovascular risk factors, type of treatment received, and the presence of stroke-associated infections (including pneumonia, urinary tract infection and infection of unknown source). We calculated 4C Mortality Score at stroke onset, and investigated whether there was a correlation with neurological deficit measured using the National Health Institute Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and functional outcome assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge. Results.The study included 52 patients with COVID-19-associated AIS. The 4C Mortality Score at stroke onset correlated with mRS (r s = 0.565, p < 0.01) at discharge. There was also a statistically significant difference in the mean 4C Mortality Score between patients who died and patients who survived the stroke (13.08 ± 2.71 vs. 9.85 ± 3.47, p = 0.04).Conclusions and clinical implications. 4C Mortality Score predicts functional outcome at discharge in COVID-19-associated AIS patients.

Liquid–liquid microextraction (LLME) by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) is a simple, rapid, efficient and environmentally friendly method that was developed to determine enantiomers of ibuprofen in aqueous environmental samples.

The deliberations included in this article concern issues related to the leading role of official regulations of universities in shaping the legal and employment situation of academic staff. Due to the fact that the Act is of no comprehensive character, the legislator refers the regulation of matters related to organization and functioning of universities to their statutes. Any issues linked to employment relationship of academic staff are contained within the statutory framework of reference to official regulations of universities. These undoubtedly include matters either directly or indirectly related to employment of academic staff. The material scope of this article concerns mainly issues related to official regulations. It also discusses the possibility of regulating the competition procedure and conditions as well as introduction of additional requirements for positions that are statutorily defined

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