Snow covers up to 35 % of the Earth's surface seasonally, impacts biogeochemical cycling, and forms a microbial habitat despite harsh and variable conditions. While atmospheric deposition is a well-known source of microbial input, the role of vertebrates in shaping snow microbiomes remains underexplored. In Arctic ecosystems, seabirds and terrestrial mammals influence the concentration and distribution of nutrients, but their effects on microbial communities in snow remain poorly understood. Here, we explore the role of vertebrates in shaping snow microbial biodiversity of Arctic terrestrial snowpacks. The study was conducted on the northern coast of Hornsund Fjord on Spitsbergen. Forty snow samples were collected in four transects, two established along the gradient from the centre of a seabird (Alle alle) colony towards non-impacted areas and two transects along the coast. We identified 854 bacterial ASVs using short-read sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Samples clustered into four groups based on community composition, but were not linked to spatial factors such as distance to colonies. Bird and terrestrial mammal faecal indicators like Catellicoccus or Streptococcus were detected in 17 out of the 40 samples and drove the formation of two distinct clusters. These findings suggest that coastal Arctic snow microbiomes are strongly shaped by biological activity, with wildlife acting as key microbial vectors.

Currently there are no widely recognized standards for assessing the environmental risk of nanopesticides. Therefore, whether they are safer than conventional pesticide products remains open to discussion. We used non-target soil microorganisms as indicators of environmental change and applied functional gene arrays (FGAs) using GeoChip 5.0S targeting 151 000 genes involved in ecologically relevant functions. We synthesized nanofungicides in which the active substance captan was bound to inorganic nanocarriers (ZnO and SiO2) to examine the functional capabilities of microbial communities. During a 100-day microcosm study, changes in soil were compared to the effect of pesticide and nanocarriers alone. Based on 72 functional gene diversity profiles, we conducted environmental risk assessment of nanopesticides. Nanoagrochemicals affected the alpha and beta diversity of microbial functional genes, and the most profound negative effect was detected for captan, impacting carbon cycling and the organic remediation process from day 30. Additionally, the effect of nanopesticides changed during the experiment. On day 42, the effect was nanocarrier-dependent, and an increase of genes involved in denitrification (nirS, norB), archaeal conversion of N2 to NH3 and fungal N-assimilation was observed, especially for SiO2-treated set-ups. After 100 days, the negative effect was mainly related to the active substance released from the nanocarrier impacting the nitrate reductase gene (narG) and genes from the denitrification and nitrogen fixation subcategory. Analysis of microarrays did not indicate a recovery process for carbon cycling. Moreover, pesticide and nanoagrochemicals affected arsenic detoxification (aoxB, arsM, arsC), which may lead to an elevation of toxic As(III) availability. Our study indicated that FGAs are a sensitive method, revealing long-term changes previously undetected by other methods, including next-generation sequencing (NGS). This is the first study to confirm the usefulness of GeoChips for the evaluation of microbial redundancy as an important factor for fair environmental risk assessment of nanopesticides.

Unsustainable agricultural intensification and climate change effects have caused chronic soil depletion in most arid and semi-arid croplands. As such, the land application of urban sewage sludge (USS) has been regulated in several countries as an alternative soil conditioner with recycling benefits. However, the risks of multi-contamination have made its agricultural reuse debatable. Accordingly, this study explored the long-term the impact of repetitive USS applications with increasing rates (0, 40, 80, and 120 t ha-1 year-1) on a sandy soil properties. A special focus was on the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, metal-resistant bacteria and corresponding resistance genes in soil (ARB, MRB, ARGs and MRGs, respectively). The outcomes showed a dose-dependent variation of different soil parameters including the increase of heavy metal content and total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) up to the highest sludge application rate. Besides, the two last sludge lots applied in fall 2019 and 2020 contained cultivable ARB for all addressed antibiotics at much higher counts than in corresponding treated soils. Interestingly, the average index of antibiotic resistance (ARB/THB) increased in the USS used in fall 2020 compared to 2019 (from 6.2% to 9.4%). This indicates that factors such as fluctuations in wastewater quality, treatments operations, and extensive antibiotic use following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 could have caused this variation. The molecular assessment of bacterial resistance resulted in the identification of three ARGs (mefA, sul1 and sul2), one MRG (czcA) and one integron (intI1). This might have implications on resistance co-selection, which can pose a threat to human health via contaminated crops.

Nanopesticide application should enable efficient pest management with smaller doses of an active ingredient. Nevertheless, the environmental risk assessment of nanopesticides is currently in its initial stages due to limited access to nanopesticides. Therefore, we synthesised nanofungicides with captan as an organic active ingredient and ZnO35-45nm or SiO2 20-30nm as nanocarriers (captan@ ZnO35-45nm and captan@ SiO2 20-30nm) and evaluated their environmental risk by testing different microbial parameters as its potential biomarkers. First, physico-chemical analysis (SEM-EDS, XPS, and FTIR) confirmed the presence of captan in nanofungicides, and they maintained 43-61 % antifungal efficiency against pathogen fungi compared to captan. Second, a laboratory toxicity assay (spot test) showed that nanofungicides generally revealed 10-100-fold lower growth inhibition of non-target microbial strains compared to captan. Next, the effect of nanofungicides on the abundance, structure and function of non-target soil microorganisms was evaluated during the 100-day microcosm using orchard soil and compared to control, captan, and nanocarriers. The changes in the total number of bacteria, ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) and fungi were enumerated using the copy number of the qPCR approach based on the copy number of 16S rRNA, amoA and ITS genes. The functional potential and microbial structure were estimated based on Community Level Physiological Profiles (CLPPs) and Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFAs) profiles. Generally, results indicated that nanofungicides affected soil microorganisms by changing, in different scale, various microbial parameters, but their negative effect was generally lower than pesticide. Although qPCR results revealed the harmful effect of all tested compounds on total bacteria number (16S rRNA) on day 42, and captan@ZnO35-45nm and nanocarrier SiO2 20-30nm still affected amoA gene copy number on day 100, but the total fungal abundance in orchard soil was not affected. Furthermore, the analyses of functional and structural mi-crobial diversity indicated the recovery process that was the fastest for captan@SiO2 20-30nm nanofungicide. On the contrary, ZnO35-45nm increased and prolonged the negative effect of captan in synthesised nanofungicide and generally exerted a more profound and/or longer effect than SiO2 20-30nm nanocarrier. Therefore we conclude that SiO2 20-30nm has better potential to be used as a nanocarrier compared to ZnO35-45nm. More studies are needed but soil microorganisms as sensitive biomarkers should be used for environmental risk assessment of nanopesticides.

Recent advances in nanotechnology and development of nanoformulation methods, has enabled the emergence of precision farming - a novel farming method that involves nanopesticides and nanoferilizers. Zinc-oxide nanoparticles serve as a Zn source for plants, but they are also used as nanocarriers for other agents, whereas copper-oxide nanoparticles possess antifungal activity, but in some cases may also serve as a micronutrient providing Cu ions. Excessive application of metal-containing agents leads to their accumulation in soil, where they pose a threat to non-target soil organisms. In this study, soils obtained from the environment were amended with commercial zinc-oxide nanoparticles: Zn-OxNPs(10_ 30), and newly-synthesized copper-oxide nanoparticles: Cu-OxNPs(1_ 10). Nanoparticles (NPs) in 100 and 1000 mg kg-1 concentrations were added in separate set-ups, representing a soil-microorganism-nanoparticle system in a 60-day laboratory mesocosm experiment. To track environmental footprint of NPs on soil microorganisms, a Phospholipd Fatty Acid biomarker analysis was employed to study microbial community structure, whereas Community-Level Physiological Profiles of bacterial and fungal fractions were measured with Biolog Eco and FF microplates, respectively. The results revealed a prominent and persistent effects exerted by copper-containing nanoparticles on non-target microbial communities. A severe loss of Gram-positive bacteria was observed in conjunction with disturbances in bacterial and fungal CLPPs. These effects persisted till the end of a 60-day experiment, demonstrating detrimental rearrangements in microbial community structure and functions. The effects imposed by zinc-oxide NPs were less pronounced. As persistent changes were observed for newly synthesized Cu-containing NPs, this work stresses the need for obligatory testing of nanoparticle interactions with non-target microbial communities in long-term experiments, especially during the approval procedures of novel nano-substances. It also underlines the role of in-depth physical and chemical studies of NP-containing agents, which may be tweaked to mitigate the unwanted behavior of such substances in the environment and preselect their beneficial characteristics.

An ever-increasing number of newly synthesised nanoparticles have a constantly expanding range of applications. The large-scale implementation of nanoparticles will inevitably lead to intentional or accidental contamination of various environments. Since the major benefit of using several metallic nanoparticles is antimicrobial activity, these emerging contaminants may have a potentially hazardous impact on the development and spread of antibiotic resistance - a challenge that threats infection therapy worldwide. Few studies underline that metallic nanoparticles may affect the emergence and evolution of resistance via mutations and horizontal transfer between different bacterial species. Due to the complexity of factors and mechanisms involved in disseminating antibiotic resistance, it is crucial to investigate if metallic nanoparticles play a significant role in this process through co-selection ability and pressure exerted on bacteria. The aim of this review is to summarise the current research on mutations and three main horizontal gene transfer modes facilitated by nanoparticles. Here, the current results in the field are presented, major knowledge gaps and the necessity for more environmentally relevant studies are discussed.

Nanoformulation should minimise the usage of pesticides and limit their environmental footprint. The risk assessment of two nanopesticides with fungicide captan as an active organic substance and ZnO35-45 nm or SiO2 20-30 nm as nanocarriers was evaluated using the non-target soil microorganisms as biomarkers. The first time for that kind of nanopesticides next-generation sequencing (NGS) of bacterial 16 S rRNA and fungal ITS region and metagenomics functional predictions (PICRUST2) was made to study structural and functional biodiversity. During a 100-day microcosm study in soil with pesticide application history, the effect of nanopesticides was compared to pure captan and both nanocarriers. Nanoagrochemicals affected microbial composition, especially Acidobacteria-6 class, and alpha diversity, but the observed effect was generally more substantial for pure captan. As for beta diversity, the negative impact was detected only in response to captan and still observed on day 100. Fungal community in the orchard soil showed only a decrease in phylogenetic diversity in captan set-up since day 30. PICRUST2 analysis confirmed several times lower impact of nanopesticides considering the abundance of functional pathways and genes encoding enzymes. Furthermore, the overall data indicated that using SiO2 20-30 nm as a nanocarrier speeds up a recovery process compared to ZnO35-45 nm.

Antibiotic resistance is a severe problem that threatens the achievements of modern medicine. Metallic nanoparticles may promote the horizontal transfer of resistance genes due to their toxicity to bacterial cells and metal-induced co-selection mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles to E. coli DH5α laboratory strain and the abundance of soil microbial community. Moreover, the influence of ZnO nanoparticles on resistance gene transfer in laboratory and soil conditions was evaluated. ZnO nanoparticles at concentrations up to 10 mg L-1 reduced the survival of E. coli cells by 14.6% and increased the transformation frequency by almost 1.8 fold. In soil, ZnO nanoparticles at a concentration of 1000 mg kg-1 affected the total abundance of bacteria, causing a decrease in the 16S rRNA gene copy number. We did not detect the presence of 11 target antibiotic resistance genes (sul1, sul2, imp2, imp5, blaCTX-M, ermB, mefA, strB, aadA1, tetA1, tetB), which confer resistance to five classes of antibiotics in soil treated with ZnO nanoparticles. No elevated conjugation frequency was observed in soil microbial communities treated with ZnO nanoparticles. However, the increase in czcA gene copies indicates the spread of genetic elements harbouring metal resistance. The data shows that metallic nanoparticles promote the spread of antibiotic and metal resistance genes. The broad implication of the present research is that the inevitable nanoparticles environmental pollution may lead to the further dissemination of antibiotic resistance and profoundly influence public health.

The effect of land application of sewage sludge on soil microbial communities and the possible spread of antibiotic- and metal-resistant strains and resistance determinants were evaluated during a 720-day field experiment. Enzyme activities, the number of oligotrophic bacteria, the total number of bacteria (qPCR), functional diversity (BIOLOG) and genetic diversity (DGGE) were established. Antibiotic and metal resistance genes (ARGs, MRGs) were assessed, and the number of cultivable antibiotic- (ampicillin, tetracycline) and heavy metal- (Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni) resistant bacteria were monitored during the experiment. The application of 10 t ha(-1) of sewage sludge to soil did not increase the organic matter content and caused only a temporary increase in the number of bacteria, as well as in the functional and structural biodiversity. In contrast to expectations, a general adverse effect on the tested microbial parameters was observed in the fertilized soil. The field experiment revealed a significant reduction in the activities of alkaline and acid phosphatases, urease and nitrification potential. Although sewage sludge was identified as the source of several ARGs and MRGs, these genes were not detected in the fertilized soil. The obtained results indicate that the effect of fertilization based on the recommended dose of sewage sludge was not achieved. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purpose Sewage sludge land application is strongly recommended to improve soil quality and fertility despite the presence of pollutants, pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes. This study aimed to assess the fertilization value of low and recommended by law sewage sludge dose (15 t ha −1 ). Materials and methods In a 540-day field study, the effect of sewage sludge on the soil physicochemical and microbial parameters, emphasising antibiotic and metal resistance spread, was investigated. Results In contrast to expectations, sewage sludge did not improve the organic matter, nutrient content and microbial activity in the soil; therefore, the fertilization effect was not achieved. Moreover, an increase in the bioavailable Cd, Ni and Cu content was observed. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that these increases mainly explain the changes in the soil microbial community. Sixteen resistance genes and four integron classes were detected in both the total DNA and on plasmids isolated from sewage sludge. Obtained plasmids confer β-lactam resistance or extreme resistance to tetracycline (> 256 μg mL −1 ). Two antibiotic resistance genes ( bla NPS-2 , tetA ) were transferred into the fertilized soil and detected up to 6 months after the fertilization. Conclusion Our results provide evidence that the regulated dose of sewage sludge, even when characterized by low total metal content, may affect soil microbial microbiome and resistome. Therefore, these findings provide critical data that have public health implications, which may raise concerns about the suitability of applying sewage sludge to the soil even at the low regulated dose.

Erythromycin (EM), a macrolide antibiotic, by influencing the biodiversity of microorganisms, might change the catabolic activity of the entire soil microbial community. Hence, the goal of this study was to determine the metabolic biodiversity in soil treated with EM (1 and 10 mg/kg soil) using the community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) method during a 90-day experiment. In addition, the effect of soil inoculation with antibiotic-resistant Raoultella sp. strain MC3 on CLPP was evaluated. The resistance and resilience concept as well as multifactorial analysis of data was exploited to interpret the outcomes obtained. EM negatively affected the metabolic microbial activity, as indicated by the values of the CLPP indices, i.e., microbial activity expressed as the average well-color development (AWCD), substrate richness (R), the Shannon–Wiener (H) and evenness (E) indices and the AWCD values for the six groups of carbon substrate present in EcoPlates until 15 days. The introduction of strain MC3 into soil increased the degradative activity of soil microorganisms in comparison with non-inoculated control. In contrast, at the consecutive sampling days, an increase in the values of the CLPP parameters was observed, especially for EM-10 + MC3-treated soil. Considering the average values of the resistance index for all of the measurement days, the resistance of the CLPP indices and the AWCD values for carbon substrate groups were categorized as follows: E > H > R > AWCD and polymers > amino acids > carbohydrates > miscellaneous > amines > carboxylic acids. The obtained results suggest a low level of resistance of soil microorganisms to EM and/or strain MC3 at the beginning of the exposure time, but the microbial community exhibited the ability to recover its initial decrease in catabolic activity over the experimental period. Despite the short-term effects, the balance of the soil ecosystem may be disturbed.

Background. The continuously increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMt2) is an important problem in current medicine. In addition to well-known environmental factors that may contribute to this disease, genetic factors may also play a role. One of the genes that may be responsible for an increased risk of DMt2 development is the transcription factor TCF7L2 gene. This work was aimed to assess a correlation between the rs7903146 polymorphism in the TCF7L2 gene and age at DMt2 diagnosis, presence of obesity, arterial hypertension, and time elapsed from DMt2 diagnosis to the start of insulin therapy. Methods. An analysis of the studied polymorphism was performed in 282 patients diagnosed with DMt2. Patients were divided into groups depending on the age of the onset of DMt2: group A (n = 82) - DMt2 diagnosis below the age of 40 years, group B (n = 100) - DMt2 diagnosis between the ages of 40 and 60 years, group C (n = 100) - DMt2 diagnosis above the age of 60 years. Results. In group C, there was a significantly lower number of patients with a TT genotype of the studied polymorphism compared to the combined group A + B (P < 0.05). Conclusions. There is a correlation between the rs7903146 polymorphism in the TCF7L2 gene and age at DMt2 diagnosis. No correlation has been demonstrated between the studied polymorphism and the presence of obesity, arterial hypertension, and time elapsed from DMt2 diagnosis to the start of insulin therapy.

Wstep. Stale rosnąca chorobowośc z powodu cukrzycy typu 2 (DMt2) stanowi istotny problem wspolczesnej medycyny. Poza znanymi czynnikami środowiskowymi w patogenezie DMt2 pewną role odgrywają czynniki genetyczne. Jednym z genow biorących udzial w pa­togenezie DMt2 jest gen czynnika transkrypcyjnego TCF7L2 ( transcription factor 7-like 2 ). Celem pracy jest ocena związku polimorfizmu pojedynczego nukleotydu rs7903146 genu TCF7L2 z wiekiem rozpoznania DMt2, wystepowaniem otylości i nadciśnienia tetniczego oraz okresem niewymagającym insulinoterapii. Material i metody. Analize badanego polimorfizmu przeprowadzono u 282 chorych z rozpoznaną DMt2. Pacjentow podzielono na trzy grupy w zalezności od wieku chorego przy rozpoznaniu DMt2: grupa A (n = 82) — rozpoznanie ≤ 40. roku zycia, grupa B (n = 100) — rozpoznanie pomiedzy 40. a 60. rokiem zycia, grupa C (n = 100) — rozpoznanie ≥ 60. roku zycia. Wyniki. W grupie C znalazlo sie istotnie mniej pacjentow z genotypem TT badanego polimorfizmu w odniesieniu do grupy lączonej A + B (p < 0,05). Wnioski. Wystepuje związek pomiedzy polimorfizmem rs7903146 genu TCF7L2 a wiekiem rozpoznania DMt2. Nie stwierdzono związku badanego polimorfizmu z wystepowaniem otylości, nadciśnienia tetniczego oraz okresem niewymagającym insulinoterapii.

Cefuroxime (XM), the most commonly prescribed antibiotic from the cephalosporin group, may cause changes in the structure of the soil microbial community, and these changes may also be reflected in the alteration of its functionality. Therefore, due to the lack of studies on this topic, the scope of this study was to assess the functional diversity and catabolic activity of the microbial community in soil treated with XM (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg soil) using the community-level physiological profile (CLPP) approach during a 90-day experiment. In addition, the effect of antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas putida strain MC1 (Ps) was also evaluated. The resistance/resilience concept and multifactorial analysis were used to interpret the data. The results showed that the introduction of XM and/or Ps into the soil caused changes in the catabolic activity and functional diversity of the microbial community. A decrease in the values of the CLPP indices (i.e., microbial activity expressed as the average well-color development (AWCD), substrate richness (R), the Shannon-Wiener (H) and evenness (E) indices and the AWCD values for the six carbon substrate groups) for the XM-treated soil was generally detected up to 30 days. In turn, at the same time, the activity measured in the Ps-inoculated soil was higher compared to the control soil. A stimulatory effect of XM at 10 mg/kg (XM10) and XM10+Ps on the utilization pattern of each substrate group was found at the following sampling times (days 60 and 90). The AWCD values for the utilization of amines, amino acids, carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, miscellaneous compounds and polymers for these treatments were found to be up to 2.3-, 3.1-, 2.3-, 13-, 3.4- and 3.3-fold higher compared to the values for the nontreated control, respectively. The resistance of the CLPP indices and the AWCD values for the carbon substrate groups were categorized as follows: E > H > R > AWCD and amino acids = carbohydrates > polymers > amines > miscellaneous > carboxylic acids, respectively. The results suggest a low initial resistance of the soil microbial community to XM and/or Ps, and despite the short-term negative effect, the balance of the soil ecosystem may be disturbed.

WstępCukrzyca oraz nadciśnienie tętnicze powodują zarówno istotne pogorszenie jakości życia, jak i skrócenie czasu przeżycia chorego. Celem pracy było znalezienie odpowiedzi na następujące pytania: 1) ile średnio leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych zażywa chory na nadciśnienie oraz chory na cukrzycę i nadciśnienie tętnicze; 2) czy na skutek upośledzenia czynności nerek chorzy zażywają większą ilość leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych; 3) czy występują różnice w ilości stosowanych leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych między badanymi przez nas grupami.Materiał i metodyDo badania włączyliśmy kolejnych 300 chorych zakwalifikowanych w trybie pilnym do przyjęcia do Kliniki Chorób Wewnętrznych, Diabetologii i Nefrologii w Zabrzu. Powodem przyjęcia były nadciśnienie tętnicze i cukrzyca lub nadciśnienie tętnicze bez cukrzycy. Pomiaru masy ciała oraz wzrostu dokonano przy użyciu mechanicznej wagi lekarskiej kolumnowej ze wzrostomierzem firmy AED. 24-godzinnego automatycznego pomiaru ciśnienia tętniczego krwi dokonano aparatem Oscar 2.WynikiNie wykazano znamiennych statystycznie różnic między ilością stosowanych leków u chorych na nadciśnienie z cukrzycą lub bez cukrzycy. Wykazano, że wraz z pogarszającą się czynnością nerek badani zażywali istotnie więcej leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych (szczególnie chorzy na cukrzycę i nadciśnienie tętnicze).Wnioski1. Chorzy na cukrzycę i nadciśnienie tętnicze oraz chorzy na nadciśnienie tętnicze bez cukrzycy stosują średnio 3,53 ± 2,22 leków spośród określonych grup leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych. Brak różnic w ilości zażywanych leków między badanymi grupami. 2. Wraz z pogorszeniem czynności wydalniczej nerek wzrasta ilość leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych zażywanych przez chorych, szczególnie u chorych na cukrzycę. 3. Wraz z pogorszeniem czynności nerek ilość stosowanych leków przeciwnadciśnieniowych jest większa u chorych na cukrzycę i nadciśnienie niż u chorych na nadciśnienie bez cukrzycy.

Despite many studies, our knowledge on the impact of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the metabolic activity of soil microbial communities is still limited. To ascertain this impact, the community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) and the activity of selected enzymes (dehydrogenase, urease, and phosphatases) in soils treated with vancomycin (VA) and/or multidrug resistant Citrobacter freundii were determined during a 90-day experiment. A multivariate analysis and the resistance (RS)/resilience (RL) concept were used to assess the potential of native microorganisms to maintain their catabolic activity under exposure of VA and/or a high level of C. freundii. In addition, the dissipation rate of VA was evaluated in non-sterile (nsS) and sterile (sS) soils. The results revealed a negative impact of VA on the metabolic activity of soil microorganisms on days 1, 15, and 30 as was showed by a decrease in the values of the CLPP indices (10-69%) and the enzyme activities (6-32%) for treated soils as compared to the control. These observations suggested a low initial resistance of soil microorganisms to VA and/or C. freundii but they were resilient in the long term. Considering the mean values of the RS index, the resistance of measured parameters was categorized in the following order: alkaline phosphatase (0.919) > acid phosphatase (0.899) > dehydrogenase (0.853) > the evenness index (0.840) > urease (0.833) > the Shannon-Wiener index (0.735) > substrate richness (0.485) > the AWCD (0.301). The dissipation process of VA was relatively fast and independent of the concentration used. The DT50 values for VA applied at both concentrations were about 16 days. In addition, the dissipation of VA in nsS was three times faster compared to the dissipation of antibiotic in sS. In conclusion, both CLPP and enzyme activities assays appeared to be useful tool for the determination of disturbances within soil microbial communities and used together may be helpful to understand the changes in their catabolic features. The entry of large quantities of VA and/or C. freundii into soil may temporarily change microbial activity thus pose a potential risk for soil functioning.

INTRODUCTION:Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a common complex metabolic disorder that has a strong genetic predisposition. Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) is one of the genes of interest to us. Hypomethylation of a CpG site in the FTO gene was significantly associated with the risk of T2DM. The aim of the study was to find the answer to the question of whether the polymorphism changes of the FTO gene in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes are comparable in young, middle aged, and elderly people. MATERIAL AND METHODS:The study involved 282 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes, who attended a primary healthcare clinic in Southern Poland. The study subjects were divided into three groups according to the age at which type 2 diabetes mellitus was diagnosed (> 40 years old, 40-60 years old, and > 60 years old). The genotyping of rs9939609, rs1421085, and rs9930506 FTO polymorphisms was conducted using TaqManPre-designed SNP Genotyping Assay. RESULTS:No statistically significant difference was shown between the examined FTO polymorphism (rs9939609, rs1421085, and rs9930506) distribution between the subjects diagnosed with diabetes < 40 years , 40-60 years, and > 60 years old. CONCLUSIONS:There were no statistically significant relationships between the different analysed anthropometric and other parameters and distribution of examined FTO polymorphisms (rs9939609 , rs1421085, and rs9930506). The age of diabetes was not affect by the tested FTO polymorphisms (rs9939609 , rs1421085, and rs9930506).

Diabetes and hypertension are plagues of the begin­ning of the 21st century. Both of these conditions lead to significant deterioration in quality of life and reduc­tion of patient’s life expectancy. The aim of the work was to answer the questions: what is the all day, daily and night systolic and diastolic blood pressure in pa­tients with hypertension and in patients with diabetes and hypertension, depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease, and whether there are significant dif­ferences in the control of day and night systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. 300 patients have been admitted to the Department of Internal Diseases, Diabetology and Nephrology due to hypertension decompensation. In the first place all subjects were divided into two groups: the ones with diabetes and hypertension and patients with hypertension but with­out diabetes. Afterwards the patients were divided in 5 subgroups depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease. It was shown that patients with diabetes and hypertension are significantly less likely to have their blood pressure controlled properly (24 hours a day, during the day and at night) in relation to patients with hypertension without diabetes and that, with increased renal failure, diabetes and hypertension and hypertensive patients without diabetes do not have good blood pressure control, especially for diabetics and hypertension. (Clin Diabetol 2017; 6, 3: 81–89)

Cukrzyca i nadciśnienie tetnicze to plagi początku XXI wieku. Oba schorzenia prowadzą do istotnego pogor­szenia jakości zycia i skrocenia czasu przezycia chorych. Celem niniejszej pracy bylo uzyskanie odpowiedzi na pytania: jak przedstawia sie calodobowe, dzienne i noc­ne, ciśnienie skurczowe oraz rozkurczowe u chorych na nadciśnienie oraz u chorych na cukrzyce i nadciśnienie tetnicze w zalezności od stadium przewleklej choroby nerek oraz czy wystepują istotne roznice dotyczące wy­rownania dziennego i nocnego ciśnienia skurczowego i rozkurczowego pomiedzy chorymi na nadciśnienie a chorymi na cukrzyce i nadciśnienie tetnicze. W celu uzyskania odpowiedzi na postawione pytania do ba­dania wlączono kolejnych 300 chorych przyjetych do Kliniki Chorob Wewnetrznych, Diabetologii i Nefrologii w Zabrzu z powodu niewyrownanego nadciśnienia tet­niczego. W pierwszej kolejności wszystkich badanych podzielono na dwie grupy: grupe chorych na cukrzyce i nadciśnienie tetnicze oraz grupe chorych na nadciś­nienie tetnicze, ale bez cukrzycy, a nastepnie na piec podgrup w zalezności od stadium przewleklej choroby nerek. Wykazano, ze chorzy na cukrzyce i nadciśnienie tetnicze w znamiennie mniejszym stopniu uzyskują dobre wyrownanie ciśnienia tetniczego (calodobowego, w czasie dnia i w nocy) w stosunku do chorych na nad­ciśnienie tetnicze bez cukrzycy oraz ze wraz ze wzrostem stopnia niewydolności nerek wzrasta liczba chorych na cukrzyce i nadciśnienie oraz chorych na nadciśnienie tetnicze bez cukrzycy nieuzyskujących dobrego wyrow­nania ciśnienia tetniczego krwi, co dotyczy szczegolnie chorych na cukrzyce i nadciśnienie tetnicze.