Społeczne aspekty ochrony przyrody są tematem wciąż stosunkowo rzadko podejmowanym w badaniach nad zarządzaniem środowiskiem naturalnym. Także w praktyce, udział społeczności lokalnych w zarządzaniu przyrodą lokalną jest zjawiskiem względnie nowym. W krajach Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej (CEE), w tym w Polsce, dopiero niedawne przemiany społeczno-ekonomiczne doprowadziły do wzrostu poziomu świadomości różnych grup interesariuszy co do konieczności integracji społecznych i przyrodniczych aspektów rozwoju lokalnego. W niniejszej pracy przeprowadzono rozważania nad zasadnością angażowania społeczności lokalnych w działania na rzecz przyrody i środowiska naturalnego w Polsce
The impact of traffic emissions on the environment close to an arterial road often is assessed on the basis of heavy metal pollution of road dust collected directly from or close to the road surface. In our work we propose an assessment of a potential environmental hazard on the basis of an analysis of the content of heavy metals in the road dust trapped on vertical acoustic barriers installed directly by roads. This kind of road dust appeared to be a good indicator of traffic related to heavy metals emissions. The pollution level of Cu and Zn reached the category of “extreme level.” An increased level of Cu was found on a decelerating activity section. A good correlation between Cu, Mn, and Fe may imply that brake wear is also an important source of iron and manganese. It has been shown that high concentration of Zn is a result of its release from zinc-plated road furniture.
It is believed that bioactive compounds from plant foods may have health beneficial effects and reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases. In this study extracts of 121 plants typical for the traditional Mediterranean diet have been screened for their potential anti-inflammatory activities. The ability of the extracts to inhibit cytokinestimulated, iNOS-dependent synthesis of nitric oxide in murine endothelial cells, without affecting cell viability, was the primary indicator of their anti-inflammatory properties. Based on these experiments we selected eight plant extracts for further analysis: Chrysanthemum coronarium L., Scandix pecten-veneris L., Urospermum picroides (L.) Scop. Ex F. W. Smith, Amaranthus cf. graecizans L., Onopordum macracanthum Schousboe, Eryngium campestre L., Artemisia alba Turra and Merendera pyrenaica (Pourret) Fourn. Only the effects of Onopordum macracanthum could be non-specific since the extract strongly inhibited total protein synthesis. All remaining 7 extracts decreased nitric oxide and TNFa synthesis in the cells of monocyte origin activated with LPS, and 4 of them significantly reduced surface expression of VCAM1 on TNFa-stimulated endothelial cells. All seven plant extracts decreased cytokine or LPS-stimulated iNOS mRNA levels in both cell types. Further research to identify bioactive compounds influencing intracellular signaling pathways activated by cytokines and LPS will consequently be needed in order to better understand these in vitro effects.
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