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What makes some people age faster and others "do not look their age"? Why, despite the genotype unchanged for centuries, modern man is so exposed to serious diseases, such as cancer, metabolic or cardiovascular diseases? And finally - what are the causes and mechanism of the positive or negative impact of environmental factors, including lifestyle, on the human body?

These and other extremely important questions are answered by a relatively new, but dynamically developing field of knowledge, which is epigenetics. It is fascinatingly described by Dr. n. med. Tomasz Wojdacz, associate professor at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, founder and head of the Independent Laboratory of Epigenetics of the PUM in Szczecin, precursor and advocate of its development in Poland. According to the Professor, epigenetics studies the mechanisms that control the development and differentiation of cells, thanks to which the same information contained in DNA is read by them in different ways. It is thanks to these mechanisms that genes in cells are activated or silenced in such a way that the human body can arise and then develop and function properly at every stage of its life. Accurate knowledge of these mechanisms and identification of sources of interference with their operation will, according to the Professor, be a breakthrough moment not only in the prevention and treatment of many diseases (including cancer and the so-called civilization diseases), but will also allow to inhibit some of the body's aging processes and thus significantly extend homeostasis in old age. The first steps to achieve this goal have already been taken, also thanks to the scientific work of prof. T. Wojdacz. Interdisciplinary projects completed and implemented with his participation: • allowed to determine the impact of epigenetic changes on the course of COVID-19; • opened up the possibility of early diagnosis of neoplastic lesions at an early stage; • showed that thanks to the appropriate modulation of the epigenome with the use of a properly selected diet, it is possible to inhibit or even reverse the pathological changes accompanying non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The last of these achievements combines the Professor's scientific interests with the idea of functioning of the Sofra Health Institute.

Therefore, I am very pleased with the opportunity to meet him, exchange views and experiences, as well as open perspectives for joint activities. Thanks to them, our belief, confirmed by many years of observations, that a change in the diet combined with physical activity leads to the improvement of basic health parameters may meet not only epigenetic mechanisms that are their source, but also methods of their personalization, and thus increase their effectiveness.

More about epigenetics from the perspective of Prof. T. Wojdacz:

https://pap-mediaroom.pl/nauka-i-technologie/dr-hab-tomasz-wojdacz-epigenetyka-dziedzina-ktora-odmieni-medycyne

https://zdrowie.wprost.pl/opinie-i-wywiady/11171506/czy-mozna-przezyc-130-lat-w-zdrowiu-odpowiedz-daje-epigenetyka.html

More on the impact of diet on the epigenome of people with NAFLD:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9710135/pdf/13148_2022_Article_1377.pdf

On March 23, 2023, a seminar on the memory of prof. Ryszard Krzyminiewski. In the meeting, organized by prof. UAM dr hab. Bernadeta Dobosz, was attended by a group of people who, at various stages of the Professor's life and university career, had the opportunity and an honor to work with him. From the memories of the speakers emerged the silhouette of a man not only hardworking and devoted to his scientific passions, often of a visionary nature, but also kind and empathetic, who was also extremely active and curious about the world outside of his professional life. The participants unanimously emphad that among the many achievements of the Professor, the following deserve special mention:

• First, the creation of the specialty, and then the field of study, Medical Physics, which was the result of many years of the Professor's efforts to integrate knowledge in the field of physics and medicine and giving it an organizational framework in the form of a coherent curriculum.
• Development of new methods: increasing the resolution of standard ECG records and pulse waves, electrical tomography based on advanced analysis of ECG records, and focusing functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery.
• Application of the ESR method (Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy) to monitor endocytosis in cells;
• Laying the foundations for the development of telemedicine, in particular by creating the MONTE telemedicine network, which uses a pulse oximeter to monitor patients' health by connecting them with a doctor via the Internet.

Among the invited guests, the seminar was attended by representatives of the Sofra Health Institute. Ewa and Sobiesław Zasad, who had the opportunity to present the aspects of over 10 years of cooperation between the Professor and the Institute. It included both lectures in the field of medical physics, individual consultations with patients after ECG and pulse oximeter examinations, as well as joint scientific projects in the form of research on the influence of a normobaric chamber on the pulse waves of patients participating in oxygen therapy.