Beyond Gross-Pitaevskii equation for 1D gas: Quasiparticles and solitons

Describing properties of a strongly interacting quantum many-body system poses a serious challenge both for theory and experiment. In this work, we study excitations of one-dimensional repulsive Bose gas for arbitrary interaction strength using a hydrodynamic approach. We use linearization to study particle (type-I) excitations and numerical minimization to study hole (type-II) excitations. We observe a good agreement between our approach and exact solutions of the Lieb-Liniger model for the particle modes and discrepancies for the hole modes. Therefore, the hydrodynamical equations find to be useful for long-wave structures like phonons and of a limited range of applicability for short-wave ones like narrow solitons. We discuss potential further applications of the method.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures. Submission to SciPos

Pitfalls in the diagnostics of aldosterone-producing adrenocortical carcinoma

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Corticotropinoma as the underlying cause of intermittent Cushing’s syndrome in a patient previously diagnosed with primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease

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A large tumour of the left atrium – A 10-year follow-up

Benign myxomas are the most common primary tumors in the left atrium of the heart, and they usually require urgent operative management. However, with the constant aging of the population and treatment of patients with severe concomitant diseases, an interesting question is the efficacy of the conservative approach. We present a case of a 75-year-old woman who was previously diagnosed with a left atrial myxoma, underwent an operation to resect it and then developed a recurrent tumor at the site of resection, which was found by control echocardiography 1.5 years later. She has been observed for over 10 years, as she repeatedly refused reoperation. In the setting of this example of a relatively favorable clinical course of left atrium myxoma, we discuss the current knowledge about the natural history of these tumors and the role of echocardiography in predicting their growth and complications

Low-dose etomidate for the management of severe hypercortisolaemia in different clinical scenarios: a case series and review of the literature

Background: Severe Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) is associated with acute cardiovascular, metabolic and infectious complications. It is considered an emergency, requiring an immediate diagnosis, together with a broad spectrum of supportive and hypocortisolaemic treatments. Surgical intervention, aimed at removing the source of cortisol or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), is the optimal treatment in most cases of Cushing’s syndrome. However, in hypercortisolaemic states, surgical intervention has high rates of perioperative mortality and morbidity. Oral adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors, even if more effective in combination, are not always efficient enough or well tolerated. Despite their common use, a more potent, parental, immediate, and thus life-saving, therapy is necessary. Methods: The authors present three different clinical scenarios of etomidate treatment in patients hospitalized in the third reference endocrinological centre in Poland between 2016 and 2017. Results: Patients with Cushing’s disease, ectopic Cushing’s syndrome and adrenocortical carcinoma presented with severe hypercortisolaemia and exacerbated cortisol-dependent comorbidities. In these three cases, etomidate acted as an accurate, well tolerated and effective cortisol-lowering drug for several days or even months. Patients were monitored in a general ward setting, and no side effects of the therapy were observed. Conclusions: In doses far lower than those used for anaesthesia, etomidate works as a useful cortisol-lowering therapy in patients intolerant to or unable to take oral medications. Additionally, if urgent, the most potent and effective medical intervention is necessary, and clinicians should be aware of such a therapeutic option

Analysis of the impact of sex and age on the variation in the prevalence of antinuclear autoantibodies in Polish population:a nationwide observational, cross-sectional study

The detection of antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) is dependent on many factors and varies between the populations. The aim of the study was first to assess the prevalence of ANA in the Polish adult population depending on age, sex and the cutoff threshold used for the results obtained. Second, we estimated the occurrence of individual types of ANA-staining patterns. We tested 1731 patient samples using commercially available IIFA using two cutoff thresholds of 1:100 and 1:160. We found ANA in 260 participants (15.0%), but the percentage of positive results strongly depended on the cutoff level. For a cutoff threshold 1:100, the positive population was 19.5% and for the 1:160 cutoff threshold, it was 11.7%. The most prevalent ANA-staining pattern was AC-2 Dense Fine speckled (50%), followed by AC-21 Reticular/AMA (14.38%) ANA more common in women (72%); 64% of ANA-positive patients were over 50 years of age. ANA prevalence in the Polish population is at a level observed in other highly developed countries and is more prevalent in women and elderly individuals. To reduce the number of positive results released, we suggest that Polish laboratories should set 1:160 as the cutoff threshold.</p

Relationship Between Anti-DFS70 Autoantibodies and Oxidative Stress

Background: The anti-DFS70 autoantibodies are one of the most commonly and widely described agent of unknown clinical significance, frequently detected in healthy individuals. It is not known whether the DFS70 autoantibodies are protective or pathogenic. One of the factors suspected of inducing the formation of anti-DFS70 antibodies is increased oxidative stress. We evaluated the coexistence of anti-DFS70 antibodies with selected markers of oxidative stress and investigated whether these antibodies could be considered as indirect markers of oxidative stress. Methods: The intensity of oxidative stress was measured in all samples via indices of free-radical damage to lipids and proteins such as total oxidant status (TOS), concentrations of lipid hydroperoxides (LPH), lipofuscin (LPS), and malondialdehyde (MDA). The parameters of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system, such as total antioxidant status (TAS) and uric acid concentration (UA), were also measured, as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Based on TOS and TAS values, the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. All samples were also tested with indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and 357 samples were selected for direct monospecific anti DFS70 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing. Results:: The anti-DFS70 antibodies were confirmed by ELISA test in 21.29% of samples. Compared with anti-DFS70 negative samples we observed 23% lower concentration of LPH (P = .038) and 11% lower concentration of UA (P = .005). TOS was 20% lower (P = .014). The activity of SOD was up to 5% higher (P = .037). The Pearson correlation showed weak negative correlation for LPH, UA, and TOS and a weak positive correlation for SOD activity. Conclusion: In samples positive for the anti-DFS70 antibody a decreased level of oxidative stress was observed, especially in the case of samples with a high antibody titer. Anti-DFS70 antibodies can be considered as an indirect marker of reduced oxidative stress or a marker indicating the recent intensification of antioxidant processes

Metabolic syndrome is associated with similar long-term prognosis in non-obese and obese patients. An analysis of 45 615 patients from the nationwide LIPIDOGRAM 2004-2015 cohort studies

Aims We aimed to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and long-term all-cause mortality. Methods The LIPIDOGRAM studies were carried out in the primary care in Poland in 2004, 2006 and 2015. MetS was diagnosed based on the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) and Joint Interim Statement (JIS) criteria. The cohort was divided into four groups: non-obese patients without MetS, obese patients without MetS, non-obese patients with MetS and obese patients with MetS. Differences in all-cause mortality was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results 45,615 participants were enrolled (mean age 56.3, standard deviation: 11.8 years; 61.7% female). MetS was diagnosed in 14,202 (31%) by NCEP/ATP III criteria, and 17,216 (37.7%) by JIS criteria. Follow-up was available for 44,620 (97.8%, median duration 15.3 years) patients. MetS was associated with increased mortality risk among the obese (hazard ratio, HR: 1.88 [95% CI, 1.79-1.99] and HR: 1.93 [95% CI 1.82-2.04], according to NCEP/ATP III and JIS criteria, respectively) and non-obese individuals (HR: 2.11 [95% CI 1.85-2.40] and 1.7 [95% CI, 1.56-1.85] according to NCEP/ATP III and JIS criteria respectively). Obese patients without MetS had a higher mortality risk than non-obese patients without MetS (HR: 1.16 [95% CI 1.10-1.23] and HR: 1.22 [95%CI 1.15-1.30], respectively in subgroups with NCEP/ATP III and JIS criteria applied). Conclusions MetS is associated with increased all-cause mortality risk in non-obese and obese patients. In patients without MetS obesity remains significantly associated with mortality. The concept of metabolically healthy obesity should be revised