Dorosła z Tetralogią Fallota, anomalią odejścia tętnicy wieńcowej, niescaleniem lewej komory, ubytkiem w przegrodzie międzyprzedsionkowej i nawracającym zwężeniem w drodze odpływu prawej komory

Advances in therapeutical possibilities for patients with complex congenital heart defects are unquestionable. Nonetheless, it is still probable to encounter unique challenges. The study presents a case of a symptomatic 25-year-old female patient with uncorrected Tetralogy of Fallot who has never been qualified for surgery due to an unusual constellation of cardiac congenital comorbidities: anomalous coronary artery origin and non-compaction of the left ventricle.Postępy w możliwościach terapeutycznych dla pacjentów ze złożonymi wrodzonymi wadami serca są nie do zakwestionowania. Jednakże wciąż istnieje prawdopodobieństwo napotkania wyjątkowych wyzwań. W niniejszej pracy zaprezentowano przypadek objawowej 25-letniej pacjentki z nieskorygowaną Tetralogią Fallota, która nigdy nie była zakwalifikowana do operacji z powodu unikatowej konstelacji wrodzonych schorzeń serca: anomalii odejścia tętnicy wieńcowej i kardiomiopatii z niescalenia lewej komory

Effect of thermo-oxidative ageing on mechanical properties of elastomeric nanocomposites reinforced by carbon nanotubes

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań stabilności termooksydacyjnej i wpływu starzenia termooksydacyjnego na masę cząsteczkową i właściwości mechaniczne nanokompozytów na osnowie elastomeru eterowo-estrowego z udziałem wielościennych nanorurek węglowych niefunkcjonalizowanych i funkcjonalizowanych grupami –COOH (MWCNT, MWCNT-COOH). Multiblokowy kopolimer eterowo-estrowy, zastosowany jako osnowa nanokompozytu, był zbudowany ze sztywnych bloków poli(tereftalanu trimetylenu) (PTT) i giętkich bloków poli(oksytetrametylenowych) (PTMO). Wpływ udziału nanorurek na stabilność termiczną i termooksydacyjną oceniono za pomocą analizy termograwimetrycznej. Zbadano wpływ czasu starzenia termooksydacyjnego w podwyższonej temperaturze na właściwości mechaniczne i masę cząsteczkową badanych nanokompozytów i nienapełnionego kopolimeru PTT-PTMO. Stwierdzono, że obecność nanorurek węglowych poprawia stabilność termiczną i termooksydacyjną kopolimeru PTT-PTMO, a także wpływa na zwiększenie odporności na starzenie termooksydacyjne otrzymanych nanokompozytów.This paper presents the results of the studies on thermo-oxidative stability and the influence of thermo-oxidative ageing on the molecular mass and mechanical properties of nanocomposites based on copoly(ether-ester) elastomer filled with non-functionalized and functionalized by –COOH groups multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT, MWCNT-COOH). The multiblock poly(ether-ester) copolymer used as a polymer matrix in investigated nanocomposites was composed of rigid poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) blocks and flexible poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) blocks. The effect of nanotubes contribution on thermal and thermo-oxidative stability was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. The influence of the aging time at the elevated temperature on the copolymer molecular mass and mechanical properties of the tested nanocomposites and unfilled PTT-PTMO copolymer was investigated. It was found that the presence of carbon nanotubes improves the thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of the PTT-PTMO copolymer, as well as increases the resistance to thermo-oxidative ageing of the obtained nanocomposites

Reliability of the Internet as a source of information in opinions of university students in Lublin

Wprowadzenie. Szybki rozwój Internetu, a także możliwość umieszczania w nim dowolnych treści powoduje ciągły przyrost informacji. Stan taki wiąże się z trudnością w odnajdywaniu wiarygodnych i sprawdzonych treści. Konieczne jest zatem posiadanie umiejętności filtrowania i weryfikacji wyszukanych informacji, szczególnie w obszarze medycyny. Warto podkreślić, że chociaż społeczeństwo polskie coraz częściej poszukuje informacji zdrowotnych w sieci WWW, to zaufanie do profesji medycznych nie maleje. Cel pracy. Celem badania jest ocena wiarygodności Internetu jako źródła informacji o dolegliwościach i metodach ich leczenia, w oparciu o praktyczne ich wykorzystanie przez lubelską społeczność studencką. Materiał i metoda. Badanie ankietowe zostało przeprowadzone w maju 2012 r. wśród studentów uczelni lubelskich: Uniwersytetu Medycznego, Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego oraz Politechniki Lubelskiej. Anonimowy kwestionariusz ankiety zawierał 15 pytań (w tym 1 otwarte). Wyniki. Najbardziej wiarygodnym źródłem informacji odnośnie do schorzeń i metod ich leczenia jest dla studentów lekarz i farmaceuta, jednak w sytuacji pojawienia się symptomów chorobowych znaczna część badanych (73,8%) w pierwszej kolejności korzysta z Internetu, a nie z porady lekarza. Wnioski. Mimo, iż respondenci krytycznie podchodzą do znajdujących się w Internecie informacji na temat stanu zdrowia, to brak im świadomości, że treści te nie są w stanie zastąpić konsultacji lekarskiej. Ponadto studenci nie posiadają umiejętności selekcji uzyskanych z sieci internetowej informacji o tematyce medycznej, a także ich weryfikacji.Introduction. The rapid development of the Internet, as well as the possibility to include in it any contents, results in a constant increase in information. This is related with difficulty with finding reliable and tried contents. Therefore, it is important to possess the skills of filtration and verification of the information sought, especially in the domain of medicine. It is noteworthy that although Polish society increasingly more frequently searches for health information on websites, the reliability of medical professions does not decrease. Objective. The objective of the study is evaluation of the reliability of the Internet as a source of information concerning complaints and methods of treatment based on practical use of this information by the students’ community in Lublin. Material and method. A survey was conducted in May 2012 among students of Lublin universities: Medical University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, University of Natural Sciences, and Lublin University of Technology. An anonymous questionnaire contained 15 items, including one open question. Results. According to the students, the most reliable source of information concerning disorders and methods of their treatment is a physician or a pharmacist; however, in the situation of the occurrence of pathological symptoms, a considerable percentage of respondents (73.8%) first use the Internet and not medical advice. Conclusions. Despite the fact that students critically approach information on the Internet concerning the state of health, they are not aware that the information obtained cannot replace medical advice. In addition, students have no skills in selecting the medial contents on websites, and their verification

Delivery of the VIVIT Peptide to Human Glioma Cells to Interfere with Calcineurin-NFAT Signaling

The activation of NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) transcription factors by calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin is a key step in controlling T cell activation and plays a vital role during carcinogenesis. NFATs are overexpressed in many cancers, including the most common primary brain tumor, gliomas. In the present study, we demonstrate the expression of NFATs and NFAT-driven transcription in several human glioma cells. We used a VIVIT peptide for interference in calcineurin binding to NFAT via a conserved PxIxIT motif. VIVIT was expressed as a fusion protein with a green fluorescent protein (VIVIT-GFP) or conjugated to cell-penetrating peptides (CPP), Sim-2 or 11R. We analyzed the NFAT expression, phosphorylation, subcellular localization and their transcriptional activity in cells treated with peptides. Overexpression of VIVIT-GFP decreased the NFAT-driven activity and inhibited the transcription of endogenous NFAT-target genes. These effects were not reproduced with synthetic peptides: Sim2-VIVIT did not show any activity, and 11R-VIVIT did not inhibit NFAT signaling in glioma cells. The presence of two calcineurin docking sites in NFATc3 might require dual-specificity blocking peptides. The cell-penetrating peptides Sim-2 or 11R linked to VIVIT did not improve its action making it unsuitable for evaluating NFAT dependent events in glioma cells with high expression of NFATc3

Reliability of the Internet as a source of information in opinions of university students in Lublin

Wprowadzenie. Szybki rozwój Internetu, a także możliwość umieszczania w nim dowolnych treści powoduje ciągły przyrost informacji. Stan taki wiąże się z trudnością w odnajdywaniu wiarygodnych i sprawdzonych treści. Konieczne jest zatem posiadanie umiejętności filtrowania i weryfikacji wyszukanych informacji, szczególnie w obszarze medycyny. Warto podkreślić, że chociaż społeczeństwo polskie coraz częściej poszukuje informacji zdrowotnych w sieci WWW, to zaufanie do profesji medycznych nie maleje. Cel pracy. Celem badania jest ocena wiarygodności Internetu jako źródła informacji o dolegliwościach i metodach ich leczenia, w oparciu o praktyczne ich wykorzystanie przez lubelską społeczność studencką. Materiał i metoda. Badanie ankietowe zostało przeprowadzone w maju 2012 r. wśród studentów uczelni lubelskich: Uniwersytetu Medycznego, Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego oraz Politechniki Lubelskiej. Anonimowy kwestionariusz ankiety zawierał 15 pytań (w tym 1 otwarte). Wyniki. Najbardziej wiarygodnym źródłem informacji odnośnie do schorzeń i metod ich leczenia jest dla studentów lekarz i farmaceuta, jednak w sytuacji pojawienia się symptomów chorobowych znaczna część badanych (73,8%) w pierwszej kolejności korzysta z Internetu, a nie z porady lekarza. Wnioski. Mimo, iż respondenci krytycznie podchodzą do znajdujących się w Internecie informacji na temat stanu zdrowia, to brak im świadomości, że treści te nie są w stanie zastąpić konsultacji lekarskiej. Ponadto studenci nie posiadają umiejętności selekcji uzyskanych z sieci internetowej informacji o tematyce medycznej, a także ich weryfikacji.Introduction. The rapid development of the Internet, as well as the possibility to include in it any contents, results in a constant increase in information. This is related with difficulty with finding reliable and tried contents. Therefore, it is important to possess the skills of filtration and verification of the information sought, especially in the domain of medicine. It is noteworthy that although Polish society increasingly more frequently searches for health information on websites, the reliability of medical professions does not decrease. Objective. The objective of the study is evaluation of the reliability of the Internet as a source of information concerning complaints and methods of treatment based on practical use of this information by the students’ community in Lublin. Material and method. A survey was conducted in May 2012 among students of Lublin universities: Medical University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, University of Natural Sciences, and Lublin University of Technology. An anonymous questionnaire contained 15 items, including one open question. Results. According to the students, the most reliable source of information concerning disorders and methods of their treatment is a physician or a pharmacist; however, in the situation of the occurrence of pathological symptoms, a considerable percentage of respondents (73.8%) first use the Internet and not medical advice. Conclusions. Despite the fact that students critically approach information on the Internet concerning the state of health, they are not aware that the information obtained cannot replace medical advice. In addition, students have no skills in selecting the medial contents on websites, and their verification

Comparing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Halloysite Nanotubes as Reinforcements in EVA Nanocomposites

International audienceThe influence of carbon multi-walled nanotubes (MWCNTs) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) on the physical, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) copolymer was investigated. EVA-based nanocomposites containing MWCNTs or HNTs, as well as hybrid nanocomposites containing both nanofillers were prepared by melt blending. Scanning electron microcopy (SEM) images revealed the presence of good dispersion of both kinds of nanotubes throughout the EVA matrix. The incorporation of nanotubes into the EVA copolymer matrix did not significantly affect the crystallization behavior of the polymer. The tensile strength of EVA-based nanocomposites increased along with the increasing CNTs (carbon nanotubes) content (increased up to approximately 40% at the loading of 8 wt.%). In turn, HNTs increased to a great extent the strain at break. Mechanical cyclic tensile tests demonstrated that nanocomposites with hybrid reinforcement exhibit interesting strengthening behavior. The synergistic effect of hybrid nanofillers on the modulus at 100% and 200% elongation was visible. Moreover, along with the increase of MWCNTs content in EVA/CNTs nanocomposites, an enhancement in electrical conductivity was observed

Diameters of Arteries Supplying Horseshoe Kidneys and the Level They Branch off Their Parental Vessels: A CT-Angiographic Study

Background: The most common renal fusion anomaly is horseshoe kidney (HSK), a condition associated with variable arterial blood supply. The aim of this study was to determine whether the height of origin of the renal artery determines its diameter and whether it differs from the mean diameter of the renal arteries of normal kidneys (NK). Methods: Computer tomography angiography (CTA) studies of 336 patients (88 HSK and 248 NK) were obtained in a search of renal arteries; these were than classified into four groups according to height of its origin: Group I, branching from the aorta superior to the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA); Group II, branching from the aorta below the IMA; Group III, branching from the iliac artery; and Group IV, originating from the internal and external iliac artery. Results: The HSK group included 398 arteries (mean diameter 4.30 mm) and the NK group 598 (5.52 mm) (p < 0.0001). In the HSK group, the mean diameters according to groups were: Group I, 4.54 mm; Group II, 4.28 mm; Group III, 3.41 mm; and Group IV, 3.43 mm. Statistically significant differences were found between arteries originating from the aorta and arteries branching from the iliac arteries (p < 0.0001). In the NK group, the corresponding values were: Group I, 5.53 mm; and Group II, 4.45 mm. The number of arteries supplying the HSK wider than 3.0 mm were: Group I, 83.0%; Group II, 82.4%; Group III, 68.4%; and Group IV, 66.6%. Conclusions: The renal arteries of the HSK branch from their parental vessels at lower levels and have smaller diameters than those of NK

Biobased Thermoplastic Elastomers: Structure-Property Relationship of Poly(hexamethylene 2,5-furanodicarboxylate)-Block-Poly(tetrahydrofuran) Copolymers Prepared by Melt Polycondensation

A series of poly(hexamethylene 2,5-furanodicarboxylate)-block-poly(tetrahydrofuran) (PHF-b-F-pTHF) copolymers were synthesized using a two-stage procedure, employing transesterification and polycondensation. The content of pTHF flexible segments varied from 25 to 75 wt.%. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were applied to confirm the molecular structure of the materials. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical measurements (DMTA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) allowed characterizing the supramolecular structure of the synthesized copolymers. SEM analysis was applied to show the differences in the block copolymers’ morphologies concerning their chemical structure. The influence of the number of flexible segments in the copolymers on the phase transition temperatures, thermal properties, as well as the thermo-oxidative and thermal stability was analyzed. TGA analysis, along with tensile tests (static and cyclic), confirmed the utilitarian performance of the synthesized bio-based materials. It was found that an increase in the amount of pTHF caused the increase of both number-average and weight-average molecular weights and intrinsic viscosities, and at the same time causing the shift of the values of phase transition temperatures toward lower ones. Besides, PHF-b-F-pTHF containing 75 wt.% of F-pTHF units was proved to be a promising thermoplastic shape memory polymer (SMP) with a switching temperature of 20 °C

Bio-based aliphatic/aromatic poly(trimethylene furanoate/sebacate) random copolymers: Correlation between mechanical, gas barrier performances and compostability and copolymer composition

Highly promising fully biobased random copolyesters, poly(trimethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate-co-trimethylene sebacate) (PTFcoPTSeb), were synthesized by using bio derived 1,3-propanediol, dimethyl ester of 2,5- furandicarboxylic acid, and sebacic acid, through eco-friendly polycondensation in the melt. Copolymers with high molecular weight containing 5, 15, 25 mol % of PTSeb were obtained, and their chemical structure confirmed by 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The thermal, tensile and gas barrier properties and composability were studied in relation to the copolymer supramolecular structure. As expected, introduction of PTSeb co-units results in lowering of glass transition temperature of copolymers and improves their flexibility. Besides, all copolymers showed outstanding gas barrier properties to O2 and CO2, with copolymer containing 15 mol % of PTSeb showing exceptional gas barrier properties, better than those of PTF and comparable to those of EVOH, currently used in multilayer packaging films. The same copolymer exhibited temperature induced shape memory behaviour. It was found that low amounts (15-25 mol %) of PTSeb in copolymer significantly modifies PTF thermal, mechanical and barrier properties and renders the final material compostable. Copolyesters containing 15 and 25 mol % of PTSeb can compete in some applications with commercially available compostable Ecoflex® polymer, but with markedly improved barrier properties