Fałszywie wysokie wartości stężeń androstendionu spowodowane interferencją jako przyczyna trudności w diagnostyce różnicowej zaburzeń miesiączkowania

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a diagnosis of exclusion. We present two cases of women with oligomenorrhoea and high concentration of androstendione, suggestive of possible androgen-secreting tumour, caused by assay interference. The first patient, investigated for oligomenorrhoea, had no significant hirsutism or acne. Androstendione concentration was above 10.0 ng/ml (rr: 0.3-3.3 ng/ml). In order to rule out possible androgen-secreting tumour or hypercortisolaemia we performed 48-hour low dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST). This failed to demonstrate adequate suppression of androstendione (6.05 ng/ml and 9.32 ng/ml after the first and the second day, respectively). Pelvic ultrasound examination showed polycystic ovaries, while abdominal CT scan failed to show any ovarian or adrenal lesion. Despite such high androstendione concentrations, urinary steroid profile (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method) yielded normal results. Hence a possibility of androstendione assay interference was raised. The second patient was also admitted for investigations of oligomenorrhoea. Clinical examination was unremarkable. There was a high concentration of testosterone 0.78 ng/ml (rr: 0.084-0.481 ng/ml) and androstendione above 10.0 ng/ml (rr: 0.3-3.3 ng/ml). LDDST failed to demonstrate any suppression of androstendione, while recalculated concentrations of androstendione after serial dilutions were markedly lower in comparison to initial values. Therefore, such high androstendione concentrations (i.e. above the upper limit of the assay) must have resulted from assay interference. In both cases a final diagnosis of PCOS was established. Conclusions: In the absence of clinical features, contrasting with unusually high androgen levels, a possibility of androgen assay interference should be considered in differential diagnosis of hyperandrogenism or PCOS.W diagnostyce różnicowej zespołu policystycznych jajników (PCOS) należy wykluczyć pozostałe przyczyny hiperandrogenizacji. W pracy przedstawiono przypadki dwóch kobiet z zaburzeniami miesiączkowania i wysokimi wartościami stężeń androstendionu, to jest w zakresie stężeń sugerujących możliwość obecności hormonalnie czynnego guza wydzielającego androgeny. W pierwszym przypadku u pacjentki bez klinicznych cech hiperandrogenizacji odnotowano stężenie androstendionu powyżej 10,0 ng/ml (norma: 0,3-3,3 ng/ml). W celu wykluczenia obecności guza hormonalnie czynnego przeprowadzono 48 godzinny test hamowania z deksametazonem (0,5 mg co sześć godzin), w którym nie stwierdzono zadowalającego spadku stężeń androstendionu (wartości 6,05 ng/ml oraz 9,32 ng/ml, odpowiednio po pierwszym i po drugim dniu testu). W wykonanym badaniu TK jamy brzusznej nie stwierdzono patologii nadnerczy, zaś w badaniu ultrasonograficznym opisano morfologię jajników policystycznych. W związku z powyższym zlecono oznaczenie dobowego profilu steroidowego moczu metodą chromatografii gazowej i spektrometrii masowej. W ocenie dobowego profilu steroidów nie odnotowano nieprawidłowości, co wskazuje na możliwość interferencji w oznaczeniu androstendionu. Podobnie w drugim opisywanym przypadku wysokiemu stężeniu testosteronu (0,78 ng/ml przy normie: 0,084- 0,481 ng/ml) i androstendionu powyżej 10,0 ng/ml (norma: 0,3-3,3 ng/ml) nie towarzyszyły kliniczne cechy hiperandrogenizacji. W przeprowadzonym 48-godzinnym teście hamowania z deksametazonem nie stwierdzono spadku stężenia androstendionu. Dodatkowo wartości stężeń androstendionu uzyskane po rekalkulacji wartości uzyskanych po rozcieńczeniach były znamiennie niższe od wartości wyjściowych, co pozwoliło na stwierdzenie interferencji w oznaczeniu androstendionu. W obu przypadkach postawiono ostateczne rozpoznanie zespołu policystycznych jajników. Wnioski: W diagnostyce różnicowej zespołu PCO w przypadku zaskakująco wysokiego stężenia androgenów, przy braku nasilonych objawów klinicznych, należy uwzględnić możliwość wystąpienia interferencji w oznaczaniu androgenów

Dissipative orbiting in ^{136}Xe+^{209}Bi reactions at 28 and 62 AMeV

Correlations between the energy, charge and the deflection angle of the projectile-like fragments were studied for the ^{136}Xe + ^{209}Bi reaction at E∕A = 28 and 62 MeV. These correlations are seen to exhibit features characteristic of dissipative orbiting, commonly found at bombarding energies of a few MeV/nucleon above the interaction barrier, but also reported in the Fermi-energy domain. It was found, that in the studied bombarding energy range, the reaction cross section is still dominated by the dissipative binary reactions of well defined projectile- and target-like fragments

PRESENTATION OF THE FP6 EUROPEAN PROJECT BIOSHALE: EXPLOITATION OF BLACK SHALE ORES USING BIOTECHNOLOGIES -POLISH CASE STUDIES

The Bioshale project, involving 13 partners throughout Europe, is co-funded by the European Commission under the FP6 program. The main objective of this project (which started in October 2004) is to identify and develop innovative biotechnological processes for ''eco-efficient'' exploitation of metal-rich, black shale ores. Three extensive deposits have been selected for R&D actions. These are: (i) a site (in Talvivaara, Finland) that, at the outset of the project, had not been exploited; (ii) a deposit (in Lubin, Poland) that is currently being actively mined, and (iii) a third site (in Mansfeld, Germany) where the ore had been actively mined in the past, but which is no longer exploited. The black shale ores contain base (e.g. copper and nickel), precious (principally silver) and PGM metals, but also high contents of organic matter that potentially handicap metal recovery by conventional techniques. The main technical aspects of the work plan can be summarized as: (i) evaluation of the geological resources and selection of metal-bearing components; (ii) selection of biological consortia to be tested; (iii) assessment of bioprocessing routes, including hydrometallurgical processing; (iv) techno-economic evaluation of new processes from mining to metal recovery including social, and (v) assessing the environmental impacts of biotechnological compared to conventional processing of the ores. An overview of the main results obtained to date are presented, with special emphasis on the development of bioleaching technologies for metal recovery that can be applied to multi-element concentrates and black shale ores from Poland

Research on the Possibility of Sorting Application for Separation of Shale and/or Gangue from the Feed of Rudna Concentrator

Shale, which occurs in the copper ore deposits belonging to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., is the reason for a number of difficulties, at the stage of not only processing but also smelting. Gangue, in turn, getting in a feed during mining is a useless load of a concentrator and also contributes to lowering concentrating indexes. Its content in a feed is being evaluated at 15-30%. The multiple attempts to solve those issues by the methods of conventional mineral processing or even selective mining failed. In the range of work, research on the lithological composition and Cu content in 300 individual particles (selected from Rudna feed) have been carried out. Using those results, the simulation of gangue separation with an application of sorting have been done. The positive results have been received: introduction of a sorting operation causes, theoretically, removing of approximately 20-30% sorting feed mass as final tailings with Cu losses not bigger than 5-10%. It means that the capacity of Rudna concentrator can be increased proportionally. To confirm those results, industrial sorting trials are necessary, when appropriate sorters will become available. Additionally, one should take also into account that the finest classes of feed (-12.5 mm) could not be concentrated in a sorter. In the range of work, the preliminary tests of the industrial sorter (PRO Secondary Color NIR) for separation of the shale concentrate from Rudna concentrator feed have been carried out. The shale concentrates were received both from 12.5-20 mm class and +20 mm class. The concentrates produced from the coarse classes, for both technological sides had shale content at the level of 48-49%, with recovery of 52.9-60%. In the case of the finer class, shale content in the concentrates for both technological sides amounts to 30.9-35%, at the slightly lower recoveries than for coarse classes. Cu and Corg behavior in the sorting process were checked also, however, the results turned out to be not very interesting. Because the results of shale concentrate production by sorting have a significant potential for improvement, the further researches in this direction have been recommended, however, making them start off from elaboration of a technology for shale concentrate processing and calculation of a total balance of a concentrating process involving flotation and separation

An update on possibilities of metals recovery from Polish copper ores by biotechnology. Project Ecometals

The possibilities of metals recovery from copper ores with the biotechnological methods are widely known. The methods consist in bioleaching of copper ores, copper concentrates and byproducts of their production, as well as metals recovery from leaching solutions. Biohydrometallurgical methods were tested for years to be applied at KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., in order to improve efficiency of copper production. Several different research units worked on the topic, and the most significant and wide range initiatives in this area are mentioned in this article. One of the initiatives is an ongoing German and French Ecometals project. KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and KGHM Cuprum Ltd. Research and Development Centre are this project Partners. In the frame of the project different metals bearing materials (ores, concentrates and tailings) are tested. Among them three lithological types of the copper ore from Rudna mine and the copper concentrate from Lubin concentrator are used for studies. The article gives a general overview of these activities, with the main focus on results of bioleaching studies of selected materials, conducted by KGHM Cuprum. In these studies sandstone and shale, as well as so called “shale concentrate” (containing 39% of the shale) were used for experiments, and possibilities of their bioleaching were evaluated

An update on possibilities of metals recovery from Polish copper ores by biotechnology. Project Ecometals

The possibilities of metals recovery from copper ores with the biotechnological methods are widely known. The methods consist in bioleaching of copper ores, copper concentrates and byproducts of their production, as well as metals recovery from leaching solutions. Biohydrometallurgical methods were tested for years to be applied at KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., in order to improve efficiency of copper production. Several different research units worked on the topic, and the most significant and wide range initiatives in this area are mentioned in this article. One of the initiatives is an ongoing German and French Ecometals project. KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and KGHM Cuprum Ltd. Research and Development Centre are this project Partners. In the frame of the project different metals bearing materials (ores, concentrates and tailings) are tested. Among them three lithological types of the copper ore from Rudna mine and the copper concentrate from Lubin concentrator are used for studies. The article gives a general overview of these activities, with the main focus on results of bioleaching studies of selected materials, conducted by KGHM Cuprum. In these studies sandstone and shale, as well as so called “shale concentrate” (containing 39% of the shale) were used for experiments, and possibilities of their bioleaching were evaluated