Topography and morphometry of the subarcuate canal

The current study shows in a close-up view anatomical relationship between the subarcuate canal and the osseous labyrinth. For this purpose we used micro-computed tomography which allowed performing three-dimensional reconstruction of the subarcuate canal and gave adequate data for estimation its diameter across its course. The diameter of the middle part (the most uniform) of the subarcuate canal varied from 0.28 mm to 0.46 mm. Hence, we calculated the centre of mass for each cross-section of the separated subarcuate canal. This procedure helped us to visualise trajectory of the subarcuate canal and its spatial orientation within the petrous bone. From our data we concluded that subarcuate canals revealed not well defined trajectories and their spatial orientation varied across the studied temporal bones

Three dimensional visualisation and morphometry of bone samples studied in microcomputed tomography (micro-CT)

This article highlights the utility of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for characterisingmicroscale bone morphology. For this purpose we tested selected samplesof the human bones (Wormian bone, rib, lumbar vertebra) to reconstruct externaland internal morphological features. Selected bony samples were investigatedusing a micro-CT scanner (Skyscan 1172, N.V., Aartselaar, Belgium). The imageresolution of scans varied from 5 to 27 μm/pixel depending on the bone sample.We used CTvox software (by Skyscan) to perform volume rendering of the samples.Further, 3-dimensional geometrical models were reconstructed using theCTvol application. Such models enabled graphical distinction between osseouscomponents of various morphology and were used to visualise the Haversian canalsystem inside the compact bone of the rib. Applying a modified transfer functionfor volume rendering we presented the overall morphology of the Wormian boneand small vascular channels penetrating its interior. As an example of quantitativeanalysis based on micro-CT scans we compared the trabecular structure of thelumbar vertebrae with CTAn software. Significant differences in percent bonevolume (BV/TV) were determined. Micro-CT was found to be a very accurate andhelpful method to study small anatomical structures of the bones in micro scale

Deployment of spatial attention towards locations in memory representations: an EEG study

Recalling information from visual short-term memory (VSTM) involves the same neural mechanisms as attending to an actually perceived scene. In particular, retrieval from VSTM has been associated with orienting of visual attention towards a location within a spatially-organized memory representation. However, an open question concerns whether spatial attention is also recruited during VSTM retrieval even when performing the task does not require access to spatial coordinates of items in the memorized scene. The present study combined a visual search task with a modified, delayed central probe protocol, together with EEG analysis, to answer this question. We found a temporal contralateral negativity (TCN) elicited by a centrally presented go-signal which was spatially uninformative and featurally unrelated to the search target and informed participants only about a response key that they had to press to indicate a prepared target-present vs. -absent decision. This lateralization during VSTM retrieval (TCN) provides strong evidence of a shift of attention towards the target location in the memory representation, which occurred despite the fact that the present task required no spatial (or featural) information from the search to be encoded, maintained, and retrieved to produce the correct response and that the go-signal did not itself specify any information relating to the location and defining feature of the target

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Continuing on SB4 or Switching From Reference Etanercept to SB4

Objectives: SB4 (Benepali, Brenzys) is a biosimilar of reference etanercept (ETN). In a randomised, double-blind, 52-week study, SB4 demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety to ETN in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The open-label extension period evaluated long-term efficacy, safety and immunogenicity when continuing SB4 versus switching from ETN to SB4. Methods: In the randomised, double-blind phase, patients received weekly subcutaneous administration of 50 mg SB4 or ETN with background methotrexate for up to 52 weeks. Patients in the Czech Republic and Poland who completed the 52-week visit were enrolled in the open-label extension period and received SB4 for 48 additional weeks. Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity were assessed up to week 100. Results: Of 245 patients entering the extension period, 126 continued to receive SB4 (SB4/SB4) and 119 switched to SB4 (ETN/SB4). American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response rates were sustained and comparable between SB4/SB4 and ETN/SB4 with ACR20 response rates at week 100 of 77.9% and 79.1%, respectively. Other efficacy results, including radiographic progression, were also comparable between the groups. After week 52, rates of treatment-emergent adverse events were 47.6% (SB4/SB4) and 48.7% (ETN/SB4); one patient/group developed non-neutralising antidrug antibodies. No cases of active tuberculosis or injection-site reactions were reported during the extension period. One patient (SB4/SB4) died of hepatic cancer. Conclusions: SB4 was effective and well tolerated over 2 years in patients with RA. Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity were comparable between the SB4/SB4 and ETN/SB4 groups, showing no risk associated with switching patients from ETN to SB4

The First Evidence of Cryptosporidium meleagridis Infection in a Colon Adenocarcinoma From an Immunocompetent Patient

Objectives: The potential linkage between Cryptosporidium spp. infection and colorectal human cancer was suggested by limited reports showing higher prevalence of C. parvum and C. hominis in patients with colon cancer. Here we conducted research concerning presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in malignant tissue collected from patients with colorectal cancer.Methods: Cancerous colon tissue samples collected from 145 non-HIV infected patients with colorectal cancer were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. by immunofluorescence antibody test and genus-specific nested polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing.Results: Screened pathogen was found in cancerous tissue originating from immunocompetent man with colon adenocarcinoma. Genotyping revealed presence of Cryptosporidium meleagridis. The presence of Cryptosporidium life cycle stages (oocysts and endogenous stages) in colon carcinoma tissue was confirmed by genus-specific FITC-labeling.Conclusions: Herein, we report on a C. meleagridis infection of a colon adenocarcinoma in an immunocompetent patient. This is the first report of C. meleagridis infection in the human colon and first evidence of active development of this species in cancer tissue

A phase III randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study comparing SB4 with etanercept reference product in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate therapy

To compare the efficacy and safety of SB4 (an etanercept biosimilar) with reference product etanercept (ETN) in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite methotrexate (MTX) therapy. METHODS:This is a phase III, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, multicentre study with a 24-week primary endpoint. Patients with moderate to severe RA despite MTX treatment were randomised to receive weekly dose of 50 mg of subcutaneous SB4 or ETN. The primary endpoint was the American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR20) response at week 24. Other efficacy endpoints as well as safety, immunogenicity and pharmacokinetic parameters were also measured. RESULTS: 596 patients were randomised to either SB4 (N=299) or ETN (N=297). The ACR20 response rate at week 24 in the per-protocol set was 78.1% for SB4 and 80.3% for ETN. The 95% CI of the adjusted treatment difference was -9.41% to 4.98%, which is completely contained within the predefined equivalence margin of -15% to 15%, indicating therapeutic equivalence between SB4 and ETN. Other efficacy endpoints and pharmacokinetic endpoints were comparable. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was comparable (55.2% vs 58.2%), and the incidence of antidrug antibody development up to week 24 was lower in SB4 compared with ETN (0.7% vs 13.1%). CONCLUSIONS:SB4 was shown to be equivalent with ETN in terms of efficacy at week 24. SB4 was well tolerated with a lower immunogenicity profile. The safety profile of SB4 was comparable with that of ETN

Factors associated with quality of life in systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional study

© 2019, The Author(s). Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, leading to their failure and disturbances in the morphology and function of blood vessels. The disease affects people in different ways, and identifying how the difficulties and limitations are related to quality of life may contribute to designing helpful interventions. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with quality of life in people with SSc. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 11 rheumatic centres in Poland. Patients diagnosed with SSc were included. Quality of life was measured using the SSc Quality of Life Questionnaire (SScQoL). The following candidate factors were entered in preliminary multivariable analysis: age, place of residence, marital status, occupational status, disease type, disease duration, pain, fatigue, intestinal problems, breathing problems, Raynaud’s symptoms, finger ulcerations, disease severity, functional disability, anxiety and depression. Factors that achieved statistical significance at the 10% level were then entered into a final multivariable model. Factors achieving statistical significance at the 5% level in the final model were considered to be associated with quality of life in SSc. Results: In total, 231 participants were included. Mean age (SD) was 55.82 (12.55) years, disease duration 8.39 (8.18) years and 198 (85.7%) were women. Factors associated with quality of life in SSc were functional disability (β = 2.854, p < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.404, p < 0.001). This model with two factors (functional disability and anxiety) explained 56.7% of the variance in patients with diffuse SSc and 73.2% in those with localized SSc. Conclusions: Functional disability and anxiety are significantly associated with quality of life in SSc. Interventions aimed at improving either of these factors may contribute towards improving the quality of life of people with SSc

Waste management of half-finished products and thermosetting wastes

Plastics are the widely used materials and their application increases every year considerably. Therefore, appropriate waste management policy should be used in relation to the utilization or recycling of scrap plastic components. Although most of these materials refer to thermoplastics, a huge widening demand is observed in the field of thermosets. They find a wide range of applications as the dielectric or insulating materials, high-current breaker switches, sensors and other electrical and electronic devices, as well as high-resistant sleeves in mechanical devices. The substantial part of the thermohardening products is used in a car, heavy, light, chemical industry and agriculture as well. The thermohardening wastes contain a large amount of combustible fraction as thermosetting resins, and various materials as a different kind of metals group like ferromagnetic and copper. Therefore, they are potential sources of energy and secondary materials. Application of thermal methods for the utilization of these wastes in the pyrolysis process was investigated. The development of the utilization of these wastes with the possibility of gas and liquid substance recovery as a potential source of energy on a commercial scale is the main aim of this paper