Determinants of prevalence and intensity of infection with malaria parasites in the Blue Tit

Parasite species are usually specialists utilising specific host species, but parasite assemblages may differ substantially even between populations of the same species and show seasonal and annual fluctuations. Host characteristics such as individual age and sex may also affect parasite species composition and abundance. Here, we report the occurrence of malaria parasites in the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) inhabiting Gotland (Sweden) across 5 years. Using PCR-based techniques, we found eight cytochrome b lineages belonging to genus Plasmodium (pTURUD1, pBT7, pSGS1, pSW2, pGRW11) and Haemoproteus (hPARUS1, hPHSIB1, hWW2) with the overall prevalence of 65 %. The Plasmodium infections predominated (prevalence of 49.5 %), whereas Haemoproteus infection rate was much lower (prevalence of 16.5 %). We showed significant differences in infection status between study years and age classes when all parasite lineages were analysed together or the two most common lineages were analysed separately. Overall, older birds showed higher prevalence. A significant interaction between year and genus effect significantly explained variation in infection intensity. This interaction stems from a significant yearly variation of the infection intensity with Plasmodium, while such an effect is not present for Haemoproteus infections. More importantly, the intensity of infection with Haemoproteus was significantly higher than with Plasmodium in 3 out of the 4 study years with data

Reaktywność płytek krwi we wczesnym okresie po pomostowaniu tętnic wieńcowych bez użycia krążenia pozaustrojowego u pacjentów stosujących małą dawkę kwasu acetylosalicylowego

Introduction. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is the antiplatelet drug most used in the perioperative period in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) is likely to alter platelet (PLT) function to a lesser extent than CABG with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and may potentially result in high on-aspirin platelet reactivity (HAPR) in the postoperative period. Materials and methods. The aim of this prospective study was to characterise serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2) variability and ASA-dependent platelet reactivity in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing OPCAB treated with a single daily dose of 75 mg of ASA. Blood sampling was performed 2 hours and 24 hours after ASA intake on the day before surgery, and on the 2nd and 7th days after the operation. Results. A PLT counts reduction and a mean platelet volume increase were observed on the 2nd day after OPCAB. A PLT counts increase was found on the 7th postoperative day. A significant increase (p = 0.03) in the percentage of patients with insufficient laboratory ASA efficacy (defined by serum TXB2 ≥ 7.2 ng/mL) was observed on the 7th postoperative day compared to preoperative values (52% vs 20% respectively, p = 0.02). A significant increase in median platelet reactivity and in the percentage of patients with HAPR (defined by VerifyNow® Aspirin test result ≥ 550 ARU) was observed on the 7th postoperative day in comparison with the values before OPCAB (48% vs 12%, p = 0.007). Conclusions. In the group of patients taking a standard daily dose of 75 mg of ASA, a substantial number of patients failed to attain optimal inhibition of serum TXB2 or had HAPR before surgery and on the 7th day after OPCAB. A significant decrease in serum TXB2 levels on the 2nd day after OPCAB did not correlate with PLT reactivity. The optimal dose of ASA is of interest for further studies of efficacy and clinical outcomes after OPCAB.Wstęp. Kwas acetylosalicylowy (ASA) jest podstawowym lekiem przeciwpłytkowym stosowanym w okresie okołooperacyjnym u chorych poddawanych operacjom pomostowania tętnic wieńcowych (CABG). Operacja pomostowania tętnic wieńcowych bez użycia krążenia pozaustrojowego (OPCAB) prawdopodobnie w mniejszym stopniu zaburza funkcję płytek krwi (PLT) niż operacja wykonywana w krążeniu pozaustrojowym i może być przyczyną wysokiej reaktywności płytek mimo leczenia ASA (HAPR) w okresie pooperacyjnym. Materiały i metody. Celem badania była prospektywna analiza zmienności stężenia tromboksanu B2 (TXB2) w surowicy krwi i reaktywności PLT zależnej od ASA u pacjentów ze stabilną chorobą wieńcową, poddanych OPCAB, leczonych standardową, pojedynczą dawką dobową 75 mg ASA. Próbki krwi do analizy pobierano po 2 i 24 h od przyjęcia porannej dawki ASA w dobie poprzedzającej operację, a następnie w 2. i 7. dobie po operacji. Wyniki. W 2. dobie po OPCAB obserwowano istotne zmniejszenie liczby PLT oraz zwiększenie średniej objętości płytekkrwi. W 7. dobie pooperacyjnej stwierdzono zwiększenie liczby PLT wobec wartości przed operacją. W 7. dobie po OPCABobserwowano istotne zwiększenie w odniesieniu do wartości przed operacją odsetka pacjentów z niedostatecznąw analizie laboratoryjnej skutecznością leczenia przeciwpłytkowego ASA (definiowaną jako stężenie TXB2 w surowicy krwi≥ 7,2 ng/ml), odpowiednio 52% w porównaniu z 20%; p = 0,02. W 7. dobie pooperacyjnej stwierdzono znamienny wzrostmediany reaktywności PLT oraz odsetka pacjentów z HAPR (wynik testu VerifyNow® Aspirin ≥ 550 ARU) w porównaniuz wartościami przed OPCAB (odpowiednio 48% v. 12%; p = 0,007). Wnioski. W grupie pacjentów stosujących pojedynczą, dobową dawkę 75 mg ASA u istotnego odsetka badanych(p = 0,03) przed operacją oraz w 7. dobie po OPCAB stwierdzono suboptymalne zahamowanie syntazy TXB2 oraz HAPR.Znamienne obniżenie stężenia TXB2 w surowicy krwi w 2. dobie pooperacyjnej nie korelowało z reaktywnością PLT.W przyszłych badaniach dotyczących efektywności leczenia przeciwpłytkowego oraz wyników klinicznych po OPCABnależy zwrócić szczególną uwagę na optymalizację dawkowania ASA

Novel bioresorbable tricalcium phosphate/polyhydroxyoctanoate (TCP/PHO) composites as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications

Development of new composite materials for bone tissue engineering is a constantly growing field of medicine. Therefore there is a continuous need in creating novel materials that can not only regenerate the defected tissue but also nourish it while the healing process progresses. Here we present a novel type of composite material that fulfils these requirements. The study describes creation of a composite with macroporous bioceramic core that is infiltrated with a thin biopolymer layer. The ceramic component, namely tricalcium phosphate (TCP), due to its mechanistic and bioactive properties may promote new bone creation as shown through the in vitro studies. To the best of our knowledge the coating layer was created for the first time from a representative of bacterially derived medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers (mcl-PHA), namely polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO). This polymer layer not only profoundly changed the stress-strain characteristics of the bioceramic foam but also released (R)-3-hydroxyacids and their dimers/trimers to the investigated environment. In the manuscript we have in depth characterised these materials employing a set of basic procedures, through 3D structure reconstruction and finishing with prolonged in vitro experiments

Neo- and Paleo-Limnological Studies on Diatom and Cladoceran Communities of Subsidence Ponds Affected by Mine Waters (S. Poland)

Plankton assemblages can be altered to di erent degrees by mining. Here, we test how diatoms and cladocerans in ponds along a river in southern Poland respond to the cessation of the long-term Pb-Zn mining. There are two groups of subsidence ponds in the river valley. One of them (DOWN) was contaminated over a period of mining, which ceased in 2009, whereas the other (UP) appeared after the mining had stopped. We used diatoms and cladocerans (complete organisms in plankton and their remains in sediments) to reveal the influence of environmental change on the structure and density of organisms. The water of UP pond was more contaminated by major ions (SO4 2, Cl) and nutrients (NO3 , PO4 3) than the DOWN ponds. Inversely, concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cu and Pb were significantly higher in sediment cores of DOWN ponds in comparison to those in the UP pond. Ponds during mining had higher diversity of diatoms and cladocerans than the pond formed after the mining had stopped. CCA showed that diatom and cladoceran communities related most significantly to concentrations of Pb in sediment cores. Comparison of diatom and cladoceran communities in plankton and sediment suggests significant recovery of assemblages in recent years and reduction of the harmful e ect of mine-originating heavy metals. Some features of ponds such as the rate of water exchange by river flow and the presence of water plants influenced plankton communities more than the content of dissolved heavy metals

Effects of Interspecific Coexistence on Laying Date and Clutch Size in Two Closely Related Species of Hole-nesting Birds

Coexistence between great tits Parus major and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus, but also other hole-nesting taxa, constitutes a classic example of species co-occurrence resulting in potential interference and exploitation competition for food and for breeding and roosting sites. However, the spatial and temporal variations in coexistence and its consequences for competition remain poorly understood. We used an extensive database on reproduction in nest boxes by great and blue tits based on 87 study plots across Europe and Northern Africa during 1957–2012 for a total of 19,075 great tit and 16,729 blue tit clutches to assess correlative evidence for a relationship between laying date and clutch size, respectively, and density consistent with effects of intraspecific and interspecific competition. In an initial set of analyses, we statistically controlled for a suite of site-specific variables. We found evidence for an effect of intraspecific competition on blue tit laying date (later laying at higher density) and clutch size (smaller clutch size at higher density), but no evidence of significant effects of intraspecific competition in great tits, nor effects of interspecific competition for either species. To further control for site-specific variation caused by a range of potentially confounding variables, we compared means and variances in laying date and clutch size of great and blue tits among three categories of difference in density between the two species. We exploited the fact that means and variances are generally positively correlated. If interspecific competition occurs, we predicted a reduction in mean and an increase in variance in clutch size in great tit and blue tit when density of heterospecifics is higher than the density of conspecifics, and for intraspecific competition, this reduction would occur when density of conspecifics is higher than the density of heterospecifics. Such comparisons of temporal patterns of means and variances revealed evidence, for both species, consistent with intraspecific competition and to a smaller extent with interspecific competition. These findings suggest that competition associated with reproductive behaviour between blue and great tits is widespread, but also varies across large spatial and temporal scales. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Animal EcologyAcademy of Finland 26585

DVB-T Channels Measurements for the Deployment of Outdoor REM Databases, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2014, nr 3

In this paper the analysis of the spectrum occupancy in the TV band is provided based on the outdoor measurements campaigns carried out in Poznań, Poland in 2013 and 2014. The goal of this work is to discuss the stability and other important features of the observed spectrum occupancy in the context of outdoor Radio Environment Maps database deployment. Reliable deployment of these databases seems to be one of the critical points in practical utilization of the TV White Spaces for cognitive purposes inside buildings and in densely populated cities. The results obtained for outdoor scenario are briefly compared with the previous measurements conducted indoors in Barcelona, Spain, and in Poznań, Poland

Positive left atrial remodeling in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after a successful radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation

Background: The potential relationship between the initial left atrial (LA) echocardiographic parameters and LA remodeling after pulmonary vein isolation with RF energy (PVI) with effectiveness of this treatment is discussed. Aim: To determine the influence of initial and after follow-up transthoracic echocardiography derived predictors of successful PVI in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: 80 patients with paroxysmal AF (58 [interquartile range, IQR], 50–63] years, males: 58 [IQR, 50–63]), hospitalized for the first time PVI procedure were included. Before and after a minimum of 6 months of follow-up period a clinical and echocardiographic evaluation were performed. LA morphological parameters (diameter, volumes and other detailed LA parameters), as well as LA peak segmental and global longitudinal strains (PLS) and LA wall strain synchrony were assessed. Results: In the whole group after a follow-up period, patients presented higher mean LA Volconduit. Patients with no AF recurrences had lower post-PVI LA volumes, higher LA ejection fraction and LA expansion index, when compared to the patients after ineffective PVI. Patients who maintained sinus rhythm after PVI procedure were characterized by a higher initial segmental strains: LA PLSbasal-inferior and PLSapical-septal, as well as higher LA wall strain dispersion in time. Conclusions: Some echocardiographic parameters related to LA morphology improve after successful PVI treatment. LA strains and wall strain dispersion in time are not related to LA remodeling after successful PVI procedure. However the baseline LA standard and novel echocardiographic parameters cannot be used as a remote evaluation of the effectiveness of the PVI procedure