The place of TrueCPR feedback device in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Should we use it? A randomized pilot study

INTRODUCTION: Sudden cardiac arrest is a challenge for medical personnel as well as a high socio-economic burden. Many authors indicate that the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including chest compres- sions performed without an assisted device, may raise doubts due to failure to achieve the value of chest compressions recommended by the guidelines of the American Cardiac Society. All kinds of devices support- ing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including CPR feedback devices, may be helpful in this regard.  METHODS: The study involved 38 nurses who were tasked with conducting a 2-minute cardiopulmonary resuscitation cycle based on continuous chest compression. chest compressions were carried out in two sce- narios: with and without the use of a TrueCPR feedback device. Both the order of the participants as well as the research methods were random. For this purpose, the coin-toss technique was used. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistica 12EN system.  RESULTS: The average chest compression rate in the case of non-instrumental compression was 131 ± 12 com- pressions per minute and was statistically significantly higher than in the case of using the TrueCPR device (P = 0.022). Mean chest compression depth with and without the TrueCPR device showed significant variation, 38 ± 11 mm for manual chest compression, and 52 ± 6 mm for TrueCPR (P < 0.001). Full chest recoil for manual chest compression and compression using the TrueCPR device was 46 ± 19%, respectively. 75 ± 18% (P < 0.001).  CONCLUSIONS: The use of the TrueCPR device in simulated resuscitation conditions has a statistically signif- icant effect on the improvement of chest compression parameters, including the frequency and depth of chest compressions as well as the degree of correctness of chest relaxation.

Co-financing of organic farming in the EU : necessity or fantasy?

Purpose: The purpose of the work is to analyse and assess the situation of organic farming in the EU, as well as the support system that is targeted at this type of activity. Design/Methodology/Approach: Organic farming has shown dynamic growth and development in the last two decades, especially in economically developed countries. The study concerns sources of support for the development of organic farming in EU countries. An analytical and descriptive method based on Eurostat Faostat, Polish FADN, Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland, as well as official documents and reports were used. The development of the number and area of organic farms was analysed, and mechanisms of financing ecological activity on farms were discussed. Findings: Based on the analysed information, it was found that organic farming is not developing in a similar way in all EU countries. The results of the analyses show that the main reason for conducting this type of production was the compensation paid to farmers under the CAP. Practical Implications: The obtained results can be used in analyses of agricultural policy in the scope of supporting farmers conducting production with the ecological system, considering the international perspective. Such studies are not carried out very often, and in addition, changes occur so quickly that the phenomenon should be monitored on an ongoing basis. Originality/Value: The results and conclusions are crucial because they indicate that the policy used is important and should be expanded. The legitimacy of using both the national and EU financing system for the development of organic farming has been demonstrated. Financial support should be more flexible and tailored to the needs of beneficiaries.peer-reviewe

Experiment on Methods for Clustering and Categorization of Polish Text

The main goal of this work was to experimentally verify the methods for a challenging task of categorization and clustering Polish text. Supervised and unsupervised learning was employed respectively for the categorization and clustering. A profound examination of the employed methods was done for the custom-built corpus of Polish texts. The corpus was assembled by the authors from Internet resources. The corpus data was acquired from the news portal and, therefore, it was sorted by type by journalists according to their specialization. The presented algorithms employ Vector Space Model (VSM) and TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency) weighing scheme. Series of experiments were conducted that revealed certain properties of algorithms and their accuracy. The accuracy of algorithms was elaborated regarding their ability to match human arrangement of the documents by the topic. For both the categorization and clustering, the authors used F-measure to assess the quality of allocation

A novel germline PALB2 deletion in Polish breast and ovarian cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>PALB2 protein was recently identified as a partner of BRCA1 and BRCA2 which determines their proper function in DNA repair.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Initially, the entire coding sequence of the <it>PALB2 </it>gene with exon/intron boundaries was evaluated by the PCR-SSCP and direct sequencing methods on 70 ovarian carcinomas. Sequence variants of interest were further studied on enlarged groups of ovarian carcinomas (total 339 non-consecutive ovarian carcinomas), blood samples from 334 consecutive sporadic and 648 consecutive familial breast cancer patients, and 1310 healthy controls from central Poland.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ten types of sequence variants were detected, and among them four novel polymorphisms: c.2996+58T>C in intron 9; c.505C>A (p.L169I), c.618T>G (p.L206L), both in exon 4; and c.2135C>T (A712V) in exon 5 of the <it>PALB2 </it>gene. Another two polymorphisms, c.212-58A>C and c.2014G>C (E672Q) were always detected together, both in cancer (7.5% of patients) and control samples (4.9% of controls, p = 0.2). A novel germline truncating mutation, c.509_510delGA (p.R170fs) was found in exon 4: in 2 of 339 (0.6%) unrelated ovarian cancer patients, in 4 of 648 (0.6%) unrelated familial breast cancer patients, and in 1 of 1310 controls (0.08%, p = 0.1, p = 0.044, respectively). One ovarian cancer patient with the <it>PALB2 </it>mutation had also a germline nonsense mutation of the <it>BRCA2 </it>gene.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The c.509_510delGA is a novel <it>PALB2 </it>mutation that increases the risk of familial breast cancer. Occurrence of the same <it>PALB2 </it>alteration in seven unrelated women suggests that c.509_510delGA (p.R170fs) is a recurrent mutation for Polish population.</p

How should we teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation? Randomized multi-center study

Background: A 2017 update of the resuscitation guideline indicated the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) feedback devices as a resuscitation teaching method. The aim of the study was to compare the influence of two techniques of CPR teaching on the quality of resuscitation performed by medical students. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective, randomized, simulation study and involved 115 first year students of medicine. The participants underwent a basic life support (BLS) course based on the American Heart Association guidelines, with the first group (experimental group) performing chest compressions to observe, in real-time, chest compression parameters indicated by software included in the simulator, and the second group (control group) performing compressions without this possibility. After a 10-minute resuscitation, the participants had a 30-minute break and then a 2-minute cycle of CPR. One month after the training, study participants performed CPR, without the possibility of observing real-time measurements regarding quality of chest compression. Results: One month after the training, depth of chest compressions in the experimental and control group was 50 mm (IQR 46–54) vs. 39 mm (IQR 35–42; p = 0.001), compression rate 116 CPM (IQR 102–125) vs. 124 CPM (IQR 116–134; p = 0.034), chest relaxation 86% (IQR 68–89) vs. 74% (IQR 47–80; p = 0.031) respectively. Conclusions: Observing real-time chest compression quality parameters during BLS training may improve the quality of chest compression one month after the training including correct hand positioning, compressions depth and rate compliance

Phage Therapy:What Have We Learned?

In this article we explain how current events in the field of phage therapy may positively influence its future development. We discuss the shift in position of the authorities, academia, media, non-governmental organizations, regulatory agencies, patients, and doctors which could enable further advances in the research and application of the therapy. In addition, we discuss methods to obtain optimal phage preparations and suggest the potential of novel applications of phage therapy extending beyond its anti-bacterial action

In vivo confirmation of hydration-induced changes in human-skin thickness, roughness and interaction with the environment

Skin properties, structure and performance can be influenced by many internal and external factors, such as age, gender, lifestyle, skin diseases and a hydration level that can vary in relation to the environment. The aim of this work was to demonstrate the multifaceted influence of water on human skin through a combination of in vivo confocal Raman spectroscopy and images of volar-forearm skin captured with laser scanning confocal microscopy. By means of this pilot study, we have both qualitatively and quantitatively studied the influence of changing the depth-dependent hydration level of the stratum corneum (SC) on the real contact area (RCA), surface roughness and the dimensions of the primary lines and presented a new method for characterising the contact area for different states of the skin. The hydration level of the skin and the thickness of the SC increased significantly due to uptake of moisture derived from liquid water or, to a much lesser extent, from humidity present in the environment. Hydrated skin was smoother and exhibited higher RCA values. The highest rates of water uptake were observed for the upper few μm of skin and for short exposure times

Earlier sea-ice melt extends the oligotrophic summer period in the Barents Sea with low algal biomass and associated low vertical flux

The decrease in Arctic sea-ice extent and thickness as a result of global warming will impact the timing, duration, magnitude and composition of phytoplankton production with cascading effects on Arctic marine food-webs and biogeochemical cycles. Here, we elucidate the environmental drivers shaping the composition, abundance, biomass, trophic state and vertical flux of protists (unicellular eukaryotes), including phytoplankton, in the Barents Sea in late August 2018 and 2019. The two years were characterized by contrasting sea-ice conditions. In August 2018, the sea-ice edge had retreated well beyond the shelf break into the Nansen Basin (>82°N), while in 2019, extensive areas of the northwestern Barents Sea shelf (>79°N) were still ice-covered. These contrasting sea-ice conditions resulted in marked interannual differences in the pelagic protist community structure in this area. In August 2018, the protist community was in a post-bloom stage of seasonal succession characterized by oligotrophic surface waters and dominance of small-sized phytoplankton and heterotrophic protists (predominantly flagellates and ciliates) at most stations. In 2019, a higher contribution of autotrophs and large-celled phytoplankton, particularly diatoms, to total protist biomass compared to 2018 was reflected in higher chlorophyll a concentrations and suggested that the protist community was still in a late bloom stage at some stations. It is noteworthy that particularly diatoms contributed a considerably higher proportion to the protist biomass at the ice-covered stations in both years compared to the open-water stations. This pattern was also evident in the higher vertical protist biomass flux in 2019, dominated by dinoflagellates and diatoms, compared to 2018. Our results suggest that the predicted transition toward an ice-free Barents Sea will lengthen the oligotrophic summer period with low algal biomass and associated low vertical flux.publishedVersio

Acriflavine, a clinically approved drug, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been socially and economically devastating. Despite an unprecedented research effort and available vaccines, effective therapeutics are still missing to limit severe disease and mortality. Using high-throughput screening, we identify acriflavine (ACF) as a potent papain-like protease (PLpro) inhibitor. NMR titrations and a co-crystal structure confirm that acriflavine blocks the PLpro catalytic pocket in an unexpected binding mode. We show that the drug inhibits viral replication at nanomolar concentration in cellular models, in vivo in mice and ex vivo in human airway epithelia, with broad range activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses. Considering that acriflavine is an inexpensive drug approved in some countries, it may be immediately tested in clinical trials and play an important role during the current pandemic and future outbreaks. © 2021 The Author