Maternal predictors and quality of umbilical cord blood units

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the maternal age at delivery and selected properties of the cord blood stem cells. The study included 50 pregnant women aged between 18 and 38 years in which spontaneous labors or elective cesarean sections were performed. Umbilical cord blood was collected immediately after the women were delivered of newborns. The samples were analyzed in the Polish Stem Cells Bank in Warsaw. The highest mean WBC level (p < 0.05) was observed in the umbilical blood collected from patients aged 35 years and more. Similarly, the highest mean cell viability was observed in the umbilical cord blood collected from patients aged 35 and more. There were no statistically significant correlations between the CD34+ cells count and mean cell viability in the umbilical cord blood and the maternal age. With the significance level at p < 0.001, the females after spontaneous labor revealed a visibly higher WBC level than patients after a cesarean section. The higher mean WBC concentration (24.95 thousand/μl) was observed in the umbilical cord blood of patients aged 35 and more after spontaneous labors. In the same group, the umbilical cord blood was also characterized by the highest mean cell viability (98.72%). The number of nucleated cells in the umbilical cord blood collected in the perinatal period increases together with the maternal age. In the course of physiological spontaneous labors, the collected umbilical cord blood has more nucleated cells as compared with elective caesarian sections

Meeting the WHO 90% target : antiretroviral treatment efficacy in Poland is associated with baseline clinical patient characteristics

Introduction: Modern combined antiretroviral therapies (cART) allow to effectively suppress HIV-1 viral load, with the 90% virologic success rate, meeting the WHO target in most clinical settings. The aim of this study was to analyse antiretroviral treatment efficacy in Poland and to identify variables associated with virologic suppression. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 5152 (56.92% of the countrywide treated at the time-point of analysis) patients on cART for more than six months with at least one HIV-RNA measurement in 2016 were collected from 14 Polish centres. Patients’ characteristics and treatment type-based outcomes were analysed for the virologic suppression thresholds of <50 and <200 HIV-RNA copies/ml. CART was categorized into two nucleos(t)ide (2NRTI) plus non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (NNRTI) inhibitors, 2NRTI plus protease (PI) inhibitor, 2NRTI plus integrase (InI) inhibitor, nucleos(t)ide sparing PI/r+InI and three drug class regimens. For statistics Chi-square and U-Mann Whitney tests and adjusted multivariate logistic regression models were used. Results: Virologic suppression rates of <50 copies/mL were observed in 4672 (90.68%) and <200 copies/mL in 4934 (95.77%) individuals. In univariate analyses, for the suppression threshold <50 copies/mL higher efficacy was noted for 2NRTI+NNRTI-based combinations (94.73%) compared to 2NRTI+PI (89.93%), 2NRTI+InI (90.61%), nucleos(t)ide sparing PI/r+InI (82.02%) and three drug class regimens (74.49%) (p < 0.0001), with less pronounced but significant differences for the threshold of 200 copies/mL [2NRTI+NNRTI-97.61%, 2NRTI+PI-95.27%, 2NRTI+InI-96.61%, PI/r+InI- 95.51% and 86.22% for three drug class cART) (p < 0.0001). However, in multivariate model, virologic efficacy for viral load <50 copies/mL was similar across treatment groups with significant influence by history of AIDS [OR:1.48 (95%CI:1.01–2.17) if AIDS diagnosed, p = 0.046], viral load < 5 log copies/mL at care entry [OR:1.47 (95%CI:1.08–2.01), p = 0.016], baseline lymphocyte CD4 count ≥200 cells/µL [OR:1.72 (95%CI:1.04–2.78), p = 0.034] and negative HCV serology [OR:1.97 (95%CI:1.29–2.94), p = 0.002]. For viral load threshold <200 copies/mL higher likelihood of virologic success was only associated with baseline lymphocyte CD4 count ≥200 cells/µL [OR:2.08 (95%CI:1.01–4.35), p = 0.049] and negative HCV status [OR:2.84 (95%CI:1.52–5.26), p = 0.001]. Conclusions: Proportion of virologically suppressed patients is in line with WHO treatment target confirming successful application of antiretroviral treatment strategy in Poland. Virological suppression rates depend on baseline patient characteristics, which should guide individualized antiretroviral tre0atment decisions

Custom cooperation standards in standard and virtual organizations

Znajomość systemów zarządzania oraz metod ich realizacji, a także ich znaczenia w budowaniu relacji z klientem jest podstawą w planowaniu działań mających przynieść przedsiębiorstwu oczekiwane korzyści. Aspekt realizacji procesów i zadań w sposób, który może zaspokoić klienta stał się bardzo trudny w okresie globalizacji. Zwiększony dostęp do danych, ograniczony czas oraz trend komunikacji za pomocą wiadomości stawia nowe wyzwania dla funkcjonowania organizacji.W ramach pracy omówiono tematykę związaną z zarządzaniem i jego koncepcjami, organizacyjno-procesowej struktury zarządzania na przykładzie metod TQM, CRM oraz Lean Management, a następnie przenalizowano różnice pomiędzy standardowymi i wirtualnymi organizacjami. Zdefiniowano czynniki wpływające na decyzję klienta oraz wartości, które mogą być dla niego najważniejsze w ramach placówek medycznych oraz w sklepie internetowym, jako opozycyjne typu organizacji przedsiębiorstwa. Zauważono, że wirtualizacja organizacji może być jedynym kierunkiem pozwalającym na dalsze zaspokajanie rosnących potrzeb klientów.Knowledge of management systems and methods of their implementation, as well as their importance in building customer relationships is the basis of planning activities, which allow bring the expected benefits to the company. The aspect of implementing processes and tasks in a way that can satisfy the client has become very difficult during the globalization period. Increased access to data, limited time and communication through messages trend, creates new challenges for the functioning of the organization.The thesis focuses on topics related to management and its concepts. It discuss process of management different structures with TQM, CRM and Lean Management methods. Also the differences between standard and virtual organizations had been analyzed. Factors that influence client's decision and values were defined to check the importance of them in different organization types. It has been noticed that the organization's virtualization may be the only direction allowing it to continue to meet the growing needs of customer

The directions of reform of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Young Academy

The following article is a report from a conference organized by the Polish Young Academy in Jablonna, in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences. It served the purpose of connecting members of PYA with members of PAS, to allow exchange of views, and a productive discussion about the future of both organizations. The conference was organized into two panels: one addressing the directions of Polish Academy of Sciences reform (structure, the PAS university idea, criteria for PAS membership, the role of PAS committees, as well as PAS financing) and a second one addressing the position of Polish Young Academy within the structures of PAS (relations with other units, internal PYA structure and governance, relations with other European bodies of the same sort, the role of PYA in legislative consultations, PYA financing, and the ways to carry on PYA's mission of propagating science)

Innovations, new technologies, trust and avoiding uncertainty: some reflections after the Polish Scientific Networks conference

The article summarizes panel discussions led at the Polish Scientific Networks conference. It covers the topics of social and (un)social innovations, their sources, and applications, as well as the new approaches to the concept of the wisdom of the crowds (as opposed to swarm mentality). The article draws on academic research on trust and distrust, declining reliance on formal expertise and a turn against the science, and posttruth society phenomenon. The article concludes with observations about risk aversion in different cultures, to suggest some practical solutions in education programs, needed to address the challenges of the future

First case of imported African tick-bite fever in Poland – Case report

This is the first report of a case of African tick bite fever (ATBF) imported to Poland from South-Africa. The patient presented with fever of 38.4oC, generalized maculopapular rash and single eschar. Diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from eschar biopsies. The patient recovered without any sequelae after 7 days treatment with doxycycline