Right atrial thrombus from inferior vena cava after acute cardiotoxicity of 5-Fluorouracil

We reported a case of large right atrial thrombus which migrated from the inferior vena cava after acute left ventricular dysfunction due to 5-Fluorouracil cardiotoxicity. The patient had recurrent episodes of chest pain and dyspnea suggestive of pulmonary thromboembolism and several days later control echocardiography showed that the right atrial thrombus had disappeared. The patient was discharged with oral anticoagulant therapy with no further clinical sequele during an 11 month period but died because of progression of metastatic processes. We hypothesized that initial congestive heart failure had been a provocative factor for thromboembolic events from previous thrombus formation at the inferior vena cava. (Cardiol J 2008; 15: 284-285

INFLUENCE OF COMPOST MIXTURE ON THE LETTUCE YIELD AND QUALITY FORMATION

In Bulgaria there are many natural materials that present an interest for human activity in relation of their use and properties. Five natural products were tested. In base of their quantity and quality characteristics was offered different mixture in various combination of vermiculites, ash from straw biomass, wood biomass and pig manure. The aim of the study is based on the characterization and evaluation of the proposed natural products. Different ratio of mixtures was tested as a soil improver and their impact on yield and chemical characteristic of plant production. Pot experiment with lettuce is set out in the following versions: control, 2, 5, 7, and 11% by soil weight. The highest yield is obtained in variants with 11% of all compost mixture. In mixtures (2, 3 and 5) with large manure content has been observed highest increase of yield as a result of more imported nutrients by organic manure. Chemical characteristics of lettuce crop production, with the participation of all variants of compost mixtures show that the main nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are normal for plant species. The level of tested heavy metal is below toxic concentration. The results of total sugars content and photosynthetic activity correspond with data obtained in biomass harvesting in pot experiment. In all variants with 7-11% compost mixture was observed the highest level of photo-synthetically active chlorophyll "a"

Skrzeplina z żyły głównej dolnej w prawym przedsionku jako następstwo ostrego uszkodzenia serca po leczeniu 5-fluorouracylem

W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono przypadek pacjentki z dużą skrzepliną w prawym przedsionku. Skrzeplina przemieściła się tam z żyły głównej dolnej w następstwie ostrych zaburzeń funkcji lewej komory spowodowanych kardiotoksycznością 5-fluorouracylu. U chorej występowały nawracające epizody bólu w klatce piersiowej i duszności, sugerujące zatorowość płucną. W kontrolnym badaniu echokardiograficznym wykonanym kilka dni później wykazano, że skrzeplina w prawym przedsionku zniknęła. Chorą wypisano do domu z zaleceniem przyjmowania doustnych leków przeciwkrzepliwych. Przez kolejne 11 miesięcy nie zaobserwowano żadnych powikłań, ale pacjentka zmarła z powodu uogólnionej choroby nowotworowej. Prawdopodobnie początkowo stwierdzona zastoinowa niewydolność serca była czynnikiem wyzwalającym incydenty zakrzepowo-zatorowe w związku z wcześniejszym tworzeniem się skrzeplin w żyle głównej dolnej

A Geometric Morphometric Study on Sexual Dimorphism in Viscerocranium

The level of sexual dimorphism manifested by human bones is an important factor for development of effective sex estimation methods. The aim of the study was to investigate the sexual dimorphism in the size and shape of the viscerocranium using geometric morphometric techniques. It also aimed to explore the sex differences in distinct viscerocranial regions and to establish the most dimorphic region with regard to size and shape. Computed tomography images of 156 males and 184 females were used in the study. Three-dimensional coordinates of 31 landmarks were acquired. Five landmark configurations were constructed from the viscerocranium and its orbital, nasal, maxillary, and zygomatic region. Generalized Procrustes superimposition, principal component analysis, and discriminant analysis were applied to each configuration. The significance of the sex differences in size and shape was assessed and significant differences were found in all configurations. The highest accuracy was obtained from both shape and size of the whole viscerocranium. Based on size only, the highest accuracy was achieved by the nasal region. The accuracy based on shape was generally low for all configurations, but the highest result was attained by the orbital region. Hence, size is a better sex discriminator than shape

Impacts of biogas digestate on crop production and the environment: a Bulgarian case study

The water-energy nexus reveals that large amounts of energy is stored in used water and can be used as an energy source. Anaerobic fermentation is an excellent ecological waste treatment and a way of producing low cost electrical and thermal energy. By using digestate resulting from biogas production instead of synthetic fertilizers derived from natural gas, we can save energy, cut consumption of fossil fuels and reduce our carbon footprint. The aim of this study then is to determine the effect of digestate on the yield and quality of crop production as well as its effect on the immediate environment. A ratio of raw materials in biogas, pig manure and vegetable wastes of 70:30 was used on lettuce as an indicator culture. The studies were carried out on two different soil types. Digestate was applied at various percentages,tested with untreated soil as control. The results are encouraging indicating that digestate as a biomass is rich in macro and micronutrients and can be used in agriculture for the improvement of soil fertility

Red Blood Cells’ Thermodynamic Behavior in Neurodegenerative Pathologies and Aging

The main trend of current research in neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) is directed towards the discovery of novel biomarkers for disease diagnostics and progression. The pathological features of NDDs suggest that diagnostic markers can be found in peripheral fluids and cells. Herein, we investigated the thermodynamic behavior of the peripheral red blood cells (RBCs) derived from patients diagnosed with three common NDDs—Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and compared it with that of healthy individuals, evaluating both fresh and aged RBCs. We established that NDDs can be differentiated from the normal healthy state on the basis of the variation in the thermodynamic parameters of the unfolding of major RBCs proteins—the cytoplasmic hemoglobin (Hb) and the membrane Band 3 (B3) protein. A common feature of NDDs is the higher thermal stability of both Hb and B3 proteins along the RBCs aging, while the calorimetric enthalpy can distinguish PD from ALS and AD. Our data provide insights into the RBCs thermodynamic behavior in two complex and tightly related phenomena—neurodegenerative pathologies and aging, and it suggests that the determined thermodynamic parameters are fingerprints of the altered conformation of Hb and B3 protein and modified RBCs’ aging in the studied NDDs

Platelets’ nanomechanics and morphology in neurodegenerative pathologies

The imaging and force–distance curve modes of atomic force microscopy (AFM) are explored to compare the morphological and mechanical signatures of platelets from patients diagnosed with classical neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) and healthy individuals. Our data demonstrate the potential of AFM to distinguish between the three NDDs—Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and normal healthy platelets. The common features of platelets in the three pathologies are reduced membrane surface roughness, area and height, and enhanced nanomechanics in comparison with healthy cells. These changes might be related to general phenomena associated with reorganization in the platelet membrane morphology and cytoskeleton, a key factor for all platelets’ functions. Importantly, the platelets’ signatures are modified to a different extent in the three pathologies, most significant in ALS, less pronounced in PD and the least in AD platelets, which shows the specificity associated with each pathology. Moreover, different degree of activation, distinct pseudopodia and nanocluster formation characterize ALS, PD and AD platelets. The strongest alterations in the biophysical properties correlate with the highest activation of ALS platelets, which reflect the most significant changes in their nanoarchitecture. The specific platelet signatures that mark each of the studied pathologies can be added as novel biomarkers to the currently used diagnostic tools

Thermodynamic Signatures of Blood Plasma Proteome in Neurodegenerative Pathologies

Discovery of diagnostic biomarkers for age-related neurodegenerative pathologies (NDDs) is essential for accurate diagnosis, following disease progression and drug development. Blood plasma and blood cells are important peripheral sources for NDDs’ biomarkers that, although present in lower concentrations than in cerebrospinal fluid, would allow noninvasive diagnostics. To identify new biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in this work we have evaluated the modifications in the thermodynamic behavior of blood plasma proteome exploring differential scanning calorimetry. The plasma thermodynamics reflected the complexity and heterogeneity of the two pathologies. The unfolding temperature of the most abundant plasma protein albumin and the weighted average center of the calorimetric profile appeared as the two thermodynamic signatures that reflected modifications of the plasma proteome, i.e., strong thermal stabilization of albumin and plasma proteins’ interaction network, related to both pathologies. Based on those two signatures, both PD and ALS patients were stratified in two sets, except several cases with thermodynamic parameters that strongly differed from those of the calorimetric sets. Along with modifications of the plasma thermodynamic behavior, we found altered globulin levels in all PD and ALS patients’ plasma (higher level of α- and β-globulin fractions and lower level of γ-globulin fraction than the respective reference values) employing capillary electrophoresis. The presented results reveal the potential of calorimetry to indirectly identify NDDs’ biomarkers in blood plasma

Morphometry and stiffness of red blood cells—signatures of neurodegenerative diseases and aging

Human red blood cells (RBCs) are unique cells with the remarkable ability to deform, which is crucial for their oxygen transport function, and which can be significantly altered under pathophysiological conditions. Here we performed ultrastructural analysis of RBCs as a peripheral cell model, looking for specific signatures of the neurodegenerative pathologies (NDDs)—Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), utilizing atomic force (AFM) and conventional optical (OM) microscopy. We found significant differences in the morphology and stiffness of RBCs isolated from patients with the selected NDDs and those from healthy individuals. Neurodegenerative pathologies’ RBCs are characterized by a reduced abundance of biconcave discoid shape, lower surface roughness and a higher Young’s modulus, compared to healthy cells. Although reduced, the biconcave is still the predominant shape in ALS and AD cells, while the morphology of PD is dominated by crenate cells. The features of RBCs underwent a marked aging-induced transformation, which followed different aging pathways for NDDs and normal healthy states. It was found that the diameter, height and volume of the different cell shape types have different values for NDDs and healthy cells. Common and specific morphological signatures of the NDDs were identified