Recommendations for the management of tuberculosis in children — KOMPASS TB. Part 1: Tuberculosis prevention

Since the second half of the 20th century the incidence of tuberculosis has been declining in Poland. Despite this, current epidemiological data still support the need for the continued mass BCG vaccination in Poland in the near future. Apart from the protection against severe hematogenous forms of tuberculosis, vaccination lowers the risk of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Primary and acquired immunodeficiency, including immunity disorders associated with an ongoing treatment, are contraindications to BCG vaccination. The most common adverse effects following BCG vaccination are reactions at the site of injection and in regional lymph nodes, which usually does not require treatment. Methods of tuberculosis prevention, particularly recommended in low-incidence countries, include: diagnostic investigations of patients who had contacts with pulmonary tuberculosis as well as an active detection and treatment of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Latent tuberculosis infection can be identified on the basis of positive results of the tuberculin skin test or interferon-gamma release assays after the active disease has been ruled out. This condition does require prophylactic treatment

Rekomendacje postępowania w gruźlicy u dzieci — KOMPAS TB. Część 1 — profilaktyka gruźlicy

Od drugiej połowy XX wieku obserwuje się w Polsce systematyczny spadek liczby zachorowań na gruźlicę. Mimo to aktualne wskaźniki epidemiologiczne uzasadniają kontynuację powszechnych szczepień BCG w naszym kraju w najbliższych latach. Poza ochroną przed ciężkimi, krwiopochodnymi postaciami gruźlicy, szczepienie to zmniejsza ryzyko zakażenia prątkiem gruźlicy. Przeciwwskazania do szczepienia BCG to między innymi pierwotne i nabyte niedobory odporności, w tym zaburzenia immunologiczne związane ze stosowanym leczeniem. Do najczęstszych niepożądanych odczynów po szczepieniu BCG należą zmiany w miejscu szczepienia i zmiany odczynowe w lokalnych węzłach chłonnych, zazwyczaj niewymagające leczenia. Metody zapobiegania gruźlicy, szczególnie zalecane w krajach o niskiej zapadalności na tę chorobę, to: diagnostyka osób stykających się z chorym na gruźlicę płuc oraz aktywne wykrywanie i leczenie utajonego zakażenia prątkiem gruźlicy. Utajone zakażenie prątkiem gruźlicy rozpoznaje się na podstawie dodatnich wyników odczynu tuberkulinowego (OT) lub testu wydzielania interferonu gamma, po wykluczeniu gruźlicy aktywnej. Stan ten wymaga leczenia profilaktycznego.Od drugiej połowy XX wieku obserwuje się w Polsce systematyczny spadek liczby zachorowań na gruźlicę. Mimo to aktualne wskaźniki epidemiologiczne uzasadniają kontynuację powszechnych szczepień BCG w naszym kraju w najbliższych latach. Poza ochroną przed ciężkimi, krwiopochodnymi postaciami gruźlicy, szczepienie to zmniejsza ryzyko zakażenia prątkiem gruźlicy. Przeciwwskazania do szczepienia BCG to między innymi pierwotne i nabyte niedobory odporności, w tym zaburzenia immunologiczne związane ze stosowanym leczeniem. Do najczęstszych niepożądanych odczynów po szczepieniu BCG należą zmiany w miejscu szczepienia i zmiany odczynowe w lokalnych węzłach chłonnych, zazwyczaj niewymagające leczenia. Metody zapobiegania gruźlicy, szczególnie zalecane w krajach o niskiej zapadalności na tę chorobę, to: diagnostyka osób stykających się z chorym na gruźlicę płuc oraz aktywne wykrywanie i leczenie utajonego zakażenia prątkiem gruźlicy. Utajone zakażenie prątkiem gruźlicy rozpoznaje się na podstawie dodatnich wyników odczynu tuberkulinowego (OT) lub testu wydzielania interferonu gamma, po wykluczeniu gruźlicy aktywnej. Stan ten wymaga leczenia profilaktycznego

Identity in (not only) the cultural landscapes of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship

W artykule przedstawiono obszary wyróżniające się lokalną tradycją oraz kultywowaniem obrzędów i zwyczajów na terenie województwa mazowieckiego, jak również wskazano rolę społeczeństwa w kształtowaniu i zachowaniu niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego. Ponadto wykonano ocenę stanu zachowania lub wykształcenia cech syntetycznych krajobrazu gmin, tj. tradycji, tożsamości i swojskości, zgodnie z metodyką rozporządzenia Rady Ministrów z dnia 11 stycznia 2019 roku w sprawie sporządzania audytów krajobrazowych. Analizy wykonano na podstawie wyników badania ankietowego, przeprowadzonego przez zespół badawczy Zakładu Gospodarki Przestrzennej i Nauk o Środowisku Przyrodniczym Wydziału Geodezji i Kartografii Politechniki Warszawskiej, na zlecenie Mazowieckiego Biura Planowania Regionalnego w Warszawie, na obszarze województwa mazowieckiego. Ankieta badawcza zawierała 9 pytań z zakresu dziedzictwa kulturowego, gdzie dla celów niniejszego artykułu przeanalizowano 4 dotyczące bezpośrednio dziedzictwa materialnego i niematerialnego wśród 6160 wykonanych ankiet. Zakres analiz dziedzictwa materialnego dotyczył występowania tradycyjnej architektury a niematerialnego: regionów etnograficznych, kultywowanych tradycji, obrzędów i zwyczajów, a także zaangażowania społeczeństwa w „życie kulturalne” swoich małych ojczyzn. Przeprowadzona analiza ankiet, pozwoliła na potwierdzenie występowania rozpoznanych już i wskazanych w dokumentach samorządu województwa, jak również wskazanie nowych obszarów materialnego i niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego województwa mazowieckiego, które skonfrontowano zarówno z literaturą przedmiotu, jak i z zapisami w dokumentach samorządu województwa. Wyniki badania wskazały na ważną rolę jednostek samorządu terytorialnego, instytucji kultury oraz stowarzyszeń i organizacji zrzeszających lokalne społeczności w kształtowaniu i zachowaniu niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego. Stopień zaangażowania respondentów w kultywowanie tradycji, obrzędów i zwyczajów, zgodnie z odpowiedziami ankietowanych okazał się niezależny od położenia w regionach etnograficznych. Odpowiedzi ankietowanych wskazały również na powrót do „korzeni”, wynikający ze wzrostu zainteresowania kulturą ludową, czemu sprzyjają podejmowane działania popularyzujące oraz promujące tradycje ludowe, natomiast w procesie międzypokoleniowego przekazu wartości bogactwa dziedzictwa kulturowego kluczową rolę odgrywa edukacja społeczeństwa, w szczególności młodego pokolenia.The article presents areas distinguished by local traditions and cultivation of rituals and customs in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, as well as the role of society in the formation and preservation of the intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the state of preservation or development of the synthetic features of the municipal landscape, i.e. tradition, identity and familiarity, was assessed in accordance with the methodology of the Council of Ministers Ordinance of January 11, 2019, regarding preparation of landscape audits. The analysis were based on the results of a survey conducted by the research team of the Department of Spatial Planning and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography of the Warsaw University of Technology on behalf of the Mazovian Office for Regional Planning in Warsaw, in the area of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. The research questionnaire contained 9 questions in the field of cultural heritage, and for the purposes of this article 4 out of 6160 surveys directly related to tangible and intangible heritage were analysed. The scope of analyses of tangible heritage concerned the occurrence of traditional and intangible architecture: ethnographic regions, cultivated traditions, rituals and customs, as well as the involvement of society in the 'cultural life' of their small homelands. The analysis of the questionnaires made it possible to confirm the presence of the already identified and indicated in the documents of the voivodeship self-government, as well as to indicate new areas of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, which were confronted with both the source literature and the provisions in the voivodeship self-government documents. The results of the study indicated an important role of local government units, cultural institutions as well as associations and organizations of local communities in shaping and preserving intangible cultural heritage. The degree of the respondents' involvement in the cultivation of traditions, rituals and customs, according to the respondents' answers, turned out to be independent of the location in ethnographic regions. The responses of the respondents also indicated a return to the 'roots', resulting from the growing interest in folk culture, which is fostered by the activities undertaken to popularize and promote folk traditions, while in the process of intergenerational transfer of the values of the cultural heritage, the key role is played by the education of the society, especially the young generation

Visual Tract Degradation in Bilateral Normal-Tension Glaucoma—Cortical Thickness Maps and Volumetric Study of Visual Pathway Areas

The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the central visual pathways during the early and advanced stages of bilateral normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods: The studied groups constituted patients with bilateral normal-tension glaucoma of the same stage (n = 45) and age-matched healthy volunteers (n = 17). All patients underwent ophthalmic examination and examination on a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Scanner (Optima 360, GE Healthcare). Volume and cortical thickness analyses were performed using the open-source automated software package FreeSurfer. Results: There was a significant difference in lateral geniculate nuclei volume between the control and advanced glaucoma groups in the right hemisphere (p = 0.03) and in the left hemisphere between the early and advanced glaucoma patients (p = 0.026). The optic chiasm volume differed significantly between the control and advanced NTG groups (p = 0.0003) and between early and advanced glaucoma patients (p = 0.004). Mean cortical thickness analysis revealed a significant increase in values in the advanced glaucoma group in the right Brodmann area 17 (BA17) (p = 0.007) and right BA18 (p = 0.049) as compared to early NTG. In the left BA18 area, the mean thickness of the cortex in the early glaucoma group was significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The increase in the grey matter thickness in the V1 region with more-advanced glaucoma stages may reflect compensatory hypertrophy. Additionally, the regions of the brain early affected during glaucoma with reduced thickness were the right lateral occipital gyrus and left lingual gyrus. The most prominent change during the course of glaucoma was the increase in grey matter thickness in the right cuneus

Visual Tract Degradation in Bilateral Normal-Tension Glaucoma—Cortical Thickness Maps and Volumetric Study of Visual Pathway Areas

The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the central visual pathways during the early and advanced stages of bilateral normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods: The studied groups constituted patients with bilateral normal-tension glaucoma of the same stage (n = 45) and age-matched healthy volunteers (n = 17). All patients underwent ophthalmic examination and examination on a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Scanner (Optima 360, GE Healthcare). Volume and cortical thickness analyses were performed using the open-source automated software package FreeSurfer. Results: There was a significant difference in lateral geniculate nuclei volume between the control and advanced glaucoma groups in the right hemisphere (p = 0.03) and in the left hemisphere between the early and advanced glaucoma patients (p = 0.026). The optic chiasm volume differed significantly between the control and advanced NTG groups (p = 0.0003) and between early and advanced glaucoma patients (p = 0.004). Mean cortical thickness analysis revealed a significant increase in values in the advanced glaucoma group in the right Brodmann area 17 (BA17) (p = 0.007) and right BA18 (p = 0.049) as compared to early NTG. In the left BA18 area, the mean thickness of the cortex in the early glaucoma group was significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The increase in the grey matter thickness in the V1 region with more-advanced glaucoma stages may reflect compensatory hypertrophy. Additionally, the regions of the brain early affected during glaucoma with reduced thickness were the right lateral occipital gyrus and left lingual gyrus. The most prominent change during the course of glaucoma was the increase in grey matter thickness in the right cuneus

Rapamycin Improves Recognition Memory and Normalizes Amino-Acids and Amines Levels in the Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus in Adult Rats Exposed to Ethanol during the Neonatal Period

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a serine/ threonine kinase, is implicated in synaptic plasticity by controlling protein synthesis. Research suggests that ethanol exposure during pregnancy alters the mTOR signaling pathway in the fetal hippocampus. Thus, we investigated the influence of pre-treatment with rapamycin, an mTORC1 inhibitor, on the development of recognition memory deficits in adult rats that were neonatally exposed to ethanol. In the study, male and female rat pups received ethanol (5 g/kg/day) by intragastric intubation at postanatal day (PND 4-9), an equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy. Rapamycin (3 and 10 mg/kg) was given intraperitoneally before every ethanol administration. Short- and long-term recognition memory was assessed in the novel object recognition (NOR) task in adult (PND 59/60) rats. Locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior were also evaluated to exclude the influence of such behavior on the outcome of the memory task. Moreover, the effects of rapamycin pre-treatment during neonatal ethanol exposure on the content of amino-acids and amines essential for the proper development of cognitive function in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus was evaluated using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in male adult (PND 60) rats. Our results show the deleterious effect of ethanol given to neonatal rats on long-term recognition memory in adults. The effect was more pronounced in male rather than female rats. Rapamycin reversed this ethanol-induced memory impairment and normalized the levels of amino acids and amines in the DG. This suggests the involvement of mTORC1 in the deleterious effect of ethanol on the developing brain

Rapamycin Improves Recognition Memory and Normalizes Amino-Acids and Amines Levels in the Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus in Adult Rats Exposed to Ethanol during the Neonatal Period

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a serine/ threonine kinase, is implicated in synaptic plasticity by controlling protein synthesis. Research suggests that ethanol exposure during pregnancy alters the mTOR signaling pathway in the fetal hippocampus. Thus, we investigated the influence of pre-treatment with rapamycin, an mTORC1 inhibitor, on the development of recognition memory deficits in adult rats that were neonatally exposed to ethanol. In the study, male and female rat pups received ethanol (5 g/kg/day) by intragastric intubation at postanatal day (PND 4-9), an equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy. Rapamycin (3 and 10 mg/kg) was given intraperitoneally before every ethanol administration. Short- and long-term recognition memory was assessed in the novel object recognition (NOR) task in adult (PND 59/60) rats. Locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior were also evaluated to exclude the influence of such behavior on the outcome of the memory task. Moreover, the effects of rapamycin pre-treatment during neonatal ethanol exposure on the content of amino-acids and amines essential for the proper development of cognitive function in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus was evaluated using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in male adult (PND 60) rats. Our results show the deleterious effect of ethanol given to neonatal rats on long-term recognition memory in adults. The effect was more pronounced in male rather than female rats. Rapamycin reversed this ethanol-induced memory impairment and normalized the levels of amino acids and amines in the DG. This suggests the involvement of mTORC1 in the deleterious effect of ethanol on the developing brain