Leading innovations and investments into the new energy technologies

This paper focuses on the novel and leading innovations and investments into the new energy technologies. Energy issues, including sustainability, energy security and energy dependency are probably one of the most crucial and critical issues that humanity must face at the moment. Recent global challenges, such as climate change and the rise of the “green” energy (represented by the increasing deployment of the renewable energy sources (RES)), as well as distributed energy generation and platform energy markets (e.g. peer-to-peer (P2P) markets for electricity) that were made possible thanks to the rise of Internet, social networks and sharing economy, all create a demand for the new energy technologies. The leaders in energy innovations, such as Tesla are becoming the true trendsetters who are marking the way for the humankind to go forward.We provide an overview of the innovative energy technologies that might change the energy market as we know it and discuss their outcomes and possible implications. Moreover, we contemplate the changes that might be caused by the ongoing transition from the fossil fuels to RES. Our results might be of some interests to researchers and stakeholders dealing with energy economics and policy

Investigation of the Effect of Workpiece Resolution on Milling Simulation Accuracy in Production Module 3D CAE Software

The aim of this work was to present the effect of workpiece resolution on simulation accuracy in Production Module 3D CAE software. The concept of resolution and working principle of CAD model conversion into proprietary *.TWSM format was explained. Next, the effects of model resolution on simulation results were presented, using an example of a face milling operation. Four different workpiece model resolutions were used, including the resolution value recommended by the software developer. Comparison of simulation results for different workpiece resolutions was conducted, obtained results were analysed, with particular focus on the effect of workpiece resolution on simulated cutting force values. The authors have found a substantial link between workpiece resolution, material removal rate and simulation accuracy

Insulin resistance – the basics every medical specialist should know

Introduction and purpose: Insulin resistance (IR) is a health problem as it can accompany obesity and lead to serious metabolic complications. In recent years, it has been "overdiagnosed" in clinical practice due to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria. The article summarizes the current knowledge in the field of pathophysiology, clinical picture and diagnostics. State of knowledge: Obesity remains the leading cause of IR, especially in the 21st century. In a positive energy balance, the adipocyte overloaded with fat protects itself against further influx of glucose and fats and becomes insulin insensitive. A component of IR development is subclinical inflammation of macrophage-rich adipose tissue which is exacerbated by an adipocytokine imbalance, which in turn generates IR. The markers of cellular resistance to insulin are free fatty acids in the bloodstream which are responsible for the lipotoxicity in hepatocytes and myocytes. Compensatory fasting hyperinsulinemia, which is currently considered the most sensitive diagnostic criterion, provides evidence of IR. An effective method of sensitizing cells to insulin is lifestyle modification, including a low-energy diet with regular physical activity in the form of aerobic-resistance exercise. Literature recommends no pharmacological treatment of IR alone, without obesity or other concomitant diseases. Conclusions: IR is not a separate disease, but only a pathological expression of cells' adaptation to excess of consumed energy. However, in its systemic form, when the protective mechanisms become ineffective, it induces metabolic disturbances. Only the causal treatment of IR guarantees therapeutic success

Is water fluoridation correlated with hypothyroidism?

Introduction: Hypothyroidism is a global health problem. Primary thyroid hormone deficiency may be caused by a wide spectrum of health problems, e.g. chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, postpartum thyroiditis, iodine deficiency, thyroid or parathyroid surgery and drugs. In recent years, scientific studies have also been published indicating a correlation between excessive intake of fluoride and hypothyroidism. Fluoride is added to the water sources of many countries. Objective: The purpose of the study was to review and compare currently available data on PubMed about fluoride-induced hypothyroidism. A brief description of the state of knowledge: Evidence based knowledge suggests that there is a potential relationship between water fluoridation and endocrine system disorders, especially hypothyroidism. Current studies indicate that TSH hormone levels get elevated with increased fluoride intake. The reason is supposed to be that fluorine is more electronegative than iodine and therefore easily displaces iodine from the body, thus affecting thyroid function. Conclusions: Current studies do not clearly show a simple correlation between excessive fluoridation of drinking water and the occurrence of hypothyroidism. However, inconclusive scientific evidence and the prevalence of hypothyroidism in the population indicate the need for further research in this area

Diabetes and depression : a combination of civilization and life-style diseases is more than simple problem adding : literature review

The article presents a review of current medical and psychological literature published between 2000 - 2010, with the use of the PubMed database, concerning the occurrence of anxiety and depression in diabetic patients, with particular consideration of those aff ected by complications. Anxiety and fear are the most frequent emotional disorders among diabetic patients. Depression occurs in approximately 30% of patients with diabetes. Both diabetes and depression belong to so called ‘life style’ or ‘civilization diseases’. Numerous studies have confi rmed that the course of depression in patients with diabetes is more severe, and the relapses of depression episodes are more frequent. The studies show that diabetic patients experience various types of psychosocial and emotional problems due to which the monitoring of own state of health is not the priority in life. In the process of treatment of both sole diabetes and concomitant anxiety and depression it is important to adjust and motivate patients to apply widely understood therapeutic recommendations. The treatment of depression syndrome in the course of diabetes does not have to lead to improvement in glycaemic control. The following factors infl uencing the therapeutic eff ect should be mentioned: duration of diabetes, presence of complications, and the eff ect of the drugs applied on body weight, or possibly initial diabetes management. It seems, therefore, that the patient education model based on the provision of knowledge concerning diabetes and its complications, methods of treatment, principles of nutrition and health-promoting life style, may be insuffi cient, at least for patients with depression. The results of a review of reports shows that an optimum treatment of diabetes, in accordance with the current state of knowledge, requires from physicians a special consideration of psychological and psychiatric knowledge for the 2 following reasons: 1) eff ectiveness of therapy to a high degree depends on the proper behaviour of a patient; 2) considerably more frequent, compared to the total population, occurrence of the symptoms of emotional disorders negatively aff ect the course of diabetes

Multi-Platform Intelligent System for Multimodal Human-Computer Interaction

We present a flexible human--robot interaction architecture that incorporates emotions and moods to provide a natural experience for humans. To determine the emotional state of the user, information representing eye gaze and facial expression is combined with other contextual information such as whether the user is asking questions or has been quiet for some time. Subsequently, an appropriate robot behaviour is selected from a multi-path scenario. This architecture can be easily adapted to interactions with non-embodied robots such as avatars on a mobile device or a PC. We present the outcome of evaluating an implementation of our proposed architecture as a whole, and also of its modules for detecting emotions and questions. Results are promising and provide a basis for further development

Thyrotropinoma - the case report about one of the rarest type of pituitary adenomas

Pituitary tumours are a significant diagnostic problem in clinical practice. Considering all the rarity of thyrotropic hormone secreting adenoma it is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in part due to the lack of the preoperative standards. TSH-oma, besides hyperthyroidism symptoms, might be a cause of other endocrine disorders, most often dysfunction of other tropic axes and may cause neurological symptoms associated with sella expansion. We report a case of a 49-year-old male patient with macroadenoma, overt clinical hyperthyroidism, secondary adrenal insufficiency and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. The diagnosis of thyrotropinoma was confirmed by blood tests that revealed elevated FT3 and FT4 levels together with high TSH. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test was performed and  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging revealed the presence of macroadenoma. Histopathology examination confirmed the diagnosis of thyrotropic cell pituitary adenoma. The appropriate therapy for thyrotropin pituitary adenoma has not been elaborated in reports of this domain. Preoperatively the patient was prepared by long-acting somatostatin analogue (Sandostatin LAR) injections to reduce tumor size with good therapeutic effect afterwards underwent surgical transsphenoidal treatment successfully. However, specific treatment guidelines for pituitary thyrotropic tumors need to be elaborated more in details

Risk factors of the gastric cancer – the short review

Introduction and purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most frequent malignancies around the world. There were nearly 1 million new cases in 2018. Gastric malignancies have heterogeneous etiopathogenesis. Lifestyle, socioeconomic status, blood group A, medical condition, Helicobacter Pylori infection, family history, genetic polymorphism, diet, demographic characteristics, occupational exposure, ionizing radiation are considered as predisposing factors.Objective: The purpose of our study is to review a currently available data on PubMed about risk factors of gastric cancer to consider better understanding of gastric cancer etiology.A brief description of the state of knowledge: Current studies suggest that red meat, pickled vegetable or alcohol consumption, low socioeconomic status, cigarette smoking, blood group A and Helicobacter Pylori infection increase risk of GC. Decreased risk of gastric cancer is observed in case of white meat consumption, statin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs intake. It seems that family history and other genetic predispositions may have a crucial role in gastric cancer development.Conclusions: Variety of environmental, genetic and medical factors are considered with an increased risk of gastric cancer. The awareness of its existence facilitates pathogenesis of gastric malignancies and enables the implementation of proper diagnostic procedures, screening programs and prophylaxis

Development of parents' of Children with Hymenoptera Venom Allergy Quality of Life Scale (PoCHVAQoLS)

Introduction: Venom allergy in children, as a potentially life-threatening disease, may have a considerable impact on the quality of life of the parents of the affected patients. Aim: To present development of the quality of life scale for such parents. Material and methods: The study sample included 70 parents of children with a history of insect sting reaction, referred for consultations to the allergy centre of the University Children's Hospital of Krakow, Krakow, Poland, in 2000-2010. An initial pool of 56 items divided into 6 domains was prepared. The items with intercorrelations higher than 0.7 were removed from each domain and principal component analysis was conducted for each domain separately to provide a one-dimensional subscale for each domain. Reliability of the subscales was assessed using the Cronbach a coefficient in terms of the Classical Test Theory and with the rho coefficient in terms of the Item Response Theory. The multidimensionality of the scale was tested using multitrait scaling. Results: Two to four items from each domain were selected to constitute five subscales. Both the rho and a coefficients for all the subscales were 0.75 or higher. The multitrait method showed that almost all the items indicated stronger correlations with their own subscale than with other subscales. Correlations between subscales were lower than 0.5. Conclusions: The presented scale consists of high validity and reliability subscales measuring the quality of life of parents of Hymenoptera venom allergic children. As their quality of life is strongly related to the health of their children, such information may be helpful in everyday clinical practice

Impact of Hymenoptera venom allergy and the effects of specific venom immunotherapy on mast cell metabolites in sensitized children

Introduction and objective. Mast cells (MC) are effector cells during severe systemic reactions (SR) to Hymenoptera stings. Venom specific immunotherapy (VIT) is the treatment of choice for prevention of SR to stings. Tryptase and prostaglandin D2 metabolites (PGD2 ) are the markers of MC activation. The study design was to 1. compare baseline values of serum tryptase concentration (BST) and PGD2 metabolites in children with/without venom sensitization, 2. to evaluate an influence of rush VIT on MC markers in treated children. Materials and methods. Sensitized group: 25 children with SR to Hymenoptera sting. Control group: 19 healthy children. Active treatment: 5-day-rush-VIT. BST was evaluated by ImmunoCAP, PGD2 metabolites in blood and urine by GC-NICI-MS. Results. The baseline blood levels of MC markers were significantly higher, while urinary concentration of 9α,11β-PGF2 was significantly lower in the whole group of venom-sensitized children compared to controls. Severity of SR showed negative correlation with urinary PGD2 metabolites, while positive with plasma 9α,11β-PGF2 and BST concentration The highest sensitivity was obtained for plasma 9α,11β-PGF2 whereas the highest specificity for urinary PGD-M. Conclusions. In children with IgE-mediated SR to Hymenoptera stings, elevation of baseline values of PGD2 metabolites in blood is accompanied by decreased excretion of its urinary metabolites. Assessment of stable PGD2 metabolites might serve as an independent MC marker to identify allergic children. There is an association between urinary PGD2 metabolites and severity of the SR to Hymenoptera stings