Bilateral double-layered patella in a patient with advanced knee osteoarthritis

Double layered patella (DLP) is a rare anomaly of the patella that may go undiagnosed, especially in patients with progressive knee dysfunction and early degenerative changes. Clinical symptoms such as motion-dependent pain and anterior knee pain most typically occur in adolescents or young adults; however, gradually increasing pain and early generalised degenerative changes have also been seen in patients over 40 years old. Diagnosis of DLP could be difficult, especially in cases with coexisting arthrosis. DLP is considered to be pathognomonic for the diagnosis of multiple epiphyseal dysplasia and usually coexists with other anomalies seen in this syndrome, such as hip dysplasia. In extremely rare cases, DLP can occur as a solitary disorder. The prevalence of such cases, however, is unknown, and they could be easily misdiagnosed. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are the most sensitive radiological methods used in DLP diagnosis. This case report presents a case of a bilateral DLP incidentally found in a 47-year-old patient with advanced arthritis referred for arthroplasty because of increasing symptoms of knee joint failure with no other abnormalities recorded. An important goal of our case study is to raise the awareness of this abnormality with radiologists and orthopaedic surgeons

Arteria lusoria in patients with a normal and a right-sided aortic arch diagnosed with multi-slice computed tomography: a report of two cases

A retro-oesophageal course of the right subclavian artery is referred to as "arteria lusoria". It may be related to severe compression of the trachea and oesophagus, typically resulting in impaired swallowing. The paper presents two patients with arteria lusoria, which in one patient was an aberrant right subclavian artery and in the other an aberrant left subclavian artery, originating from the right-sided aortic arch. In both cases the diagnosis was made with multi-slice computed tomography. The embryology of the anomalies and clinical status of the patients is discussed. Arteria lusoria should be considered in differential diagnosis in patients with dyspnoea and dysphagia. Multi-slice computed tomography allows this anatomical variant to be reliably visualised

Neoproterozoic crystalline exotic clasts in the Polish Outer Carpathian flysch: remnants of the Proto‑Carpathian continent?

Crystalline exotic boulders within the sedimentary sequences of the Outer Carpathians likely represent Proto-Carpathian basement, which was exposed and eroded during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic evolution of the Western Carpathian basin. The majority of the boulders were derived from the Silesian Ridge, which separated the Magura Basin and the Silesian Domains, and which became a source region during Late Cretaceous–Early Paleocene tectonism. Felsic crystalline clasts within the Silesian Nappe yield U–Pb zircon magmatic protolith ages of 603.7 ± 3.8 Ma and 617.5 ± 5.2 Ma while felsic crystalline clasts within the Subsilesian Nappe yield an age of 565.9 ± 3.1 Ma and thus represent different magmatic cycles. The U–Pb zircon data also imply that the Silesian Ridge was a fragment of the eastern part of the Brunovistulia microcontinent. The presence of inherited zircon cores, dated at 1.3 and 1.7 Ga, suggests a Baltican source for the clasts, as opposed to Gondwana. We infer that Late Neoproterozoic felsic magmatism within the Proto-Carpathian continent represents a long-living magmatic arc, which formed during prolonged Timmanian/Baikalian rather than Pan-African/Cadomian orogenesis. Mafic exotic blocks, found within the Magura Nappe, yield U–Pb zircon ages of 613.3 ± 2.6 Ma and 614.6 ± 2.5 Ma and likely represent a fragment of an obducted ophiolitic sequence. The protolith of these mafic boulders could represent Paleoasian Ocean floor located to the east of Cadomia, obducted during later orogenic processes and incorporated into the accretionary prism. All analysed exotic clasts show no evidence for younger (Variscan) reworking, which is characteristic of both western Brunovistulia and the Central Western Carpathians and the Cadomian elements of Western Europe. The Silesian and Subsilesian basins thus had a likely source area in the eastern part of Brunovistulia, while the source of the Magura Basin was the Fore-Magura Ridge, whose basement potentially represents an accretionary prism on the margin of the East European Craton

Determination of mineral oil mist in the workplace air by gravimetric method

W artykule podano wybrane informacje na temat stosowania mgły oleju mineralnego do smarowania mechanizmów maszyn, a także obowiązujące w Polsce wartości dopuszczalnych stężeń olejów mineralnych i omówiono metody stosowane do oznaczania mgły olejowej w powietrzu na stanowiskach pracy. Na podstawie wyników badań rozpoznawczych zaproponowano alternatywny, wagowy sposób pomiaru ilości oleju osadzającego się na filtrach z pobranych próbek powietrza, łatwiejszy w realizacji i mniej kosztowny od obecnie stosowanego sposobu pomiaru za pomocą spektrofotometru.This paper presents selected information on the use of mineral oil mist in lubricating machines. It also discusses information on permissible concentrations of mineral oils that are obligatory in Poland and methods used in determining oil mist in workplace air. On the basis of recognition tests, an alternative gravimetric method of measurement is proposed. It consist in a gravimetric determination of the quantity of oil deposited in filters from air samples. This method is easier and less expensive than spectrometric measurement method which has been used so far

Prediction of Toxic Substances Emission for Occupational Exposure Assessment

Methods for predicting organic solvents, chromic acid, mineral oil, styrene, and sulphuric acid emissions in painting, metal degreasing, wood preservation, chromium electroplating, turning, grinding, making glass fortified polyester laminates and lead batteries charging, injection moulding of polystyrene plastics, and making polyurethane foam processes are described. Experimentally introduced equations are based on the essential parameters of these processes. Knowing the emission and the total flow rate of ventilation, it is possible to calculate toxic agent concentration, which is the basis of occupational exposure assessment

Piaskowcowe formy skałkowe w Istebnej (Beskid Śląski, Karpaty Zewnętrzne)

The rocky sandstone landforms, which are interesting geotouristic objects, occur in the eastern part of Istebna village. The series of rock walls and pulpits is located on the southern slopes of the Karolówka Range. Fragments of the upper sandstones of Istebna Formation (Upper Cretaceous–Paleocene) crop out within these rocks. They represent the period of intensive supply of the clastic material into the Outer Carpathian Silesian Basin leading to the origin of thick-bedded , very coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates. The occurrence of large, numerous crystalline rocks is a particular and unique feature of these outcrops. These magmatic and metamorphic rocks were derived from the basement of the Carpathian basins. This paper describes the detailed characteristics of these rocky landform objects.We wschodniej części wsi Istebna występują piaskowcowe formy skałkowe, które są interesującymi obiektami geoturystycznymi. Są to serie ambon i ścian skalnych znajdujące się w kilku miejscach na południowych zboczach grzbietu Karolówki. W ich obrębie odsłonięte są fragmenty profilu górnych piaskowców formacji istebniańskiej jednostki śląskiej (górna kreda-paleocen), które reprezentują okres intensywnej dostawy materiału okruchowego do karpackiego basenu śląskiego, w efekcie czego powstały serie gruboławicowych i bardzo gruboławicowych piaskowców i zlepieńców. Szczególną cechą związaną z tymi wychodniami jest obecność licznych i dużych bloków skał krystalicznych: magmowych i metamorficznych, pochodzących z erozji podłoża, na którym rozwinęły się baseny karpackie. W niniejszym artykule dokonano charakterystyki jednostkowej tych obiektów skałkowych

Plonowanie soi w różnych systemach uprawy roli

In Poland the soybean is becoming an increasingly more popular crop plant that is valued, among others, for the high nutritional value of its seeds. There are few studies on the effect of tillage systems used for soybean which are carried out in the climatic conditions of our country. This proves the need to continue such research. The present study investigated the effect of plough tillage and direct seeding on seed yield and some yield components of two soybean cultivars (Augusta and Aldana) in the climatic conditions of central-eastern Poland. A three-year field experiment was established on lessive soil using a split-block design in four replications. The study showed that cv. Aldana produced higher seed yield by 10.6% compared to the other cultivar; this cultivar was also characterized by higher plant density after emergence and before harvest, a higher number of seeds per pod, and higher 1000 seed weight. Seed yield significantly varied depending on the tillage system used. Under conventional tillage, soybean produced 14.7% higher yield than in the case of direct seeding. Compared to plough tillage, no-tillage significantly reduced plant height and first pod height as well as plant density after emergence and before harvest.Soja staje się coraz bardziej popularną rośliną uprawną w Polsce, cenioną między innymi za dużą wartość odżywczą nasion. Badania dotyczące wpływu sposobu uprawy roli pod soję prowadzone w warunkach klimatycznych naszego kraju są nieliczne. świadczy to o potrzebie dalszej ich kontynuacji. W niniejszej pracy badano wpływ systemów uprawy roli: płużnego i siewu bezpośredniego na plon nasion oraz wybrane elementy plonowania dwóch odmian soi (Augusta i Aldana), w warunkach klimatycznych południowo-wschodniej Polski. Trzyletni eksperyment polowy założono na glebie płowej wytworzonej z lessu, metodą split-block w czterech powtórzeniach. Wykazano, iż z porównywanych odmian o 10,6% lepiej plonowała Aldana, która charakteryzowała się również większą obsadą roślin po wschodach i przed zbiorem, liczbą nasion w strąku oraz masą 1000 nasion. Plon nasion byá istotnie zróżnicowany w zależności od zastosowanego systemu uprawy roli. W warunkach uprawy płużnej soja plonowała o 14,7% lepiej niż w siewie bezpośrednim. W porównaniu z systemem płużnym uprawa zerowa znacząco obniżyła wysokość roślin, wysokość zawieszenia pierwszego strąka oraz obsadę po wschodach i przed zbiorem soi

Self-concerted hydrophobicity scale based on the ACDlogP of a combination of 8000 tripeptides and its application for identification of protein active sites

Partition coefficients, expressed as logP, were calculated using Advanced Chemistry Development software (ACDlogP) [1] of all combinations of three amino acids (8000 tripeptides). Using our proprietary script, we generated a combination of 8000 tripeptides of 20 amino acids in the FASTA format and, subsequently, full atom Cartesian coordinates were generated. The ACDlogP’s of the generated tripeptides were calculated. Using the Kyte-Doolittle amino acid hydrophobicity scale [2, 3], the value of the correlation coefficients with the calculated ACDlogP values was determined. Hydrophobicity values were assumed as the arithmetic mean of the hydrophobicity of the three amino acids in the tripeptide. Optimisation of the theoretical hydrophobicity scale by minimisation of the correlation coefficient between the calculated ACDlogP values and the hydrophobicity for the tripeptides provided amino acid hydrophobicity; on this basis, the amino acids were divided into 7 groups. The new scale was normalised and implemented using the fuzzy-oil-drop model method to determine the theoretical protein active site of the 1HCK protein based on lipophilic hot spots on the protein surface. The results were compared with the respective results for the Kyte-Doolittle scale and the actual active site with ATP as the ligand