Pneumomediastinum and pneumoretroperitoneum as a result of mephedrone intoxication – a case report.

Introduction: Presence of air in mediastinal space, retroperitoneal space or subcutaneously is a rare con- dition in majority caused by trauma of airway or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Rarely can it occur as a conse- quence after drug usage.  Case Presentation: We report a non-traumatic occurrence of pneumomediastinum, pneumoretroperito- neum and subcutaneous emphysema in a 27 year-old male patient who had been inhaling mephedrone for 4 days. Patient was admitted to Department of General, Endocrine and Transplant Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk. CT scans of neck, chest and abdomen were performed with suspicion of perforation of GI tract or airways. Perforation was excluded by gastroscopic and bronchoscopic examinations. Patient was treated conservatively with fluids and antibiotic therapy because of no abnormalities besides free air in mentioned cavities. During 6 days of hospitalization patient made a steady recovery and was discharged in good condition.  Conclusions: The presence of pneumomediastinum, pneumoretroperitoneum and subcutaneous emphyse- ma associated with mephedrone inhalation has been rarely reported in the literature in the past. There are only a few cases describing such complications and medical management required. By reporting this case we would like to emphasize that mentioned symptoms and history of drug use might seem life-threatening, however, this condition may be self-limiting as well. Therefore, good general state can potentially be indi- cation for a watch-and-wait approach with no surgical intervention necessary. 

Effects of thyroid hormone imbalance on colorectal cancer carcinogenesis and risk — a systematic review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death. The prevalence of colorectal neoplasm is increasing. Many studies have shown that thyroid dysfunction may be connected with the higher risk of pancreatic and breast cancer, but only a few described the role of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid hormone (TH) replacement in the development and risk of CRC. The aim of this study is to summarise all findings and potentially elucidate the connection between TH imbalance and colorectal cancer. The systematic review was conducted according to PICO and PRISMA guidelines. We searched MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu, and Cochrane Library databases using the following keywords: “((((thyroid OR hypothyroidism OR hyperthyroidism OR levothyroxine OR hashimoto OR graves OR thyroidectomy)) AND (colon OR colorectal OR CRC)) NOT hashimoto[Author]) NOT graves[Author])”. No filters were used. Of total of 3054 articles identified by the search strategy, 11 met PICO criteria and were included into the review. Four of those were on cell lines and seven were human studies. Analysis of the included studies revealed an elevated risk of CRC in patients with hypothyroidism with aORs ranging from 1.16 (95% CI: 1.08–1.24, p < 0.001) to 1.69 (95% CI: 1.21–2.36, p = 0.002). Moreover, TH replacement therapy has a protective effect for CRC risk with aOR ranging from 0.60 (95% CI: 0.44–0.81, p = 0.001) to 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86–0.98, p = 0.009). THs seem to play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Further studies are warranted to define the exact role of thyroid hormone imbalance in prevention and treatment of CRC

Od preparowania czterogruczołowego do technik małoinwazyjnych. Małoinwazyjna paratyroidektomia jako obecny standard chirurgii pierwotnej nadczynności przytarczyc

Complete surgical resection of hyperfunctioning parathyriod tissue is essential for the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. During recent years, minimally invasive surgery has been successfully applied in neck exploration, because of significant developments of guidance by intraoperative scans, the use of quick, intraoperative PTH assay, and also preoperative imaging procedures such as high resolution ultrasonography and sestamibi scintigraphy. The results of operations which are performed with minimally invasive techniques are comparable to those of conventional surgery, and provide advantages with regard to cosmetic result, length of hospitalisation, and reduced post-operative pain.Całkowite chirurgiczne usunięcie nadczynnej tkanki gruczołowej jest kluczowe dla leczenia pierwotnej nadczynności przytarczyc. Podczas ostatnich lat, techniki chirurgii małoinwazyjnej były z sukcesem wprowadzane do preparowania tkanek szyi. Było to możliwe dzięki opracowaniu śródoperacyjnych metod lokalizowania zmienionej tkanki, szybkim testom oznaczającym stężenie PTH w surowicy ,jak również doskonaleniu technik obrazowania przedoperacyjnego, takich jak ultrasonografia wysokiej rozdzielczości czy scyntygrafia z wykorzystaniem sestamibi. Wyniki operacji z wykorzystaniem technik małoinwazyjnych są porównywalne z wynikami technik konwencjonalnych oraz wiążą się z zaletami, takimi jak skrócony okres hospitalizacji, zmniejszenie bólu pooperacyjnego czy lepszy efekt kosmetyczny

Preferential uptake of polyunsaturated fatty acids by colorectal cancer cells

Although a growing body of evidence suggests that colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with alterations of fatty acid (FA) profiles in serum and tumor tissues, available data about polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in CRC patients are inconclusive. Our study showed that CRC tissues contained more PUFAs than normal large intestinal mucosa. However, serum levels of PUFAs in CRC patients were lower than in healthy controls. To explain the mechanism of PUFA alterations in CRC, we measured FA uptake by the colon cancer cells and normal colon cells. The levels of PUFAs in colon cancer cell culture medium decreased significantly with incubation time, while no changes were observed in the medium in which normal colon cells were incubated. Our findings suggest that the alterations in tumor and serum PUFA profiles result from preferential uptake of these FAs by cancer cells; indeed, PUFAs are essential for formation of cell membrane phospholipids during rapid proliferation of cancer cells. This observation puts into question potential benefits of PUFA supplementation in CRC patients

Adaptive radiation along a deeply conserved genetic line of least resistance in \u3cem\u3eAnolis\u3c/em\u3e lizards

On microevolutionary timescales, adaptive evolution depends upon both natural selection and the underlying genetic architecture of traits under selection, which may constrain evolutionary outcomes. Whether such genetic constraints shape phenotypic diversity over macroevolutionary timescales is more controversial, however. One key prediction is that genetic constraints should bias the early stages of species divergence along “genetic lines of least resistance” defined by the genetic (co)variance matrix, G. This bias is expected to erode over time as species means and G matrices diverge, allowing phenotypes to evolve away from the major axis of variation. We tested for evidence of this signal in West Indian Anolis lizards, an iconic example of adaptive radiation. We found that the major axis of morphological evolution was well aligned with a major axis of genetic variance shared by all species despite separation times of 20–40 million years, suggesting that divergence occurred along a conserved genetic line of least resistance. Further, this signal persisted even as G itself evolved, apparently because the largest evolutionary changes in G were themselves aligned with the line of genetic least resistance. Our results demonstrate that the signature of genetic constraint may persist over much longer timescales than previously appreciated, even in the presence of evolving genetic architecture. This pattern may have arisen either because pervasive constraints have biased the course of adaptive evolution or because the G matrix itself has been shaped by selection to conform to the adaptive landscape

Od preparowania czterogruczołowego do technik małoinwazyjnych. Małoinwazyjna paratyroidektomia jako obecny standard chirurgii pierwotnej nadczynności przytarczyc

Podczas ostatnich lat, techniki chirurgii małoinwazyjnej były z sukcesem wprowadzane do preparowania tkanek szyi. Było to możliwe dzięki opracowaniu śródoperacyjnych metod lokalizowania zmienionej tkanki, szybkim testom oznaczającym stężenie PTH w surowiczy, jak również doskonaleniu technik obrazowania przedoperacyjnego, takich jak ultrasonografia wysokiej rozdzielczości czy scyntygrafia z wykorzystaniem sestamibi. Wyniki operacji z wykorzystaniem technik małoinwazyjnych są porównywalne z wynikami technik konwencjonalnych oraz wiążą się z zaletami, takimi jak skrócony okres hospitalizacji, zmniejszenie bólu pooperacyjnego czy lepszy efekt kosmetyczny

Selected gears cutting methods development

W artykule przedstawiono nieco rozszerzone podejście do klasyfikacji narzędzi skrawających. Podano przykłady narzędzi sklasyfikowanych do poszczególnych grup. Scharakteryzowano obszary zastosowań sterowanych numerycznie obrabiarek do obróbki uzębień. Przedstawiono wyniki własnych badań procesu szlifowania kształtowego kół zębatych walcowych o zębach śrubowych na szlifierce Rapid 900 firmy HOEFLER. Podano krótki opis obrabiarki i wyniki badań dokładności geometrycznej i chropowatości powierzchni zębów obrobionych tą metodą. Pokazano przykład rozwoju metod uzyskiwania ewolwenty sferycznej w uzębieniach kół stożkowych na podstawie literatury – od strugania kopiowego wg wzornika na starych obrabiarkach do kół o dużych modułach do obróbki uzębień krzywoliniowych o złożonych kształtach narzędziami punktowymi na frezarkach CNC sterowanych w 3 lub 4 osiach.The paper presents a somewhat extended approach to the cutting tools classification. After that authors present results of the research concerning the form – grinding of spur gears with helical teeth. The modern gear – grinding machine Rapid 900 of HOEFLER is described and results of the accuracy and surface roughness researches are given. Then an example is given, based on references, of the bevel spherical involute, gears cutting, illustrating the development from the cutting of very large straight bevel gears based on the double tracing method suitable for old template – type bevel gear planers to the modern approach using CNC milling machine (3 or 4axis controlled, the principle of Free Form Surfaces cutting)