Dietary inflammatory index as a potential determinant of a length of hospitalization among surgical patients treated for colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inflammation is a central process responsible for health outcomes among surgical patients. Immunonutrition has been investigated as a promising modifying factor; however, inflammatory properties of habitual diet have not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to describe inflammatory properties of diet measured by the dietary inflammatory index (DII) among surgical patients treated for colorectal cancer and to link inflammatory properties of habitual diet with a duration of hospitalization. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A follow-up study among colorectal cancer patients treated surgically was performed in Krakow, Poland. In total, 689 patients were recruited for the study. Habitual diet was assessed using a standardized semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Overall, 23 dietary items (including macro-and micronutrients) were used to calculate individuals' DII. Gender, age, marital status, body mass index, smoking status, lifetime physical activity, taking vitamin supplements, number of chronic diseases, cancer site, Duke's staging and surgery type were considered as potential covariates. RESULTS: Participants were aged 58 years, with the average hospitalization time of 11 days. Higher DII (meaning diet with higher anti-inflammatory properties) was negatively associated with the duration of hospitalization (univariable linear regression: b=−0.59; P=0.005). Multivariable logistic regression has shown the decrease of the risk of longer stays (>7 days) among patients with the DII >−4.25, but only among younger (⩽60 years) patients, irrespective of Duke's staging. CONCLUSIONS: The DII might be used as a potential predictor of longer hospitalization among colorectal cancer patients treated surgically. The study provides evidence for the role of dietary-related low-grade inflammation among surgical patients

Ja-Ty-Wspólnota. Samotność jako strategia wykluczania?

In the article I reconstruct the psychological structure of solitude. The twoforms of solitude – by choice and unwanted – influence the way of experiencing and describing it in culture. I analyze the unwanted solitude, imposed on individuals and communities sources of which are cultural differences, power of stereotypes and superstitions.The violence against ethnic and religious minorities can appear where there is an approval of maintaining cultural solitude. I also consider the relationship between the concept of solitude and Bernhard Waldenfels' alienation category

Zielnik miłosny z bluszczem w tle – Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska i Edgar Allan Poe o sztuce i uczuciach

The purpose of this article is to describe and comment on didactic solutions used at the middle school, related to the poetry of Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and the short story of an American writer. The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe. The described methodological tools were developed as part of the national project conducted by the Institute for Educational Research. The basis for the juxtaposition of various texts are such categories as: the arts, love and nature, all strongly present in the works of the above mentioned artists. Conclusions of methodological nature are accompanied by literary reflection.Celem niniejszego artykułu jest opisanie i skomentowanie rozwiązań dydaktycznych na poziomie gimnazjum, związanych z poezją Marii Pawlikowskiej-Jasnorzewskiej i nowelą amerykańskiego twórcy – mowa tutaj o Portrecie owalnym Edgara Allana Poe. Opisane narzędzia metodyczne powstały w ramach ogólnopolskiego projektu prowadzonego przez Instytut Badań Edukacyjnych. Podstawą do zestawienia ze sobą różnych tekstów są takie kategorie, jak miłość, sztuka i natura, silnie obecne w twórczości wspomnianych artystów. Wnioskom metodycznym towarzyszy refleksja o charakterze literaturoznawczym

Control of microcontroller via Internet

Tématem mé bakalářské práce je vzdálená správa mikrokontroléru přes Internet. Výstupem bude internetová stránka (pomocí níž bude možná komunikace s vývojovou deskou) a konstrukce samotné vývojové desky. Vzhledem k dosti složitému protokolu TCP/IP použiji jednoduchý operační systém Nut/OS ve spojení s převodníkem RTL8019AS (umožňující převod Ethernet na ISA sběrnici) a s mikrokontrolérem ATmega128.The title of my bachelor’s thesis is Control of microcontroller via Internet. The result will be a web page (through this page it will be possible to communicate with a development board) and a design of development board itself. Due to complexity of TCP/IP protocol, I am going to use a simple operating system Nut/OS with the converter RTL8019AS (enabling transfer Ethernet to ISA bus) and with microcontroller ATmega128.

"Rytuały rodzinne'. Wobec śmierci w filmie

In the article Family rituals in the face of death the author analyzes fi lms from the perspective of the experience of a family confronted with death. The author is interestedin what family rituals are still used at this time and what actions have been abandoned.The presented fi lms demonstrate fascination with the topic of death, which is present in every culture with different intensity, by means of various descriptions which are attractivebecause they are fi lled with the richness of symbols. The majority of these films emphasize a shift in the discourse about death in social space towards an individual subject. The author wanted to observe and show the moment when the community experience of death and mourning was given up and the ritual passed into the hands of specialized institutions

Natural history of intra-abdominal fluid collections following pancreatic surgery

Background Little data are available for non-abscess abdominal fluid collections (AFCs) after pancreatic surgery and their clinical implications.We sought to analyze the natural history of such collections in a population of patients subject to routine postoperative imaging. Methods From 1995 to 2011, 709 patients underwent pancreatic resections and routine postoperative monitoring with abdominal ultrasound according to a unit protocol. AFCs were classified as asymptomatic (no interventional treatment), symptomatic (need for percutaneous drainage of sterile, amylase-poor fluid), and pancreatic fistula (drainage of amylase-rich fluid). Results Ninety-seven of 149 AFCs (65 %) were asymptomatic and resolved spontaneously after a median follow-up of 22 days (interquartile range, 9–52 days). Among 52 (35 %) AFCs requiring percutaneous drainage, there were 20 pancreatic fistulas and 32 symptomatic collections. A stepwise logistic regression model identified three factors associated with the need for interventional treatment, i.e., body mass index ≥25 (odds ratio, 3.23; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.32 to 7.91), pancreatic fistula (odds ratio, 2.93; 95 % CI, 1.20 to 7.17), and biliary fistula (odds ratio, 3.92; 95 % CI, 1.35 to 11.31). Conclusions One fourth of patients develop various types of non-abscess AFCs after pancreatic surgery. Around half of them are asymptomatic and resolve spontaneously

Back-Imaging of Pressure-Sensitive Paint to Determine Close Proximity Ground Effects of Propellers

The ground effects of propellers have been extensively studied. Although the flow field between a propeller and a ground plate has been theoretically and experimentally analyzed through a variety of methods, there are limitations to the current work, especially in globally analyzing the nature of the flow along the ground plate and unsteady analysis. This study provides a proof of concept that back-imaged pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) can successfully analyze the pressure along such a ground plate. The pressure field was successfully measured utilizing this technique. By analyzing the pressure field in the frequency domain, the unsteady characteristics of the flow were able to be quantitatively determined, further revealing the separation between tangential and radial flow seen in previous work. This provides a promising area for potential use of PSP to more fully understand the flow field under rotor blades in ground effect, thereby improving safety and performance

Modeling of the signal induced by the charged particles in silicon detector

Verification and extensions of the Gaussian cloud dynamics model [1] for the induced current signal in silicon detectors are presented. The approach is based on Ramo-Shockley theorem where, in addition to electrodes field, Coulomb interactions between electron and hole clouds are considered. The preliminary results provide good description of subtle experimental observations gathered by FAZIA collaboration concerning Pulse Shape Analysis (PSA). Focus is put on ion identification and on the factors impacting this mechanis