Craniofacial structure in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by at least five 10-s episodes of apnoea or markedly shallow breathing per 1 h of sleep, which can lead to severe, sometimes life-threatening complications. It is essential to determine the specific features of the affected patients’ craniofacial structure, thus enabling their allocation to risk groups. The aim of the study was to assess the craniofacial structure in OSA patients, comparing the findings with Hasund’s and Segner’s cephalometric normal values. In addition, the sagittal dimensions of the upper airways, measured at two levels, were compared to McNamara’s normal values. Materials and methods: The study covered 41 patients diagnosed polysomno­graphically with OSA. Lateral cephalograms with cephalometric analysis and the measurements of the upper and lower sagittal dimensions of the upper airways were taken for each patient. Results: The only feature of the patents’ facial skeleton that significantly diverged from the normal range was the SNB angle (p = 0.004). Other angles, i.e. SNA, ANB, NL/NSL, NL/ML and NSL/ML, were not significantly different from normal. The average upper cross-sectional area of the upper airways was 10.4 mm; in 97.6% patients, this measurement was below McNamara’s normal values. In the majority of patients (75.6%), the average lower sagittal dimension of the upper airways (10.4 mm) was also below the normal. Conclusions: Mandibular retrognathia, manifested by the reduced SNB angle, and the narrowed upper and lower sagittal dimensions of the upper airways can be considered one of OSA prognostic factors

Evaluation of upper airways depth among patients with skeletal Class I and III

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the value of upper andlower pharyngeal depth among patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion on lateral cephalograms, as well as to examine the relationship between SNA, SNB, and ANB angles, along with Wits appraisal and the cross-sectional value of upper airway space at the level of the soft palate and tongue base among patients withskeletal Class I and III.Materials and methods: The material consisted of lateral cephalograms taken from 80 patients living in the Lubelskie voivodeship. The study group consistedof cephalograms of 50 patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion (17 maleand 33 female), whereas the control group consisted of 30 roentgenograms of patients with Class I malocclusion with proper jaw to mandible relation (14 maleand 16 female). The study and the control group shared no statistically significant differences considering basic sociographic data such as gender (chi = 1.267, p = 0.26)and age (U = 727.5, p = 0.82). The upper and lower pharyngeal depths wereassessed with the use of McNamara’s method. Spearman’s rho test, Mann--Whitney’s U test, and chi test were used for statistical analysis.Results: Among both males and females the pharyngeal depths were greaterconsidering patients with skeletal Class III in comparison to patients with Class Imalocclusion (p < 0.001). Furthermore, it was determined that the lower as wellas the upper pharyngeal width is statistically significantly dependent on ANB and SNB angles and Wits appraisal (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Pharyngeal width at the level of the soft palate and tongue base depends on skeletal class, namely ANB angle and Wits appraisal; it increases with the increase of SNB angle (forward movement of the mandible). The SNA angle (position of the maxilla) does not influence the anterior-posterior nasopharyngeal dimension

Cyfrowe bliźniaki a funkcjonowanie przedsiębiorstwa w turbulentnym otoczeniu

Digital twins (DT) are currently an important technological trend, but still insufficiently recognized in the literature on the subject. The aim of this article is to identify this phenomenon, the areas of its application and the impact on the operation of the company in a turbulent environment. This goal was achieved through the analysis of literature, databases and electronic resources as well as a case study. The technology of digital twins, which is the digital equivalent of things, objects and processes from the real world, is used mainly in the production process, but also in the areas of product design and testing, distribution and customer service. The considerations confirm the thesis about the positive impact of DT on the functioning of the company in a rapidly changing environment by increasing strategic flexibility.Cyfrowe bliźniaki (CB) są obecnie ważnym trendem technologicznym, jednak jeszcze niedostatecznie rozpoznanym w literaturze przedmiotu. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest identyfikacja tego zjawiska, obszarów jego zastosowania oraz wpływu na funkcjonowanie przedsiębiorstwa w turbulentnym otoczeniu. Cel ten został zrealizowany za pomocą analizy literatury, baz danych i zasobów elektronicznych oraz studium przypadku. Technologia cyfrowych bliźniaków, będąca cyfrowym odpowiednikiem rzeczy, obiektów i procesów ze świata realnego, znajduje zastosowanie głównie w procesie produkcji, ale także w obszarze projektowania i testowania produktów, dystrybucji oraz obsłudze klienta. Rozważania potwierdzają tezę o pozytywnym wpływie CB na funkcjonowanie przedsiębiorstwa w szybko zmieniającym się otoczeniu poprzez zwiększenie elastyczności strategicznej

19/Wpływ wypełnienia pęcherza moczowego na położenie prostaty i konsekwencje kliniczne dla efektów leczenia promieniowaniem jonizującym chorych na raka gruczołu krokowego

Cel pracyCelem pracy było zbadanie wpływu wypełnienia pęcherza moczowego na położenie gruczołu krokowego oraz konsekwencji klinicznych dla wyników leczenia promieniowaniem jonizującym.MateriałBadaniu poddano 7 pacjentów z rakiem prostaty (T2N0M0) leczonych radykalnie promieniami jonizującymi techniką IMRT w Centrum Onkologii w Bydgoszczy.MetodaWszystkim pacjentom wykonano CT w pozycji terapeutycznej od poziomu S1 do guzów kulszowych oraz NMR dwukrotnie, z pustym pęcherzem i po 30 min. od wypicia 500 ml wody (przekroje poprzeczne, co 3 mm). Dane przesłano do systemu planowania leczenia Eclipse 7,1.67. Dokonano fuzji obrazów NMR z CT. Następnie okonturowano obszary CTV, PTV i narządy krytyczne (odbytnice, pęcherz moczowy) dla różnego stopnia wypełnienia pęcherza. CTV zawierało prostatę z proksymalnym 1 cm odcinkiem pęcherzyków nasiennych. PTV utworzono poprzez dodanie 1 cm marginesu do CTV (wyznaczonego dla pustego pęcherza), za wyjątkiem marginesu od strony odbytnicy, który wynosił 6 mm. Dla każdego pacjenta zaplanowano terapię promieniowania X 15 MV techniką IMRT z 5 pól, za objętość tarczową przyjmując obszar PTV wyznaczony dla pustego pęcherza moczowego. Planowana dawka całkowita wynosiła 74 Gy. Obserwowano wpływ stopnia wypełnienia pęcherzana zmianę położenia gruczołu krokowego w stosunku do pierwotnie zaplanowanego obszaru.WynikiZaobserwowano przesunięcie obszaru CTV w zależności od stopnia wypełnienia pęcherza moczowego. Średnie przesunięcie w osi LAT wynosiło 0.5 mm przy maksymalnym przesunięciu równym 3.5 mm. W osi AP średnie przesunięcie wynosiło 1.4 mm przy maksymalnej wartości 5.5 mm. Dla osi wzdłużnej pacjenta przesuniecie maksymalne wynosiło 5.9 mm, przy średniej wartości 1.2 mm. Przesunięciom geometrycznym towarzyszyły zmiany rozkładu dawki w obszarze CTV.WnioskiNa podstawie uzyskanych wyników można stwierdzić, że wypełnienie pęcherza moczowego może mieć wpływ na dawkę deponowaną w gruczole krokowym. Koniecznym jest poinformowanie pacjenta o konieczności zachowania stałych warunków napromieniania w zależności od preferencji ośrodka (pusty pęcherz lub 30 min po wypiciu). W radioterapii techniką IMRT chorych z rakiem gruczołu krokowego margines 6 mm od strony odbytnicy może wydawać się za mały, jeżeli nie będą zachowane stałe warunki napromieniania. Może to spowodować podanie mniejszej dawki niż pierwotnie zaplanowana w części PTV

Awards, Archives, and Affects: Tropes in the World Press Photo Contest 2009 - 2011

__Abstract__ Photography contests have assumed an increasingly significant public role in the context of the global surge of mass-mediated war reporting. This study focuses on the recurrence of visual tropes in press photographs awarded in the annual contest World Press Photo (WPP) in the years 2009–11. By tropes, we mean conventions (e.g. a mourning woman, a civilian facing soldiers, a distressed witness to an atrocity) that remain unchanged despite their travels across the visual sphere, gaining professional and public recognition and having a strong affective impact. We contend that photography contests such as the WPP influence and organize a process of generic understanding of war, disaster and atrocity that is based on a number of persistent tropes, such as the mourner, the protester or the survivor amidst chaos and ruins. We further show that these tropes are gendered along traditional conceptions of femininity and masculinity, appealing strongly to both judges and wider audiences. The evidence for our claim comes from an analysis of the photographs that won awards, observation of the judging sessions, semi-structured interviews with three jury chairmen, and public commentary on the juries’ choices (blogs, newspapers and websites)

The Interplay Between Post-Critical Beliefs and Anxiety: An Exploratory Study in a Polish Sample

The present research investigates the relationship between anxiety and the religiosity dimensions that Wulff (Psychology of religion: classic and contemporary views, Wiley, New York, 1991; Psychology of religion. Classic and contemporary views, Wiley, New York, 1997; Psychologia religii. Klasyczna i współczesna, Wydawnictwo Szkolne i Pedagogiczne, Warszawa, 1999) described as Exclusion vs. Inclusion of Transcendence and Literal vs. Symbolic. The researchers used the Post-Critical Belief scale (Hutsebaut in J Empir Theol 9(2):48–66, 1996; J Empir Theol 10(1):39–54, 1997) to measure Wulff’s religiosity dimensions and the IPAT scale (Krug et al. 1967) to measure anxiety. Results from an adult sample (N = 83) suggest that three dimensions show significant relations with anxiety. Orthodoxy correlated negatively with suspiciousness (L) and positively with guilt proneness (O) factor—in the whole sample. Among women, Historical Relativism negatively correlated with suspiciousness (L), lack of integration (Q3), general anxiety and covert anxiety. Among men, Historical Relativism positively correlated with tension (Q4) and emotional instability (C), general anxiety, covert anxiety and overt anxiety. External Critique was correlated with suspiciousness (L) by men

Long-term allogeneic hematopoietic cells transplantation survivors proinflammatory cytokine profile compared to their respective donors and immunophenotype differences depending on GvHD history and infection status

Background In the course of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) the donor’s hematopoietic progenitor cells are exposed to immense proliferative stress to reconstitute in the recipient the functional hematopoiesis. Moreover, recipients who develop infections or chronic GvHD are subjected to further proliferative stress, especially in the lymphocyte subset. We hypothesized that allo-HCT may induce changes in proinflammatory cytokines profile and immunophenotype in the allo-HCT recipients, especially in patients with cGVHD history. We compared the cytokine profile (Il-6, Il-10, and TNF-) between long-term allo-HCT recipients and their respective donors and we analyzed cytokines profile and the immunophenotype of lymphocytes in long-term recipients grouped according to the infection and GvHD history. Results We have found no differences in the proinflammatory cytokines between allo-HCT recipients and their respective donors, as well as between recipients grouped according to infectious risk status. Immunophenotyping of recipients grouped according to GvHD status revealed an increased percentage of B-cell presenting PD-1 in recipients without a history of GvHD. Conclusions Lack of differences in proinflammatory cytokines concentrations between recipients and donors of allo-HCT would suggest that allo-HCT does not induce acceleration of the inflammageing-resembling phenomenon. No differences in the cytokine profile and immunophenotype between recipients grouped according to infectious risk status suggest that infectious risk is not reflected by the immunophenotype and cytokine profile. Furthermore, the lack of significant differences in immunophenotype of the recipients grouped according to the history of GvHD may suggest that in long-term survivors the immune system tends to stabilize with time