A pilot study with flow mediated skin fluorescence: A novel device to assess microvascular endothelial function in coronary artery disease

   Background: Endothelial dysfunction is one of the earliest vascular manifestations in the pathogen­esis of cardiovascular disease. Noninvasive, simple, and inexpensive methods of endothelial function assessment are therefore needed. Methods: Microvascular endothelial function was assessed in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients by flow mediated skin fluorescence (FMSF), based on measurements of reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) fluorescence intensity during brachial artery occlusion (ischemic re­sponse [IRmax]) and immediately after occlusion (hyperemic response [HRmax]). Additionally, plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were measured to assess the association between biochemical markers and microvascular function evaluated in vivo by FMSF. Results: A significant inverse correlation was found between ADMA levels and hyperemic response (r = –0.534, p = 0.003), while ET-1 levels were inversely related to the ischemic response (r= –0.575, p = 0.001). Both IR and HR were found lowest in patients with advanced CAD and diabetes. When the repeatability of the method was tested, the intraclass correlation coefficient for IRmax and HRmax were 0.985 (p < 0.001) and 0.914 (p < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, in Bland and Altman analysis, both variables IRmax and HRmax showed good agreement in repeated measurements. Conclusions: In this pilot study, it was demonstrated that NADH fluorescence measured by FMSF device in CAD patients was associated with established plasma endothelial markers, and that both ischemic and hyperemic response were blunted in patients with advanced disease and diabetes. Fur­thermore, FMSF device showed excellent repeatability and good agreement for repeated measurements. However, further study is warranted to confirm these results in a larger patient cohort. (Cardiol J 2018; 25, 1: 120–127

The Reservation Wage of Polish Public Academic Teachers in a Hypothetical Contract

Artykuł przedstawia analizę, której celem było określenie płacy progowej (reservation wage) pracowników naukowo-dydaktycznych w warunkach hipotetycznego kontraktu wprowadzającego warunek jednoetatowości. Dane, na bazie których dokonano oszacowania zebrano poprzez badania ankietowe przeprowadzone wśród pracowników naukowo-dydaktycznych polskich uczelni pu-blicznych w okresie od 28 lutego do 30 marca 2012 roku. Prezentowane w opracowaniu oszacowania płacy progowej otrzymano na dwa sposoby. Po pierwsze – poprzez bezpośrednią analizę statystyk opisowych szeregu szczegółowego, po drugie – ustalając najlepiej dopasowany rozkład teoretyczny, którym okazał się rozkład Singh-Maddala. W obu przypadkach jako szukane wielkości przyjęto medianę. Wyznaczono płacę pro-gową z osobna dla pięciu grup pracowników według podziału na zajmowane stanowisko. Na wysokość minimalnej akceptowalnej płacy oprócz zajmowanego stanowiska miały wpływ również inne czynniki. Statystycznie istotne różnice zaobserwowano ze względu na rodzaj uczelni, kategorię wydziału przyznaną przez MNiSW oraz fakt posiadania lub nie posiadania dodatkowego dochodu.This paper presents an analysis, which aimed to determine the reservation wage of polish ac-ademic teachers in case of a new contract – no extra work condition. Data, on the basis of which an estimate was made, was collected by a survey conducted among academics teachers of polish public universities in the period from 28 February to 30 March 2012. Presented estimates were obtained in two ways. In the first by the direct analysis of descriptive sta-tistics, and the second determining the best fit theoretical distribution, which was a Singh-Maddala distribution. In both cases, the median was adopted as right value. Reservation wage was specified separately for the five different groups of workers according to the their position at the university. The height of the minimum acceptable wage was also influenced by other factors. This analysis shows statistically significant differences due to the type of the university, the faculty category designated by the Ministry and the fact of having additional income

MINCER-TYPE WAGE EQUATION MODELS IN THE CASE OF POLISH ACADEMICS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

Artykuł przedstawia wyniki badań, których celem było wyznaczenie oraz zestawienie modeli płac typu Mincera dla grupy pracowników naukowo-dydaktycznych polskich wyższych uczelni publicznych. Dane wykorzystane do analizy pochodziły z ankiety ogólnopolskiej przeprowadzonej na wiosnę 2012 roku. Porównywane modele dotyczyły wynagrodzenia faktycznie otrzymywanego na a także poza uczelnią macierzystą oraz wynagrodzenia progowego dla hipotetycznego kontraktu wprowadzającego warunek jednoetatowości.The article presents the results of research which main aim was to determine and compare the Mincer-wage type models for group of polish academics in public universities. The data used for the analysis came from a national survey carried out in the spring of 2012. Compared models were related to salary actually received and the reservation wage for the hypothetical contract with no extra work condition

Salary and reservation wage gender gaps in Polish academia

By using unique web-survey data, this paper assesses the gender wage gap in Polish academia. We conduct a detailed study of the gender gap considering monthly salaries and reservation wages. The study involves regression analysis, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition of mean wage differentials and decomposition of differences in distributions using quintile regression. The results from the Oaxaca-Blinder wage decomposition imply that differences in total salary are mostly due to academic rank. For reservation wages there is evidence of a mean residual gap of 10%. In addition, both differences in raw salary and the reservation wage between females and males are more pronounced at the top of the distribution

Wage differentials between female and male academic staff employed in public universities

This paper examines the gender wage gap in Polish public higher education institutions. The analysis is based on the unique web-survey data in which information about level of the salary and characteristics of the employees has been gathered. The study involves wage regression analyses in which among additional employed covariates have been: gender, experience, academic rank, type of the institution (e.g university versus economic school) and productivity. The productivity is measured in terms of the publication record. Results of the study confirm that on average women earn less than men, but this is mostly due to the differences in academic ranks, and not a consequence of wage discrimination per se. Additionally, it was shown that the variable related to productivity is not among the important determinants of one's salary. This lack of relationship between research productivity and individual academics' salaries questions the way research is assessed, and can be considered demotivating in terms of careers in Polish academia

Dodatkowa cecha ultrasonograficzna zapalenia tarczycy Hashimoto u dzieci

We present an additional sonographic sign of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HLT), increasing the specificity of this method in pediatric populations. Methods: A total of 98 children (mean age 12.7 years, range 7–17 years) were selected from the registry of the endocrinology outpatient department. All subjects met the diagnostic criteria for HLT. All children underwent a prospective thyroid ultrasound examination with special attention paid to the presence of lymph nodes adjacent to the thyroid gland. In order to form a control group, we analyzed 102 healthy volunteers and 94 children with cervical lymphadenopathy, age- and sex-matched with the main study group. Results: The ultrasound of the thyroid revealed typical sonographic signs of autoimmune thyroid disease in all children with HLT and in none of the individuals in the control groups. In 96 children (98%) from the HLT group, at least 2 lymph nodes adjacent to the lower part of the thyroid gland lobes localized on one or both sides of the thyroid were detected. No lymph nodes adjacent to the lower part of the thyroid lobes were found in healthy children or children with cervical lymphadenopathy. Conclusions: Lymph nodes adjacent to the lower part of the thyroid lobes are an additional ultrasound sign of pediatric Hashimoto’s lymphocytic thyroiditis, with 98% sensitivity and 100% specificity.W niniejszej pracy została przedstawiona dodatkowa cecha ultrasonograficzna przewlekłego limfocytowego zapalenia tarczycy, zwiększająca specyficzność tej metody w populacji dzieci. Materiał i metody: Z rejestru kliniki endokrynologii wybrano 98 dzieci (średnia wieku: 12,7 roku, przedział wiekowy: 7–17 lat). Wszyscy pacjenci spełniali kryteria diagnostyczne choroby Hashimoto. Każde dziecko poddano prospektywnemu badaniu ultrasonograficznemu tarczycy ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem występowania węzłów chłonnych przylegających do tarczycy. W celu utworzenia grupy kontrolnej analizie poddano 102 zdrowych ochotników oraz 94 dzieci z limfadenopatią szyjną, dopasowanych pod względem wieku i płci do badanej grupy. Wyniki: Badanie ultrasonograficzne tarczycy ujawniło typowe cechy sonograficzne autoimmunologicznej choroby tarczycy u wszystkich dzieci z chorobą Hashimoto i nie ujawniło ich u żadnego pacjenta z grupy kontrolnej. U 96 chorych dzieci (98%) wykryto co najmniej dwa węzły chłonne przylegające do dolnej części płatów tarczycy, umiejscowione z jednej lub z dwóch stron gruczołu. Nie wykryto węzłów chłonnych przylegających do dolnej części płatów tarczycy u dzieci zdrowych ani u dzieci z limfadenopatią szyjną. Wnioski: Występowanie węzłów chłonnych przylegających do dolnej części płatów tarczycy stanowi dodatkową cechę ultrasonograficzną zapalenia tarczycy Hashimoto u dzieci, wykazującą 98-procentową czułość i 100-procentową specyficzność

The correlation between the MRI-evaluated ectopic fat accumulation and the incidence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension depends on body mass index and waist circumference ratio.

The widespread presence of overweight and obesity increases with every decade, and the number of people with body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 has doubled in the last 30 years. The aim of the study is to assess the correlation between MRI-evaluated ectopic fat accumulation in pancreas, skeletal muscles and liver and the incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, depending on BMI and waist circumference ratio. This prospective study included 267 consecutive patients who were referred to abdominal MRI and underwent a standard clinical assessment with BMI and waist circumference ratio calculation. Ectopic fat accumulation in pancreas, skeletal muscles and liver was evaluated in magnetic resonance imaging using the fat-water separated Dixon imaging. There were statistically significant differences in mean steatosis of all assessed organs in the group of patients with type 2 diabetes or hypertension in comparison to the non-diabetic group as well as to the group without hypertension. It has been observed that pancreas and skeletal muscles are more susceptible to fat accumulation than liver. According to our results, there is a relation between the fat content in muscles, pancreas and liver, the incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension and also body mass index and waist circumference ratio. We believe that future studies should aim to determine whether the use of fat content measurement in certain organs could be used as a biomarker that can enable early detection of reversible metabolic changes, as well as their subsequent monitoring

Porównanie cystouretrografii mikcyjnej i sonocystografii mikcyjnej z użyciem ultrasonograficznego środka kontrastującego drugiej generacji w badaniu prospektywnym

Background: The invasiveness and exposure to radiation in voiding cystourethrography led to the introduction of alternative methods of diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux, including contrast enhanced voiding urosonography. While there is a limited number of studies comparing these methods using new generation ultrasound contrast agents, none of them compared both methods simultaneously. This study is aimed at assessing agreement between contrast enhanced voiding urosonography with second-generation ultrasound contrast agents and voiding cystourethrography. Methods: From April 2013 to May 2014, 83 children (37 female and 46 male), mean age 3.5 years, age range from 1 month to 17.5 years, underwent prospective simultaneous assessment by contrast enhanced voiding urosonography and voiding cystourethrography, with a total of 166 uretero-renal units evaluated. Results: The sensitivity of voiding cystourethrography and contrast enhanced voiding urosonography were comparable, amounting to 88%, however, neither reached 100% for the entire studied population. The negative predictive value of voiding urosonography and voiding cystourethrography was 97%, and there was no difference between both methods. Conclusion: Voiding cystourethrography and contrast enhanced voiding urosonography are comparable methods in diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux, and can be performed alternatively. However, some limitations of contrast enhanced voiding urosonography must be remembered.Wprowadzenie: Negatywne skutki promieniowania jonizującego wykorzystywanego do badań cystouretrografii mikcyjnej wymuszają poszukiwanie alternatywnych metod diagnostycznych. Takim badaniem może być sonocystografia mikcyjna z użyciem ultrasonograficznych środków kontrastujących. Liczba prac porównujących klasyczne badanie cystouretrografii mikcyjnej i badanie ultrasonograficzne z użyciem środków kontrastujących drugiej generacji jest jednak niewielka. Dotąd nie opublikowano pracy, która porównałaby jednoczasowo obie metody w diagnostyce odpływów pęcherzowo-moczowodowych. Prezentowana praca ma na celu ocenę zgodności między badaniem ultrasonograficznym z użyciem środków kontrastujących drugiej generacji i badaniem cystouretrografii mikcyjnej. Materiał i metody: W okresie od kwietnia 2013 do maja 2014 roku jednoczasowe badanie ultrasonograficzne z użyciem środków kontrastujących drugiej generacji i cystouretrografii mikcyjnej wykonano u 83 dzieci (37 dziewczynek i 46 chłopców, średnia wieku 3,5 roku, zakres wieku od 1 miesiąca do 17,5 roku). Prospektywnej ocenie zostało poddanych 166 jednostek moczowodowo-nerkowych. Wyniki: W badaniu wykazano podobną czułość obu metod diagnostycznych w diagnostyce odpływów pęcherzowo- moczowodowych, na poziomie 88%, żadna z metod nie osiągnęła wyniku 100%. Ujemna wartość predykcyjna dla obu metod wyniosła 97% i nie wykazano żadnej istotnej różnicy pomiędzy obiema metodami w zakresie diagnostyki odpływów pęcherzowo-moczowodowych. Wniosek: Obie metody wykazały podobną czułość w ocenie odpływów pęcherzowo-moczowodowych. Należy jednak pamiętać o możliwych ograniczeniach badania ultrasonograficznego z użyciem środków kontrastujących drugiej generacji w diagnostyce fazy mikcyjnej u niespokojnych, płaczących w trakcie badania dzieci

Diagnostic value of diffusion tensor imaging in patients with clinical signs of cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Aim of the study. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with symptoms of cervical myelopathy. Detailed goals included determining the diagnostic effectiveness of quantitative parameters, i.e. fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), in the diagnosis of cervical myelopathy, and the correlation between these parameters and clinical symptoms.Clinical rationale for the study. The demonstration of an ischaemic focus in the spinal cord by standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods is associated with already accomplished spinal cord damage, and of course limited treatment options. Therefore, finding a new examination protocol that allows early diagnosis of myelopathic focus, before the onset of full neurological symptoms, has become a priority in the diagnosis and treatment of spine diseases. Such an examination increases the chances of correctly qualifying the patient for conservative vs. surgical treatment.Material and methods. Between 2013 and 2017, 128 adults with clinical signs of cervical myelopathy were examined, and were divided into four symptomatic subgroups. A control group consisted of 37 healthy volunteers. DTI values were measured at the level of C2/C3, and at the most severe stenosis of the spine.Results. In patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), the ADC values were significantly higher (p < 0.001), and FA values were significantly lower (p < 0.001), than in healthy volunteers at the stenotic level. There were significant differences in DTI parameters between the clinical subgroups (p < 0.001).Conclusions and clinical implications. Changes in DTI parameters indicate a microstructural disorder of the core which is not visible in a structural MRI. FA and ADC values measured at the level of the most severe stenosis of the spinal canal allow the differentiation of patients with myelopathy of varying degrees of clinical severity. Extending standard MRI to include assessment of FA and ADC may be helpful in deciding treatment modalities (conservative vs. surgical) for patients with visible canal stenosis without full neurological symptoms. This may be useful in selecting patients for urgent rehabilitative treatment. This study is a starting point for further research, i.e. an evaluation of the extent of FA and ADC lesion withdrawal after surgical treatment