Effect of monthly administration of GHRH (fragment 1-29) with osmotic pump on the rat anterior pituitary

Somatoliberyna (GHRH) jest głównym czynnikiem pobudzającym wydzielanie hormonu wzrostu (GH) i proliferację komórek somatotropowych, natomiast jej przewlekły wpływ na komórki przedniego płata przysadki nie jest tak jednoznaczny. Wiadomo, że u chorych z wyspiakiem trzustki wydzielającym GHRH dochodzi do rozwoju akromegalii i hiperplazji komórek przedniego płata przysadki. U myszy transgenicznych dla GHRH dochodzi natomiast do rozwoju gruczolaków somatotropowych. Celem naszej pracy była ocena wpływu przewlekłego podawania GHRH na aktywność wydzielniczą komórek somatotropowych, ich liczbę oraz proliferację komórek przedniego płata przysadki. Doświadczenie przeprowadzono na szczurach samcach szczepu Fischer 344 o masie ciała 200 ± 20 g. Zwierzęta podzielono na 2 grupy: grupa I – kontrola (13 zwierząt) otrzymywała rozpuszczalnik dla GHRH - 5% etanol w wodzie demineralizowanej; grupa II (10 zwierząt) otrzymywała GHRH (Growth Hormone Releasing Factor, fragment 1-29 amide) w dawce 5 µg/dobę. Substancje były podawane przez miesiąc za pomocą pomp osmotycznych firmy ALZET, które wszczepiono zwierzętom podskórnie w okolicę grzbietu w znieczuleniu ketaminą. Po 4 tygodniach zwierzęta uśmiercono przez dekapitację. Od wszystkich zwierząt pobrano krew celem oznaczenia stężenia szczurzego GH (rGH) (metodą RIA). W preparatach mikroskopowych przysadek barwionych metodą tetrachromową Herlanta oceniano morfologię przysadek, a w preparatach barwionych immunohistochemicznie - odsetek komórek somatotropowych i proliferację komórkową (indeks PCNA). Wykazano, że przewlekłe podawanie GHRH powoduje znamienny wzrost średniego stężenia rGH w surowicy krwi zwierząt oraz odsetka komórek somatotropowych w przysadce, nie zmieniając wskaźnika proliferacji komórkowej w porównaniu z grupą kontrolną. Podsumowując, miesięczne podawanie GHRH nie indukuje rozwoju gruczolaków somatotropowych, powoduje natomiast wzrost stężenia GH w surowicy krwi zwierząt, co przynajmniej częściowo wydaje się zależeć od wzrostu odsetka komórek somatotropowych.Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH) is the main factor, which regulates GH secretion and somatotrope proliferation. However, its chronic effect on anterior pituitary gland is still unknown. It is known that excessive GHRH secretion in patients with gastroenteropancreatic tumors secreting GHRH results in acromegaly and somatotrope hyperplasia. In mice transgenic for GHRH somatotrope tumors develop. Thus, the aim of this paper was to examine the effect of GHRH chronic administration on somatotrope secretion, their percentage and cell proliferation in anterior pituitary gland in rats. The experiment was performed on male Fischer 344 rats weighing 200 ± 20 g. The animals were divided into two groups: group I – controls (13 rats) received solvent for GHRH (5% ethanol in demineralized water); group II (10 rats) received GHRH (Growth Hormone Releasing Factor, fragment 1-29 amide) at a dose of 5 µg/day. The substances were given for 1 month via osmotic pump (ALZET), which were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsal region under ketamin anesthesia. After 4 weeks all rats were decapitated and the blood was collected. In the microscopic preparations of anterior pituitary gland the morphology of pituitary (Herlant staining) and the percentage of somatotrope cells and proliferation index based on PCNA staining were assessed. It was found that the chronic treatment with GHRH caused a statistically significant increase in serum rGH concentration and in percentage of somatotropes, but did not change proliferation index and did not induce pathological changes in the morphology of the anterior pituitary gland when compared to the control group. Summing up, monthly GHRH administration did not induce somatotrope adenomas but it caused serum GH level elevation, what seems to depend partially on the increase of somatotrope number

Utilization of Knotweed for the Sorption of Lead Ions

Článek se zabývá možností využití křídlatky (Fallopia Bohemica) jako levného a obnovitelného biosorbentu pro čištění odpadních vod obsahujících olovnaté ionty. Materiál byl charakterizován z pohledu strukturní homogenity a bylo zjištěno, že rozdíly mezi jednotlivými vzorky jsou velmi malé. Byla zkoumána časová závislost sorpce, kdy bylo shledáno, že sorpční proces je rychlý (maximálního adsorbovaného množství bylo dosaženo již po 2 hodinách). Adsorpční izoterma olovnatých iontů na křídlatku odpovídá Langmuirovu modelu, maximální adsorbované množství bylo 53,5 mg Pb/g křídlatky. Mechanismem adsorpce je pravděpodobně převážně proces komplexace olovnatých iontů s násobnými (π) vazbami molekul obsažených v materiálu. Srovnáním s přírodním bentonitem bylo zjištěno, že křídlatka dosahuje poloviční sorpční kapacity použitého bentonitu.Článek se zabývá možností využití křídlatky (Fallopia Bohemica) jako levného a obnovitelného biosorbentu pro čištění odpadních vod obsahujících olovnaté ionty. Materiál byl charakterizován z pohledu strukturní homogenity a bylo zjištěno, že rozdíly mezi jednotlivými vzorky jsou velmi malé. Byla zkoumána časová závislost sorpce, kdy bylo shledáno, že sorpční proces je rychlý (maximálního adsorbovaného množství bylo dosaženo již po 2 hodinách). Adsorpční izoterma olovnatých iontů na křídlatku odpovídá Langmuirovu modelu, maximální adsorbované množství bylo 53,5 mg Pb/g křídlatky. Mechanismem adsorpce je pravděpodobně převážně proces komplexace olovnatých iontů s násobnými (π) vazbami molekul obsažených v materiálu. Srovnáním s přírodním bentonitem bylo zjištěno, že křídlatka dosahuje poloviční sorpční kapacity použitého bentonitu.The article deals with possibility of knotweed (Fallopia Bohemica) utilization as a cheap and renewable biosorbent for purifying of wastewaters containing Pb(II) ions. Material was characterized from the sight of structural homogeneity. It was found out that differences among particular samples were small. The time dependence of sorption was studied. It was found that sorption process is fast (maximal adsorbed amount was reached already after 2 hours). Adsorption isotherm of Pb(II) ions at knotweed corresponds to Langmuir model, maximal adsorbed amount was 53.5 mg Pb/g of knotweed. Mechanism of sorption seems to be mainly complexation of Pb(II) ions with multiple (π) bonds of molecules contained in the material. It was found by comparison with natural bentonite that sorption capacity of knotweed is approximately half of sorption capacity of used bentonite

Approximation Algorithms for Union and Intersection Covering Problems

In a classical covering problem, we are given a set of requests that we need to satisfy (fully or partially), by buying a subset of items at minimum cost. For example, in the k-MST problem we want to find the cheapest tree spanning at least k nodes of an edge-weighted graph. Here nodes and edges represent requests and items, respectively. In this paper, we initiate the study of a new family of multi-layer covering problems. Each such problem consists of a collection of h distinct instances of a standard covering problem (layers), with the constraint that all layers share the same set of requests. We identify two main subfamilies of these problems: - in a union multi-layer problem, a request is satisfied if it is satisfied in at least one layer; - in an intersection multi-layer problem, a request is satisfied if it is satisfied in all layers. To see some natural applications, consider both generalizations of k-MST. Union k-MST can model a problem where we are asked to connect a set of users to at least one of two communication networks, e.g., a wireless and a wired network. On the other hand, intersection k-MST can formalize the problem of connecting a subset of users to both electricity and water. We present a number of hardness and approximation results for union and intersection versions of several standard optimization problems: MST, Steiner tree, set cover, facility location, TSP, and their partial covering variants

Patient satisfaction and preferences of lanreotide Autogel treatment in acromegaly

  Wstęp: Pomimo znanego znaczenia analogów somatostatyny (SSA) w leczeniu akromegalii, dotychczas nie poświęcono wiele uwagi zadowoleniu pacjenta i preferencjom dotyczącym poszczególnych SSA. Materiał i metody: Było to otwarte, prospektywne, obserwacyjne, wieloośrodkowe badanie, oparte na samoocenie przez pacjenta wyników leczenia. Obejmowało dorosłych pacjentów z akromegalią, którzy zmienili inny SSA na lanreotyd Autogel (nowe i stare aplikatory), co najmniej 2 miesiące przed włączeniem do badania. Okres obserwacji wynosił około 12 miesięcy. Podstawowym ocenianym wynikiem była ogólna satysfakcja z leczenia, mierzona za pomocą 5-punktowej skali Likerta. Wyniki uzupełniające były następujące: 1) efektywność leczenia pod względem kontroli objawów; 2) problemy techniczne związane z podawaniem leku, mierzone za pomocą wizualnej skali analogowej (VAS); i 3) łatwość i bezpieczeństwo stosowania lanreotydu Autogel (nowe urządzenie vs. stare urządzenie). Wyniki: Spośród 102 pacjentów, którzy ukończyli badanie, 97 (95,1%) było “w pełni lub raczej zadowolonych“ z terapii lanreotydem Autogel, czterech (3,9%) było ”ani zadowolonych, ani niezadowolonych“, a jeden był ”raczej niezadowolony“. Kontrola objawów była oceniona jako “doskonała“ lub ”dobra“ przez 88–89% pacjentów w całym badaniu. Pacjenci zgłaszali mniej problemów technicznych związanych z podawaniem lanreotydu Autogel (końcowa średnia VAS: 5,3) w porównaniu z poprzednimi SSA (średnia VAS: 37,6). Spośród 31 pacjentów leczonych lanreotydem Autogel korzystających ze starego urządzenia, a następnie z nowego, 64,5% oceniło nowe urządzenie jako lepsze. Wnioski: Terapia lanreotydem Autogel skutkowała większym zadowoleniem pacjentów z ogólnego postępowania w akromegalii, w porównaniu z poprzednimi SSA. Nowe urządzenie do aplikowania lanreotydu Autogel okazało się łatwiejsze i bezpieczniejsze w użyciu niż poprzednie. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (6): 572–579)    Introduction: Despite the known importance of somatostatin analogues (SSAs) in the treatment of acromegaly, patient satisfaction leading to preferences for specific SSAs have received little attention so far. Material and methods: This open, prospective, observational, multicentre patient-reported outcome study included adult patients with acromegaly, who switched from another SSA to lanreotide Autogel (new and previous devices) at least two months prior to enrolment. The observation period was around 12 months. The primary outcome assessed was overall treatment satisfaction, measured using the five-point Likert scale. The secondary outcomes were: 1) treatment effectiveness, in terms of symptom control; 2) technical problems related to treatment administration, measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); and 3) ease and safety of lanreotide Autogel delivery (new device vs. previous device). Results: Of the 102 patients who completed the study, 97 (95.1%) were “completely or rather satisfied” with lanreotide Autogel therapy, four (3.9%) were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied”, and one (1%) was “rather dissatisfied”. Symptom control was reported as “excellent” or “good” by 88–89% of patients throughout the study. Patients reported fewer technical problems related to administration of lanreotide Autogel (final mean VAS: 5.3) compared to previous SSAs (mean VAS: 37.6). Of the 31 patients treated with lanreotide Autogel using the previous device followed by the new device, 64.5% reported the new device as improved. Conclusions: Lanreotide Autogel therapy resulted in greater patient satisfaction with overall acromegaly management, when compared to previous SSAs. The new lanreotide Autogel device was found to be easier to use than the previous one. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (6): 572–579)

Comparison of the most popular operating systems in terms of functionalities

The main purpose of research is comparison of the following modern operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 11, MacOS Catalina and Linux Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. An analysis was made in terms of functionalities and time needed to perform basic activities. The systems were selected on the basis on performed popularity analysis, by using StatCounter [1] statistic. To study each operating system it was necessary to create two test stands corresponding to the requirements of the systems. Conducted research were divided on two sections. In the first one, analysis of the possessed functionalities, assessment of the advancement and ease of using them was performed. In the second section, examination was carried out to compare the operating system in terms of the time of performing specific activities

On Problems Equivalent to (min,+)-Convolution

In the recent years, significant progress has been made in explaining apparent hardness of improving over naive solutions for many fundamental polynomially solvable problems. This came in the form of conditional lower bounds -- reductions from a problem assumed to be hard. These include 3SUM, All-Pairs Shortest Paths, SAT and Orthogonal Vectors, and others. In the (min,+)-convolution problem, the goal is to compute a sequence c, where c[k] = min_i a[i]+b[k-i], given sequences a and b. This can easily be done in O(n^2) time, but no O(n^{2-eps}) algorithm is known for eps > 0. In this paper we undertake a systematic study of the (min,+)-convolution problem as a hardness assumption. As the first step, we establish equivalence of this problem to a group of other problems, including variants of the classic knapsack problem and problems related to subadditive sequences. The (min,+)-convolution has been used as a building block in algorithms for many problems, notably problems in stringology. It has also already appeared as an ad hoc hardness assumption. We investigate some of these connections and provide new reductions and other results

Online Facility Location with Deletions

In this paper we study three previously unstudied variants of the online Facility Location problem, considering an intrinsic scenario when the clients and facilities are not only allowed to arrive to the system, but they can also depart at any moment. We begin with the study of a natural fully-dynamic online uncapacitated model where clients can be both added and removed. When a client arrives, then it has to be assigned either to an existing facility or to a new facility opened at the client\u27s location. However, when a client who has been also one of the open facilities is to be removed, then our model has to allow to reconnect all clients that have been connected to that removed facility. In this model, we present an optimal O(log(n_{act}) / log log(n_{act}))-competitive algorithm, where n_{act} is the number of active clients at the end of the input sequence. Next, we turn our attention to the capacitated Facility Location problem. We first note that if no deletions are allowed, then one can achieve an optimal competitive ratio of O(log(n) / log(log n)), where n is the length of the sequence. However, when deletions are allowed, the capacitated version of the problem is significantly more challenging than the uncapacitated one. We show that still, using a more sophisticated algorithmic approach, one can obtain an online O(log N + log c log n)-competitive algorithm for the capacitated Facility Location problem in the fully dynamic model, where N is number of points in the input metric and c is the capacity of any open facility

The Involvement of Angiotensin Type 1 and Type 2 Receptors in Estrogen-Induced Cell Proliferation and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in the Rat Anterior Pituitary

The aim of our study was to examine the involvement of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in estrogen-induced lactotropes proliferation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in rat pituitary. The study was performed on Fisher 344 rats underwent 8-day treatment with diethylstilboestrol (DES). The proliferation index (PCNA) and VEGF expression in pituitary sections were estimated using immunohistochemical methods. Treatment with DES increased the number of PCNA-positive cells, VEGF-positive cells, and VEGF-positive blood vessels in pituitary. Stimulatory effect of estrogen on cell proliferation and VEGF expression in blood vessels was attenuated by losartan, PD123319, and captopril. VEGF immunoreactivity in pituitary cells of DES-treated rats was decreased by AT1 antagonist and not changed by AT2 blocker and ACE inhibitor. Our findings suggest the involvement of RAS in DES-induced cell proliferation and VEGF expression in pituitary. Both the AT1 and AT2 receptors appear to mediate the estrogen-dependent mitogenic and proangiogenic effects in rat pituitary

State of somatic features and motor capacity 14-year players with secondary Polish Nobel Prize winners in Więcbork

The aim of the study was to compare the characteristics of somatic and motor skills among young people in sport class and the class of general-Gymnasium in Wiecbork. The results were compared to the results of the regional and national studies. The tests were subjected to 40 - students aged 14 years (20 with class sports, and 20 general-class) of Gymnasium. Polish Nobel Prize winners in Wiecbork. The study of motor skills were six trials of the International Physical Fitness Test. Sports Group proved to be better in each of the trials compared motor skills of the students.</p