17 research outputs found
Unilateral lower extremity lymphedema as a first symptom of primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type (PCDLBCL-LT) — a case report
Primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type (PCDLBCL-LT), is a rare and aggressive variant of extranodal lymphoma. We report the case of a 64-year-old woman with unilateral lymphedema of the lower limb as the first and only symptom of PCDLBCL-LT for six months. Violaceous nodules were the second symptom and they progressively developed on the edematous calf. Initially, they were diagnosed as warty overgrowths, which are common skin changes in the course of chronic lymphedema. The lack of improvement in the violaceous nodules after compression therapy prompted to perform a skin biopsy. Histopathological evaluation revealed the presence of PCDLBCL-LT. In this article, we want to highlight the challenges of making a diagnosis of PCDLBCL- -LT. To our knowledge, no other study has reported on lymphedema as an initial symptom of PCDLBCL-LT
Diversity of flora in the undergrowth of park afforestations, rural plantings and oak-hornbeam forests
The process of forest fragmentation has been observed in many countries, where plant species had adapt to different
habitats, such as for example manor parks and rural plantings. A number of scientists have studied the parks as sites
where waning environments and landscapes find their shelter. In 2011–2012, research was undertaken on diversity of
vegetation in afforestations of parks, rural plantings and oak-hornbeam forests in Sandomierz Basin. In order to compare
the means obtained univariate analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) was used with juxtaposing divided by
each of the two criteria: size (the small, and large parks) and conservation(cultivated parks and nonclutivated parks).
Tukey’s test was used to examine the significance of differences between respective groups. Analyses were with
STATISTICA 9.1. software. Plants classified as forest species, grassland species and those of synanthropic communities
were observed in all the afforestations. The parks with high wooded and not mowed areas and oak-hornbeam
forests were more forest-like than other types of afforestations studied
Effect of Functionalization of Reduced Graphene Oxide Coatings with Nitrogen and Sulfur Groups on Their Anti-Corrosion Properties
Electrophoretic production of anticorrosion carbonaceous coatings on copper could be successfully performed by anodic oxidation of negatively charged graphene platelets suspended in an aqueous solution. The various platelets were synthesized by Hummer’s method followed by a hydrothermal reduction in the presence of NH4SCN which was expected to substitute some parts of graphene structure with nitrogen and sulfur groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the graphene precursors, as well as the coatings, contained typical nitrogen groups, such as pyridinic and pyrrolic, and sulfur groups, such as thiol, thiophene, or C-SO2. However, due to oxidation during deposition, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the graphene coatings changed relative to the composition of the precursors. In particular, the concentration of nitrogen and sulfur dropped and some thiophene groups were oxidized to C-SO2. Studies showed the functionalized coatings had a uniform, defect-free, hydrophobic, more adhesive surface than nonmodified films. The corrosion measurements demonstrated that these coatings had better protective properties than the ones without these heteroatoms. This behavior can be assigned to the catalytic activity of nitrogen towards oxidation of C-SO2 groups to C-SO3H with oxygen
Benthic communities in relation to environmental factors in small high mountain ponds threatened by air pollutants
Hydrobiological investigations of ponds situated above the timber line in the Tatra Mountains (Poland) were carried out. These water bodies are fed mainly by rainfall and melting snow. Some of them are temporary while others are permanent and show seasonal variations in chemical properties (e.g. pH 4.6–5.0 to 6.8–7.7). The structure of the algal communities differed in particular ponds, depending on the water pH and its seasonal changes. Moreover, there are differences in the composition of the macro-invertebrate communities between particular ponds, but they were not affected by the water acidification occurring mainly during the snow-melting period. The present investigations show that the impact of acid precipitation on biocenoses living in high mountain water bodies (Tatra Mts) is not clearly evident
Biomass-Derived Nitrogen Functionalized Carbon Nanodots and Their Anti-Biofouling Properties
The prevalence of the antibiotic resistant bacteria remains a global issue. Cheap, sustainable and multifunctional antibacterial membranes are at the forefront of filtrating materials capable of treating multiple flow streams, such as water cleansing treatments. Carbon nanomaterials are particularly interesting objects shown to enhance antibacterial properties of composite materials. In this article, amino-functionalized, photoluminescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) were synthesized from chitosan by bottom-up approach via simple and green hydrothermal carbonization. A chemical model for the CNDs formation during hydrothermal treatment of chitosan is proposed. The use of urea as an additional nitrogen source leads to the consumption of hydroxyl groups of chitosan and higher nitrogen doping level as pyridinic and pyrrolic N-bonding configurations in the final carbonaceous composition. These functionalized carbon nanodots that consist of carbon core and various surface functional groups were used to modify the commercially available membranes in order to enhance their anti-biofouling properties and add possible functionalities, including fluorescent labelling. Incorporation of CNDs to membranes increased their hydrophilicity, surface charge without compromising membranes integrity, thereby increasing the factors affecting bacterial wall disruption. Membranes modified with CNDs effectively stopped the growth of two Gram-negative bacterial colonies: Klebsiella oxytoca (K. oxytoca) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa)
The Water Flow Regime in the Weir Area for Vascular and Rush Plant Species Composition
The hydrotechnical construction, damming up the riverbed, creates two zones of hydraulic conditions, which affect the water discharge and sediment transport routes, as well as plant species composition, as a habitat answer to the hydraulic regime. This study examined the diversity of the vascular and rush plant species upstream and downstream of the weir. The Świder River, a small lowland river in Central Poland, was chosen as a study area. An examined river reach was located at 21 + 340 kilometers of the Świder River. Vegetation properties, plant species, and granulometric fraction composition were recognized at chosen cross-sections along the riverbed where specific hydraulic conditions could be met. The spatial distribution of vortices, smooth or rapid flow areas, and velocity pulsations influence the biotic environment, thereby affecting the species composition, quantity, and plant diversity. In the headwater zone, an environment more favorable to grain accumulation could be met, which was mixed with organic components in an agricultural catchment area. This phenomenon leads to creating favorable conditions for increased biodiversity. The present study demonstrated that small weirs could positively affect the composition of vascular and rush plants
Diversity of ancient woody species in urban forests
Mostly parks and forest are the most important ‘green islands’ in urban ecological network. Urban forests are belong
to green areas and collected many plant species. The main aim of the article was characteristic of ancient plant species
in urban forests in Tarnów. The field studies were carried out in years 2011–2012. It covered 80 phytosociological
records on the area 500 m2 in herb layer of urban forests and in forest nature on oak-hornbeam. The results showed
that many ancient plant species were growing in urban forest but less than in nature reserves