Phototherapy and its effect on some physiological functions in newborns

Phototherapy represents the most common therapeutic intervention at neonatology departments in the first days of life. The beneficial effects of light on the decrease of the serum bilirubin level were first described by Cremer et al. in 1950’s (1). Since then phototherapy has been successfully used to treat severe hyperbilirubinaemia and has almost completely replaced exchange transfusion. Phototherapy is a relatively non-invasive method. However, along with decreasing bilirubin level, it can also influence some other functions: perfusion of organs, predominantly skin; peripheral vascular resistance; distribution of blood flow; heart activity and, thus, also systemic blood pressure along with breathing. A side component of applied light is a certain amount of heat which warms the body surface up and, therefore, the risk of exogenous overheating and increased water loss through the skin arise. Maternal-infant separation, modification of calcium homeostasis, disturbed circadian rhythm, or changes of the hemodynamics of various organ systems are only a few of the undesired effects which prove phototherapy not to be a treatment without any side effects. Careful indication of phototherapy is essential, particularly in premature infants

Palaeotectonic cross-sections through the Mid-Polish Trough

The Late Permian and Mesozoic evolution of the Mid-Polish Trough is analysed using a set of palaeotectonic cross-sections which are constrained by regional integrated depth-converted reflection seismic profiles. Results support the concept that the central and NW part of the Mid-Polish Trough can be subdivided into a Pomeranian and a Kuiavian segment. The Pomeranian segment is characterised by lower subsidence and a shallower depth to the base of the Zechstein (3500-4000 m) as compared with the Kuiavian segment. The Pomeranian basin was characterised by a nearly symmetrical structure and a single depocentre. In Kujawy, the basin displays a more complex structure with several local depocentres. In the Pomeranian segment, salt structures are poorly developed (salt pillows). These formed relatively late: during the latest Cretaceous and Early Paleocene. In the Kuiavian segment, salt structures include also salt diapirs which began to form at the end of the Muschelkalk, and were active later throughout Mesozoic times, as evidenced by lateral facies and thickness changes. During end Cretaceous and Paleocene basin inversion, the base of the Zechstein was uplifted by 3000-4000 m in the Kuiavian segment and by 2000-3000 m in the Pomeranian segment. The transition zone between the Pomeranian and Kuiavian segments, located in the area between Piła and Toruń, displays mixed features in its structure and geological evolution. Subsidence of the Mid-Polish Trough was controlled by multiple extensional pulses during which pre-existing crustal-scale faults were reactivated. Similarly, inversion of the Mid-Polish Trough involved reactivation of crustal faults. Segmentation of the Mid-Polish Trough can be related to factors including differences in its basement composition

Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy in term newborns: reference values and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Non-invasive measurement of cerebral tissue oxygenation (cStO2) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is attracting an increasing attention not only in neonatology. The vast diversity of commercially available NIRS devices makes it difficult to compare in the published clinical studies. This review provides a view on the practical use of NIRS as a tool for cStO2 measurement, its limitations and pitfalls, with a focus on brain dysfunction caused by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This syndrome of disturbed neurologic function in the earliest days after the birth in the term infants is manifested by difficulty with initiating and maintaining respiration, depression of tone and reflexes, subnormal level of consciousness, and often seizures. This fascinating technology has already proven accurate and has been recommended to use during daily routine tool to evaluate the level of oxygen saturation in brain in intensive care units worldwide

A preliminary survey of M. hyopneumoniae virulence factors based on comparative genomic analysis

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the etiological agent of porcine enzootic pneumonia (PEP), a major problem for the pig industry. The mechanisms of M. hyopneumoniae pathogenicity allow to predict the existence of several classes of virulence factors, whose study has been essentially restricted to the characterization of adhesion-related and major antigenic proteins. The now available complete sequences of the genomes of two pathogenic and one non-pathogenic strain of M. hyopneumoniae allowed to use a comparative genomics approach to putatively identify virulence genes. In this preliminary survey, we were able to identify 118 CDSs encoding putative virulence factors, based on specific criteria ranging from predicted cell surface location or variation between strains to previous functional studies showing antigenicity or involvement in host-pathogen interaction. This survey is expected to serve as a first step towards the functional characterization of new virulence genes/proteins that will be important not only for a better comprehension of M. hyopneumoniae biology, but also for the development of new and improved protocols for PEP vaccination, diagnosis and treatment