Preprečevanje raka debelega črevesa in danke

Izhodišča. Pojavnost raka debelega črevesa in danke je v zadnjih desetletjih v razvitih deželah v porastu. V Sloveniji predstavlja drugi najpogostejši vzrok smrti zaradi raka. Po podatkih Registra raka je bila leta 2002 incidenca pri moških 68,5/100.000 prebivalcev, pri ženskah 49,8/100.000. Kljub vzpodbudnemu dejstvu, da se relativno 5-letno preživetje bolnikov s to boleznijo v zadnjem obdobju daljša, odkrijemo še vedno mnogo bolnikov, ko je bolezen že v napredovalem stadiju, z lokalnimi in oddaljenimi zasevki in je prognoza ter preživetje kljub kombiniranim oblikam zdravljenja slaba. Bolezen je ozdravljiva le, če jo ugotovimo in kirurško odstranimo v zgodnji razvojni stopnji. Zaključki. Rak črevesa predstavlja ozdravljivo bolezen, če preprečimo njeno preobrazbo iz premalignih adenomov ali ga odkrijemo in kirurško odstranimo v lokalno omejeni obliki. Za dolgoročen uspeh bo potrebna primerna ozaveščenost prebivalstva in udejanjanje priporočil

Multi-locus genetic risk score predicts risk for Crohn's disease in Slovenian population

AIM: To develop a risk model for Crohn's disease (CD) based on homogeneous population.METHODS: In our study were included 160 CD patients and 209 healthy individuals from Slovenia. The association study was performed for 112 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We generated genetic risk scores (GRS) based on the number of risk alleles using weighted additive model. Discriminatory accuracy was measured by area under ROC curve (AUC). For risk evaluation, we divided individuals according to positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) of a test, with LR &gt; 5 for high risk group and LR &lt;0.20 for low risk group.RESULTS: The highest accuracy, AUC of 0.78 was achieved with GRS combining 33 SNPs with optimal sensitivity and specificity of 75.0% and 72.7%, respectively. Individuals with the highest risk (GRS &gt; 5.54) showed significantly increased odds of developing CD (OR = 26.65, 95% CI: 11.25-63.15) compared to the individuals with the lowest risk (GRS &lt;4.57) which is a considerably greater risk captured than in one SNP with the highest effect size (OR = 3.24). When more than 33 SNPs were included in GRS, discriminatory ability was not improved significantly; AUC of all 74 SNPs was 0.76.CONCLUSION: The authors proved the possibility of building accurate genetic risk score based on 33 risk variants on Slovenian CD patients which may serve as a screening tool in the targeted population.</p

Hipertermična intraperitonealna kemoterapija

V preteklosti so bolnike z zasevki po peritoneju obravnavali kot neozdravljivo bolne s terminalnim stanjem raka, ki se zdravi samo paliativno. Ob takšnem pristopu je bilo povprečno preživetje bolnikov le dva meseca. Zdravljenje teh bolnikov se je v devetdesetih letih prejšnjega stoletja pomembno spremenilo. Nekateri raziskovalci so bili namreč mnenja, da so peritonealni zasevki v določenih primerih samo vrsta loko-regionalne bolezni in se bolnik lahko (p)ozdravi. Eden glavnih zagovornikov te teorije in novega načina zdravljenja je bil Paul Sugarbaker. V sklopu zdravljenja se je začela uporabljati citoreduktivna kirurgija v kombinaciji z intraperitonealno kemoterapijo. Namen kirurškega posega je bila makroskopska odstranitev tumorja, nato pa z intraperitonealno kemoterapijo odstranitev še morebitnih mikroskopskih “preostankov” bolezni. Postopek, pri katerem citostatik med operacijo uvedemo in segrevamo, se imenuje hipertermična intraperitonealna kemoterapija. Hipertermija ima že sama po sebi protitumorski učinek na maligne celice, saj povzroči razgradnjo proteinov, aktivranje lizosomov in apoptozo. Ob segrevanju raztopine citostatika potečejo zapletene kemijske reakcije, ki dodatno povečajo njegovo učinkovitost in povečajo globino prodiranja zdravila v tumorsko tkivo. O najboljših rezultatih te oblike zdravljenja so poročali v primerih psevdomiksoma peritoneja, raka debelega črevesa in danke, karcinoma slepiča, karcinoma jajčnikov in peritonealnega mezotelioma. V prispevku avtorji predstavijo to zahtevno metodo zdravljenja, indikacije in vključitvena merila bolnikov ter sodobna spoznanja o učinkovitosti te metode za določene vrste raka

A novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay for authentication of cell lines or tissues from human, pig and chicken origin

A polymerase chain reaction based assay was developed for authentication of cell lines or tissues from human, pig and chicken origin. Specificity was achieved by species specific primer design targeting the mitochondrial D-loop sequence. Amplicon sizes were 114 bp, 169 bp and 645-648 bp for chicken, human and pig derived cell lines, respectively. Primers were tested for species specificity and non-specificity between haplogroups of the same organisms using BLAST tool and subsequently for cross amplification DNA extracted from human, chicken and pig venous blood as a positive control. Primers were also amplifying specific products in DNA extracted from individual cell line in both functional cell models and intentionally mixed cell lines consisting functional cell models. The PCR assay developed in this study represents a low-cost species specific end-point PCR based assay of the mitochondrial D-loop for the authentication of the cell line origin

Implementation of Innovative Technology for Evaluating High-speed Rail Passenger Transportation

The size and content of consumer value (CV) of the service for the transportation of passengers by the railways ofUkrainein long-distance communication by nighttime and daytime trains is determined. A comparison is made of the results of two approaches to researching the attitude of customers to the service – traditional (point-based) and new, taking into account the specific requirements of the total management of the customer value of the service. The directions of the managerial impact of CV on the passenger transportation in long-distance communication by the railways ofUkrainebased on the attitude of customers to the disadvantages and advantages of this service are determined.In three focus groups, discussions were held about travel by Ukrainian railways by daytime and nighttime trains. Based on the results, a list of the disadvantages and advantages that form the consumer value of such a transport service is formed. The list of 19 positive and negative statements reflected all stages of the trip by rail. Behind it, the Likert scale and the corresponding form for conducting an interview were developed. The number of respondents is 823. The sample is random.The results of the polls confidently prove that the prejudiced attitude of passengers towards daytime transportation has been overcome. The ratio of passengers of the railways ofUkrainein daytime transportation in long-distance traffic is better than in nighttime.Only one fifth of those traveling daytime and nighttime are fully satisfied with the level of advantages and disadvantages, which is not enough for most customers to make repeat purchases. However, such a hypothesis needs to be verified in future studies.The feeling of satisfaction among passengers of daytime trains with a positive value of consumer value does not arise in 29 %, which is a threat to the railway operator company. Women are generally worse off on transportation services than men.Personal experience using the train in general does not affect the attitude. However, the experience of using a nighttime train significantly reduces the consumer value of the transport service.The main conclusion is that when several customer segments are served simultaneously in a common space, the total management of the customer value of the service and the corresponding research methods are productive

INVESTIGATION OF THE DYNAMIC LOADING OF A BODY OF PASSENGER CARS DURING TRANSPORTATION BY RAIL FERRY

To ensure the safety of passenger carriages by rail ferries, mathematical modeling of dynamic loading is performed. The accelerations are determined as components of the dynamic load acting on the body of a passenger car. This takes into account the actual hydrometeorological characteristics of the water area of the railway ferry. The calculations are made in relation to the railway ferry "Mukran", which moves the Baltic Sea. The model takes into account that the car body is rigidly fixed relative to the deck and during the oscillations of the railway ferry follows the trajectory of its movement. The solution of the mathematical model is implemented in the Mathcad software environment using the Runge-Kutta method. It is established that the maximum value of the acceleration acting on the car body is 1.8&nbsp;m/s2. Determination of the dynamic loading of the passenger car body during transportation by sea is also carried out by computer simulation. The calculations were carried out in the CosmosWorks software package using the finite element method. Numerical values and acceleration distribution fields are obtained relative to the carriage body structure of a passenger car. A modal analysis of the car body during transportation by rail ferry is carried out. The numerical values of the critical frequencies and waveforms are obtained. To check the adequacy of the developed models, a calculation is made according to the Fisher criterion. It is established that the hypothesis of adequacy is not rejected. The research will contribute to the creation of recommendations on the safety of passenger carriages by railway ferries, as well as the manufacture of their modern structures in terms of car-building enterprises

IMPLEMENTATION OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR EVALUATING HIGH-SPEED RAIL PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION

The size and content of consumer value (CV) of the service for the transportation of passengers by the railways ofUkrainein long-distance communication by nighttime and daytime trains is determined. A comparison is made of the results of two approaches to researching the attitude of customers to the service – traditional (point-based) and new, taking into account the specific requirements of the total management of the customer value of the service. The directions of the managerial impact of CV on the passenger transportation in long-distance communication by the railways ofUkrainebased on the attitude of customers to the disadvantages and advantages of this service are determined. In three focus groups, discussions were held about travel by Ukrainian railways by daytime and nighttime trains. Based on the results, a list of the disadvantages and advantages that form the consumer value of such a transport service is formed. The list of 19 positive and negative statements reflected all stages of the trip by rail. Behind it, the Likert scale and the corresponding form for conducting an interview were developed. The number of respondents is 823. The sample is random. The results of the polls confidently prove that the prejudiced attitude of passengers towards daytime transportation has been overcome. The ratio of passengers of the railways ofUkrainein daytime transportation in long-distance traffic is better than in nighttime. Only one fifth of those traveling daytime and nighttime are fully satisfied with the level of advantages and disadvantages, which is not enough for most customers to make repeat purchases. However, such a hypothesis needs to be verified in future studies. The feeling of satisfaction among passengers of daytime trains with a positive value of consumer value does not arise in 29&nbsp;%, which is a threat to the railway operator company. Women are generally worse off on transportation services than men. Personal experience using the train in general does not affect the attitude. However, the experience of using a nighttime train significantly reduces the consumer value of the transport service. The main conclusion is that when several customer segments are served simultaneously in a common space, the total management of the customer value of the service and the corresponding research methods are productive

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe