92 research outputs found
Reduction of copper slag with the use of carbon granulates
The investigation results on the reduction of slag from fl ash smelting furnace and the use of carbon granulates obtained
from fi ne-grained waste materials of both the coal enrichment and coking processes have been presented
in the paper. The investigation results on the reduction of slag from fl ash furnace and the use of carbon granulates
obtained from fi ne-grained waste materials of both the coal enrichment and coking processes have been presented
in the paper.Web of Science53458758
Evaluation of the Soil Enzymes Activity as an Indicator of the Impact of Anthropogenic Pollution on the Norway Spruce Ecosystems in the Silesian Beskid
Activity of soil enzymes is considered as a good indicator of natural and anthropogenic disturbances of
the functioning of the soil. Heavy metals can inhibit the activity of enzymes in varying degree, depending on soil
properties such as content of clay materials, organic matter and pH of soil solution. The aim of this study was to
determine the effect of physicochemical and biological properties of soils on the condition of Norway spruce
stands in Silesian Beskid. In the soil samples enzymatic activity of four enzymes (alkaline and acid phosphatase,
dehydrogenase and urease) and concentration of three selected heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn) and sulfur were
determined. The analyses showed no reduced activity of investigated enzymes. Presumably, despite of low pH
values of the soil, organic matter contained in the soil is able to effectively bind heavy metal ions, limiting their
cycling in the environment. It can be concluded that the condition of spruce stands in Silesian Beskid is not
affected by the soil contamination
Seroprevalence of bovine herpesvirus 1 related alphaherpesvirus infections in free-living and captive cervids in Poland.
To determine the occurrence of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) related alphaherpesvirus infections in cervids, 1194 serum samples of wild ruminants originating from 59 forest districts of Poland were tested with IBR gB ELISA and virus neutralization test (VNT) against BoHV-1 and cervid herpesvirus 1 (CvHV-1). The seroprevalence differed significantly between free-living and captive cervids (P<0.001) with a total of 89 out of 498 (17.9%) and 268 out of 696 (38.5%) seropositive animals in each type of population. In free-ranging cervids, the highest seroprevalence was found among red deer (25.6%) and in fallow deer (23.1%), while it was the lowest in roe deer (1.7%). The seroprevalence varied at the district level between 0 and 100% with the mean value of 17.4% (95% CI:10.1-24.0). Additionally, seroprevalence was associated with afforestation (chi(2)=7.5; P=0.006) and to some degree with the mean of cattle density in province (chi(2)=7.0; P=0.08). The mean antibody titre against CvHV-1 in VNT (161.8; 95%CI: 146.0-177.6) has been significantly higher (P<0.0001) than the mean titre of BoHV-1 antibodies (10.1; 95%CI: 8.9-11.4). The results showed that BoHV-1 related alphaherpesvirus infections are present in population of free-ranging and farmed cervids in Poland. Based on the VNT results and considering the low susceptibility of red deer to BoHV-1, it seems that the dominant alphaherpesvirus circulating in wild ruminants is most likely CvHV-1 and therefore it is rather unlikely that deer in Poland could play any role as a reservoir of BoHV-1 for cattle
Ileal transposition in rats influenced glucose metabolism and HSP70 levels
Objective: Ileal transposition procedure (IT), in combination with sleeve gastrectomy, is widely used to induce diabetes remission and to control related metabolic abnormalities. A transposition of a long segment of distal ileum in obese Zucker rats improved glucose tolerance 6 months after IT. The premise of our study was to to examine the long - term effects of ileum transposition on the liver glycolytic enzymes content in a euglycemic group of operated Zucker rats. Methods: Twenty male Zucker rats underwent either the transposition of 50% distal ileum or a sham surgery. Six months after surgery, liver tissue concentrations of glycogen synthase kinase alpha (GSK-3α), glucose 6-phosphatase (G6PC), glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM) and phosphofructokinase (PFK) and HSP70 were assessed by immunoenzymatic methods. Results: HSP70 values were significantly higher in the IT group compared to SHAM. G6PC liver concentrations in the IT group were almost 1.45-fold lower than in the SHAM operated rats. Statistical analyses (F-test) showed HSP70 levels were significantly related to caveolin-1and SHAM group. Conclusions: Lowered glycolytic enzyme concentrations assessed in the liver suggest positive effects on glucose metabolism in long-term observations
BRONCO: Automated modelling of the bronchovascular bundle using the Computed Tomography Images
Segmentation of the bronchovascular bundle within the lung parenchyma is a
key step for the proper analysis and planning of many pulmonary diseases. It
might also be considered the preprocessing step when the goal is to segment the
nodules from the lung parenchyma. We propose a segmentation pipeline for the
bronchovascular bundle based on the Computed Tomography images, returning
either binary or labelled masks of vessels and bronchi situated in the lung
parenchyma. The method consists of two modules, modeling of the bronchial tree
and vessels. The core revolves around a similar pipeline, the determination of
the initial perimeter by the GMM method, skeletonization, and hierarchical
analysis of the created graph. We tested our method on both low-dose CT and
standard-dose CT, with various pathologies, reconstructed with various slice
thicknesses, and acquired from various machines. We conclude that the method is
invariant with respect to the origin and parameters of the CT series. Our
pipeline is best suited for studies with healthy patients, patients with lung
nodules, and patients with emphysema
Combining low-dose CT-based radiomics and metabolomics for early lung cancer screening support
Due to its predominantly asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic progression, lung
cancer is often diagnosed in advanced stages, resulting in poorer survival
rates for patients. As with other cancers, early detection significantly
improves the chances of successful treatment. Early diagnosis can be
facilitated through screening programs designed to detect lung tissue tumors
when they are still small, typically around 3mm in size. However, the analysis
of extensive screening program data is hampered by limited access to medical
experts. In this study, we developed a procedure for identifying potential
malignant neoplastic lesions within lung parenchyma. The system leverages
machine learning (ML) techniques applied to two types of measurements: low-dose
Computed Tomography-based radiomics and metabolomics. Using data from two
Polish screening programs, two ML algorithms were tested, along with various
integration methods, to create a final model that combines both modalities to
support lung cancer screening
Stężenia metaloproteinaz macierzy 2 i 9 oraz ich inhibitorów tkankowych 1 i 2 w krążeniu wieńcowym i obwodowym u pacjentów ze stabilną chorobą wieńcową
Wstęp: Rola zaburzenia równowagi w procesach produkcji i degradacji macierzy zewnątrzkomórkowej
w patogenezie choroby niedokrwiennej serca, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem
ostrych zespołów wieńcowych, jest ostatnio tematem wielu naukowych dociekań. Celem niniejszej
pracy była ocena stężenia metaloproteinaz 2 i 9 (MMP-2, MMP-9) oraz tkankowych
inhibitorów metaloproteinaz 1 i 2 (TIMP-1, TIMP-2) w krążeniu wieńcowym oraz obwodowym
u pacjentów ze stabilną chorobą wieńcową i w grupie kontrolnej.
Metody: Badaniem objęto 25 pacjentów z dławicą piersiową w II i III klasie według CCS
poddanych koronarografii z powodu nieskuteczności farmakoterapii. Stężenie MMP-2, MMP-9
oraz TIMP-1 i TIMP-2 oznaczano w osoczu krwi pobranej z krążenia wieńcowego
z okolicy blaszki miażdżycowej oraz z żyły obwodowej. Grupę kontrolną stanowiło 16 osób
z dolegliwościami bólowymi w klatce piersiowej, bez zmian miażdżycowych w badaniu koronarograficznym,
poddanych takim samym procedurom.
Wyniki: Nie odnotowano znamiennych statystycznie różnic w stężeniu MMP-2 i MMP-9
oraz ich inhibitorów tkankowych TIMP-1 i TIMP-2 w krążeniu wieńcowym i obwodowym
między grupą badaną i kontrolną. Stężenia metaloproteinaz i ich inhibitorów w osoczu krwi
pobieranej z okolicy blaszek miażdżycowych nie różniły się także zasadniczo od stężenia obserwowanego
w krwi obwodowej.
Wnioski: Choroba wieńcowa o stabilnym przebiegu nie wiąże się z nadmierną degradacją
macierzy zewnątrzkomórkowej, wyrażoną zmianami w stężeniach metaloproteinaz 2 i 9 oraz
ich tkankowych inhibitorów
Endothelial hemostatic markers in type 2 diabetes and without diabetes in patients with advanced peripheral arterial disease
Wstęp. Cukrzyca typu 2 (DM2) jest ważnym czynnikiem ryzyka w miażdżycy tętnic kończyn dolnych (PAD). Zaburzenia metaboliczne w DM2, jak insulinooporność i hiperglikemia, powodują zwiększoną syntezę reaktywnych tlenowych rodników, które, wywołując proces zapalny i dysfunkcję śródbłonka, prowadzą do aterotromobozy. Uszkodzona ściana naczyniowa uwalnia do krwi śródbłonkowe markery hemostazy. Celem badań było oznaczenie śródbłonkowych markerów hemostazy: czynnika tkankowego (TF), jego inhibitora (TFPI), trombomoduliny (TM), czynnika von Willebranda (vWF), tkankowego aktywatora plazminogenu (t-PA) i inhibitora aktywatorów plazminogenu typu 1 (PAI-1) we krwi chorych z DM2 i bez DM2 u pacjentów z zaawansowaną PAD. Materiał i metody. Śródbłonkowe markery hemostazy oznaczono w osoczu krwi 91 pacjentów z zaawansowaną PAD i DM2, w tym 37 kobiet i 54 mężczyzn w wieku 65,2 ± 9,0 lat. Grupę kontrolną stanowiło 59 pacjentów z zaawansowaną PAD, ale bez DM2. Obie grupy były w podobnym przedziale wieku i płci, z podobnymi czynnikami ryzyka i w większości współistniejącymi chorobami. Jedynie u pacjentów z DM2 częściej występowała dyslipidemia (p < 0,022). Krew pobierano rano na czczo do 3,2% cytrynianu sodu w proporcji 9:1. Śródbłonkowe markery hemostazy oznaczono metodami immunoenzymatycznymi ELISA przy zastosowaniu komercyjnych zestawów firmy American Diagnostica. Wyniki. Stężenia śródbłonkowych markerów: TF, TFPI, TM, vWF, t-PA i PAI-1 w osoczu pacjentów z PAD i DM2 były podobne jak u pacjentów z PAD, ale bez DM2. Natomiast pacjenci z PAD i DM2 oraz z PAD bez DM2 mieli stężenia TF i vWF istotnie statystycznie wyższe (odpowiednio p < 0,05 i p < 0,0001), a TM niższe (p < 0,001) w porównaniu z grupą referencyjną osób zdrowych. Za różnice były odpowiedzialne: starszy wiek, PAD i proces rewaskularyzacji. Stężenia TFPI, t-PA i PAI-1 były natomiast prawie jednakowe w trzech grupach: z DM2, bez DM2 i w grupie referencyjnej. Wniosek. Współistniejąca DM2 z PAD nie zwiększała uwalniania śródbłonkowych markerów hemostazy, co może potwierdzać pogląd o wspólnej etiologii DM2 i PAD polegającej na tak zwanej dysfunkcji śródbłonka naczyń.Background. Type 2 diabetes (DM2) plays an important role as a risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Metabolic abnormalities in DM2, as insulin resistance and hyperglycemia cause overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which via inflammation and endothelial dysfunction lead to atherothrombosis. The injured arterial wall releases hemostatic endothelial markers. The aim of the study was to determine: tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), thrombomodulin (TM), von Willebrand factor (vWF), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activators inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in type 2 diabetes and without diabetes in patients with advanced PAD. Material and methods. Endothelial markers were examined in 91 patients with PAD and DM2; 37 women and 54 men — aged 65.2 ± 9.0 years. Control group concluded 59 PAD patients without DM2. Both groups of patients were in similar compartments of sex and age with similar risk factors and coexisting diseases. Only in patients with DM2 more frequently appeared dyslipidemia (p < 0.022). Blood was collected in the morning to 3.2% sodium citrate in proportion 9:1. Endothelial hemostatic markers were determined with enzyme immunoassay ELISA using commercial tests of American Diagnostica. Results. The levels of endothelial markers: TF, TFPI, TM, vWF, t-PA and PAI-1 in patients with PAD and DM2 were similar compared to patients without DM2. But patients with DM2 had the concentration of TF and vWF significant higher (p < 0.005, p < 0.0001) and TM lower (p < 0.001) in comparison with reference group of healthy patients. But levels of TFPI, t-PA and PAI-1 were almost equal in all three groups of patients with DM2, without DM2 and of healthy persons. Conclusion. DM2 coexisting in PAD patients did not change the release of endothelial hemostatic markers from arterial wall. This confirms the view of “endothelial dysfunction” as common etiology of both diseases PAD and DM2.
Cryptic SARS-CoV-2 lineage identified on two mink farms as a possible result of long-term undetected circulation in an unknown animal reservoir, Poland, November 2022 to January 2023
In late 2022 and early 2023, SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected on three mink farms in Poland situated within a few km from each other. Whole-genome sequencing of the viruses on two of the farms showed that they were related to a virus identified in humans in the same region 2 years before (B.1.1.307 lineage). Many mutations were found, including in the S protein typical of adaptations to the mink host. The origin of the virus remains to be determined.</p
Inflammatory markers in peripheral arterial disease patients after endovascular revascularization with new restenosis
Wstęp. Zapalenie odgrywa kluczową rolę w powstawaniu i rozwoju miażdżycy tętnic, także u pacjentów z miażdżycą tętnic kończyn dolnych (PAD). Zabiegi rewaskularyzacyjne stanowią czynnik ryzyka, który nasila ten proces, niekiedy prowadząc do powstania restenoz.Cel. Oznaczenie stężenia fibrynogenu, białka C-reaktywnego (CRP), interleukin 6 i 10 (IL-6 i IL-10), zasadowego czynnika wzrostu fibroblastów (bFGF) i transformującego czynnika wzrostu (TGF-b1) we krwichorych z PAD po obwodowej, wewnątrznaczyniowej rewaskularyzacji i u pacjentów z restenozami.Materiał i metody. Przebadano 150 pacjentów z PAD, w tym 90 mężczyzn i 60 kobiet w wieku 50–88 (średnio 65,5) lat. Podczas 12-miesięcznej obserwacji po obwodowej, wewnątrznaczyniowej rewaskularyzacji u 38 pacjentów powstały restenozy. Grupa kontrolna dla oznaczanych cytokin składała się z 15 klinicznie zdrowych osób w wieku 60–83 lat bez niedokrwienia kończyn dolnych. Krew pobierano na czczo do 3,2% cytrynianu sodu w proporcji 9:1 (do oznaczenia fibrynogenu i CRP) i 2,6 ml krwi mieszano z EDTA do pomiaru cytokin: IL-6, IL-10, bFBF, TGF-beta1. Cytokiny badano przy użyciu komercyjnych zestawów metodą immunoenzymatyczną, a fibrynogen i CRP za pomocą analizatora koagulologicznego.Wyniki. We krwi pacjentów z PAD po obwodowej rewaskularyzacji stężenie fibrynogenu i CRP było wyższe od normy laboratoryjnej. Podczas 12-miesięcznej obserwacji parametry te nadal wzrastały: CRP prawie dwukrotnie, a fibrynogen tylko o około 10%. Z badanych cytokin tylko IL-10 i bFGF różniły się istotnie statystycznie od grupy kontrolnej. Cytokiny były również wyższe u pacjentów z powstałymi restenozami, mieściły się jednak, z wyjątkiem TGF-beta1, w szerokich normach laboratoryjnych podanych przez producentów testów.Wnioski. 1. U pacjentów z PAD po wewnątrznaczyniowej rewaskularyzacji stężenie CRP i fibrynogenu podczas rocznej obserwacji wyraźnie się zwiększyło.2. U tych pacjentów obserwowano istotną korelację między prozapalnym CRP i przeciwzapalną interleukiną 10.3. Stężenie CRP, fibrynogenu i cytokin: IL-6, bFGF, TGF-b1 i IL-10 zwiększało się także po powstaniu restenozu pacjentów z PAD, potwierdzając udział w tym procesie miernie nasilonego zapalenia.Introduction. Inflammation plays a central role in the pathophysiology and progression of atherosclerosis, also in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Revascularization is a risk factor which intensifies this process sometimes leading to newly developed restenosis.Aim. To determine the levels of fibrinogen, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) in the blood of patients with PAD after endovascular revascularization of lower limbs and in patients with new restenosis.Material and methods. The study included 150 patients with PAD (90 men and 60 women), aged 50–88 (mean 65.5) years after successful peripheral angioplasty (PTA) and/or stenting. Within 12 months after revascularization procedure in 38 PAD patients restenosis occurred. Control group for cytokines consisted of 15 clinically healthy subjects without limb ischaemia aged 60–83 years. Fasting blood was drawn in the morning and put into 3.2% sodium citrate in a 9:1 proportion (for determination of fibrinogen and CRP), and 2.6 ml of blood was mixed with EDTA for determination of cytokines: IL-6, IL-10, bFGF and TGF-beta1. All parameters were measured in the plasma of patients with commercial kits for enzyme immunoassay; fibrinogen and CRP levels were measured with coagulometer.Results. In the plasma of patients with PAD after revascularization, the levels of fibrinogen and CRP were significantly higher than in controls. These markers increased within 12 months of observation: CRP level increased almost two-fold and fibrinogen only by about 10%. All examined cytokines in PAD patients with restenosis were higher than in those without restenosis, but the difference was significant only for IL-10 and bFGF. But increased cytokines in patients with restenosis were within the laboratory norms specified by reagent producers except of TGF-beta1.Conclusions.1.In PAD patients after endovascular revascularization the levels of CRP and fibrinogen during one yearobservation significantly increased.2.In these patients, significant correlation was observed between pro-inflammatory CRP and anti-inflam-matory IL-10.3.The concentrations of CRP, fibrinogen and cytokines (IL-6, bFGF, TGF-beta1 and IL-10) were also higher inPAD patients with restenosis indicating the involvement of low-grade inflammation in this process
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