Micro-CT study of the dehiscences of the tympanic segment of the facial canal

PURPOSE: To depict the anatomy of the tympanic segment of the facial canal using a 3D visualization technique, to detect dehiscences, and to evaluate their frequency, location, shape, and size. METHODS: Research included 36 human temporal bones (18 infant and 18 adult samples) which were scanned using a Nanotom 180N device. The final resolution of the reconstructed object was 18 µm. Obtained micro-CT data were subsequently processed by the volume rendering software. RESULTS: The micro-CT study allowed for the 3D visualization of the tympanic segment of the facial canal and detects dehiscences in the studied material in both infants and adults. Most of the dehiscences (66.7 %) involved the inferior wall of the tympanic segment in infants as well as in adults, and were located above and backward to the oval window. The most frequent dehiscence shape was elliptic (66.7 % in infants; 50 % in adults). Furthermore, we observed dehiscences of fusiform and trapezoidal shape in infants. Length of the dehiscences in most cases ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 mm (50 % in infants; 75 % in adults). CONCLUSIONS: Volumetric reconstructions demonstrated the course of the tympanic segment of the facial canal and its relationship with the tympanic cavity. Knowledge about the size and location of any dehiscence within the tympanic segment of the facial canal is necessary due to the surgical significance of this region. If a dehiscence occurs, there is an increased risk of injury to the facial nerve during the operations or spread of inflammation from the middle ear

Analysis of Wear Properties of Powder Metallurgy Steel in Abrasive Soil Mass

This study presents the results of testing for abrasive wear of Vanadis 60 SuperClean powder metallurgy steel as compared to Hardox 600 steel and PMFe60P padding weld. The testing was conducted by the “rotating bowl” method using natural abrasive soil masses. Two types of abrasive masses with particle size distributions corresponding to light soil and medium soil were used. The obtained results enable the conclusion that the weight loss for Vanadis 60 SuperClean powder steel in both types of abrasive mass was approximately seven times lower than that for Hardox 600 steel and two times lower than PMFe60P padding weld. The high resistance of powder steel to abrasive wear in abrasive soil masses is related to the presence of a large number of fine M6C (tungsten-molybdenum) and MC (vanadium) carbide precipitates in its microstructure. The obtained test results indicate that the application of Vanadis 60 SuperClean steel may be extended to working elements operating in mineral abrasive environments

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 7 (IGFBP-7)—New Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker in Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease?—Pilot Study

The aim of our study was to evaluate the importance of insulin-like growth-factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) as a potential marker of symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurrence. The study group consisted of 145 patients with diagnosed PAD, who qualified for the invasive treatment. The control group consisted of 67 individuals representing the local population and an ischemic heart disease (IHD) group of 88 patients after myocardial infarction or percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with PAD had significantly higher IGFBP-7 concentrations than control group (1.80 ± 1.62 vs. 1.41 ± 0.45 ng/mL, p = 0.04). No significant differences between PAD patients and IHD patients were found (1.80 ± 1.62 vs. 1.76 ± 1.04 ng/mL, p = 0.783). Patients with multilevel PAD presented significantly higher IGFBP-7 concentrations than patients with aortoiliac PAD—median 1.18 (IQR 0.48–2.23) vs. 1.42 ng/mL (0.71–2.63), p = 0.035. In the group of patients who died or had a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) during six months of follow-up, a statistically significant higher IGFBP-7 concentration was found (median 2.66 (IQR 1.80–4.93) vs. 1.36 ng/mL (IQR 0.65–2.34), p = 0.004). It seems that IGFBP-7 is elevated in patients with atherosclerotic lesions—regardless of their locations. Further research should be conducted to verify IGFBP-7 usefulness as a predictor of MACE or death

Gut Microbiome in Chronic Coronary Syndrome Patients

Despite knowledge of classical coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors, the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease remain high. Therefore, new factors that may affect the development of CAD, such as the gut microbiome, are extensively investigated. This study aimed to evaluate gut microbiome composition in CAD patients in relation to the control group. We examined 169 CAD patients and 166 people in the control group, without CAD, matched in terms of age and sex to the study group. Both populations underwent a detailed health assessment. The microbiome analysis was based on the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene (NGS method). Among 4074 identified taxonomic units in the whole population, 1070 differed between study groups. The most common bacterial types were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Furthermore, a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the CAD group compared with the control was demonstrated. Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, independent of age, sex, CAD status, LDL cholesterol concentration, and statins treatment, was related to altered phosphatidylcholine concentrations obtained in targeted metabolomics. Altered alpha-biodiversity (Kruskal–Wallis test, p = 0.001) and beta-biodiversity (Bray–Curtis metric, p < 0.001) in the CAD group were observed. Moreover, a predicted functional analysis revealed some taxonomic units, metabolic pathways, and proteins that might be characteristic of the CAD patients’ microbiome, such as increased expressions of 6-phospho-β-glucosidase and protein-N(pi)-phosphohistidine-sugar phosphotransferase and decreased expressions of DNA topoisomerase, oxaloacetate decarboxylase, and 6-beta-glucosidase. In summary, CAD is associated with altered gut microbiome composition and function

Hyperon signatures in the PANDA experiment at FAIR

We present a detailed simulation study of the signatures from the sequential decays of the triple-strange pbar p -> Ω+Ω- -> K+ΛbarK- Λ -> K+pbarπ+K-pπ- process in the PANDA central tracking system with focus on hit patterns and precise time measurement. We present a systematic approach for studying physics channels at the detector level and develop input criteria for tracking algorithms and trigger lines. Finally, we study the beam momentum dependence on the reconstruction efficiency for the PANDA detector