Prevalence and clinical characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis in Poland : a nationwide study

Introduction: There are no reliable data regarding the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Poland. Material and methods: The first stage was a face-to-face survey on a nationwide representative sample of 3000 people, which identified respondents with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of RA. The second stage was a survey of RA patients, which characterized the disease course and treatment. It was evaluated by analysis of a representative group of 1957 RA patients in routine clinical practice. Results: The overall RA prevalence in Poland was 0.9% (95% CI: 0.6–1.2%), 1.06% for women, 0.74% for men. Seventy-eight percent were female, mean age was 56 and mean disease duration 7 years. Younger patients (< 50) remained professionally active in 90% of cases. Thirty percent of patients were diagnosed within 3 months of the first RA symptoms, while for 17% it took more than 1 year. Fifty-six percent of newly diagnosed patients were characterized by high disease activity (DAS-28 > 5.1). Presently, low disease activity (DAS-28 < 3.2) was found in 38.5% of patients. In Poland, 94% of patients have been treated with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, almost 80% with glucocorticoids. Meanwhile, methotrexate, as an anchor drug in Poland, has been used by 80% of patients, biological agents by 2.94% of patients. Conclusions: This is the first cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study regarding prevalence of RA in the adult Polish population. The results demonstrate a high prevalence, falling within the upper boundary estimates for Europe. Despite ongoing treatment, the majority still have moderate to high disease activity, and the use of biological therapies is low

Beamforming of LOFAR Radio-Telescope for Passive Radiolocation Purposes

This paper presents the results of investigations on the beamforming of a low-frequency radio-telescope LOFAR which can be used as a receiver in passive coherent location (PCL) radars for aerial and space object detection and tracking. The use of a LOFAR radio-telescope for the passive tracking of space objects can be a highly cost-effective solution due to the fact that most of the necessary equipment needed for passive radiolocation already exists in the form of LOFAR stations. The capability of the radiolocation of planes by a single LOFAR station in Borowiec is considered to be ‘proof of concept’ for future research focused on the localization of space objects. Beam patterns of single sets of LOFAR antennas (known as tiles), as well as for the entire LOFAR station, are presented and thoroughly discussed in the paper. Issues related to grating lobes in LOFAR beam patterns are also highlighted. A beamforming algorithm used for passive radiolocation purposes, exploiting data collected by a LOFAR station, is also discussed. The results of preliminary experiments carried out with real signals collected by the LOFAR station in Borowiec, Poland confirm that the appropriate beamforming can significantly increase the radar’s detection range, as well as the detection’s certainty

Mutagenesis and Adaptation of the Psychrotrophic Fungus Chrysosporium pannorum A-1 as a Method for Improving β-pinene Bioconversion

Mutagenesis and adaptation of the psychrotrophic fungus Chrysosporium pannorum A-1 to the toxic substrate &beta;-pinene were used to obtain a biocatalyst with increased resistance to this terpene and improved bioconversion properties. Mutants of the parental strain were induced with UV light and N-methyl-N&prime;-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Mutants resistant to &beta;-pinene were isolated using agar plates with a linear gradient of substrate concentrations. Active mutants were selected based on their general metabolic activity (GMA) expressed as oxygen consumption rate. Compared to the parental strain, the most active mutant showed an enhanced biotransformation ability to convert &beta;-pinene to trans-pinocarveol (315 mg per g of dry mycelium), a 4.3-fold greater biocatalytic activity, and a higher resistance to H2O2-induced oxidative stress. Biotransformation using adapted mutants yielded twice as much trans-pinocarveol as the reaction catalyzed by non-adapted mutants. The results indicate that mutagenesis and adaptation of C. pannorum A-1 is an effective method of enhancing &beta;-bioconversion of terpenes

Experimental Verification of the Concept of Using LOFAR Radio-Telescopes as Receivers in Passive Radiolocation Systems

The paper presents a new idea of using a low-frequency radio-telescope belonging to the LOFAR network as a receiver in a passive radar system. The structure of a LOFAR radio-telescope station is described in the context of applying this radio-telescope for detection of aerial (airplanes) and space (satellite) targets. The theoretical considerations and description of the proposed signal processing schema for the passive radar based on a LOFAR radio-telescope are outlined in the paper. The results of initial experiments verifying the concept of a LOFAR station use as a receiver and a commercial digital radio broadcasting (DAB) transmitters as illuminators of opportunity for aerial object detection are presented

Comorbidity burden and clinical characteristics of patients with difficult-to-control rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a significant clinical problem despite no clear definition. We aimed to provide clinical characteristics and associated comorbidities of RA patients in relation to disease control. Methods: RA characteristics and physician-recorded comorbidities were analyzed in a sample of 1937 RA patients. Patients treated for RA for 5.2 y (IQR, 2.1–11.3) were classified as difficult-to-control when presenting with DAS28-ESR &gt; 3.2 despite previous use of at least 2 csDMARDs. A comparison of demographic and RA-related characteristics between difficult-to-treat and low disease activity patients (DAS28-ESR ≤ 3.2) was performed. Comorbidity burden was assessed by calculating Rheumatic Diseases Comorbidity Index (RDCI). Logistic regression model was constructed for difficult-to-control disease. Results: Hypertension (46.9% (95%CI, 44.7–49.2)), coronary artery disease (CAD) (18.5% (95%CI, 16.8–20.3)), and diabetes (14.4% (95%CI, 12.9–16.0)) were the most prevalent conditions in RA patients. When compared with the adequate control group, difficult-to-control patients were increasingly burdened with hypertension (52.7% (95%CI, 47.5–57.8) vs. 42.0% (95%CI, 36.6–47.6); p = 0.006), cardiovascular diseases (24.2% (95%CI, 20.1–28.9) vs. 11.1% (95%CI, 8.0–15.1); p &lt; 0.001), respiratory system diseases (7.0% (95%CI, 4.8–10.2) vs. 3.3% (95%CI, 1.8–5.9); p = 0.03) and gastroduodenal ulcers (2.3% (95%CI, 1.2–4.4) vs. 0.3% (95%CI, 0.1–1.8); p = 0.04). Patients with higher RDCI had lower chance to obtain low disease activity (OR 0.69 (95%CI, 0.61–0.79); p &lt; 0.001). In multivariate analysis, RDCI was independently associated with difficult-to-control disease (OR 1.46 (95%CI, 1.21–1.76); p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: RA patients suffer from a variety of comorbidities. Cardiovascular and respiratory system diseases occur twice as often in difficult-to-control patients. RDCI may provide a valuable tool in evaluating a risk for difficult-to-control RA