Duplicated collecting system of a kidney complicated with hydronephrosis : diagnostic methods review : a case report

Background: Duplicated collecting system of a kidney occurs in 1.7-4.2% of the population. It is a complex, unilateral or bilateral, congenital abnormality of the pyelocalyceal system and the ureter. The 2 ureters fuse to form a single ureteral orifice or empty separately into the bladder (ureter duplex). Duplicated collecting systems with complete ureteric duplication may lead to developing vesicoureteral reflux, hydronephrosis, and urinary infection. Case Report: This article presents a case of a 49-year-old woman with duplicated collecting system and hydronephrosis in the upper pole. The anomaly was diagnosed using urography, ultrasonography and computed tomography examination. Conclusions: The best method for diagnostics of the duplicated pyelocalyceal system complicated by hydronephrosis is computed tomography examination, especially multislice computed tomography. The authors present also the options for therapy

Model prodłużniczy i model prowierzycielski – porównanie skuteczności prawa upadłościowego

Research background: Bankruptcy in court proceedings has been of interest to researchers for many years. Researchers look for internal and external factors which influence the effectiveness and efficiency of bankruptcy proceedings; for example, the impact of the country’s level of development on the efficiency of bankruptcy proceedings, a system of incentives for the active participation of creditors in bankruptcy proceedings to increase their recovery rate, and mechanisms which encourage the early filing of an application for bankruptcy. Against the background of the research to date, a research gap was identified in the scope of the impact of the bankruptcy (pro-debtor/pro-creditor) law model on the effectiveness of the calculated recovery rate for creditors. The research fills a cognitive gap in New Institutional Economics by examining formal institutions in action, i.e. whether bankruptcy law meets its objectives in practice.Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to answer the question of which model answers the expectations of stakeholders – creditors who expect the highest possible rate of return. Poland is an example of a country where since 2016 there has been a change in the model of bankruptcy law from pro-creditor to pro-debtor.Methods: The authors of the article conducted constant monitoring of the effectiveness of bankruptcy law in Poland through the examination of bankruptcy proceedings filed in bankruptcy and restructuring courts. The research on the efficiency of bankruptcyproceedings was based on the analysis of files from bankruptcy proceedings conducted at the District Court in Warsaw. The analysis covered the period i) from 01.01.2004 to 31.12.2015 n=150 files of the pro-creditor model of bankruptcy proceedings and ii) from 01.01.2016 to 31.12.2019 n=66 files of the pro-debtor model of bankruptcy proceedings. The statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics Program Version 26. The Kruskal–Wallis H non-parametric test was employed.Findings & Value added: The results of the research show that the new pro-debtor model of bankruptcy proceedings implemented in Poland after 31 December 2015 is less effective than the previous pro-creditor model of bankruptcy proceedings. In the pro-creditor model, creditors’ interests are managed more effectively. Practice shows that frequent changes in the law and model of bankruptcy law do not contribute to its effectiveness and efficiency. It seems that the stabilization of legal solutions is an important factor. The legal activity should be aimed at improving the solutions in force and their consolidation in the case law. Unfortunately, in Poland, entrepreneurs as well as citizens, due to its communist past, do not trust the legal system, formal institutions or other people (ESS 2020). For this reason, the pro-debtor model of bankruptcy proceedings may also have a negative impact on the development of Polish entrepreneurship in the future. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have made a comparison of the effectiveness of the pro-creditor and pro-debtor models of bankruptcy proceedings in a transition country such as Poland. Research data encompassing 16 years over the period of 2004–2019 used in the analysis is unprecedented in bankruptcy procedure studies in the post‑transition economies. Also, a set of indicators showing the effectiveness of bankruptcy proceedings employed in the research is unique.Tło badawcze: Upadłość w postępowaniu sądowym od wielu lat interesuje badaczy. Poszukują oni czynników wewnętrznych i zewnętrznych, które wpływają na skuteczność i efektywność postępowań upadłościowych, np. wpływ poziomu rozwoju kraju na efektywność postępowań upadłościowych, system zachęt do aktywnego udziału wierzycieli w postępowaniu upadłościowym w celu zwiększenia ich odzysku czy mechanizmy zachęcające do wcześniejszego składania wniosków o bankructwo. Na tle dotychczasowych badań zidentyfikowano lukę badawczą w zakresie wpływu modelu prawa upadłościowego (prodłużniczy / prowierzycielski) na efektywność wyliczanej stopy odzysku dla wierzycieli. Badania uzupełniają lukę poznawczą w Nowej Ekonomii Instytucjonalnej, biorąc na warsztat instytucje formalne w działaniu, tj. czy prawo upadłościowe spełnia w praktyce swoje cele.Cel artykułu: Celem artykułu jest odpowiedź na pytanie, który model odpowiada na oczekiwania interesariuszy – wierzycieli, którzy oczekują najwyższej możliwej stopy zwrotu. Polska jest przykładem kraju, w którym od 2016 r. nastąpiła zmiana modelu prawa upadłościowego z prowierzycielskiego na prodłużniczy.Metody badawcze: Autorzy artykułu prowadzili stały monitoring skuteczności prawa upadłościowego w Polsce poprzez badanie postępowań upadłościowych prowadzonych w sądach upadłościowych i restrukturyzacyjnych. Badanie efektywności postępowań upadłościowych oparto na analizie akt postępowań upadłościowych prowadzonych w Sądzie Okręgowym w Warszawie. Analizą objęto okres i) od 1 stycznia 2004 r. do31 grudnia 2015 r., n = 150, akt w prowierzycielskim modelu postępowania upadłościowego oraz ii) od 1 stycznia 2016 r. do 31 grudnia 2019 r., n = 66 akt, w prodłużniczym modelu postępowania upadłościowego. Analizy statystyczne przeprowadzono przy użyciu programu IBM SPSS Statistics, wersja 26. Zastosowano nieparametryczny test Kruskala–Wallisa H. Rezultaty badania: Wyniki badania wskazują, że nowy prodłużniczy model postępowania upadłościowego, wprowadzony w Polsce po 31 grudnia 2015 r., jest mniej efektywny niż dotychczasowy prowierzycielski model. W modelu pro-wierzycielskim skuteczniej zarządza się interesami wierzycieli. Praktyka pokazuje, że częste zmiany prawa i modelu prawa upadłościowego nie sprzyjają jego skuteczności i efektywności. Wydaje się, że ważnym czynnikiem jest stabilizacja rozwiązań prawnych. Działania prawne powinny mieć na celu doskonalenie obowiązujących rozwiązań oraz ich utrwalenie w orzecznictwie. Niestety, w Polsce zarówno przedsiębiorcy, jak i obywatele, ze względu na komunistyczną przeszłość, nie ufają systemowi prawnemu, instytucjom formalnym ani innym ludziom [ESS, 2020]. Z tego powodu prodłużniczy model postępowania upadłościowego może mieć również negatywny wpływ na rozwój polskiej przedsiębiorczości w przyszłości. Zgodnie z naszą najlepszą wiedzą, żadne wcześniejsze badania nie porównywały skuteczności prowierzycielskiego i prodłużniczego modelu postępowania upadłościowego w kraju postkomunistycznym, będącym w procesie transformacji, jakim jest Polska. Wykorzystane w analizie dane badawcze obejmujące 16 lat z lat 2004–2019 są unikalne w badaniach postępowań upadłościowych w gospodarkach posttransformacyjnych. Unikalny jest również zastosowany w badaniu zestaw wskaźników pokazujących skuteczność postępowań upadłościowych

Giant intracranial arteriovenous malformation : a case report

Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) occur in 0.5-1% of the population [1]. An arteriovenous malformation is a tangled cluster of vessels, in which arteries connect directly to veins with no intervening capillary bed. Because an intracranial hemorrhage, or, rarely, a seizure are the first clinical symptoms of AVMs, they are the most dangerous congenital vascular malformations [1, 3, 4, 5]. We report a case of a 37-year-old woman with a giant intracranial arteriovenous malformation, who complained of headache attacks. The lesion was diagnosed in computed tomography and computed angiotomography of the head. The first imaging study in patients with suspected AVM is usually CT or angio-CT. These studies are good for depicting an AVM, and they are relatively noninvasive. However, angiography used for the diagnosis and planned treatment is invasive. The authors present also the options for therapy

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) ore-bearing clays at Gnaszyn

Multidisciplinary studies of the Middle–Upper Bathonian ore-bearing clays at Gnaszyn revealed variable palaeoenvi- ronmental conditions during the deposition of this seemingly monotonous sequence. We interpret the conditions in the bottom environment and the photic zone, and also evaluate the influence of the adjacent land areas, based on sedi- mentology, geochemistry, sporomorphs and palynofacies composition, benthic (foraminifera, gastropods, bivalves, scaphopods, echinoderms), planktonic (calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellate cysts), and nektonic (sharks) fossils. The Gnaszyn succession originated relatively close to the shore, within reach of an intense supply of terrestrial fine clas- tic and organic particles. The latter are mainly of terrestrial origin and range from 1.5 to 2.5 wt.%. The precise water depth is difficult to estimate but most likely ranges from several tens of metres to a few hundred metres. All fossil groups show minor changes throughout the succession. As the climate seems to have been quite stable during this period we consider sea-level fluctuations to have been the main factor responsible for the changes. The terrestrial input, includ- ing freshwater and land-derived clastic and organic particles (sporomorphs and cuticles), increased during periods of sea-level lowstand. As a consequence, stress conditions (lower salinity, higher nutrient availability, lower water trans- parency) in the photic zone caused blooms of opportunistic planktonic taxa. Furthermore, a faster sedimentation rate led to oxygen depletion and deterioration of the living conditions in the bottom environment due to an increased accumulation of organic matter. As a result, the benthic biota became taxonomically impoverished and commonly dominated by juvenile forms. During periods of high sea level, the source areas were shifted away from the basin, resulting in a decrease in the terrestrial influx, increase in the salinity of surface waters, the appearance of more diverse phytoplank- ton assemblages, a lower sedimentation rate, and an improvement of living conditions at the bottom

POM/EVA Blends with Future Utility in Fused Deposition Modeling

Polyoxymethylene (POM) is one of the most popular thermoplastic polymers used in the industry. Therefore, the interest in its potential applications in rapid prototyping is understandable. Nevertheless, its low dimensional stability causes the warping of 3D prints, limiting its applications. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of POM modification with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 wt.%) on its processing (by melt flow index), structure (by X-ray microcomputed tomography), and properties (by static tensile tests, surface resistance, contact angle measurements, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis), as well as very rarely analyzed emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (by headspace analysis). Performed modifications decreased stiffness and strength of the material, simultaneously enhancing its ductility, which simultaneously increased the toughness even by more than 50% for 7.5 wt.% EVA loading. Such an effect was related to an improved linear flow rate resulting in a lack of defects inside the samples. The decrease of the melting temperature and the slight increase of thermal stability after the addition of EVA broadened the processing window for 3D printing. The 3D printing trials on two different printers showed that the addition of EVA copolymer increased the possibility of a successful print without defects, giving space for further development

Obraz radiologiczny dużego potworniaka śródpiersia przedniego

Background: Teratomas belong to germ cell tumors. They are frequently found in gonads, but appear as well in mediastinum and other locations. They are usually benign. Case report: We present a case of a 51-year-old male patient with big teratoma in the anterior mediastinum, which was diagnosed a long time ago. This lesion was found on Computed Tomography examination, surgically resected and histopathologically confirmed. Conclusions: CT findings of teratomas are characteristic enough to allow a diagnosis of high probability. Surgical resection is a sufficient treatment

Giant congenital malformation of the perirectal plexus in computed tomography imaging : case report

Background: Congenital arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the pelvic area is uncommon in males. Case Report: The described case is of a giant lesion of this type that caused recurrent hemorrhaging in the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract. Preliminary diagnosis of vascular pathology was made on the basis of an endoscopic examination that revealed numerous pulsating protuberances of the rectal wall, in which blood flow was identified by means of transrectal ultrasonography. Complementing the diagnostics with a CT revealed a considerable extent of malformation, as well as its morphology and anatomical relations with the surrounding tissues. Results: Following a two-year follow-up period, the malformation did not progress or demonstrate any intensification of clinical symptoms, therefore the patient continues to undergo conservative treatment

Trudności diagnostyczne w różnicowaniu guzów neurogennych przestrzeni przygardłowej w obrazach uzyskanych metodą spiralnej tomografii komputerowej : opis przypadku

Background: Computerized tomography (CT) with contrast infusion and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play important roles in establishing the place of origin of neurogenic tumors. In this article we do not compare these two methods, but focus on the crucial role of CT imaging in the estimation and differential diagnosis of these tumors. Case report: We present the case of a 50-year-old man with clinical symptoms of peritonsillar abscess, which appeared to be a neurogenic tumor. The images obtained were deemed ambiguous. The possibility of a parotid gland tumor or a tumor of neurogenic origin was assumed. Results: In this case we observed atypical clinical and radiological symptoms. The final diagnosis was based on a combination of radiological, clinical, and microbiological features of the tumor. Thanks to the cooperation of many professionals, we managed to establish the diagnosis of neuroangiofibroma, which exemplifies a tumor of the borderline, including elements of the neurogenic sheath and connective and chromaffin tissue