Systemic sclerosis – review of current data and latest reports

Introduction: Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, vasculopathy and dysregulation of the immune system. It has the highest mortality rate among rheumatologic diseases. SSc causes high economic and social costs. Aim of the study: The purpose of this review is to present the current state of knowledge and recent reports on the pathophysiology, clinical manifestation and treatment of SSc. Materials and methods: A search was conducted using PubMed and GoogleScholar databases. Articles were searched in English using the following keywords: "systemic sclerosis", "scleroderma", "treatment", "symptoms", "pathophysiology". Conclusions: Although the prognosis of SSc remains poor, optimized patient diagnosis along with ongoing advances in therapy could significantly impact the effectiveness of disease management in the near future. It is anticipated that there will be a growing need for further development of combination therapies to better treat this complex disease

Automatic stabilization of finite-element simulations using neural networks and hierarchical matrices

Petrov–Galerkin formulations with optimal test functions allow for the stabilization of finite element simulations. In particular, given a discrete trial space, the optimal test space induces a numerical scheme delivering the best approximation in terms of a problem-dependent energy norm. This ideal approach has two shortcomings: first, we need to explicitly know the set of optimal test functions; and second, the optimal test functions may have large supports inducing expensive dense linear systems. A concise proposal on how to overcome these shortcomings has been raised during the last decade by the Discontinuous Petrov–Galerkin (DPG) methodology. However, DPG has also some limitations and difficulties: the method requires ultraweak variational formulations, obtained through a hybridization process, which is not trivial to implement at the discrete level. Our motivation is to offer a simpler alternative for the case of parametric PDEs, which can be used with any variational formulation. Indeed, parametric families of PDEs are an example where it is worth investing some (offline) computational effort to obtain stabilized linear systems that can be solved efficiently in an online stage, for a given range of parameters. Therefore, as a remedy for the first shortcoming, we explicitly compute (offline) a function mapping any PDE parameter, to the matrix of coefficients of optimal test functions (in some basis expansion) associated with that PDE parameter. Next, as a remedy for the second shortcoming, we use the low-rank approximation to hierarchically compress the (non-square) matrix of coefficients of optimal test functions. In order to accelerate this process, we train a neural network to learn a critical bottleneck of the compression algorithm (for a given set of PDE parameters). When solving online the resulting (compressed) Petrov–Galerkin formulation, we employ a GMRES iterative solver with inexpensive matrix–vector multiplications thanks to the low-rank features of the compressed matrix. We perform experiments showing that the full online procedure is as fast as an (unstable) Galerkin approach. We illustrate our findings by means of 2D–3D Eriksson–Johnson problems, together with 2D Helmholtz equation

Melatonin – a verified remedy for jet lag? Current state of knowledge

Jet lag is a circadian rhythm disorder, affecting plane passengers travelling across multiple time zones. The severity of symptoms is strictly connected with the number of zones crossed. Common symptoms include: insomnia, difficulty concentrating attention, memory loss, anxiety, diarrhea, confusion, dizziness, headache, as well as malaise. Melatonin is a neurohormone, produced by the pineal gland. The hormone is released into the bloodstream and acts on MT1 and MT2 receptors, having the ability to induce sleep. Melatonin is therefore responsible for regulating the human biological clock and, consequently, the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. Synthetic forms of melatonin have become a potential medication for various circadian rhythm disorders, including jet lag syndrome. Ten scientific reports were analyzed. The characteristics of the subjects, directions of the trips taken, the doses of melatonin, as well as the patterns of its administration, differed among studies. According to most of the reviewed trials, melatonin may have a beneficial effect on alleviating jet lag symptoms. The timing of intake plays a significant role – it has proven most effective when taken days before travel. However, several studies have not confirmed its effectiveness, compared to placebo. Further research seems to be inevitable to objectively reassess the effectiveness of melatonin preparations. Unambiguous determination of the melatonin dosage, the timing of its administration, the time of initiation, and the duration of the treatment would also be advisable. Nevertheless, all of the mentioned trials confirmed that the use of oral melatonin preparations, especially at low doses, turned out to be free of serious side effects

Macrophage activation syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus - a case report

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening condition that results from the immune system hyperactivation. The primary form of HLH appears mainly in children and is caused by a genetically determined failure of NK and T cells. Secondary (acquired) HLH usually occurs due to insufficiency of these cells caused by other disease entities or drugs. Potential factors that may be responsible for the appearance of this rare condition include: malignancies (especially lymphomas), infections (EBV, CMV, HIV), autoimmune diseases (SLE, Still’s disease). The clinical appearance of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is dominated by persistent fever, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, pallor of the skin, signs of hemorrhagic diathesis, lymph node enlargement. Characteristic abnormalities in laboratory tests include: hypertriglyceridemia, cytopenia, hyperferritinemia, hyperfibrinogenemia and hypertransaminasemia. One subtype of the secondary form of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which is associated with rheumatic diseases, is called the macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). The following describes a case of a 26-year-old woman with exacerbated systemic lupus erythematosus, who was admitted to a Rheumatology Unit in severe general condition. Clinical presentation of the patient included primarily: long-lasting fever, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Various test were performed during her hospitalization, including laboratory test and a bone marrow biopsy. Finally, the woman was diagnosed with the macrophage activation syndrome. She was successfully treated with ciclosporin and methylprednisolone

Gender differences in body experience - a comparison of people with and without tattoos

Tattooing is a body modification practice that an increasing number of people, regardless of age, education or gender, are opting for. Previous quantitative research on the population of people with tattoos has mainly focused on differences in various personal characteristics, but has not focused on the bodily experience of people with tattoos. The aim of the present study was to examine differences in body image, body schema and body sense in people with and without tattoos. Two hundred and eleven people participated in the study, 108 of whom had at least one tattoo. Respondents completed a set of questionnaires: The Battery of Tests of The Body Self Representations and a demographic questionnaire. Our study showed that there were no significant differences in terms of mental body representations in people with and without tattoos. The main differences in terms of mental body representations were between men and women without tattoos. The present study suggests the need for a deeper understanding of the importance of tattoo for bodily experience

Multipotential properties of eugenol in pharmacology - comprehensive review of current state of knowledge

Introduction and purpose: Eugenol is a well-known phenolic chemical substance that can be found in clove oil. Due to its multi-potential properties, it arouse more and more interest from scientists. The possibility of using it as a therapeutic substance in many diseases is being sought. The aim of this review is to summarize the latest information on eugenol, explanation its mechanisms of action and to demonstrate the expanding therapeutic potential.Materials and methods: The literature available on PubMed, Google Scholar was reviewed using the words: “eugenol”; “antibacterial”; “antifungal” ;“antiinflammatory” Description of the state of knowledge: Eugenol demonstrates many pharmacological properties, of which the most essential is the ability to inhibit the growth and eradication of many human pathogens. Its wide spectrum of action covers Gram-negative bacteria as well as some Gram-positive bacteria. Eugenol also represents fungicidal properties, and the mechanism of its action is seen in its ability to deform and disrupt the cell membrane of pathogens. After eugenol penetrates  through the cell membrane excessive amounts ROS are formed and next fatty acids that build the cell membrane are modified, which ultimately leads to the lysis of the pathogen cell. Research on eugenol also proves its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties by blocking cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase. The effectiveness of eugenol is comparable to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.  Summary: Based on the promising results of recent research on the properties of eugenol, it can be expected that in the future it will be used in the production of new therapeutic agents. However, it seems reasonable to conduct more large clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of eugenol before it is introduced as a therapeutic agent

Anxiety disorders - a common problem about which we still don’t know enough

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders. Up to one-third of the population suffers from them during their lifetime. An important problem is also the lack of awareness of patients about their disease. Only half of the anxiety disorders are diagnosed. Only a fifth of people suffering from anxiety disorders sought help from a specialist doctor. Only a third of patients are offered pharmacological treatment. The main symptom of this disease is an increased and intense feeling of anxiety. It is also associated with many other physical symptoms. It is correlative with a reduced quality of life and functioning in society. Diagnosis of anxiety disorders is very difficult due to the lack of specific imaging and laboratory tests that may be helpful in making or suggest a diagnosis. There is also a correlation between these disorders and the occurrence of depressive disorders, which is why the problem is complex and requires increased diagnostic sensitivity. Worldwide, anxiety disorders are underdiagnosed and undertreated, that's why it's so important to be aware of this disease entity. Prompt intervention by a physician is very important due to the increased frequency of suicides. The basic treatment is medication therapy with drugs from the SSRI and SNRI group combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Quick diagnosis and implementation of treatment contributes to a significant improvement in the quality of life of patients

Gender differences in body experience - a comparison of people with and without tattoos

Tattooing is a body modification practice that an increasing number of people, regardless of age, education or gender, are opting for. Previous quantitative research on the population of people with tattoos has mainly focused on differences in various personal characteristics, but has not focused on the bodily experience of people with tattoos. The aim of the present study was to examine differences in body image, body schema and body sense in people with and without tattoos. Two hundred and eleven people participated in the study, 108 of whom had at least one tattoo. Respondents completed a set of questionnaires: The Battery of Tests of The Body Self Representations and a demographic questionnaire. Our study showed that there were no significant differences in terms of mental body representations in people with and without tattoos. The main differences in terms of mental body representations were between men and women without tattoos. The present study suggests the need for a deeper understanding of the importance of tattoo for bodily experience

The bibliography of translations of Croatian literature in Poland in the period 2007-2012

Bibliografia przekładów literatury chorwackiej w Polsce w latach 2007—2012, obejmująca przekłady książek i przekłady publikowane w czasopismach.Bibliografija prijevoda hrvatske književnosti u Poljskoj u razdoblju 2007-2012 koja obuhvaća prijevode knjiga i prijevode objavljene u časopisima.The bibliography of translations of Croatian literature in Poland in the period 2007-2012 which includes translations of the books and translations in periodicals