Analysis of changes in the morphology of erythrocytes – microscopic evaluation of peripheral blood smears

Microscopic assessment of peripheral blood smears belongs to the basic techniques of quantitative and qualitative analysis of leukocytes, erythrocytes and platelets. Modern hematology analyzers allow accurate and precise assessment of blood cells, flagging parameters that are beyond the limit of the norm. Despite advanced technologies, the automatic peripheral blood smear is devoid of detailed data on abnormalities in the shape of erythrocytes, the presence of inclusions and erythroblasts, which can only be obtained by manual evaluation of peripheral blood smears. The following work aims to highlight the role of manual evaluation of peripheral blood smears, with particular emphasis on the assessment of abnormalities in the morphology of erythrocytes, which despite the passage of time should still be routinely performed as a supplement to modern diagnostic tools

Methods of preventing and retarding the progression of myopia

Myopia is an increasing problem worldwide. Its prevalence is predicted to over 4 billion of people in 2050, what would be almost 50% of the population. Therefore, authors have analyzed available literature in terms of treatment that may be able to prevent or slow the progression of myopia. There are risk factors such as genetic factors which nowadays could not be modified. However, there are other risk factor such as near work or protective factor such as time spent outdoor which could be modified. Moreover, therapeutic interventions seem to play more significant role. Among available methods it is mentioned: pharmacology including drops of atropine and pirenzepine, undercorrection, contact lenses, orthokeratology, bifocal or multifocal spectacles and soft multifocal contact lenses. Methods are described with their mechanism of action and efficacy

Nutrition of healthy infants

The daily energy requirement of infants depends on age, sex and body weight. Breastfeeding is the most appropriate way to feed babies in the first 6 months of their lives. According to WHO recommendations, one should aim for exclusive breast-feeding for the first 6 months of your child's life. After 6 months, the baby's diet should be extended, continuing breastfeeding. It is recommended to continue feeding with the mother's milk, according to the WHO, until the second year of life, and according to AAP up to 12 months, with the simultaneous introduction of supplementary foods. When, for various reasons, it is not possible to feed the infant with mother's milk, the products substituting for female milk are used. Infant formula is intended for children under 6 months of age and fully satisfies the nutritional needs of an infant. Complementary Feeding should be started between 17 and 26 weeks of age

Modern Diagnostic Techniques for the Assessment of Ocular Blood Flow in Myopia: Current State of Knowledge

Myopia is the most common refractive error and the subject of interest of various studies assessing ocular blood flow. Increasing refractive error and axial elongation of the eye result in the stretching and thinning of the scleral, choroid, and retinal tissues and the decrease in retinal vessel diameter, disturbing ocular blood flow. Local and systemic factors known to change ocular blood flow include glaucoma, medications and fluctuations in intraocular pressure, and metabolic parameters. Techniques and tools assessing ocular blood flow include, among others, laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), retinal function imager (RFI), laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), pulsatile ocular blood flowmeter (POBF), fundus pulsation amplitude (FPA), colour Doppler imaging (CDI), and Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT). Many researchers consistently reported lower blood flow parameters in myopic eyes regardless of the used diagnostic method. It is unclear whether this is a primary change that causes secondary thinning of ocular tissues or quite the opposite; that is, the mechanical stretching of the eye wall reduces its thickness and causes a secondary lower demand of tissues for oxygen. This paper presents a review of studies assessing ocular blood flow in myopes

THE USE OF ELECTROPHORESIS IN THE ANALYSIS OF BINDING AGENTS

The authors of the present work have carried out studies on the use of disc electrophoresis on polyacrylamid gel to analyze protein binders. Standard electrophoregrams were made of seven binders (hide glue, gelatine, sturgeon glue, egg white, egg yolk, glue from oats and from rye flour). The proteins were then subjected to aging by means of UV radiation, oxygen and temperature. The results obtained have shown the usefulness of the examined method as a way of identifying protein binders. The only identification problem was to differentiate hide glue from gelatine, although this difficulty was due to the fact that an initial protein was collagen from mammals. In the majority of cases, disc electrophoresis on polyacrylamid gel has been found very useful. One of the biggest advantages of that method is the confidence in identification and small quantities of samples necessary to make the analysis (from 20 to 50 mg of protein). It may be believed that this method shall become a compromise between the interests of conservators and of analytical chemists

Chemokines and Growth Factors Produced by Lymphocytes in the Incompetent Great Saphenous Vein

The role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of chronic venous disease (CVD) remains obscure. It has been postulated that oscillatory flow present in incompetent veins causes proinflammatory changes. Our earlier study confirmed this hypothesis. This study is aimed at assessing chemokines and growth factors (GFs) released by lymphocytes in patients with great saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence. In 34 patients exhibiting reflux in GSV, blood was derived from the cubital vein and from the incompetent saphenofemoral junction. In 12 healthy controls, blood was derived from the cubital vein. Lymphocyte culture with and without stimulation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was performed. Eotaxin, interleukin 8 (IL-8), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 A and 1B (MIP-1A and MIP-1B), interferon gamma-induced protein (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin 5 (IL-5), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were assessed in culture supernatants by a Bio-Plex assay. Higher concentrations of eotaxin and G-CSF were revealed in the incompetent GSV, compared with the concentrations in the patients’ upper limbs. The concentrations of MIP-1A and MIP-1B were higher in the CVD group while the concentration of VEGF was lower. In the stimulated cultures, the concentration of G-CSF proved higher in the incompetent GSV, as compared with the patients’ upper limbs. Between the groups, the concentration of eotaxin was higher in the CVD group, while the IL-5 and MCP-1 concentrations were lower. IL-8, IP-10, FGF, GM-CSF, and PDGF-BB did not reveal any significant differences in concentrations between the samples. These observations suggest that the concentrations of chemokines and GFs are different in the blood of CVD patients. The oscillatory flow present in incompetent veins may play a role in these changes. However, the role of cytokines in CVD requires further study

Krótkowzroczność. Definicja i podział według najnowszej wiedzy

Myopia is the main cause of vision decrease, being the most common refractive error. There are many classifications of myopia based on the size of refractive error, heredity, time of onset, fundus details and axial length of the eyeball. There is a great deal of inconsistency in the literature in this regard. Many descriptive terms as well as classifications defining types of myopia can be found, which leads to difficulties when comparing research results. The purpose of this article is to present the current definition and classification of myopia based on a review of the PubMed literature from the last 5 years.Krótkowzroczność jest główną przyczyną zaburzeń widzenia, będąc najczęstszą wadą refrakcji. Istnieje wiele podziałów krótkowzroczności uwzględniających wielkość wady refrakcji, dziedziczność, moment pojawienia się wady refrakcji, stan szczegółów dna oka czy długość osiową gałki ocznej. W literaturze istnieje duża niespójność w tym zakresie. Można znaleźć wiele terminów opisowych, jak również klasyfikacji określających rodzaje krótkowzroczności, co prowadzi do trudności przy porównywaniu wyników badań. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie aktualnej definicji i podziału krótkowzorczności na podstawie przeglądu piśmiennictwa PubMed z ostatnich 5 lat

Haemorrhagic shock and heart function

During haemorrhagic shock and resuscitation heart function is infl uenced by nervous, humoral and local factors. Nervous regulation includes threephasic changes of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system activities. In the fi rst phase, tachycardia is observed as a response to a fall in blood pressure and baroreceptor-mediated increase of the sympathetic activity. The second phase, characterized by bradycardia, is associated with a Bezold-Jarisch refl ex and increased parasympathetic activity; in the third hipophase, heart rate increases again, probably due to sympathetic stimulation. In this review, we present also humoral (testosterone, estrogens, prolactin, interleukin 6 [IL-6], hydrogen sulphide) and the local factors (tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α]) aff ecting heart function in hemorrhagic shock.W stanie wstrząsu krwotocznego oraz resuscytacji wpływ na czynność serca mają czynniki nerwowe, humoralne i produkowane miejscowo. W regulacji nerwowej wyróżnia się trójfazowe zmiany aktywności układu współczulnego i przywspółczulnego, a co za tym idzie, zmiany czynności serca. W pierwszej fazie dochodzi do tachykardii na skutek odbarczenia baroreceptorów tętniczych i odruchowego pobudzenia układu współczulnego, w fazie drugiej występuje bradykardia, jako następstwo odruchu Bezolda i Jarischa oraz zwiększenia aktywności układu przywspółczulnego i hamowania układu współczulnego. Trzecia faza regulacji charakteryzuje się ponownym wzrostem częstości rytmu serca, prawdopodobnie wskutek pobudzenia układu współczulnego. W pracy omówiono także wpływ na czynność serca czynników humoralnych (testosteron, estrogeny, prolaktyna, interleukina 6 [IL-6], siarkowodór) oraz produkowanych lokalnie (czynnik martwicy guza α [TNF-α])

Cytokines Produced by Lymphocytes in the Incompetent Great Saphenous Vein

The pathogenesis of chronic venous disease (CVD) remains unclear, but lately inflammation is suggested to have an important role in its development. This study is aimed at assessing cytokines released by lymphocytes in patients with great saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence. In 34 patients exhibiting oscillatory flow (reflux) in GSV, blood was derived from the cubital vein and from the incompetent sapheno-femoral junction. In 12 healthy controls, blood was derived from the cubital vein. Lymphocyte culture with and without stimulation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was performed. Interleukins (IL) 1β, 2, 4, 10, 12 (p70), and 17A; interleukin 1 receptor α (IL-1ra); tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); interferon-gamma (IFN-γ); and RANTES were assessed in culture supernatants by the Bio-Plex assay. In both stimulated and unstimulated samples, in the examined group, IL-1β and IFN-γ had higher concentrations and RANTES had lower concentrations when compared to those in the control group. In the examined group, IL-4 and IL-17A had higher concentrations without stimulation and TNF-α had higher concentrations with stimulation. The GSV samples had higher IL-2, IL-4, IL-12 (p70), and IFN-γ concentrations without stimulation and lower IL-2 and TNF-α concentrations with stimulation when compared to those of the upper limb in the examined group. These observations indicate that the oscillatory flow present in incompetent veins causes changes in the cytokine production by lymphocytes, promoting a proinflammatory profile. However, the relations between immunological cells, cytokines, and the endothelium require more insight