Modeling the Interplay of Oscillatory Synchronization and Aggregation via Cell-Cell Adhesion

We present a model of systems of cells with intracellular oscillators ('clocks'). This is motivated by examples from developmental biology and from the behavior of organisms on the threshold to multicellularity. Cells undergo random motion and adhere to each other. The adhesion strength between neighbors depends on their clock phases in addition to a constant baseline strength. The oscillators are linked via Kuramoto-type local interactions. The model is an advection-diffusion partial differential equation with nonlocal advection terms. We demonstrate that synchronized states correspond to Dirac-delta measure solutions of a weak version of the equation. To analyze the complex interplay of aggregation and synchronization, we then perform a linear stability analysis of the incoherent, spatially uniform state. This lets us classify possibly emerging patterns depending on model parameters. Combining these results with numerical simulations, we determine a range of possible far-from equilibrium patterns when baseline adhesion strength is zero: There is aggregation into separate synchronized clusters with or without global synchrony; global synchronization without aggregation; or unexpectedly a ``phase wave" pattern characterized by spatial gradients of clock phases. A 2D Lattice-Gas Cellular Automaton model confirms and illustrates these results

Zaćma wrodzona

Cataract is an eye disease that means opacification of the lens of the eye leading to partial or total blindness. It is common and treatable cause of blindness in children [1]. The prevalence of cataract in children worldwide ranges from 1 to 15 per 10,000. In developed countries, the incidence is 1 to 3 per 10,000 [2]. Cataracts can be detected using a prenatal ultrasound scan performed between 18 and 20 weeks of pregnancy [3,4,5]. Early detection of cataracts and rapid intervention are crucial in the development of normal vision, especially in newborns [4]. The article presents a case report of intrauterine ultrasonographic diagnosis of congenital cataract.                                                                                                                                        Zaćma, inaczej katarakta to choroba oczu polegająca na zmętnieniu soczewki i związaną z tym częściową lub całkowitą ślepotę . Jest ona często występującą uleczalną przyczyną ślepoty u dzieci[1]. Częstość występowania katarakty u dzieci na świecie wynosi od 1 do 15 na 10 000. W krajach rozwiniętych częstość występowania wynosi 1 do 3 na 10 000 [2]. Zaćma może zostać wykryta za pomocą prenatalnego badania USG wykonanego pomiędzy 18. a 20. tygodniem ciąży [3,4,5]. Wczesne wykrycie zaćmy i szybka interwencja mają kluczowe znaczenie w rozwoju prawidłowego widzenia, szczególnie u noworodków [4]. W artykule przedstawiono opis przypadku wewnątrzmacicznego ultrasonograficznego rozpoznania zaćmy wrodzonej.                                                                                                                               &nbsp

Jan Galarowicz, „Martin Heidegger, genialny myśliciel czy szaman?”, Wydawnictwo WAM, Kraków 2014, ss. 252, ISBN 978-83-277-0058-2 [recenzja]

Recenzja książki: Jan Galarowicz, „Martin Heidegger, genialny myśliciel czy szaman?”, Wydawnictwo WAM, Kraków 2014, ss. 252, ISBN 978-83-277-0058-

Effect of Cryogrinding on Chemical Stability of the Sparingly Water-Soluble Drug Furosemide

Purpose To investigate the effect of cryogrinding on chemical stability of the diuretic agent furosemide and its mixtures with selected excipients. Methods Furosemide was ground at liquid nitrogen temperature for 30, 60, 120 and 180 min. Mixtures of furosemide-PVP and furosemide-inulin (1:1) were milled under cryogenic conditions. Materials were analyzed by XRD, UPLC, MS and NMR. Results Upon increasing the milling time, a significant build-up of an unidentified impurity 1, probably the main degradation product, was noticed. Cogrinding of furosemide with PVP and inulin worsened chemical stabilization of the pharmaceutical. The main degradation product formed upon cryomilling was subsequently identified as 4-chloro-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid (CSA). Based on some theoretical considerations involving specific milling conditions, the milling intensity and an expected specific milling dose have been calculated. Results indicate that cryogenic grinding is capable to initiate mechanically induced decomposition of furosemide.Conclusions Cryogenic grinding can activate and accelerate not only structural changes (solid state amorphization) but also chemical decomposition of pharmaceuticals. A cryogenic milling device should be considered as a chemical reactor, where under favourable conditions chemical reactions could be mechanically initiated

Mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke – Five years of experience in Poland

Objectives Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not reimbursed by the Polish public health system. We present a description of 5 years of experience with MT in acute stroke in Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) in Poland. Methods and results We retrospectively analyzed the results of a structured questionnaire from 23 out of 25 identified CSCs and 22 data sets that include 61 clinical, radiological and outcome measures. Results Most of the CSCs (74%) were founded at University Hospitals and most (65.2%) work round the clock. In 78.3% of them, the working teams are composed of neurologists and neuro-radiologists. All CSCs perform CT and angio-CT before MT. In total 586 patients were subjected to MT and data from 531 of them were analyzed. Mean time laps from stroke onset to groin puncture was 250±99min. 90.3% of the studied patients had MT within 6h from stroke onset; 59.3% of them were treated with IV rt-PA prior to MT; 15.1% had IA rt-PA during MT and 4.7% – emergent stenting of a large vessel. M1 of MCA was occluded in 47.8% of cases. The Solitaire device was used in 53% of cases. Successful recanalization (TICI2b–TICI3) was achieved in 64.6% of cases and 53.4% of patients did not experience hemorrhagic transformation. Clinical improvement on discharge was noticed in 53.7% of cases, futile recanalization – in 30.7%, mRS of 0–2 – in 31.4% and mRS of 6 in 22% of cases. Conclusion Our results can help harmonize standards for MT in Poland according to international guidelines

The role of executive processes in working memory deficits in Parkinson\u27s Disease

© Polish Academy of Sciences, Committee for Psychological Sciences 2016. Idiopathic Parkinson\u27s disease (PD) impairs working memory, but the exact nature of this deficit in terms of the underlying cognitive mechanisms is not well understood. In this study patients with mild clinical symptoms of PD were compared with matched healthy control subjects on a computerized battery of tests designed to assess spatial working memory and verbal working memory. In the spatial working memory task, subjects were required to recall a sequence of four locations. The verbal working memory task was methodologically identical except for the modality of the stimuli used, requiring subjects to orally recall a sequence of six digits. In either case, half of the sequences were structured in a way that allowed \u27chunking\u27, while others were unstructured. This manipulation was designed to dissociate the strategic component of task performance from the memory-load component. Mild medicated patients with PD were impaired only on the structured versions of the verbal working memory tasks. The analogous deficit in the spatial working memory was less pronounced. These findings are in agreement with the hypothesis that working memory deficits in PD reflect mainly the executive component of the tasks and that the deficits may be at least partly modality-independent

p53 abnormalities in splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes

The incidence and role of p53 abnormalities have not been reported in splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL), the leukemic counterpart of splenic marginal zone lymphoma. Because p53 abnormalities correlate with progressive and refractory disease in cancer and isochromosome 17q has been described in SLVL, a low-grade lymphoma that behaves aggressively in a minority of patients, this study investigated p53 changes by molecular and immunophenotypic methods in sample

Evaluation of endovascular embolization of cerebral aneurysms by hydrogel coils

BACKGROUND: Hydrogel coils were created to improve the chances of an effective endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms. Achieving a high packing density of coils in the lumen of aneurysms can decrease the risk of recurrence. The aim of the present study is to report our initial experience on the effectiveness and safety of endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms with the use hydrogel coils. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients (age: 28-72 years) (45 women, 15 men) were treated. In 18 patients (30%), subarachnoid hemorrhage was present. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of cerebral vessels with rotational scanning was performed. Image analysis was performed by the Philips Integris 3D RA device,which is a specialized workstation (Three-Dimensional Rotational Angiography). 3D reconstructions of cerebral arteries were created based on the data. Sixty-six cerebral aneurysms were embolized with hydrogel coils, which expand in contact with blood. reaching the maximum diameter in about 20 minutes. In 29 aneurysms (43.9%), the effect of the procedure was confirmed on a follow-up DSA after 8.0±4.1 months from the initial treatment. RESULTS: A complete embolization was performed in 55 aneurysms (83.3%), and partial embolization in 11 aneurysms (16.7%). In 6 aneurysms (9.1%), re-embolization was necessary and it resulted in a complete embolization of 5 aneurysms. On a follow-up DSA, complete embolization was present in 25 aneurysms (86.2%), and partial embolization in 4 aneurysms (13.8%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular embolization with hydrogel coils is an effective and safe treatment method for cerebral aneurysms, although it carries the risk of some complications

Tłumaczenie i edycja korespondencji niemieckiego profesora Heinricha Scholza z polskimi logikami: Kazimierzem Ajdukiewiczem, Tadeuszem Czeżowskim, Janem Łukasiewiczem i Jerzym Słupeckim

W Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster (Niemcy) znajduje się tam wiele dokumentów (w tym korespondencja) świadczących o bliskiej współpracy polskich logików z Heinrichem Scholzem i jego „Grupą z Münster”, pracujących w zakresie logiki matematycznej, od lat trzydziestych XX wieku, do 1956. Utrzymywali bliską i regularną współpracę przed, w czasie i po drugiej wojnie światowej. Oto nazwiska polskich logików korespondujących z Scholzem: Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, Józef. M. Bocheński, Tadeusz Czeżowski, Jan Łukasiewicz, Andrzej Mostowski, Jan Salamucha, Jerzy Słupecki, Bolesław Sobociński, Alfred Tarski, Mordchaj Wajsberg. W tym dokumencie znajdują się przepisane oryginały i polskie tłumaczenia korespondencji Scholza z: Ajdukiewiczem, Czeżowskim, Łukasiewiczem i Słupeckim. Trwają prace nad tłumaczeniem kolejnych listów.Zintegrowany Program Rozwoju Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, POWR: 03.05.00-00-z117/17-0