Two-Photon Vision in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Translational Study

The recently introduced term “two-photon vision” relates to the visual perception resulting from a simultaneous absorption of two photons by photoreceptors. In this study, we determined two-photon retinal sensitivity in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and compared it that in normal aging. Microperimetry was performed with visible (white) light and infrared (IR) light, which was perceived as green in the two-photon stimulation. In total, 45 subjects were included with one (better) eye studied. Furthermore, best-corrected visual acuity (VA) and ocular straylight were assessed. AMD resulted in decreased median (interquartile range) logMAR VA, i.e., 0.15 (0.05; 0.24), which in normal eyes was −0.02 (−0.06; 0.02). The two groups showed comparable straylight levels. Sensitivity to IR light was significantly lower in the AMD group (p < 0.001): 8.3 (7.4, 9.3) dB than in controls 10.7 (9.7, 11.2) dB. AMD also significantly affected visible light sensitivity (p < 0.001): 14.0 (11.0; 15.5) dB vs. 18.0 (16.3; 18.9) dB. Notably, the two-photon approach yielded a lower data spread. In conclusion, AMD considerably impairs retinal sensitivity measured in the single- and two-photon realm. However, two-photon-vision microperimetry may improve the testing accuracy and offer an additional diagnostic parameter (beyond VA measurements) for retinal function assessment

Two-photon microperimetry: Sensitivity of human photoreceptors to infrared light

Microperimetry is a subjective ophthalmologic test used to assess retinal function at various specific and focal locations of the visual field. Historically, visible light has been described as ranging from 400 to 720 nm. However, we previously demonstrated that infra-red light can initiate visual transduction in rod photoreceptors by a mechanism of two-photon absorption by visual pigments. Here we introduce a newly designed and constructed two-photon microperimeter. We provide for the first time evidence of the presence of a nonlinear process occurring in the human retina based on psychophysical tests using newly developed instrumentation. Since infra-red light penetrates the aged front of the eye better than visible light, it has the potential for improved functional diagnostics in patients with age-related visual disorders

A study on the spatial and temporal variability in airborne Betula pollen concentration in five cities in Poland using multivariate analyses

During the spring period, Betula pollen is the main cause of inhalant allergies in Poland and therefore it is impor- tant to monitor and forecast airborne pollen concentrations of this taxon. This study conducted a comparative analysis of the basic characteristics of Betula pollen seasons at the regional scale. The study was carried out from 2001 to 2016 in fi ve cities in Poland: Lublin, Warsaw, Cracow, Sosnowiec, and Szczecin. To fi nd the attri- butes of birch pollen seasons that mostly differentiated the individual cities, a general discriminant analysis (GDA) was performed, while a principal component analysis (PCA) allowed us to reduce the data space and pres- ent a scatterplot of PCA scores in order to compare pollen seasons in the individual cities. The contingency table was also analyzed to check whether there was a signi fi cant relationship between pollen counts in the studied years and cities. At most of the sites, biennial cycles of low and high pollen concentrations can be observed. Due to the high variation in seasons in each of these cities, two data groups were distinguished: Group 1 was composed of seasons with high pollen deposition (2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016), and Group 2 comprising the other seasons. Multivariate analyses were performed on both these groups as well as in the entire dataset. End98, Peak Value, and Annual Total had the highest discriminant power. In Group 1, Warsaw and Sosnowiec differed the most in the investigated parameters, while Cracow and Szczecin differed the least. In both groups, most seasons with the highest pollen birch concentration were observed in Lublin, followed by Warsaw, while in Cracow, the number of such seasons was the smallest

General Medical Condition of Homeless Persons Demonstrated on the Example of Homeless Persons in Olsztyn

Artykuł powstał na podstawie części badań służących do napisania rozprawy doktorskiej pt. Życie codzienne osób bezdomnych. Studium socjologiczne”. Zawiera diagnozę stanu zdrowia osób bezdomnych na przykładzie bezdomnych z Olsztyna i wpływu bezdomności na ten stan zdrowia oraz form pomocy udzielanych chorym bezdomnym.This article is partially based on research work done for the preparing of a doctoral thesis entitled:” The everyday life of homeless persons. A sociological study. ‘ The aforesaid thesis includes a diagnosis of the medical condition of homeless persons on the example of respondents in Olsztyn. It shows the effects of homelessness on the general state of health and presents measures undertaken to give medical support to afflicted persons

On The Exclusion Of Homeless People

Wykluczenie może przybierać różne formy, o których decyduje cały szereg czynników, przez które jednostki i grupy społeczne pozbawione są szans, jakie ma większość społeczeństwa. W przypadku osób bezdomnych należy je ujmować w kategoriach dotyczących deprywacji potrzeb mieszkaniowych, w kategoriach życia społecznego i społeczności, ale także w kategoriach wykluczenia ekonomicznego i politycznego.The exclusion may take on different forms, on which decide a variety of factors, by which individuals or whole groups of a society are deprived of chances and possibilities, which are accessible to the majority of said society. In the case of homeless persons we will find it within the domain of the deprivation of housing facilities, within the domain of social life and society, but as well in the categories of economic and political exclusion

The run of the freezing process of Baltic herring and sprat depending on the form of the raw material and the freezing method

Celem pracy było zbadanie przebiegu procesu mrożenia wybranych półproduktów ze szprotów i śledzi bałtyckich, mrożonych indywidualnie oraz w blokach, w zakresie temperatur -18 ÷ -40°C, z zastosowaniem urządzeń konwencjonalnych, o zróżnicowanej prędkości mrożenia. Stwierdzono, że, zastosowane parametry miały duży wpływ na przebieg procesu mrożenia szprotów, w postaci całych ryb oraz tuszek. Szproty mrożone indywidualnie charakteryzowały się szybszym przebiegiem procesu mrożenia oraz uzyskaniem zadanej temperatury, w po-równaniu ze szprotami mrożonymi w bloku oraz szprotami mrożonymi w bloku z 20% dodatkiem wody. Na przykładzie szprotów bałtyckich mrożonych różnymi metodami zbadano wpływ obróbki cieplnej (parowania) na wielkość ubytków masy ryb spowodowanych wyciekiem termicznym. Określono wpływ temperatury i prędkości mrożenia na wielkości wycieku swobodnego rozmrożonych szprotów i śledzi bałtyckich podczas chłodniczego przechowywania. Badania wykazały istotny wpływ zastosowanych metod mrożenia półproduktów ze szprotów i śledzi bałtyckich na przebieg procesu mrożenia i zmiany wybranych wskaźników fizycznych.The aim of the work was to examine the run of the freezing process of selected semi-products from Baltic sprat and herring, frozen individually and in blocks, in the temperature range -18 ÷ -40°C, with external devices used, with varying freezing speeds. It was found that the parameters used have a great impact on the freezing process of sprat, in the form of whole fish and carcasses. Individual sprats frozen are characterized by a faster run of the freezing process and obtaining the set temperature, in operation with frozen sprats in the block and frozen sprats in the block with 20% water addition. On the basis of frozen Baltic sprat, various methods were used to examine the effect of heat treatment (evaporation) on the volume of losses of fish mass affected by thermal leak-age. The effect of freezing temperature and speed on the free leakage of thawed Baltic sprat and herring during the thawing set was determined. Research have shown a significant impact on the methods of freezing Baltic sprat and herring on the run of the freezing process and changes in selected physical indicators

First two years of reimbursed enzyme replacement therapy in the treatment of Fabry disease in Poland [version 2; peer review : 2 approved]

Fabry disease (FD) is an ultra-rare genetic lysosomal storage disease caused by pathologic gene variants resulting in insufficient expression of α-galactosidase A. This enzyme deficiency leads to accumulation of globotriaosylceramide and globotriaosylsphingosine in plasma and in different cells throughout the body, causing major cardiovascular, renal, and nervous system complications. Until 2018, reimbursed enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for FD was available in all European Union countries except Poland.             We present the preliminary results of the first two years of reimbursed ERT in Poland. We obtained data from the seven largest academic centers in Katowice, Cracow, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Warsaw, and Łódź. The questionnaire included the following data: number of patients treated, number of patients qualified for ERT, and patient characteristics.             All centers returned completed questionnaires that included data for a total of 71 patients (28 men and 43 women) as of June 2021. Thirty-five patients with the diagnosis of FD confirmed by genetic testing (22 men and 13 women) had already qualified for reimbursed ERT. Mean (SD) age at the commencement of the ERT program was 39.6 (15.5) years (range 18-79 years). Mean time from the first clinical symptoms reported by the patients to the FD diagnosis was 21.1 (8.9) years, and the mean time from the final diagnosis of FD to the beginning of ERT was 4.7 (4.6) years.             FD is still underdiagnosed in Poland. To identify undiagnosed FD patients and to ensure that patients in Poland benefit fully from ERT, implementation of an effective nationwide screening strategy and close cooperation with a network of rare disease centers is advised

Sensitivity of Mammalian Cone Photoreceptors to Infrared Light

Two-photon vision arises from the perception of pulsed infrared (IR) laser light as color corresponding to approximately half of the laser wavelength. The physical process responsible for two-photon vision in rods has been delineated and verified experimentally only recently. Here, we sought to determine whether IR light can also be perceived by mammalian cone photoreceptors via a similar activation mechanism. To investigate selectively mammalian cone signaling in mice, we used animals with disabled rod signal transduction. We found that, contrary to the expected progressive sensitivity decrease based on the one-photon cone visual pigment spectral template, the sensitivity of mouse cone photoreceptors decreases only up to 800 nm and then increases at 900 nm and 1000 nm. Similarly, in experiments with the parafoveal region of macaque retinas, we found that the spectral sensitivity of primate cones diverged above the predicted one-photon spectral sensitivity template beyond 800 nm. In both cases, efficient detection of IR light was dependent on minimizing the dispersion of the ultrashort light pulses, indicating a non-linear two-photon activation process. Together, our studies demonstrate that mammalian cones can be activated by near IR light by a nonlinear two-photon excitation. Our results pave the way for the creation of a two-photon IR-based ophthalmoscope for the simultaneous imaging and functional testing of human retinas as a novel tool for the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of visual disorders