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Search results for: disease detection
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COVID-19 severity forecast based on machine learning and complete blood count data
PublicationProper triage of COVID-19 patients is a key factor in eective case management, especially with limited and insucient resources. In this paper, we propose a machine-aided diagnostic system to predict how badly a patient with COVID-19 will develop disease. The prognosis of this type is based on the parameters of commonly used complete blood count tests, which makes it possible to obtain data from a wide range of patients.We chose...
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Specific Binding of Cholesterol to the Amyloid Precursor Protein: Structure of the Complex and Driving Forces Characterized in Molecular Detail
PublicationC99 is the C-terminal membrane-bound fragment of the amyloid precursor protein that is cleaved by γ-secretase to release Aβ peptides, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Specific interactions of C99 with cholesterol have been proposed to underlie the recognized role of cholesterol in promoting amyloidogenesis. By using molecular dynamics simulations, we studied cholesterol binding to C99 in a lipid bilayer. We determined...
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Toxoplasma gondii recombinant antigens as tools for serodiagnosis of human toxoplasmosis: current status of studies
PublicationToxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan which is the cause of toxoplasmosis. Although human toxoplasmosis in healthy adults is usually asymptomatic, serious disease can occur in the case of congenital infections and immunocompromised individuals. Furthermore, despite the exact recognition of its etiology, it still presents a diagnostic problem. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is mainly based on the results of serological tests detecting...
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Space and spatial practices in times of confinement. Evidence from three European countries: Austria, France and Poland
PublicationIn the first half of 2020, millions of people were subjected to drastic restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the Covid-19 disease. Austria, France and Poland have implemented a lockdown to varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. This is an unprecedented situation in Europe: until now, even in times of war, curfew measures have never been applied 24 h a day. The research presented in this article was carried out...
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Determination of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables using QuEChERS sample preparation method
PublicationThe intensive development of agriculture means that more and more toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering the environment. Because of their widespread use, environmental stability, selective toxicity and bioaccumulative capability, pesticides belong to the most hazardous substances contaminating the environment. They are particularly dangerous in fruits and vegetables, because they are one of the reasons why people are...
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Real-Time Gastrointestinal Tract Video Analysis on a Cluster Supercomputer
PublicationThe article presents a novel approach to medical video data analysis and recognition. Emphasis has been put on adapting existing algorithms detecting le- sions and bleedings for real time usage in a medical doctor's office during an en- doscopic examination. A system for diagnosis recommendation and disease detec- tion has been designed taking into account the limited mobility of the endoscope and the doctor's requirements. The...
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Butyrylcholinesterase signal sequence self-aggregates and enhances amyloid fibril formation in vitro
PublicationAlzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis has been attributed to extracellular aggregates of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the human brain. It has been reported that butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) also accumulates in the brain Aβ plaques in AD. We have previously found that the BChE substitution in 5′UTR caused an in-frame N-terminal extension of 41 amino acids of the BChE signal peptide. The resultant variant...
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Changes in psychological distress among Polish medical university teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic
PublicationOur study aims to update knowledge about psychological distress and its changes in the Polish group of academic medical teachers after two years of a global pandemic. During the coronavirus disease, teachers were challenged to rapidly transition into remote teaching and adapt new assessment and evaluation systems for students, which might have been...
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Development and validation of a model that includes two ultrasound parameters and the plasma D-dimer level for predicting malignancy in adnexal masses: an observational study
PublicationBackground: Pre-operative discrimination of malignant from benign adnexal masses is crucial for planning additional imaging, preparation, surgery and postoperative care. This study aimed to define key ultrasound and clinical variables and develop a predictive model for calculating preoperative ovarian tumor malignancy risk in a gynecologic oncology referral center. We compared our model to a subjective ultrasound assessment (SUA)...
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Properties of Different Varieties of Durian
PublicationDurian (Durio zibethinus Murr.), like many other exotic, tropical, and conventional fruits, is important in the prevention of different diseases. In this study, the characterization of the main bioactive compounds of the most popular cultivars of durian and their properties are described. The changes in the quality indices of the antioxidant status were determined by CUPRAC, ABTS, FRAP, DPPH, and ORAC assays. The profiling of phytochemicals...
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Evaluation of Medical Staff Satisfaction for Workplace Architecture in Temporary COVID-19 Hospital: A Case Study in Gdańsk, Poland
PublicationThis article analyses the architecture that was used in the temporary AmberExpo hospital in Gdańsk, Poland which was installed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The construction of this type of facility is often based on experimental approaches, aimed at caring for patients suffering from an infectious disease in emergency conditions. In order to assess the level of employee satisfaction with the architectural and technical elements...
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Bioactive compounds and the antioxidant capacity in new kiwi fruit cultivars
PublicationThe aim of this investigation was to find the best among seven different kiwi fruit cultivars (‘Hayward’, ‘Daheung’, ‘Haenam’, ‘Bidan’, ‘Hort16A’, ‘Hwamei’ and ‘SKK12’) for human consumption and to classify them as groups. Therefore, the contents of bioactive compounds and the level of antioxidant capacities of these cultivars were determined in four different extracts and compared. It was found that the contents of the bioactive...
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The Energy of Finance in Refining of Medical Surge Capacity
PublicationThe availability of resources and their concentration in the place of greatest need, will not allow us to successfully overcome a medical surge without the energy required to activate these resources and activities, and increase their quantities if necessary, that is why the staff and management of healthcare institutions are forced to making ethical crisis decisions about who wins and who loses. This study highlights the versatility...
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Consequences of lysine auxotrophy for Candida albicans adherence and biofilm formation
PublicationA number of factors are known to be involved in Candida albicans virulence, although biofilm development on the surfaces of indwelling medical devices is considered to promote superficial or systemic disease. Based on previously reported up-regulation of saccharopine and acetyllysine in biofilm cells and activation of the lysine biosynthesis/degradation pathway, we investigated...
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Genetic and pharmacologic proteasome augmentation ameliorates Alzheimer’s-like pathology in mouse and fly APP overexpression models
PublicationThe proteasome has key roles in neuronal proteostasis, including the removal of misfolded and oxidized proteins, presynaptic protein turnover, and synaptic efficacy and plasticity. Proteasome dysfunction is a prominent feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We show that prevention of proteasome dysfunction by genetic manipulation delays mortality, cell death, and cognitive deficits in fly and cell culture AD models. We developed...
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Missing Puzzle Pieces in Dementia Research: HCN Channels and Theta Oscillations
PublicationIncreasing evidence indicates a role of hyperpolarization activated cation (HCN) channels in controlling the resting membrane potential, pacemaker activity, memory formation, sleep, and arousal. Their disfunction may be associated with the development of epilepsy and age-related memory decline. Neuronal hyperexcitability involved in epileptogenesis and EEG desynchronization occur in the course of dementia in human Alzheimer’s Disease...
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Oxylipin profiling for clinical research: Current status and future perspectives
PublicationOxylipins are potent lipid mediators with increasing interest in clinical research. They are usually measured in systemic circulation and can provide a wealth of information regarding key biological processes such as inflammation, vascular tone, or blood coagulation. Although procedures still require harmonization to generate comparable oxylipin datasets, performing comprehensive profiling of circulating oxylipins in large studies...
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Daily diet containing canned products significantly increases serum concentrations of endocrine disruptor bisphenol A in young women
PublicationNowadays, exposure to environmental factors is considered to be one of the possible causes of several lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Particularly noteworthy are endocrine‑disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which affect the metabolism of hormones and interact with their receptors, thus exerting adverse health effects. One of the most ubiquitous EDC in daily life is bisphenol A...
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In silico assessment and sonochemical synthesis of 2-alkynyl 3-chloropyrazines as prospective ligands for SARS-CoV-2
PublicationThe recent global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has triggered an intense effort worldwide towards the development of an effective cure for this disease. In our effort we have explored the 2-alkynyl substituted 3-chloropyrazine framework as a potential template for the design of molecules for this purpose. Our strategy was supported by the in silico studies of representative compounds to assess their binding affinities via docking...
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Role of cholesterol in substrate recognition by -secretase
Publication-Secretase is an enzyme known to cleave multiple substrates within their transmembrane domains, with the amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer’s Disease among the most prominent examples. The activity of -secretase strictly depends on the membrane cholesterol content, yet the mechanistic role of cholesterol in the substrate binding and cleavage remains unclear. In this work, we used all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to examine...
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Abilities, Motivations, and Opportunities of Furloughed Employees in the Context of Covid-19: Preliminary Evidence From the UK
PublicationThe Covid-19 global pandemic is a crisis like no other, forcing governments to implement prolonged national lockdowns in an effort to limit the spread of the disease. As organizations aim to adapt and remain operational, employers can suspend or reduce work activity for events related to Covid-19 and claim government support to subsidize employee wages. In this way, some employees are placed on furlough (i.e., temporary unemployment)...
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Magnetic nanocomposites for biomedical applications
PublicationTissue engineering and regenerative medicine have solved numerous problems related to the repair and regeneration of damaged organs and tissues arising from aging, illnesses, and injuries. Nanotechnology has further aided tissue regeneration science and has provided outstanding opportunities to help disease diagnosis as well as treat damaged tissues. Based on the most recent findings, magnetic nanostructures (MNSs), in particular,...
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Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases: cross‑sectional study
PublicationBackground: Rare diseases are a new global health priority, requiring evidence-based estimates of the global prevalenceof diseases to inform public policymakers and provide a serious challenge to the healthcare system that must not be ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases.Results: A total of 6838 students responded...
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Molecular dynamics simulations of the affinity of chitin and chitosan for collagen: the effect of pH and the presence of sodium and calcium cations
PublicationChitosan and chitin are promising biopolymers used in many areas including biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering and viscosupplementation. Chitosan shares similar properties with hyaluronan, a natural component of synovial fluid, making it a good candidate for joint disease treatment. The structural and energetic consequences of intermolecular interactions are crucial for understanding the biolubrication phenomenon...
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Genetic and pharmacologic proteasome augmentation ameliorates Alzheimer’s-like pathology in mouse and fly APP overexpression models
PublicationThe proteasome has key roles in neuronal proteostasis, including the removal of misfolded and oxidized proteins, presynaptic protein turnover, and synaptic efficacy and plasticity. Proteasome dysfunction is a prominent feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We show that prevention of proteasome dysfunction by genetic manipulation delays mortality, cell death, and cognitive deficits in fly and cell culture AD models. We developed...
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Procognitive activity of nitric oxide inhibitors and donors in animal models
PublicationNitric oxide is a small gaseous molecule that plays important roles in the majority of biological functions. Impairments of NO-related pathways contribute to the majority of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and mental disorders, such as schizophrenia. Cognitive decline is one of the most serious impairments accompanying both AD and schizophrenia. In the present study, the activities of NO donors, slow (spermine...
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ICT, financial markets and their impact on firms’ performance and internationalisation
PublicationThe effects of information and communication technology (ICT) and financial development on growth are highly debated in the literature. Motivated by previous studies and their mixed results, in this study, we propose an analysis to re-examine the ICT-finance puzzle. We go beyond country-specific or sector-specific studies and conduct cross-country analysis with firm-level data. It enables obtaining a broad picture of the ICT-finance-growth...
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Pre-analytical aspects in metabolomics of human biofluids – sample collection, handling, transport, and storage
PublicationMetabolomics is the field of omics research that offers valuable insights into the complex composition of biological samples. It has found wide application in clinical diagnostics, disease investigation, therapy prediction, monitoring of treatment efficiency, drug discovery, or in-depth analysis of sample composition. A suitable study design constitutes the fundamental requirements to ensure robust and reliable results from the...
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Context of Digitalized Employment for Older Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New Normal
PublicationEmployers are actively considering how to normalize remote work technology across different industries. The residual risk of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) will necessarily lower the bar for allowing some workers to stay remote on a more permanent basis. This is based on the realization that many essential jobs can be teleworked while retaining or enhancing productivity. The decisions employers make regarding future work arrangements...
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Mild poikilocapnic hypoxia increases very low frequency haemoglobin oxygenation oscillations in prefrontal cortex
PublicationBackground: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of mild cerebral hypoxia on haemoglobin oxygenation(HbO2), cerebrospinal fluid dynamics and cardiovascular physiology. To achieve this goal, four signals were recorded simultaneously: blood pressure, heart rate / electrocardiogram, HbO2 from right hemisphere and changes of subarachnoid space (SAS) width from left hemisphere. Signals were registered from 30 healthy,...
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Endothelial Dysfunction Driven by Hypoxia—The Influence of Oxygen Deficiency on NO Bioavailability
PublicationCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. The initial stage of CVDs is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, defined as the limited bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). Thus, any factors that interfere with the synthesis or metabolism of NO in endothelial cells are involved in CVD pathogenesis. It is well established that hypoxia is both the triggering factor as well as the accompanying factor...
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Novel methods for diagnosis of pulmonary microangiopathy in diabetes mellitus
PublicationLung microangiopathy is a little known negative influence of diabetes mellitus on the functioning of the lungs. In current medical practice lung microangiopathy is diagnosed by comparing two measurements of lung diffusing capacity - one with the subject standing and one with the subject lying. The necessity to take two measurements is inconvenient. In lung microangiopathy we observe a reduction of diffusing capacity, lung flow...
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Structural, functional, and stability change predictions in human telomerase upon specific point mutations,
PublicationOverexpression of telomerase is one of the hallmarks of human cancer. Telomerase is important for maintaining the integrity of the ends of chromosomes, which are called telomeres. A growing number of human disease syndromes are associated with organ failure caused by mutations in telomerase (hTERT or hTR). Mutations in telomerase lead to telomere shortening by decreasing the stability of the telomerase complex, reducing its accumulation,...
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Timed rolling and rising tests in Duchenne muscular dystrophy ambulant boys: a feasibility study
PublicationBACKGROUND: Functional activities are extensively used in motor assessments of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The role of timed items has been reported as an early prognostic factor for disease progression. However, there are two functional activities that are not widely assessed in clinical practice among Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients: rolling and bed rising. This study aimed to investigate whether the 360-degree...
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Receptor for advanced glycation end‐products: Biological significance and imaging applications
PublicationThe receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE or AGER) is a transmembrane, immunoglobulin-like receptor that, due to its multiple isoform structures, binds to a diverse range of endo- and exogenous ligands. RAGE activation caused by the ligand binding initiates a cascade of complex pathways associated with producing free radicals, such as reactive nitric oxide and oxygen species, cell proliferation, and immunoinflammatory...
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IgG Avidity Test as a Tool for Discrimination between Recent and Distant Toxoplasma gondii Infection—Current Status of Studies
PublicationToxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, is the causative agent of one of the most prevalent zoonoses worldwide. T. gondii infection is extremely important from a medical point of view, especially for pregnant women, newborns with congenital infections, and immunocompromised individuals. Thus, an accurate and proper diagnosis of this infection is essential. Among the available diagnostic tests, serology...
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Borrelia burgdorferi BmpA-BBK32 and BmpA-BBA64: New Recombinant Chimeric Proteins with Potential Diagnostic Value
PublicationCurrently, the diagnosis of Lyme disease is based mostly on two-tiered serologic testing. In the new generation of immunoenzymatic assays, antigens comprise whole-cell lysates of members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) species complex, with the addition of selected recombinant proteins. Due to the high diversity of members of the B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies and the low degree of conservation among the amino acid...
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Epidemiological study of Toxoplasma gondii infection among cattle in Northern Poland
PublicationToxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a significant disease in livestock and humans. Because of medical and veterinary importance it is essential to study the prevalence of T. gondii infection among human and animals in various parts of the word. In this study, 4033 cattle from eight provinces of Northern Poland (belonging to 190 herds) were tested for IgG antibodies against T. gondii by an in-house ELISA technique based...
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Primary degradation of antidiabetic drugs
PublicationType 2 diabetes is a chronic disease affecting a large portion of the world population and is treated by orally administered drugs. Since these drugs are often taken in high doses and are excreted unchanged or partially metabolised many of them are nowadays detected in surface waters or wastewater treatment plants effluents. Unmetabolised antidiabetics or some of their transformation products retain their pharmacological activity,...
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ANTIOXIDANT POWER SERIES (APS) AS A TOOL FOR RATIONAL DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH PROMOTING PROPERTIES OF FUNCTONAL FOODS BASED ON ANTIOXIDANT PHYTOCHEMICALS
PublicationOver past decades, plantborne antioxidants dominated so called "translational research" in the area of food, nutrition, and disease prevention. Among consumers and producers, such phytochemicals are synonyms of nutriceuticals. Popularity and commercial success of antioxidants stems from mechanistic studies suggesting the involvement of reactive oxygen species in etiology of chronic diseases. However, epidemiology failed to provide...
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Telomere uncapping by common oxidative guanine lesions: Insights from atomistic models
PublicationOxidative damage to DNA is widely known to contribute to aging and disease. This relationship has been extensively studied for telomeres – structures that cap chromosome ends – due to their role in cell proliferation and senescence, and exceptional susceptibility to oxidation. Indeed, the repetitive telomeric DNA sequence contains the 5′-GGG-3′ motif that has the lowest ionization potential of all trinucleotides. Accordingly, experiments...
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Forewarned Is Forearmed: Machine Learning Algorithms for the Prediction of Catheter-Induced Coronary and Aortic Injuries
PublicationCatheter-induced dissections (CID) of coronary arteries and/or the aorta are among the most dangerous complications of percutaneous coronary procedures, yet the data on their risk factors are anecdotal. Logistic regression and five more advanced machine learning techniques were applied to determine the most significant predictors of dissection. Model performance comparison and feature importance ranking were evaluated. We identified...
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Antibiotic resistance in wastewater, does the context matter? Poland and Portugal as a case study
PublicationAntibiotic resistance has been considered a major human health threat that may endanger the success of medicine. Recent studies have unveiled worldwide asymmetries of antibiotic resistance occurrence, being factors as diverse as climate, socioeconomic, or antibiotic use possible drivers of such asymmetric distribution. In Europe, where clinical antibiotic resistance is surveyed for more than 20 years, the European Center for Disease...
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Total impact of oxidative stress genes on cardiovascular events—a 7-year follow-up study
PublicationCardiovascular (CV) events are the number one cause of lifetime disability and deaths worldwide. It is well known that traditional risk factors do not fully correlate with clinical outcomes; therefore, searching for other markers that would explain CV events occurrence seems essential. Of importance, one of the main factors at the origin of CV events is oxidative stress, causing inflammation and atherosclerotic plaque instability....
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Mining Knowledge of Respiratory Rate Quantification and Abnormal Pattern Prediction
PublicationThe described application of granular computing is motivated because cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major killer globally. There is increasing evidence that abnormal respiratory patterns might contribute to the development and progression of CVD. Consequently, a method that would support a physician in respiratory pattern evaluation should be developed. Group decision-making, tri-way reasoning, and rough set–based analysis...
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Results from a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) in Mastocytosis Reveal New Gene Polymorphisms Associated with WHO Subgroups
PublicationMastocytosis is rare disease in which genetic predisposition is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to analyze associations between mastocytosis and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach. A total of 234 patients were enrolled in our study, including 141 with cutaneous mastocytosis (CM; 78 children and 63 adults) and 93 with systemic mastocytosis (SM, all adults)....
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An additional ultrasonographic sign of Hashimoto’s lymphocytic thyroiditis in children
PublicationWe present an additional sonographic sign of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HLT), increasing the specifi city of this method in pediatric populations. Methods: A total of 98 children (mean age 12.7 years, range 7–17 years) were selected from the registry of the endocrinology outpatient department. All subjects met the diagnostic criteria for HLT. All children underwent a prospective thyroid ultrasound examination with special attention...
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School psychologist’s interventions to promote successful school re-entry of chronically ill children aiming at altering peers’ attitudes towards them
PublicationThe aim of this article is to outline school psychologist’s interventions, which might be useful while supporting a chronically, somatically ill child in their re-entry to school, aiming at broadening their peers’ knowledge about the chronic disease and positively changing their attitudes towards the ill child. In the first part, the importance of peer relationships in childhood and adolescence, the relation of their quality...
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Antimicrobial Activity of Honey
PublicationHoney has had a valued place in traditional medicine for centuries. It was used to overcome liver, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems and for treatment of some types of infectious disease. Particularly, good results were achieved in the case of application of this product for therapy of infected, difficult to heal wounds. The high health-promoting properties of honey have been recently confirmed in many research investigations....
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A System for Heart Sounds Classification
PublicationThe future of quick and efficient disease diagnosis lays in the development of reliable non-invasive methods. As for the cardiac diseases – one of the major causes of death around the globe – a concept of an electronic stethoscope equipped with an automatic heart tone identification system appears to be the best solution. Thanks to the advancement in technology, the quality of phonocardiography signals is no longer an issue. However,...