A single-institution retrospective analysis of the differences between 7th and 8th edition of the UICC TNM staging system in patients with advanced lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The TNM (Tumor, Node, Metastasis) classification of Union for International Cancer Control is a system describing the anatomical extent of the solid tumors that leads to staging and decision on the type of treatment. The latter TNM system (2017) as compared to the previous version (2010) has brought numerous changes. Our aim was to examine whether significant changes in the new TNM edition have altered the components of the TNM classification in patients and the stage of the disease to which they are ascribed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study is retrospective and is based on radiological examination reports and case reports of 100 patients of the Department of Pneumonology, Allergology and Oncology of the Medical University in Lublin, Poland. One hundred randomly selected patients, who were hospitalized at the Clinic between 2013 and 2018 with primary lung cancer were enrolled in the study. The chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and an appropriate post-hoc test were used in statistical analysis. RESULTS: It was calculated that the T descriptor evaluated as per TNM in revision 8th in comparison to revision 7th changed in 41% of patients, the M descriptor - in 29% of patients, which resulted in change in staging in 11 patients. In spite of this scale amendments, only three patients could be treated differently because of the change in the stage of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Changing the treatment method, including withdrawal from surgery, can help avoid unnecessary treatment, but on the other hand, may potentially reduce the patient's chances of survival by depriving them of the possibility of radical treatment.

Nanoscale morphology of multilayer PbTe/CdTe heterostructures and its effect on photoluminescence properties.

We study nanoscale morphology of PbTe/CdTe multilayer heterostuctures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on hybrid GaAs/CdTe (100) substrates. Nominally, the structures consist of 25 repetitions of subsequently deposited CdTe and PbTe layers with comparable thicknesses of 21 and 8 nm, respectively. However, the morphology of the resulting structures crucially depends on the growth temperature. The two-dimensional layered, superlattice-like character of the structures remains preserved only when grown at low substrate temperatures, such as 230 °C. The samples grown at the slightly elevated temperature of 270 °C undergo a morphological transformation to structures consisting of CdTe and PbTe pillars and columns oriented perpendicular to the substrate. Although the pillar-like objects are of various shapes and dimensions these structures exhibit exceptionally strong photoluminescence in the near infrared spectral region. At the higher growth temperature of 310 °C, PbTe and CdTe separate completely forming thick layers oriented longitudinally to the substrate plane. The observed topological transformations are driven by thermally activated atomic diffusion in the solid state phase. The solid state phase remains fully coherent during the processes. The observed topological transitions leading to the material separation in PbTe/CdTe system could be regarded as an analog of spinodal decomposition of an immiscible solid state solution and thus they can be qualitatively described by the Cahn-Hillard model as proposed by Groiss et al (2014 APL Mater. 2 012105).

The oxidative processes induced in cell suspensions of Solanum species by culture filtrate of Phytophthora infestans.

Solanum genotypes that differ in the level of polygenic resistance to the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans were studied for their oxidative response to culture filtrate (CF) of the pathogen. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, peroxidase activity and lipid peroxidation have been studied in the CF-treated cell suspensions derived from leaves of the resistant S. nigrum (nonhost) and S. tuberosum cv. Bzura as well as from the susceptible S. tuberosum cv. Tarpan and clone H-8105. In both the resistant and susceptible cells the CF induced similar processes, but these varied with respect to the kinetics and intensity. In all cells probably the membrane-bound NADPH oxidase, was responsible for the ROS production. This process was more intensive and prolonged in the susceptible cells than in the resistant ones. The CF treatment slightly affected peroxidase activity in all cells studied. Lipid peroxidation that occurred as a consequence of the ROS accumulation was pronounced mainly in the susceptible cells. We suggest that lack of stringent control of the oxidative processes and sensitivity to the pathogen toxins may be decisive for limited polygenic resistance in potato.

Computer system modelling muscle work.

In the work, an original computer system, called Muscle, is described. The Muscle allowed modelling of the whole thick filament with different arrangements of the myosin tails and myosin heads. Computer simulation and animation have revealed that only the model of the thick filament with asymmetrical configuration of the crossbridges has 3-fold rotational symmetry and assures matching between many thousands specific binding-sites on myosin heads and actin monomers. The Muscle delivered a number of arguments that the hypothesis of near parallel packing of the myosin tails, as well as oar-like or lever-arm-like work of the myosin crossbridges, is unfounded. We have presented advantages of the computer simulation in studies of complicated 3D molecular objects especially when direct observation is technically impossible.

[Monitoring treatment with amikacin for urinary tract infections]. / Monitorowane leczenie amikacyna zakazen dróg moczowych.

The studies were aimed at the determining the serum amikacin levels during the treatment of urinary tract infection as an attempt to monitor this treatment. The study involved 51 patients. Amikacin profile following a single dose of 500 mg i.m. was studied in group 1 (n = 7) while the administration of 2 daily doses of 500 mg for 7 days was investigated in group 2 (24 patients with normal renal functioning). Group 3 (10 patients with renal failure) was given the same amikacin doses for 5 days. Amikacin dosage was modified with the own computer program in group 4. Both lower and peak amikacin serum levels in the groups 1, 2 and 3 ranged markedly from subtherapeutical to toxic. Blood urea and creatinine increased significantly in groups 2 and 3. In group 4 amikacin peak level exceeded in therapeutical value only in out patient, and no an increase in blood creatinine or urea was noted during a 5-day therapy.

[Comparison of the levels of 6 metals in the blood of workers in the Belchatów Industrial District before and after activation of the electric power station]. / Porównanie stezenia szesciu metali we krwi u pracowników Belchatowskiego Okregu Przemyslowego przed i po uruchomieniu elektrowni.

The concentration of six trace metals has been determined in the blood of 90 workers of the Belchatów Industrial District after the electric power station start-off. The results have been compared with those related to the time before the start-off. The trace elements have been determined using the flameless atomic absorption (Cd, Pb, Mn), flame atomic absorption (Zn), or colorimetric methods (Fe, Cu). In those examined after the electric power station start-off, as compared to the group examined prior to the start-off, the following observations have been made:--similar average concentrations of toxic metals--cadmium and lead--in blood,--similar average concentrations of copper in serum,--higher average concentrations of manganese and ferrum in serum,--lower concentrations of zinc in serum. The differences might be due to changes in living conditions or increased exposure to the metals. The investigations further contribute to the prospective evaluation of the effects of the Belchatów Industrial District upon the level of trace metals in the blood of the workers of that district.