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Abstract Background Cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM) remains one of the most important abnormalities of the cervical spine resulting in neurological deficits in horses. The aim of the following study was to compare the results of the clinical and neurological examination, the results of myelography and the post mortem anatomical and histological appearance of the spinal cord and cervical vertebrae in a horse with CVSM. Case presentation The following study describes a clinical case of an eight-month-old stallion with ataxia. Plain cervical radiographs indicated narrowing of the spinal canal. Conservative therapy using NSAIDs did not result in any improvement in the gait of the horse. Due to economic constraints, surgical intervention was excluded. The owner chose to humanely euthanise the horse. Immediately after euthanasia, post mortem myelography was performed, and measurements of the myelographic dye column were taken. They revealed a 67% DMC reduction and a 64% DD reduction at the C3/C4 level. Afterwards, an anatomical dissection was performed. The cervical vertebrae and vertebral canal were macroscopically inspected and measured and indicated a 44% narrowing of the canal at the C3/C4 level. The spinal cord was removed and underwent histological evaluation after staining. Microscopic lesions were visible at the level of the compression and included axonal degeneration with partial or complete loss of myelin in the white matter of the lateral and dorsal funiculi as well as the formation of dysfunctional so-called “spongy structures”. An increase in the number of microglial cells and collagen was also observed. The formation of glial scars was excluded. Immunohistochemical studies revealed a negative transmembrane glycoprotein CD68(−) – monocyte response and a negative tumor necrosis alpha TNFα (−) reaction. Conclusions CVSM may be difficult to diagnose, even for experienced veterinary surgeons. Currently, an ex vivo histopathologic examination of the spinal cord is thought to be the gold standard in the diagnosis of CVSM. Our histological examination revealed no CVSM-specific glial scar formation and a CD68(−) negative and TNF-α negative reaction, which have not been previously reported. Histological lesions in CVSM may vary depending show inter-individual variability and on the treatment, which further hinders ex-vivo diagnostics.

Cyber-physical systems produce large amounts of data that are stored in domain-related data lakes in a variety of formats. By using the big data technologies that enable efficient data processing, the value of the data increases, as these technologies can turn the data into actionable information that influences important decision-making processes. However, a broader view of the operational environment, an investigated phenomena, and challenges related to them can frequently be obtained after combining data from many data sets located in various big data lakes. This requires contact points in both data lakes that must be flexibly joined because in many cases, data sets do not correspond to one another directly. In this paper, we show fuzzy join operation for flexible combining big data lakes. The fuzzy join transforms numerical values of common attributes of joined data sets into fuzzy sets and uses such a representation in the join operation. We propose two variants of the join operation that transforms crisp numerical values of joining attributes into: 1) fuzzy numbers and 2) linguistic terms. The fuzzy join operation is implemented and tested in the declarative U-SQL language that is used for scalable and parallel querying in big data lakes. The ideas presented here are exemplified by a distributed analysis of cardiac disease data on Microsoft Azure cloud. The results of the conducted experiments confirm that the fuzzy join can enrich data sets that are used in making critical decisions and, as a highly scalable cloud-based solution, can be successfully used in processing large volumes of data delivered by cyber-physical systems.

ABSTRACT: Fermented rapeseed meal has the potential to partial replace soybean meal in feed mixtures for poultry without a negative impact on the health condition and performance of birds. This is due to the fact that the fermentation process can reduce the amount of antinutritional factors, improve the use of nutrients and impart probiotic properties to rapeseed meal. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the effect of fermented rapeseed meal on the performance, egg quality, intestinal morphometry, the viscosity of intestinal content and total phosphorus availability. A total of 108 Lohmann Brown laying hens at 26 wk of age were used in the 90-day study. All hens were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups, with 12 replicates (cages) each, as follows: control group received no rapeseed meal, the URSM group received 3% unfermented rapeseed meal and the FRSM group received 3% fermented rapeseed meal. In the case of performance, egg traits, sensory evaluation of eggs, the viscosity of intestinal content and the availability of total phosphorus, if the distribution was normal, a 1-way analysis of variance was performed. If the distribution was not normal, the Kruskal-Wallis test was performed. In the case of histomorphometric evaluation of the intestine, if the distribution was normal, the Student t test for independent samples was performed. If not, a Mann-Whitney U test was performed. The performed analyses showed that the supplementation of fermented rapeseed meal had no negative effect on the performance of birds and the quality of eggs. Fermented rapeseed meal was also associated with improved histomorphometric parameters of the small intestine compared to the group receiving unfermented rapeseed meal in the feed. Laying hens from FRSM group were characterized by significantly lower viscosity of intestinal content (P < 0.05) compared to URSM group. Phosphorus in FRSM group was significantly more available to the birds (P < 0.05) compared to URSM group. These results suggest that supplementation with fermented rapeseed meal may be beneficial, especially in times of unstable prices of soybean meal and problems with its availability.

Abstract The naiads, large freshwater mussels (Unionida), have very long life spans, are large-bodied, and produce thousands to millions of larvae (glochidia) which typically must attach to host fish tissues to metamorphose into a juvenile mussel. Glochidia develop within a female's marsupial gill demibranch, thus their number is restricted by female size. However, larger mussels acquire more energy, which could be invested in either larger-sized glochidia, in a more glochidia, or a combination of both. The high level of host specialization seen in many naiads may constrain glochidial size and shape around a narrow optimum, while naiads that use a wide range of host fishes may be predicted to possess greater plasticity in glochidial morphology. In this paper, we investigated the relationship between maternal body size and progeny body size and shape, aided by modern digital microscopy. We analyzed the between- and within- species variation of glochidia size and shape relative to female size in four widespread species of European naiads: Anodonta anatina, Anodonta cygnea, Unio crassus and Unio tumidus. Whereas the total reproductive output is collinear with female body size, substantial differences between species in glochidia size were found within genus Anodonta, but not genus Unio where glochidial size is remarkably consistent. The glochidial shape, however, differed within both Unio and Anodonta. We interpret this constant within-species glochidial size in Unio as reflecting a constraint imposed by the likelihood of successful transmission onto and off from a narrow range of hosts, whereas their shape seems to be less constrained. The Anodonta species, inhabiting a wide spectrum of habitats and using more than twice the number of fish hosts than Unio spp., have larger glochidia with greater variation in size and shape. Our results suggest that measures of glochidial variability may also serve as an indicator of host specificity in other naiads.

Abstract The main aim of the study was to assess the risk of falls, and physical fitness in the group of women aged 60 to 65 years of age suffering from an identified osteoporosis in comparison to a similar group of healthy women. The main question was: What is the level of physical fitness and risk of fall among women with osteoporosis compared to healthy women? The research included 262 women aged 60 to 65 of age: 135 with osteoporosis and 127 healthy ones, living in the Małopolskie and the Świętokrzyskie Provinces of Poland. To assess the level of physical fitness, the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) was used, while the Tinetti POMA (Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment) and Timed Up&Go test (TUG) were used to asses the risk of fall. Significant statistical differences in average results of physical fitness assessment were noticed as regards the following aspects: flexibility of the lower body part p

Abstract Background Cells adapt to hypoxia by transcriptional induction of genes that participate in regulation of angiogenesis, glucose metabolism and cell proliferation. The primary factors mediating cell response to low oxygen tension are hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs), oxygen-dependent transcription activators. The stability and activity of the α subunits of HIFs are controlled by hydroxylation reactions that require ascorbate as a cofactor. Therefore, deficiency of intracellular vitamin C could contribute to HIFs overactivation. In this study, we investigated whether vitamin C content of human thyroid lesions is associated with HIF-1α and HIF-2α protein levels. Methods Expression of HIF-1α and HIF-2α as well as vitamin C content was analyzed in thyroid lesions and cultured thyroid carcinoma cell lines (FTC-133 and 8305c) treated with hypoxia-mimetic agent (cobalt chloride) and ascorbic acid. The expression of HIFs and hypoxia–induced glucose transporters were determined by Western blots while quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect HIFs mRNA levels. Ascorbate and dehydroascorbate levels were measured by HPLC method. Results We found an inverse correlation between vitamin C level and HIF-1α but not HIF-2α expression in thyroid lesions. These results agree with our in vitro study showing that vitamin C induced a dose - dependent decrease of HIF-1α but not HIF-2α protein level in thyroid cancer cells FTC-133 and 8305C. The decreased HIF-1α expression was correlated with reduced expression of hypoxia-related glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) in thyroid cancer cells. Conclusion The results demonstrate that HIF-1α activation is associated with vitamin C content in thyroid lesions. Our study suggests that high tumor tissue ascorbate level could limit the expression of HIF-1α and its targets in thyroid lesions.

Introduction: In the natural process of wound healing a scar is formed, which by its build, colour, and function does not resemble healthy tissue. This concerns not only the appearance of the outer integument, but above all, the deeper layers, which are also subject to the process of scarring. In some cases, a disorder of the decomposition and synthesis of collagen takes place and then hypertrophied scars and colloids are formed. Therefore, in physiotherapeutic practice, a scar should be seen in the three-dimensional aspect. Oncology patients can have so-called silicone dressings applied in the healing process of hypertrophied scars and colloids. The therapy using plasters with silicone gel is safe and non-invasive. Aim of the research: To assess the impact of silicone plasters on postoperative scars in the rehabilitation of women after mastectomy. Material and methods : The study, in which women after mastectomy took part, was performed in the Holycross Cancer Centre in Kielce. The assessment of a postoperative scar was based on the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). Results and conclusions: Silicone dressings applied on a postoperative scar influenced its flexibility, colour, and size. The achieved results are satisfactory, and the applied method is effective and promising. However, the methods used to assess the scar, which are commonly recommended but not quite objective, raise some reservations and doubts among the authors.

Introduction : Lung cancer is the most common malignant cancer worldwide. In 2013 a total of 21,524 new cases of lung cancer in Poland and 751 (576 in men and 175 in women, respectively) in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship were reported. Aim of the research: To assess the dynamics of changes in lung cancer incidence between 1999 and 2013 in the population of inhabitants of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship by sex. Material and methods : Eleven thousand four hundred and eighteen new lung cancer cases in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in 1999–2013 were analysed. Crude rates (CRs) and age-standardised rates (ASRs) per 105 population were calculated, in general and by sex. The analysis of incidence trends was carried out using joinpoint models. Results : In 2013 a significant decrease by 22.3% in lung cancer incidence was reported in comparison with the year 1999. A significant decrease by 32.3% among men and non-significant increase by 32.3% in lung cancer incidence among women were reported. The relative risk of lung cancer incidence in men decreased by 44.5% compared to women. The trend in ASRs showed a significant decrease by 2.0% per year. In the male population a significant decreasing trend by 2.9% per year and a significant increasing trend by 2.1% per year among the female population were observed. The lung cancer incidence among men in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship decreased, with a simultaneous increase in incidence among women in 1999–2013. Sex was the main factor that differentiated the shaping of incidence trends. A significant decreasing incidence trend among men and a significant increasing incidence trend among women were observed. Conclusions : It is necessary to intensify the primary and secondary prevention of lung cancer in the voivodeship.

Scarring is a natural process of wound healing. In some cases, however, there is formation of hypertrophic scars and keloids that are the result of collagen decomposition and synthesis. A disturbed scarring process causes functional, aesthetic, and psychological disorders in the patient. Silicone dressings in the form of plasters or gel are used in the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. A case of pressotherapy of a postoperative scar with the use of non-sterile silicone dressings in a 56-year-old patient treated for breast cancer is described herein. The use of a 2-month pressotherapy of the scar resulted in an improvement in all the assessed parameters. Pressotherapy of the postoperative scar in the patient after mastectomy proved to be an effective and promising method. However, the methods of the scar assessment before and after treatment need objectivity.

Lymphoedema is a serious problem in patients treated for malignant neoplasm. The removal of regional lymph nodes – lymphadenectomy – is an inherent consequence of the surgical treatment of malignant neoplasm of breasts, genitals, prostate, skin cancer, salivary glands cancer and many others. The basic methods of conservative treatment of this chronic disease include complex methods of physiotherapy. The aim of this study is to present the rules of rehabilitation of patients treated for lymphoedema, which have been adopted by the team of the Department of Rehabilitation in the Holycross Cancer Centre in Kielce. This paper presents complex methods of physiotherapeutic management and discusses their availability and practical application in Polish health care institutions.