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Having a fleet of artificial satellites necessitates the construction of a system that will enable obtaining information on the situation in the Earth orbit (Space Situation Awareness - SSA). Such systems are built either as active radar systems or as passive optical systems. The automated system of optical observation and tracking of space objects (ASOPEK) consists of two optical systems (wide-angle and narrow-angle) and software enabling: detection of artificial satellites in the field of view of the system, identification of detected objects, updating the satellite database with unknown objects, updating orbits of observed objects. The ASOPEK system was created as part of a project financed by the National Center for Research and Development No. DOB-BIO7/25/02/2015.

Total antioxidant capacity better characterizes the redox status of the biological system than the determination of individual antioxidants separately. This study is the first to assess the total antioxidant/oxidant status in the plasma and urine of patients with adrenal tumors. The study group consisted of 60 patients (31 women and 29 men) with adrenal masses, classified into three subgroups: non-functional incidentaloma, pheochromocytoma and Cushing’s/Conn’s adenoma. The number of patients was set a priori based on our previous experiment (α = 0.05, test power = 0.9) Plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was increased in incidentaloma patients, whereas in pheochromocytoma group was decreased. Plasma and urine total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were significantly higher in patients with adrenal tumors. Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) was decreased in plasma and urine, while DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) antiradical activity only in plasma of patients with adrenal masses. In pheochromocytoma patients, plasma and urine TAC, as well as plasma DPPH and FRAP correlated positively with methanephrine and normethanephrine. Reduced levels of TAC, DPPH and FRAP clearly indicate a reduced ability to scavenge free radicals and thus a lack of effective protection against oxidative stress in patients with adrenal tumors. Therefore, those patients are especially vulnerable to oxidative stress and oxidative damage, which can lead to impaired cellular metabolism. Both plasma and urine redox biomarkers can be used to assess systemic antioxidant status in adrenal tumor patients.