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Abstract Background Urinary system anomalies, both congenital and acquired, constitute a relatively common clinical problem in children. The main role of diagnostic imaging is to determine early diagnosis and support therapeutic decisions to prevent the development of chronic renal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of magnetic resonance urography (MRU) in assessment of urinary system in children, by comparing differential renal function calculated using MRU with dynamic renal scintigraphy (DRS). Materials and methods The study group consisted of 46 patients aged 1 week to 17 years (median 7 (0.5; 13) years, 17 (37%) girls, 29 (63%) boys), who underwent dynamic renal scintigraphy due to various clinical reasons. All participants underwent MRU, which was used to measure differential renal function. Functional analysis was performed using dedicated external software (CHOP-fMRU and pMRI without prior knowledge of DRS results. MRU results acquired using pMRI were assessed for inter and intraobserver agreement. Results Statistical analysis of the results showed excellent agreement between MRU and DRS in measuring differential renal function with Pearson correlation coefficient 0.987 for CHOP-fMRU and 0.971 for pMRI, p

The micellar liquid chromatography technique and quantitative retention (structure)–activity relationships method were used to predict properties of carbamic and phenoxyacetic acids derivatives, newly synthesized in our laboratory and considered as potential pesticides. Important properties of the test substances characterizing their potential significance as pesticides as well as threats to humans were considered: the volume of distribution, the unbonded fractions, the blood–brain distribution, the rate of skin and cell permeation, the dermal absorption, the binding to human serum albumin, partitioning between water and plants’ cuticles, and the lethal dose. Pharmacokinetic and toxicity parameters were predicted as functions of the solutes’ lipophilicities and the number of hydrogen bond donors, the number of hydrogen bond acceptors, and the number of rotatable bonds. The equations that were derived were evaluated statistically and cross-validated. Important features of the molecular structure influencing the properties of the tested substances were indicated. The QSAR models that were developed had high predictive ability and high reliability in modeling the properties of the molecules that were tested. The investigations highlighted the applicability of combined chromatographic technique and QS(R)ARs in modeling the important properties of potential pesticides and reducing unethical animal testing.

The region of Upper Silesia, located in southern Poland, is characterised by very high emissions of carbon dioxide into the air—the annual emission exceeds 33 Mt CO2 and the emission ‘per capita’ is 7.2 t/y in comparison to the EU average emission per capita 6.4 t/y and 8.4 t/y for Poland in 2019. Although in the region there are over 100 carbon dioxide emitters covered by the EU ETS, over 90% of emissions come from approximately 15 large hard coal power plants and from the coke and metallurgical complex. The CCUS scenario for Upper Silesia, which encompasses emitters, capture plants, transport routes, as well as utilisation and storage sites until 2050, was developed. The baseline scenario assumes capture of carbon dioxide in seven installations, use in two methanol plants and transport and injection into two deep saline aquifers (DSA). The share of captured CO2 from flue gas was assumed at the level of 0.25–0.9, depending mainly on the limited capacity of storage. To recognise the views of society on development of the CCUS technologies in Upper Silesia, thirteen interviews with different types of stakeholders (industry, research and education, policy makers) were conducted. The respondents evaluated CCU much better than CCS. The techno-economic assessment of CCUS carried out on a scenario basis showed that the economic outcome of the scenario with CCUS is EUR 3807.19 million more favourable compared to the scenario without CO2 capture and storage.

Background and aims – The purpose of the study was to determine whether the concentration of lycopod spores present in aeroplankton reflects their release during sporulation and whether it is a good indirect tool to estimate the condition of lycopod populations in Poland.Methods – The study was conducted in Sosnowiec, S Poland. The airborne spores were continuously captured by the volumetric spore trap during a period of eleven years (1998–2008). Plant pollen grains and spores from the trap were macroscopically identified, counted and expressed as daily pollen grain and spore concentrations in 1 m3 of air. Key results – The average monthly sum of captured lycopod spores varied in the analysed period of time from 0.3 to 4.1 spores per year. Their yearly concentration was small in comparison to the ascertained pollen grains and did not exceed 0.5% of all airborne particles captured in a given year. In addition, they showed seasonal fluctuations with the highest concentration of spores usually detected in July. This finding is in accordance with the typical time of lycopod sporulation. In addition, we detected the presence of lycopod spores outside the typical summer sporulation time, i.e. during months of winter and early spring. In our opinion, their presence is related to the phenomenon of lengthened (winter) sporulation of clubmosses.Conclusions – Our results showed only limited transportation of lycopod spores by wind. Therefore, the condition of lycopod populations in Poland can hardly be estimated using aerobiological methods. Nevertheless, the seasonal dynamics of lycopod spore concentration can be recorded by aerobiological methods.

This article presents the results of an eco-efficiency assessment of the application of large-scale rechargeable battery technology in electricity generation from coal. The eco-efficiency of electricity production in a 350 MW coal-fired power plant was calculated. Two production variants were compared: with the use of a lithium-ion battery of a 400 MWh capacity to optimize the operation of power blocks and without using the battery. Hard coal is one of the main fossil fuels used to generate electricity in Poland. Despite the growing share of electricity from renewable sources, this situation will persist for many more years. The main reasons for this are the high costs and long-lasting process of moving away from fossil fuels in the energy sector. Therefore, any technical solutions that can temporarily reduce the negative impact of coal-based power engineering on the environment should be considered. At the same time, the economic aspects of such solutions must be taken into account. That is why the eco-efficiency assessment method was chosen, which integrates economic and environmental aspects. The obtained results of the analyses indicate the occurrence of environmental and economic benefits resulting from the use of the battery in coal-fired power plants. It has been found that battery-based technology is more eco-efficient than technology without such a battery. A sensitivity analysis was carried out, which allowed the impact of individual computational variables on the eco-efficiency assessment result to be assessed. The results indicate that fuel prices (coal and heavy fuel oil—mazout) and CO2 emission allowances have the greatest impact on the eco-efficiency of the analyzed technology. It was also found that the factors related to the battery, such as its efficiency, life span, decrease of the capacity after 10 years of operation, and construction cost, have a much smaller impact on the results.

The application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to the simultaneous analysis of heavy metal concentration in soil samples was demonstrated in this paper. Two spectral techniques, namely, attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and diffuse reflectance (DRIFT), were applied and the whole infrared spectral region, i.e., far IR, mid IR, and near IR were considered in this work. Spectral data with reference to the results of laboratory analysis enabled the development of calibration partial least squares (PLS) models. The PLS models for the ATR near IR were characterized by a good fit and good prediction abilities. According to the results obtained, the most accurate description and prediction were realized in the case of mid/far and near IR for the mercury and nickel concentration in soil. Application of far IR slightly improved the prediction possibilities of the model. The construction of PLS models based on the Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra enables the perception of FT-IR spectroscopy as a supplementary method that is useful in the estimation and monitoring of the contamination level in soils.

Insulinoma is one of the pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) and is exceptionally rare in children. The tumor leads to severe hypoglycemia caused by excessive insulin release. We report a pediatric patient with malignant insulinoma who underwent liver transplantation (LT) due to liver metastases of the insulinoma. A 13-year-old girl presented with symptoms of hypoglycemia due to hyperinsulinism. On computed tomography (CT), a polycystic lesion in the head of the pancreas and enlarged lymph nodes were revealed. A modified Whipple's operation was performed, and histological examination confirmed PanNET. CT also showed an enlarged liver with numerous metastases. Allogeneic LT was carried out successfully. Positron emission tomography-CT using 68Ga-DOTA-labeled somatostatin analogs (SSAs) at the age of 22 years confirmed complete metabolic remission. The patient currently remains under immunosuppressive and anti-proliferative treatment. Multiple surgical interventions, LT combined with SSAs, and immunosuppressive medication proved effective in this case of metastatic malignant insulinoma.

The dependence on heart rate of the QT interval has been investigated for many years and several mathematical formulae have been proposed to describe the QT interval/heart rate (or QT interval/RR interval) relationship. While the most popular is Bazett’s formula, it overcorrects the QT interval at high heart rates and under-corrects it at slow heart rates. This formulae and many others similar ones, do not accurately describe the natural behaviour of the QT interval. The QT interval/RR interval relationship is generally described as QT dynamics. In recent years, several methods of its assessment have been proposed, the most popular of which is linear regression. An increased steepness of the linear QT/RR slope correlates with the risk of arrhythmic death following myocardial infarction. It has also been demonstrated that the QT interval adapts to heart rate changes with a delay (QT hysteresis) and that QT dynamics parameters vary over time. New methods of QT dynamics assessment that take into account these phenomena have been proposed. Using these methods, changes in QT dynamics have been observed in patients with advanced heart failure, and during morning hours in patients with ischemic heart disease and history of cardiac arrest. The assessment of QT dynamics is a new and promising tool for identifying patients at increased risk of arrhythmic events and for studying the effect of drugs on ventricular repolarisation.