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IntroductionThe aim was to investigate whether the stem cell marker LGR6 has prognostic value in colon cancer, alone or in combination with the prognostic biomarkers CEA and CXCL16.MethodsLGR6 mRNA levels were determined in 370 half lymph nodes of 121 colon cancer patients. Ability to predict relapse after curative surgery was estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival model and Cox regression analyses.ResultsPatients with high LGR6 levels [LGR6(+)] had a decreased mean survival time of 11 months at 5-year follow-up and 47 months at 12-year follow-up, respectively, with hazard ratios of 3.2 and 2.8. LGR6 mRNA analysis added prognostic value to CEA and CXCL16 mRNA analysis. In the poor prognosis groups CEA(+) and CXCL16(+), further division was achieved by LGR6 analysis. LGR6(+) patients had a very poor prognosis. LGR6 also identified a small number of CEA(-), TNM stage I patients who relapsed suggesting stem cell origin of these tumors. LGR6 and LGR5 levels correlated strongly in lymph nodes of stage I and IV patients but not in stage II patients, suggesting that these stem cell markers are differentially regulated.ConclusionThis study highlights LGR6 as a useful prognostic biomarker independently and in combination with CEA, CXCL16 or LGR5 identifying different risk groups.

Our society is now experiencing changes in technology in how we approach situations and events when telling stories and dramas. We find that there are a lot of literary and historical novels and books that are documented by dramatic photography, from films, series and plays, which can be expressed in the form of stories and volumes, but it is necessary to take into account the symbols expressing each era and every situation in order to convey the image is correct and honest, and it is important That consideration be given to the studies surrounding the environment in which it occurred from clothing and life situations, as well as the importance of work and its impact on the recipient of all ages, and confirmation of the uses of expressive colors in order to convey events in full, and it is important that history be studied before it is taken in a dramatic manner in order to transfer all form of thought and worship And symbols that indicate them in every era, and thus facilitate the use of storytelling to express all this. The person has made his narrative portrayal of everything around him a special aesthetic in character and an artistic symbol. The symbol in the field of narrative photography is developed and more free. It is called a technical symbol. The artistic symbol has an aesthetic meaning that helps in its interpretation and understanding, whether in terms of color significance or formal significance to it, and from here we find that symbolism in art is important and an artistic direction symbolizes several aspects. The research talks about storytelling and its relationship to drama, as well as symbolic movement, artwork and psychology, and also includes some experiments to reformulate some symbols from the ancient Egyptian.

Fish are a source of high-quality protein with low cholesterol, but they are susceptible to parasitic infections, which have a significant impact on aquaculture, in addition to their zoonotic potential. The present study estimated parasitic infections and evaluated the diversity of zoonotic parasites in freshwater Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt. A total of 300 samples were randomly collected from the Assiut Governorate. These fish were examined for both ectoparasites and endoparasites, followed by the experimental infection of mice with encysted metacercariae (EMC) for the retrieval of the adult worms. The overall prevalence of the variable parasites was 82% (246 of 300). Both ecto- and endoparasites were detected in 41% (123 of 300) of the examined fish. The identified ectoparasites were Gyrodactylus, Dactylogrus, Cichlidogyrus, Trichodina and Icthyophthirius multifiliis, in 5%, 4%, 22%, 6% and 4% of the fish, respectively. The endoparasites were trematodes (Orientocreadium batrachoides 3%), nematodes (Contracaecum. 2%), acanthocephala (Acanthosentis tilapiae 25%) and protozoa that included Isospora and Eimeria spp., in 1% and 8% of fish, respectively. Myxobolus was detected in 2% of the examined fish. The overall prevalence of encysted metacercariae (EMC) was 95% (285 of 300), while infection with macroscopic EMC had a prevalence of 37% and microscopic EMC had a prevalence of 58%. The adult worms recovered from the experimental infections were Prohemistomum vivax and Mesostephanus spp., which belong to the family Cyathocotylidae. Collectively, these findings reflect the relatively high occurrence of parasites among the studied fish, confirming the necessity of strict measures to control infection.

Concrete production unfavourably affects the environment due to high energy demands of cement production and consumption of limited natural resources. Therefore, waste utilization in fabrication of cementitious material is beneficial and legitimate. Significant reduction of environmental impact can be secured by utilization of various types of wastes or byproducts used for a partial substitution of cement binder or aggregates. However, the use of waste materials usually leads to deterioration of material properties of the designed composites. Therefore, it is very important to thoroughly investigate important materials properties to verify performance and practical usability of the newly designed materials. In this paper, three types of concrete mixes were designed. The reference concrete involved fine and coarse natural riverbed aggregates and two other mixes were designed using both, natural and recycled aggregates represented by crushed concrete paving cobbles. Concretes were tested in terms of basic physical properties (bulk density), mechanical properties (compressive strength), thermal properties (thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity), and hygric properties (water vapour diffusion resistance factor, water vapour sorption at 97% RH, water absorption coefficient, moisture diffusivity) and experimentally determined data were compared and discussed. It was observed that materials properties of concretes with recycled aggregates are comparable with those of the reference concrete which is a promising fact from the environmental point of view.

Sewage sludge is a semi-solid waste material created as a result of the sewage treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater. Because the laws and regulations of the European Union require not only a reduction in waste generation but also the preparation of waste for reuse and disposal, it is necessary to look for new methods of the application of sewage sludge as part of sustainable waste management. In this study, ash formed as a result of the combustion of sewage sludge from the sewage treatment plant in Płaszów, Krakow in a fluidised bed furnace at a temperature of around 800°C was used. Sewage sludge ash (SSA) contains over 30% SiO2 and approx. 10% Al2O3, which indicates potential applications in geopolymer materials. In this study, samples of geopolymer mortars with a binder containing sewage sludge ash as well as fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) were prepared. The mechanical parameters were determined after 2, 7, 14, and 28 days. The results show that the sewage sludge ash-based geopolymer shows binding properties at ambient temperature and, depending on the presence of FA and/or GGBFS, the compressive strength varies from 5 to 45 MPa after 28 days. The aim of the research was also to determine the total content of heavy metals (Sb, As, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Hg, Zn) in the raw materials used and their leachability from the structure of the hardened materials. Immobilisation of heavy metals is very promising. Based on the results of tests, it seems possible to use SSA in geopolymer materials, but not as the main component of the binder.

Geopolymers may be considered as an alternative materials to Portland cement ones, providing an opportunity to exploit industrial wastes or co-products with promising short and long-term performances in the construction field, f.ex. for reparation issues. However, these materials are porous and consequently their durability depends on the risk of intrusion of aggressive agents. In order to assess their durability, we propose to investigate in this study gas permeability of sound and mechanically loaded specimens. Loading is performed using a splitting tensile test driven by a crack opening displacement up to a level of 50 microns. Tests are performed on four types of blended fly-ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) geopolymer mortars, containing four different levels of GGGBF slag in the binder: 0%, 10%, 30% and 50% wt. Results show a positive effect of blending with slag in terms of modulus of elasticity and tensile and compressive strength, as well as the permeability. However, permeability recovery after cracking is the lowest when blending is the highest.

Inefficient use of end-of-life materials in combination with depletion of primary sources can be understood as a significant factor that motivates to effective waste material recycling and reuse. Since the construction industry produces millions of tons of building materials, which are continuously reaching their service life end, there is a great potential for their reuse instead of simple landfilling. In this light, concrete is a versatile building material that might incorporate lots of recycled building materials as it is demanding on primary sources. A substitution of coarse aggregates by recycled products is, therefore, one of the ways how to mitigate these environmental burdens. This paper aims at evaluation of environmental contributions of concrete with coarse aggregates being substituted by crushed concrete pavements. Various amounts of recycled aggregates were assumed (0%, 50%, and 100%) to reveal the environmental impacts. The analysis incorporates all inputs and outputs related to the production of concrete and recycling of concrete pavements (raw materials production, processing, transport emissions, energy production, etc.). The results indicate that substitution of coarse aggregates by recycled concrete pavements may bring significant mitigation of environmental impacts and hence it deserves further investigation.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the sealing ability of the readymade temporary filling and hand mixed materials by assessing coronal microleakage. MATERIALS & METHODS: Standardized access cavities were prepared in 80 intact human permanent premolar teeth. They were divided randomly into four experimental groups (n=20). The teeth were restored using one of the temporary materials including Cavisol, Litrak, Zinc phosphate cement, Zinconol (IRM). Thermocycling was applied on the specimens. Methylene blue dye was applied and penetration was evaluated under stereomicroscope. Grading of the microleakage pattern was from 1 to 3, with 3 providing the best seal. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Microleakage of Cavisol and Litrak samples achieved grade 3; whereas zinc phosphate cement and Zinconol samples absorbed the dye into the bulk of the materials. Cavisol was found to exhibit the best seal amongst the four tested materials followed by Litrak, zinc phosphate cement, and Zinconol. There was a statistically significant difference in the microleakage scores obtained between the materials (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Among the four materials tested, readymade temporary filling provided the best sealing ability over hand-mixed. This study emphasizes the importance of correct placement and sufficient thickness of temporary filling materials in endodontic access cavities to ensure a tight seal.

Zachowanie sie betonów wysokowartosciowych (BWW) w warunkach działania wysokiej temperatury moze stanowic powazne ograniczenie ich stosowania w budownictwie. BWW poddane działaniu wysokich temperatur, jakie wystepuja np. podczas pozaru, moga wykazywac skłonnosc do eksplozyjnego zachowania sie (ang. spalling) prowadzacego do odsłoniecia stali zbrojeniowej. Eksplozyjne zachowanie sie moze stanowic powazne zagrozenie dla nosnosci elementu zelbetowego. Jak pokazały liczne badania stosowanie włókien polipropylenowych (PP) ogranicza wystapienie tego zjawiska. W temperaturze około 170°C włókna topia sie. Stopiony polipropylen jest czesciowo wchłaniany przez matryce cementowa, tworzac siec porów otwartych wpływajacych na zwiekszenie przepuszczalnosci, a w konsekwencji powodujac zmniejszenie cisnienia pary wodnej w ogrzewanym betonie. Jednak dokładny mechanizm działania włókien polipropylenowych nie jest jeszcze w pełni wyjasniony. Z technicznego punktu widzenia, zastosowanie włókien polipropylenowych w ilosci 0,1÷0,2% objetosci betonu stanowi skuteczne rozwiazanie ograniczajace wystapienie eksplozyjnego zachowania sie w betonach wysokowartosciowych, jednak brak jest doniesien jednoznacznie wskazujacych jakiej długosci włókna sa najefektywniejsze.

The advent of modern aluminosilicate binders has resulted in practical uses for fly ash, which belongs to the group of secondary mineral raw materials; this provides an interesting alternative to cementitious binders, which have a large carbon footprint. Geopolymers mineral binders with a growing range of applications in construction. Their inorganic, amorphous structure endows them with better resistance to high temperature compared to cementitious binders. In this study, the alkaline activation of aluminosilicate Połaniec Fly Ash made it possible to obtain noncementitious material with compressive strength of 18.5 MPa. The article presents the results of a comparison of characteristics of geopolymer mortar and Portland cement mortar after thermal exposure.

This article presents results of fire spalling tests on small concrete slabs and studies of material parameters that may increase its occurrence. Experimental techniques enabling to study and determination of material features are presented and discussed. Experimental studies on spalling behaviour of elements were carried out on seven different concrete mixes with constant content of cement paste and mortar. Research aimed at determining influence of the following parameters: w/c ratio (0.30; 0.45; 0.60), cement type (CEM I, CEM III) and type of aggregates (riverbed gravel, granite, basalt) on fire concrete spalling. Paper discusses also the influence of cold rim that forms while testing slab-like element is subjected to one-side heating.

In this paper, an experimental study on the spalling behaviour and mechanical properties of Reactive Powder Concretes (RPCs) in high temperature are presented. The research program was established to evaluate the impact of low melting temperature polypropylene fibres PP on mechanical properties evolution with temperature but also to verify the effectiveness of their addition to prevent spalling. Three sets of RPC specimens were prepared for this study with different amount of PP fibres (no fibres, 1.0 kg/m3 and 2.0 kg/m3). The addition of PP fibres reduces the initial compressive strength of the RPC material by approx. 14% no significant influence on modulus of elasticity was observed. Addition of 1 kg/m3 of PP fibres in RPC, seem not to give a sufficient protection against occurrence of spalling phenomenon. By adding 2 kg/m3 of PP fibres the risk of spalling is significantly reduced.

Objective: In patients with refractory cardiogenic shock (CS) mechanical assistance by venous-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) therapy may be considered to reach haemodynamic stabilization. In this first-in-man study, we analysed the applicability of the new i-cor VA-ECMO assist device equipped with a diagonal pump system., Methods and Results: In total, 15 patients with refractory CS were treated with the i-cor assist device in three tertiary care centres. In 71%, CS was due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). At baseline, patients were hypotensive (systolic/diastolic blood pressure 97 ± 4/62 ± 4 mm Hg) despite high doses of catecholamines. Under ECMO therapy, a significant reduction in vasopressor therapy and serum lactate levels was observed (norepinephrine: 0.69 ± 0.1 µg/kg/min at baseline vs 0.21 ± 0.08 µg/kg/min on the last day of treatment, p<0.0001; serum lactate: 6.7 ± 1.4 mmol/l at baseline versus 1.3 ± 0.1 mmol/l on the last day, p<0.001). Inspiratory oxygen concentration was significantly reduced during the course of VA-ECMO support (80.4 ± 7.0% at baseline vs 42.7 ± 2.4% on final day; p<0.001). At baseline, three patients (20%) were on continuous haemodialysis treatment. Of the 12 patients without haemodialysis at baseline, only one patient required haemodialysis during the course of ECMO treatment. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) significantly increased with treatment (41.2 ± 7.4 at baseline vs 69.0 ± 10.8 on last day; p=0.006). Bleeding at the insertion site was recorded in two patients (13.3%). Overall, 11 patients (73.3%) needed blood transfusion. Three patients (20%) developed signs of limb ischaemia that were fully reversible. Haemolysis was recorded in five patients (33%). None of the complications required the interruption of ECMO therapy. Overall mortality was 33.3% (five patients); two patients died during, and three patients after, ECMO therapy., Conclusion: This first-in-man analysis suggests that the i-cor ECMO device is successfully applicable in humans. The data set the stage for further evaluation of this novel system and provide the necessary basis to design randomised evaluations., (© The European Society of Cardiology 2014.)

To evaluate the feasibility of implementing a cardiac assist system in a nonuniversity hospital we analyzed 18 consecutive patients treated with venoarterial membrane oxygenation. The system was used electively in 5/18 (27.8%) patients during high-risk interventions. Thirteen patients (72.2%) were treated in emergency situations. The extracorporal system could be initiated successfully in all patients. Periprocedural complications were hemolysis in 3/18 (16.7%), disseminated intravascular coagulation in 2/18 (11.1%), cerebral ischemia in 1/18 (5.6%), and local infection in 2/18 (11.1%) patients. None of these led to a discontinuation of the therapy. All electively treated patients were successfully weaned from the extracorporeal system. In 9/13 (69.2%) emergency patients the system was removed successfully. The 60-day survival rate of the emergency patients was 53.8% (7/13). Our experience confirms that an innovative extracorporeal circulatory support system can be implemented in a nonuniversity hospital at a tolerable risk and a low complication and high procedural success rate., (Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)