A real-life clinical application of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with acute myocarditis - one-center observational retrospective study.

Background: The diagnosis of acute myocarditis is complex, with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) being a recommended diagnostic method. This study aimed to evaluate the real-life use of CMR in the diagnosis of acute myocarditis and to correlate CMR results with the degree of myocardial damage.

Methods: This is a retrospective, observational tertiary single-center study of 90 consecutive patients (F/M:18/72, mean age:39 ± 14 years) hospitalized between 2015-2022 with a clinical diagnosis of acute myocarditis.

The Measurement of the Oxidative Index of Polyethylene Obtained during Revision Hip Arthroplasty and Assessment of Its Variability Depending on the Degree of Osteolysis, Implantation Time, as Well as the Size and Material of the Utilized Head.

Aseptic loosening is the leading cause of late revision in total hip arthroplasty, primarily due to degenerative oxidation of polyethylene components, leading to wear particle formation and periacetabular osteolysis. This study aimed to analyze the oxidation levels in polyethylene liners and cemented cups retrieved from revision surgeries using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and to explore the correlation between oxidation levels and factors such as head size, head material, fixation method, and implant survival time. Polyethylene liners and cups were analyzed post-revision surgery to assess oxidation levels, which were then compared to periacetabular bone loss measured by the Paprosky classification.

Enhancing Patient Selection in Stage IIIA-IIIB NSCLC: Invasive Lymph Node Restaging after Neoadjuvant Therapy.

Restaging of mediastinal lymph nodes plays a crucial role in the multimodal treatment of stage IIIA Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to assess the impact of restaging using endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), endoesophageal ultrasound (EUS), and transcervical extended mediastinal lymphadenectomy (TEMLA) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CHT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on the 5-year overall survival (OS) of patients with NSCLC diagnosed with clinical stage IIIA-IIIB and metastatic ipsilateral mediastinal nodes (N2) who underwent radical pulmonary resections. Patients diagnosed with stage IIIA-IIIB NSCLC and N2 mediastinal nodes were included in this study.

May noninvasive mechanical ventilation and/ or continuous positive airway pressure increase the bronchoalveolar lavage salvage in patients with pulmonary diseases? Randomized clinical trial - Study protocol.

Purpose: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) procedure is a useful tool in the diagnosis of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and is helpful in clinical research of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Still little is known about predictors of poor BAL salvage. The trial aims to find the most efficient way to improve BAL recovery.

The use of non-invasive respiratory assistance to facilitate bronchofiberoscopy performance in patients with hypoxemic (type one) respiratory failure - Study protocol.

Purpose: Bronchofiberoscopy (FOB) is a procedure routinely performed for: lung cancer, obstruction, interstitial diseases, foreign bodies' removal, airway clearance, and hemoptysis. It causes acute airway narrowing leading to respiratory and cardiovascular stress. Due to increasing number of ill patients with respiratory failure (RF), conventional oxygen therapy (COT) is frequently insufficient to assure accurate oxygenation and prevent RF in patients requiring FOB.

Autopsy Histopathologic Lung Findings in Patients Treated With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Context.—: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly used in the treatment of respiratory and cardiac failure, but data describing lung histopathology in ECMO recipients are limited.

Objective.

Influence of Aortic Valve Stenosis and Wall Shear Stress on Platelets Function.

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a common heart valve disease in the elderly population, and its pathogenesis remains an interesting area of research. The degeneration of the aortic valve leaflets gradually progresses to valve sclerosis. The advanced phase is marked by the presence of extracellular fibrosis and calcification.

Influence of Surface Structure on Ball Properties during a Professional Water Polo Game.

The use of modern materials in sports, in terms of chemical composition and surface texture, entails both progress in results and an increasing discrepancy in the technical parameters of the equipment used. This paper aims to demonstrate the differences between balls admitted to a league and world championships in composition, surface texture, and the influence of these parameters on the water polo game. This research compared two new balls produced by top companies producing sports accessories (Kap 7 and Mikasa).

Relationship between vertical jump tests and ice skating performance in junior Polish ice hockey players.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between vertical jumps (VJ) and various on-ice skating performances of junior ice hockey players (n = 19). The three modes of VJ or off-ice measures were countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJ), squat jump (SJ) and depth drop jump (DDJ). The on-ice skating performance was measured by the skating multistage aerobic test (SMAT), forward and backward acceleration test, top speed test, and repeated sprint ability (RSA) test.

Exhaled Air Metabolome Analysis for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Fingerprints Identification-The Preliminary Study.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease with a serious prognosis. The aim of this study was to identify biomarkers for PAH in the breath phase and to prepare an automatic classification method to determine the changing metabolome trends and molecular mapping. A group of 37 patients (F/M: 8/29 women, mean age 60.

Value, time and outcomes of elevated lactate levels in adult patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Introduction: Lactate levels have been recognized as a reliable tool for monitoring critically ill patients requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) or venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) but the reasons behind the overproduction of lactate are different and the influance for survival remains controversial. We analyzed the lactate values and lactate clearance in adult patients in these two forms of extracorporeal support.

Methods: Patient demographics, ECMO duration, 30-day mortality, lactate values and lactate clearance at 24, 48 and 72 h from ECMO initiation of patients supported with VV and VA ECMO at Silesian Centre for Heart Deasese, between January 2011 and April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.

Cenospheres-Reinforced PA-12 Composite: Preparation, Physicochemical Properties, and Soaking Tests.

The main aim of this research was the preparation of a polymer-ceramic composite with PA-12 as the polymer matrix and modified aluminosilicate cenospheres (CSs) as the ceramic filler. The CSs were subjected to an early purification and cleaning process, which was also taken as a second objective. The CSs were surface modified by a two-step process: (1) etching in Piranha solution and (2) silanization in 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane.

Surgery Training System Supported by Organic Materials.

The aim of the study was the qualitative assessment of new materials based on a polycarbonate matrix in terms of its use in 3D printing and its processing and geometric modification (cutting). Filaments made of the new material doped with talc in five different proportions were visually inspected with a microscope. The calibration and test models were made using the FFF (fused filament fabrication) technique.

Production of Electrolytic Composite Powder by Nickel Plating of Shredded Polyurethane Foam.

Ni-poly(DPU) composite powder was produced under galvanostatic conditions from a nickel bath with the addition of pulverized polymer obtained during the shredding of polyurethane foam (poly(DPU)). The Ni-poly(DPU) composite powder was characterized by the presence of polymer particles covered with an electrolytical amorphous-nanocrystalline nickel coating. The phase structure, chemical composition, morphology, and the distribution of elements was investigated.

Polyurethane-Based Porous Carbons Suitable for Medical Application.

The main aim of the study was to synthesize and analyze spectral data to determine the structure and stereometry of the carbon-based porous material internal structure. Samples of a porous biomaterial were synthesized through anionic polymerization following our own patent and then carbonized. The samples were investigated using MALDI ToF MS, FTIR ATR spectroscopy, optic microscopy, SEM, confocal laser scanning microscopy and CMT imaging.

Individual Determinants as the Causes of Failure in Learning to Swim with the Example of 10-Year-Old Children.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to identify which, and to what extent, selected individual determinants of 10-year-old children may limit the final achievement in learning to swim. In view of the above, the research hypothesis was formulated that some children, despite regular attendance at swimming classes, do not achieve the learning outcomes set in the curriculum. The reason for this may be unfavorable (compared to their peers) morphological and functional characteristics, coordination motor abilities, and problems with fear of water.

Pulmonary function, exercise capacity and dyspnea in patients 7 ​years after Nuss surgery.

Purpose: Pectus excavatum is a frequent thoracic malformation increasingly treated with minimally invasive methods (MIRPE), which are performed for cardio-respiratory problems and in some centers also for esthetic considerations. Theoretically, MIRPE may increase thoracic elastic recoil, work of breathing and cause emphysema. The aim of the present study was to determine whether teenagers who underwent MIRPE may expect normal thoracic cage development, cardio-respiratory function, exercise capacity and asymptomatic functioning.

ARNI in HFrEF-One-Centre Experience in the Era before the 2021 ESC HF Recommendations.

Background: Sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), has demonstrated a survival benefit and reduces heart failure hospitalization in patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF); however, our experience in this field is limited. This study aimed to summarize a real clinical practice of the use of ARNI in HFrEF patients hospitalized due to HFrEF in the era before the 2021 ESC HF recommendations, as well as assess their clinical outcome with regard to ARNI administration.

Methods And Materials: Overall, 613 patients with HFrEF hospitalized in 2018-2020 were enrolled into a retrospective one-centre cross-sectional analysis.

Post-tracheostomy complications: respiratory failure caused by authologic foreign body-case report.

Tracheostomy is performed frequently as a palliative treatment in patients with end-stage respiratory failure (RF). However, in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation it may be difficult to recognize and can often lead to life-threatening RF. We present two cases of acute-on-chronic respiratory failure (ACRF) occurring in patients who had undergone tracheostomy [one with percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) and the second with surgical tracheostomy (ST)].

A Comparative Study of Two-Minute versus Three-Minute Passive Recovery on Sprint Skating Performance of Ice Hockey Forwards and Defensemen.

The impact of two different passive recovery durations, two and three minutes, between sets of repeated sprint skating ability (RSSA) test on skating speed, speed decrement (S), and heart rate (HR) response of ice hockey forwards (n = 12) and defensemen (n = 7) were determined. Six sets of 3 × 80 m sprint, with two-minute passive recovery between two consecutive sets, were performed in RSSA-2. A three-minute passive recovery period between two consecutive sets was allowed in RSSA-3.

Total Occlusion of the Infarct-Related Artery in Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI)-How Can We Identify These Patients?

Regardless of the improvement in key recommendations in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), the prevalence of total occlusion (TO) of infarct-related artery (IRA), and the impact of TO of IRA on outcomes in patients with NSTEMI, remain unclear. The study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of TO of IRA in patients with NSTEMI, and its clinical significance. The study was a single-center retrospective cohort analysis of 399 consecutive patients with NSTEMI (293 male, mean age: 71 ± 10.

Age-Related Differences in Motivation of Recreational Runners, Marathoners, and Ultra-Marathoners.

This study was aimed to investigate the influence of age on the motivations of various types of runners, namely, marathoners, ultra-marathoners, and non-starters. A total of 1,537 runners including 380 women (24.7%) and 1,157 men (75.

The Use of ZrO Waste for the Electrolytic Production of Composite Ni-P-ZrO Powder.

Ni-P-ZrO composite powder was obtained from a galvanic nickel bath with ZrO powder. Production was conducted under galvanostatic conditions. The Ni-P-ZrO composite powder was characterized by the presence of ZrO particles covered with electrolytical nanocrystalline Ni-P coating.

The Evaluation of Simulated Environmental Degradation of Polycarbonate Filled with Inorganic and Organic Reinforcements.

This research aimed to examine the mechanical properties of polycarbonate-based composites filled with both organic and inorganic reinforcements before and after simulated environmental degradation. Series of polycarbonate-based samples were prepared in the form of thin tapes. Their rheological properties were examined.