Commutability assessment of new standard reference materials (SRMs) for determining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D using ligand binding and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays.

Commutability is where the measurement response for a reference material (RM) is the same as for an individual patient sample with the same concentration of analyte measured using two or more measurement systems. Assessment of commutability is essential when the RM is used in a calibration hierarchy or to ensure that clinical measurements are comparable across different measurement procedures and at different times. The commutability of three new Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for determining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], defined as the sum of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], was assessed through an interlaboratory study.

Cholesterol Interference in the Assessment of Vitamin D Status: A Canadian Health Measures Survey Biobank Project.

Background: Matrix effects are a known problem with immunoassays measuring serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].

Objectives: To determine if the inverse association between serum 25(OH)D and serum cholesterol concentrations is a function of assay method: Diasorin Liaison 25(OH) Vitamin D Total Assay (Liaison Total Assay), an immunoassay, compared with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Methods: Canadian Health Measures Survey data and biobank serum (White males aged 20-79 y, n = 392) were evaluated for bias in serum 25(OH)D using Bland-Altman plots.

(Rathke, 1862) as a vector of potentially pathogenic fungi in aquatic ecosystems.

The aim of the study was to check the integument and alimentary tract of for the occurrence of fungi. Moreover, the mycological purity of water sources from which leeches were collected was analyzed. The potential role of the duck leech in transmitting pathogenic fungi has not been studied until now.

Sucking of human blood by (O. F. Müller, 1846) (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae): Case study with notes on body form.

Four events of sucking human blood are described.Human blood was sucked by both adult and juvenile specimens of . .

Three-Dimensional Outdoor Analysis of Single Synthetic Building Structures by an Unmanned Flying Agent Using Monocular Vision.

An algorithm designed for analysis and understanding a 3D urban-type environment by an autonomous flying agent, equipped only with a monocular vision, is presented. The algorithm is hierarchical and is based on the structural representation of the analyzed scene. Firstly, the robot observes the scene from a high altitude to build a 2D representation of a single object and a graph representation of the 2D scene.

The Concept of the Constructional Solution of the Working Section of a Robot for Harvesting Strawberries.

Strawberry fruits are products of high commercial and consumption value, and, at the same time, they are difficult to harvest due to their very low mechanical strength and difficulties in identifying them within the bush. Therefore, robots collecting strawberries should be equipped with four subsystems: a video object detection system, a collecting arm, a unit for the reception and possible packaging of the fruit, and a traction system unit. This paper presents a concept for the design and operation of the working section of a harvester for strawberry fruit crops grown in rows or beds, in open fields, and/or under cover.

Longitudinal Assessment of Vitamin D Status across Trimesters of Pregnancy.

Background: The evolution of vitamin D status across pregnancy trimesters and its association with prepregnancy body mass index (ppBMI; in kg/m2) remain unclear.

Objectives: We aimed to 1) assess trimester-specific serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, 2) compare those concentrations between ppBMI categories, and 3) examine associations between 25(OH)D concentrations, ppBMI, and vitamin D intake.

Methods: As part of a prospective cohort study, 79 pregnant women with a mean age of 32.

Magnetic Resonance Image Quality Assessment by Using Non-Maximum Suppression and Entropy Analysis.

An investigation of diseases using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging requires automatic image quality assessment methods able to exclude low-quality scans. Such methods can be also employed for an optimization of parameters of imaging systems or evaluation of image processing algorithms. Therefore, in this paper, a novel blind image quality assessment (BIQA) method for the evaluation of MR images is introduced.

The externalities of energy production in the context of development of clean energy generation.

In this paper, we present a comparative review of the externalities of electricity production. First of all, the environmental impact is considered. A discussion of the influence of various electricity production processes on human health follows.

Characterization of maternal plasma biomarkers associated with delivery of small and large for gestational age infants in the MIREC study cohort.

Objective: Neonatal morbidity and mortality can be influenced by maternal health status. Information on maternal and fetal biomarkers of adverse health outcomes is limited. This work aims at identifying maternal biomarkers associated with low and high birth weight for gestational age groups.

New record of the fish leech (Annelida: Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) - DNA barcoding and phylogeny.

The aim of this study was to confirm the taxonomic status of Bielecki, 1994 found on Salmonidae fish. The fish leech was identified based on a diligent morphological analysis as well as COI gene sequence (DNA barcoding). The phylogenetic relationship with other piscicolid leeches was analyzed as well.

Cardiovascular and inflammatory mechanisms in healthy humans exposed to air pollution in the vicinity of a steel mill.

Background: There is a paucity of mechanistic information that is central to the understanding of the adverse health effects of source emission exposures. To identify source emission-related effects, blood and saliva samples from healthy volunteers who spent five days near a steel plant (Bayview site, with and without a mask that filtered many criteria pollutants) and at a well-removed College site were tested for oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction markers.

Methods: Biomarker analyses were done using multiplexed protein-array, HPLC-Fluorescence, EIA and ELISA methods.

The Assessment of Static Balance in Patients after Total Hip Replacement in the Period of 2-3 Years after Surgery.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess static balance of patients after Total Hip Replacement (THR) compared with the age-matched, asymptomatic control group, considering the subject's gender and the time since the surgery.

Materials And Methods: The Total Hip Replacement (THR) group consisted of 55 subjects (mean age: 56.3 ± 8.

Mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke - Five years of experience in Poland.

Objectives: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not reimbursed by the Polish public health system. We present a description of 5 years of experience with MT in acute stroke in Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) in Poland.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively analyzed the results of a structured questionnaire from 23 out of 25 identified CSCs and 22 data sets that include 61 clinical, radiological and outcome measures.

The proposal of philosophical basis of the health care system.

The studies of health care systems are conducted intensively on various levels. They are important because the systems suffer from numerous pathologies. The health care is analyzed, first of all, in economic aspects but their functionality in the framework of systems theory is studied, as well.

Blood metal levels and third trimester maternal plasma matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).

While it is known that in utero exposure to environmental toxicants, namely heavy metals, can adversely affect the neonate, there remains a significant paucity of information on maternal biological changes specific to metal exposures during pregnancy. This study aims at identifying associations between maternal metal exposures and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are known to be engaged in pregnancy process. Third trimester maternal plasma (n = 1533) from a pregnancy cohort (Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals Study, MIREC) were analyzed for MMP-1,-2,-7,-9 and -10 by affinity-based multiplex protein array analyses.

A Mechanism for Cytoplasmic Streaming: Kinesin-Driven Alignment of Microtubules and Fast Fluid Flows.

The transport of cytoplasmic components can be profoundly affected by hydrodynamics. Cytoplasmic streaming in Drosophila oocytes offers a striking example. Forces on fluid from kinesin-1 are initially directed by a disordered meshwork of microtubules, generating minor slow cytoplasmic flows.

Infant birth weight and third trimester maternal plasma markers of vascular integrity: the MIREC study.

Background: There is paucity of information on mechanisms constituting adverse birth outcomes. We assessed here the relationship between vascular integrity and adverse birth effects.

Methods And Results: Third trimester maternal plasma (n = 144) from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals Study (MIREC) was analysed for vascular, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers by HPLC-fluorescence, protein array and EIA method.

A new leech species (Hirudinida: Erpobdellidae: Erpobdella) from a cave in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran.

Erpobdella borisi n. sp. is a predatory leech inhabiting cave waters in Iran.

Nitrative stress, oxidative stress and plasma endothelin levels after inhalation of particulate matter and ozone.

Background: While exposure to ambient air contaminants is clearly associated with adverse health outcomes, disentangling mechanisms of pollutant interactions remains a challenge.

Objectives: We aimed at characterizing free radical pathways and the endothelinergic system in rats after inhalation of urban particulate matter, ozone, and a combination of particles plus ozone to gain insight into pollutant-specific toxicity mechanisms and any effect modification due to air pollutant mixtures.

Methods: Fischer 344 rats were exposed for 4 h to a 3 × 3 concentration matrix of ozone (0, 0.

The general entity of life: a cybernetic approach.

Life, not only in the well-known context of biochemical metabolism but also in the context of hypothetical life synthesized laboratorially or possibly found on other planets, is considered in this paper. The three-component information-energetic-structural irreducible processing in autonomous systems is the core of the proposed approach. The cybernetic organization of a general entity of life--the alivon--is postulated.

Diversity of features of the female reproductive system and other morphological characters in leeches (Citellata, Hirudinida) in phylogenetic conception.

An epistemological-evolutionary conception of leeches (Hirudinida) based on features of the female reproductive system in combination with other morphological characters is presented in the spirit of the cladistic school of taxonomy. Characters relating to the structure of the ovary and the course of oogenesis in leeches were interpreted in this manner, for the first time. Each study was conducted on type species of higher taxonomic groups of true leeches.

Dynamics of the increase in strength and girth of quadriceps muscle after the reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament.

Background: Reconstruction is the method of choice in the treatment of ACL rupture. Postoperative rehabilitation is a very important aspect of therapeutic management. One of priority elements is to regain proper strength and function of the quadriceps muscle in a short time.

New data about the functional morphology of the chaetiferous leech-like annelids Acanthobdella peledina (Grube, 1851) and Paracanthobdella livanowi (Epshtein, 1966) (Clitellata, Acanthobdellida).

Approximately 130 individuals of Acanthobdella peledina and 100 individuals of Paracanthobdella livanowi were studied. Morphometric measurements were taken to explore the body form. The digestive and the reproductive systems of leech-like annelids were analyzed for the first time in such a high number of specimens.

A new leech species (Clitellata: Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) from the Łyna River near Olsztyn, Poland.

A new species of fish leech from Poland, Piscicola burresoni n. sp. (Piscicolidae), is described.