STAT1 Controls the Functionality of Influenza-Primed CD4 T Cells but Therapeutic STAT4 Engagement Maximizes Their Antiviral Impact.

It is generally accepted that influenza A virus (IAV) infection promotes a Th1-like CD4 T cell response and that this effector program underlies its protective impact. Canonical Th1 polarization requires cytokine-mediated activation of the transcription factors STAT1 and STAT4 that synergize to maximize the induction of the "master regulator" Th1 transcription factor, T-bet. Here, we determine the individual requirements for these transcription factors in directing the Th1 imprint primed by influenza infection in mice by tracking virus-specific wild-type or T-bet-deficient CD4 T cells in which STAT1 or STAT4 is knocked out.

Intermediate Levels of Pre-Existing Protective Antibody Allow Priming of Protective T Cell Immunity against Influenza.

Overcoming interfering impacts of pre-existing immunity to generate universally protective influenza A virus (IAV)-specific T cell immunity through vaccination is a high priority. In this study, we passively transfer varied amounts of H1N1-IAV-specific immune serum before H1N1-IAV infection to determine how different levels of pre-existing Ab influence the generation and protective potential of heterosubtypic T cell responses in a murine model. Surprisingly, IAV nucleoprotein-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses are readily detected in infected recipients of IAV-specific immune serum regardless of the amount transferred.

Bona Fide Th17 Cells without Th1 Functional Plasticity Protect against Influenza.

Optimal transcriptional programming needed for CD4 T cells to protect against influenza A virus (IAV) is unclear. Most IAV-primed CD4 T cells fit Th1 criteria. However, cells deficient for the Th1 "master regulator," T-bet, although marked by reduced Th1 identity, retain robust protective capacity.

Toll-like Receptor 4 Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Heart Transplant Rejection.

Background: Transplant rejection is one of the major problems after heart transplantation (HTx). The aim of the study was to find possible links between chosen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and heart transplant rejection.

Material And Methods: Blood samples were taken from 24 patients subjected to HTx between 2010 and 2016 at the Clinic of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantation and under the control of I Clinic of Cardiology.

Patients' knowledge of heart failure and their perception of the disease.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to gain a deeper insight into patients' perception of chronic heart failure (CHF) symptoms by analyzing their compliance with nonpharmacological recommendations.

Patients And Methods: This was a prospective, single-center survey-based registry. Patients included in this study were hospitalized between December 2014 and January 2016 at the 1 Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Lord's Transfiguration, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, and had been diagnosed with CHF at least 3 months prior to inclusion.

Role of rs13117307 single nuclear polymorphism in the risk of uterine cervical cancer from Polish population and its impact on exocyst complex component 1 expression.

We evaluated the role of NM_001024924.1:c.1330+1646C>T (rs13117307) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), situated in the intronic region of exocyst complex component 1 (EXCO1), in the development and spreading of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Does the influence of obesity on prognosis differ in men and women? A study of obesity paradox in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Recent studies have reported the existence of obesity paradox in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). However, the occurrence of obesity paradox in men and women has not yet been thoroughly investigated, even though both genders differ in patterns and incidence of obesity.

Aim: Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether obesity influence on outcomes of patients with ACS varies by gender.

Quality of life in patients with prostate cancer treated with radical image-guided radiotherapy.

Aim Of The Study: The evaluation of quality of life during image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in patients with prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: The study consisted of 180 prostate cancer patients treated with radical radiotherapy (IGRT). The patients were irradiated using conformal or dynamic techniques with 2 Gy fractionation doses to a total dose of 76 Gy.

Response surface modeling for hot, humid air decontamination of materials contaminated with Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores.

Response surface methodology using a face-centered cube design was used to describe and predict spore inactivation of Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores after exposure of six spore-contaminated materials to hot, humid air. For each strain/material pair, an attempt was made to fit a first or second order model. All three independent predictor variables (temperature, relative humidity, and time) were significant in the models except that time was not significant for B.

The FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism might be associated with some autoantibody presence in patients with SLE in a Polish population.

Objectives: The Fcrl3 -169T>C (rs7528684) polymorphism has been shown to be a risk factor of various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, these results are inconsistent between distinct ethnicities.

Methods: Using PCR-RFLP we studied the distribution of the FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism in SLE patients (n = 263) and controls (n = 528) in a sample from the Polish population.

Results: We found no significant differences of FCRL3 -169T>C genotypes and alleles between patients with SLE and healthy individuals.

Lung function in divers.

Correct lung function is indispensible to perform work underwater. Thus, spirometric tests of lung function remain an important element in the process of selecting candidates for professional diving. Studies conducted in the population of divers identified the phenomenon called 'large lungs', which is often associated with spirometric indices characteristic of obstructive impairment of lung function.

In vitro susceptibility of Staphylococci and Enterococci to vancomycin and teicoplanin.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) pose a worldwide problem. They primarily concern intensive care, hematology-oncology, and surgical units. Coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative Staphylococci, especially their subgroups possessing the ability to develop resistance to methicillin, and Enterococci have a particular role in the etiology of HAIs.

Prevalence of acute respiratory tract diseases among soldiers deployed for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Respiratory diseases are one of the most common health problems among service personnel assigned to contemporary military operations which are conducted in areas characterized by adverse environmental conditions. This article reviews the results of the studies into the prevalence of acute respiratory tract diseases among soldiers of the Polish Military Contingent deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The article also discusses a number of factors which increase the prevalence of diseases diagnosed in the population of soldiers on a military mission in different climatic and sanitary conditions.

In vitro sensitivity of Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to carbapenems among intensive care unit patients.

Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogens are the most common causes of fatal pneumonia among patients treated in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Carbapenems remain a group of antibiotics characterized by the highest effectiveness in treatment of heavy infections of the lower respiratory tract. This study compared in vitro sensitivity of A.

Intravenous treatment with ibandronate normalizes bone matrix mineralization and reduces cortical porosity after two years in male osteoporosis: a paired biopsy study.

The spectrum of therapeutic options and the amount of clinical trials for male osteoporosis (mOP) is lower than those for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Therefore, we examined the effects of 24 months of ibandronate (IBN) treatment (3 mg/3 mL intravenously every 3 months) on bone material quality in 19 subjects with mOP within an open-label, single-center, prospective phase III study (Eudract number 2006-006692-20). Patients (median age [25th, 75th percentiles] 53.

The FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism might be associated with some autoantibody presence in patients with SLE in a Polish population.

OBJECTIVES: The Fcrl3 -169T>C (rs7528684) polymorphism has been shown to be a risk factor of various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, these results are inconsistent between distinct ethnicities. METHODS: Using PCR-RFLP we studied the distribution of the FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism in SLE patients (n = 263) and controls (n = 528) in a sample from the Polish population. RESULTS: We found no significant differences of FCRL3 -169T>C genotypes and alleles between patients with SLE and healthy individuals.

Test method development to evaluate hot, humid air decontamination of materials contaminated with Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and B. thuringiensis Al Hakam spores.

Aims: To develop test methods and evaluate the survival of Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores after exposure to hot, humid air.

Methods And Results: Spores (>7 logs) of both strains were dried on six different test materials. Response surface methodology was employed to identify the limits of spore survival at optimal test combinations of temperature (60, 68, 77°C), relative humidity (60, 75, 90%) and time (1, 4, 7 days).

Caseous calcification of the mitral valve ring.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is found in 10% of patients older than 50 years of age, and represents deposition of calcium between the basal infero-lateral ventricular wall and the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Caseous calcification, formed from a mixture of calcium, cholesterol and fatty acids, is an uncommon variant found on echocardiography in 0.6% of patients with MAC.

Pathological complete response rates comparing 3 versus 6 cycles of epidoxorubicin and docetaxel in the neoadjuvant setting of patients with stage II and III breast cancer.

We conducted a prospective randomized study to compare the results of 3 cycles of epidoxorubicin/docetaxel to 6 cycles of epidoxorubicin/docetaxel prior to surgery in breast cancer patients with clinical stages II and III. Forty-five patients eligible for neoadjuvant chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either 3 (group 1) or 6 (group 2) cycles of epidoxorubicin/docetaxel prior to surgery. Chemotherapy consisted of epidoxorubicin 75 mg/m and docetaxel 75 mg/m on day 1 in 3-week cycles.

Phantom aortic valve pressure gradient: discrepancies between cardiac catheterization and Doppler echocardiography.

We present a case of a patient scheduled for mitral valve replacement and possible aortic valve replacement. On Doppler examination, her peak transaortic pressure gradient measured on three separate occasions (pre-, intra-, and postoperatively) was approximately 60 mm Hg. In contrast, the peak-to-peak pressure gradient (cardiac catheterization) was 11 mm Hg.

200 Sentinel lymph node biopsies without axillary lymph node dissection -- no axillary recurrences after a 3-year follow-up.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the rate of axillary recurrences in sentinel lymph node (SLN)-negative breast cancer patients after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone without further axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Between May 1999 and February 2002, 333 consecutive patients with primary invasive breast cancer up to 4 cm and clinically negative axillae were entered into this prospective study. Sentinel lymph nodes were identified using the combined method with blue dye (Patent blue V) and technetium 99m-labelled albumin (Nanocoll).

Subareolar subcutaneous injection of blue dye versus peritumoral injection of technetium-labeled human albumin to identify sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients.

Lymphatic mapping in breast cancer patients is a widely used technique for axillary staging, though the optimal technique is not yet established. The purpose of this study was to show that subareolar and subcutaneous injection of blue dye drains to the same sentinel lymph node (SLN) in the axillary basin as does peritumoral injection of technetium (Tc)-labeled albumin. Two injection methods were compared in 154 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed pT1 or pT2 breast cancers (tumor size 5-45 mm).

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Background And Objectives: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an accurate method for axillary staging in patients with early breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and the feasibility of SLNB in breast cancer patients who had received preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy.

Methods: Patients with advanced breast cancer stage II or III who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included in the study.

Two-year evaluation of telepathology.

We evaluated a dynamic telepathology system in routine use after a two-year developmental phase. In two three-month studies, two years apart, all intraoperative frozen sections were examined by one pathologist via the telepathology system. Laboratory technicians sampled tissues at gross examination and were connected with the pathologist by videoconference.