Hormonal Function of Undescended Testes Before Orchidopexy in Prepubertal Boys.

The hormonal aspect of undescended testes (UDTs) in prepubertal boys, i.e., after mini-puberty, is poorly understood.

The Clinical and Economic Burden of Chronic Kidney Disease in Poland: Inside Patient-Level Microsimulation Modelling of CKD.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased annual costs, with the highest costs attributable to renal replacement therapy (RRT). These costs will rise as prevalence increases. Therefore, forecasting the future prevalence and economic burden of CKD, particularly in underdiagnosed populations, may provide valuable insights to policymakers looking at strategies to implement interventions to delay CKD progression.

Glycated Hemoglobin and Cardiovascular Disease in Patients Without Diabetes.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most critical public health problems in the contemporary world because they are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most substantial risk factors for developing CVDs. Glycated hemoglobin is a product of the non-enzymatic glycation of hemoglobin present in erythrocytes.

En Caul Cesarean Delivery-A Safer Way to Deliver a Premature Newborn? Narrative Review.

Premature deliveries and preterm newborns are of a special significance to obstetricians. Despite great improvement in neonatal intensive care in the last two decades, prematurity is still the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Complications associated with premature deliveries are malpresentation, prolapse of the umbilical cord, entrapment of some parts of the fetal body, as well as severe bruising or bone fractures.

Nutritional Status in a Group of Patients with Wounds Due to Diabetic Foot Disease and Chronic Venous Insufficiency.

Wound healing is a complex physiological process that begins immediately upon injury. Nutritional status significantly affects the course of regenerative processes. Malnutrition can prolong the inflammatory phase, limit collagen synthesis, and increase the risk of new wound formation.

Comparison of Non-Invasive and Minimally Invasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy Using Samples Derived from the Same Embryo Culture.

: To assess the ploidy status of embryos via preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), a biopsy of trophectoderm (TE) cells can be performed. However, this approach is considered invasive, and therefore the aim of this study was to identify the optimal sample type and sampling day for non-invasive or minimally invasive PGT-A (ni/miPGT-A) in terms of data quality and concordance rates with TE biopsies derived from the same embryos. : This study was performed using 239 embryo cultures.

Metabolomics in Atrial Fibrillation: Unlocking Novel Biomarkers and Pathways for Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Personalized Treatment.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent arrhythmia in the adult population associated with a high rate of severe consequences leading to significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, its prompt recognition is of high clinical importance. AF detection often remains challenging due to unspecific symptoms and a lack of reliable biomarkers for its prediction.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Eating Disorders-A Literature Review.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder that affects women of reproductive age and is characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology. PCOS is often associated with hormonal imbalances, metabolic dysfunction and comorbid psychiatric disorders, including eating disorders (EDs). The review identifies key hormonal factors-serotonin, leptin, insulin, ghrelin, kisspeptin and cortisol-and their roles in the pathophysiology of PCOS and associated psychiatric symptoms.

Electromyographic Diagnostic Ranges Defining Temporomandibular Disorders and Healthy Individuals' Results in Functional Clenching Index.

: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) represent a significant public health issue, among which masticatory muscle pain is the most common. Current publications increasingly indicate surface electromyography (sEMG) as an effective diagnostic tool for muscle dysfunctions that may be employed in TMDs recognition. The objective of this study was to establish reference ranges for TMDs patients with masticatory muscle pain and healthy individuals in the electromyographic Functional Clenching Index (FCI) for the temporalis muscles (TAs) and masseter muscles (MMs).

Efficacy and Safety of a Mixture of Microencapsulated Sodium Butyrate, Probiotics, and Short Chain Fructooligosaccharides in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome-A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Biotics are increasingly being used in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a mixture of microencapsulated sodium butyrate, probiotics ( DSM 26357, DSM 32418, DSM 32946, DSM 32403, and DSM 32269), and short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOSs) in IBS patients. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 120 adult participants with IBS.

Distribution of Pathogens in Early- and Late-Onset Sepsis Among Preterm Infants: A Decade-Long Study in a Tertiary Referral Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Neonatal sepsis, a severe infection in newborns, remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among preterm infants. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of pathogens responsible for early-onset sepsis (EOS) and late-onset sepsis (LOS), the annual variability of pathogens responsible for each type of infection, and potential trends in their profiles in preterm infants from a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit over a ten-year period. We analyzed 177 episodes of confirmed bloodstream infection between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2023.

Ensuring Reliable Network Communication and Data Processing in Internet of Things Systems with Prediction-Based Resource Allocation.

The distributed nature of IoT systems and new trends focusing on fog computing enforce the need for reliable communication that ensures the required quality of service for various scenarios. Due to the direct interaction with the real world, failure to deliver the required QoS level can introduce system failures and lead to further negative consequences for users. This paper introduces a prediction-based resource allocation method for Multi-Access Edge Computing-capable networks, aimed at assurance of the required QoS and optimization of resource utilization for various types of IoT use cases featuring adaptability to changes in users' requests.

Prototype of Self-Service Electronic Stethoscope to Be Used by Patients During Online Medical Consultations.

This article presents the authors' design of an electronic stethoscope intended for use during online medical consultations for patient auscultation. The goal of the project was to design an instrument that is durable, user-friendly, and affordable. Existing electronic components were used to create the device and a traditional single-sided chest piece.

Automatic Cleaning of Time Series Data in Rural Internet of Things Ecosystems That Use Nomadic Gateways.

A serious limitation to the deployment of IoT solutions in rural areas may be the lack of available telecommunications infrastructure enabling the continuous collection of measurement data. A nomadic computing system, using a UAV carrying an on-board gateway, can handle this; it leads, however, to a number of technical challenges. One is the intermittent collection of data from ground sensors governed by weather conditions for the UAV measurement missions.

Fibre Optic Method for Detecting Oil Fluorescence in Marine Sediments.

The aim of this study is to verify the possibility of detecting oil in the bottom sediment using a fibre optic system. The presence of oil is assessed on excitation-emission spectra obtained from spectral fluorescence signals of the sediment sample. A factory spectrofluorometer coupled with an experimental fibre optic measurement system was used.

New Torsional Surface Elastic Waves in Cylindrical Metamaterial Waveguides for Sensing Applications.

In this paper, we demonstrate that torsional surface elastic waves can propagate along the curved surface of a metamaterial elastic rod (cylinder) embedded in a conventional elastic medium. The crucial parameter of the metamaterial rod is its elastic compliance s44(1)ω, which varies as a function of frequency ω analogously to the dielectric function εω in Drude's model of metals. As a consequence, the elastic compliance s44(1)ω can take negative values s44(1)ω<0 as a function of frequency ω.

Impact of Particular Stages of the Manufacturing Process on the Reliability of Flexible Printed Circuits.

The purpose of the experiment was to indicate which element of the production process of flexible printed circuit boards is optimal in terms of the reliability of final products. According to the Taguchi method, in the experiment, five factors with two levels each were chosen for the subsequent analysis. These included the number of conductive layers, the thickness of the laminate layer, the type of the laminate, the diameter of the plated holes, and the current density in the galvanic bath.

Improved Intelligent Condition Monitoring with Diagnostic Indicator Selection.

In this study, a predictive maintenance (PdM) system focused on feature selection for the detection and classification of simulated defects in wind turbine blades has been developed. Traditional PdM systems often rely on numerous, broadly chosen diagnostic indicators derived from vibration data, yet many of these features offer little added value and may even degrade model performance. General feature selection methods might not be suitable for PdM solutions, as information regarding observed faults is often misinterpreted or lost.

Assessing Changes in Reaction Time Following RAMP Warm-Up and Short-Term Repeated Volleyball Specific Exercise in Young Players.

The assessment of the various skills of athletes is carried out in terms of their ability to perform sport-specific tasks. The cognitive abilities of the players have significance for their effectiveness. In volleyball, a player's ability to react quickly appears to be crucial in responding to an opponent's dynamic play.

Study of Positioning Accuracy Parameters in Selected Configurations of a Modular Industrial Robot-Part 1.

This article presents the fundamental principles of robot accuracy. It characterizes a modular robot, describes the measurement setup, and outlines the methodology for evaluating positioning accuracy across different configurations of the modular robot (four, five, and six modules) under varying loads of 6, 10, and 16 kg. An analysis was conducted on the impact of load changes on four- and five-module configurations, as well as the effect of configuration changes on the robot's performance with 6 and 10 kg loads.

Boundary Layer Control with a Plasma Actuator Utilizing a Large GND Mesh Electrode and Two HV Electrode Configurations.

This article presents the results of experimental studies on the influence of the geometry of high-voltage plasma actuator electrodes on the change in flow in the boundary layer and their influence on the change in the lift coefficient. The plasma actuator used in the described experimental studies has a completely different structure. The experimental model of the plasma actuator uses a large mesh ground electrode and different geometries of the high-voltage electrodes, namely copper solid electrodes and mesh electrodes (the use of mesh electrodes, large GND and HV is a new solution).

Aircraft Position Estimation Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Low SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) Values.

The safety of the airspace could be improved by the use of visual methods for the detection and tracking of aircraft. However, in the case of the small angular size of airplanes and the high noise level in the image, sufficient use of such methods might be difficult. By using the ConvNN (Convolutional Neural Network), it is possible to obtain a detector that performs the segmentation task for aircraft images that are very small and lost in the background noise.

Identification Tests of Modern Vehicles' Electromagnetic Environment as Part of the Assessment of Their Functional Safety.

Are the regulations relating to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) sufficient to ensure the safety of all autonomy systems? EMC is one of the critical factors influencing the proper functioning of a vehicle and its safety. However, the safety of autonomous vehicles from the perspective of EMC has not been comprehensively researched to date. The purpose of this article is to evaluate whether the currently imposed requirements are adequate.

Quality of Nursing Care as Perceived by Patients Treated for Multiple Myeloma in Polish Oncology Units: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Patient satisfaction is one of the indicators of the quality of nursing care. The purpose of this study is to find out the level of satisfaction of patients with multiple myeloma with the quality of nursing care in oncology units. Data were obtained by a diagnostic survey method, using the Newcastle Nursing Satisfaction Scale.