Complete genome sequence of subsp. BI040, a probiotic strain with multiple health benefits from the NORDBIOTIC collection.

The complete genome of subsp. BI040-a human stool isolate, was sequenced using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore technologies. The BI040 genome is composed of a circular 1,944,141-bp chromosome which carries genes potentially involved in vitamin synthesis and gut health.

Atom's Dynamics and Crystal Structure: An Ordinal Pattern Method.

The ubiquitous nature of thermal fluctuations poses a limitation on the identification of crystal structures. However, the trajectory of an atom carries a fingerprint of its surroundings. This rationalizes the search for a method that can determine the local atomic configuration via the analysis of the movement of an individual atom.

Temperature and Deformation-Induced Changes in the Mechanical Properties of the Amorphous Regions of Semicrystalline Polypropylene.

This work is focused on the impact of temperature and deformation on the mechanical properties, specifically the elastic modulus () of the amorphous regions in semicrystalline polymers, using polypropylene as a case study. It has been shown that increasing temperature results in an decrease due to the enhanced mobility of polymer chains, triggered by the activation of α relaxation processes within the crystalline component. Consequently, rising temperature reduces the "stiffening" effect of the crystalline regions on the interlamellar layers.

Psychometric properties of the Fear of Birth Scale in women in the perinatal period: A multicountry study.

Assessing Fear of Birth Scale's (FOBS) psychometric properties in the perinatal period using multicountry data is a step toward effectively screen clinically significant fear of childbirth (FOC) in maternal healthcare settings. FOBS psychometric properties were analyzed in women in the perinatal period using data from Australia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Portugal. FOBS' reliability, criterion (known group and convergent), concurrent, predictive, and clinical validity were analyzed.

Left ventricular elastance with resting volumetric transthoracic echocardiography identifies different phenotypes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A retrospective analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous entity including patients with different phenotypes of near normal, normal, and supernormal left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives: To assess the value of resting LV elastance (also known as force) with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to identify HFpEF phenotypes.

Methods: In a prospective, observational, multicenter study, 2380 HFpEF patients were recruited from July 2016 to May 2024.

Histamine H receptor blockade alleviates neuropathic pain through the regulation of glial cells activation.

Neuropathic pain is a disorder affecting the somatosensory nervous system. However, this condition is also characterized by significant neuroinflammation, primarily involving CNS-resident non-neuronal cells. A promising target for developing new analgesics is histamine H receptor (HR); thus, we aimed to determine the influence of a novel HR antagonist/inverse agonist, E-98 (1-(7-(4-chlorophenoxy)heptyl)-3-methylpiperidine), on pain symptoms and glia activation in model of neuropathic pain in male mice (chronic constriction injury to the sciatic nerve).

Development, content validation and feasibility of a decision aid tool for the treatment of women with menopausal symptoms.

Introduction: Despite research supporting menopause hormonal therapy for menopausal women, its use continues to decline in most European countries and the United States. Experts highlighted the need for global assessment tools to assist clinicians in evaluating treatment for symptomatic menopausal women, which led to the development of the Menopause Treatment Tool, with separate versions for women and healthcare professionals. Both versions of the tool focus on menopausal symptoms, risk levels and suggested actions; the women's tool is administered prior to the consultation, while the clinician tool is administered by the clinician during the clinical consultation.

Reconstructive techniques for chest and breast deformities in Poland syndrome: An up-to-date systematic review.

Background: Poland syndrome (PS) is a congenital abnormality defined as aplasia or hypoplasia of the unilateral pectoralis muscle and breast tissue that may be accompanied by limb or thoracic deformities. Reconstruction of deformities associated with PS is challenging owing to the spectrum of differences. We aimed to evaluate the trends in surgical management of chest and breast anatomical anomalies associated with PS.

Pharmaceutical residues and caffeine in Arctic fjord waters (west Spitsbergen).

This study examines pharmaceutical residues in the seawater of west Spitsbergen fjords, using indicator compounds that represent different types of medications with various therapeutic uses (sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, diclofenac, and caffeine). Over three years (summer 2018-2021), trimethoprim, carbamazepine, diclofenac, and caffeine were detected in the investigated fjords (Hornsund, Adventfjorden, Grønnfjorden, Isfjorden, and Kongsfjorden), with diclofenac and caffeine being the most common. Sulfamethoxazole was below the limit of detection in all samples.

Estimation of the phase velocity dispersion curves for viscoelastic materials using Point Limited Shear Wave Elastography.

Ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) is widely used in clinical applications for non-invasive measurements of soft tissue viscoelasticity. The study of tissue viscoelasticity often involves the analysis of shear wave phase velocity dispersion curves, which show how the phase velocity varies with frequency or wavelength. In this study, we propose an alternative method to the two-dimensional Fourier transform (2D-FT) and Phase Gradient (PG) methods for shear wave phase velocity estimation.

Insights Into the Local Heating Effects in Triple-Cation Mixed-Halide Perovskite Cells: Charge Dynamics, Coherent Phonons, Anion Segregation.

The behavior of triple-cation mixed halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under ultrashort laser pulse irradiation at varying fluences is investigated, with a focus on local heating effects observed in femtosecond transient absorption (TA) studies. The carrier cooling time constant is found to increase from 230 fs at 2 µJ cm⁻ to 1.3 ps at 2 mJ cm⁻ while the charge population decay accelerates from tens of nanoseconds to the picosecond range within the same fluence range.

Threat to control promotes utilitarian moral judgement: The role of judgement type and length of control deprivation.

In three studies (total N = 622), the effects of threat to control on subsequent moral judgement were examined. After recalling a lack-of-control experience, participants evaluated the morality of a protagonist's decisions in a series of incongruent moral dilemmas. We found that a control-threatening reminder made moral judgements more utilitarian on the deontological-utilitarian dimension, which is consistent with the control motivation theory.

Ambient air pollution and risk of hospital admission due to acute and chronic coronary syndromes: a time-stratified case-crossover study in the 3 largest urban agglomerations in Poland.

Introduction: Short-term exposure to air pollution may worsen the course of ischemic heart disease (IHD), causing acute and chronic coronary syndromes.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the risk of hospital admission due to chronic and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) after exposure to various air pollutants in Poland.

Methods: In this time-series study, the risk of hospital admission due to IHD over 3 days from exposure to several air pollutants was evaluated.

AF-FLOW Global Registry Confirms Validity of Electrographic Flow Mapping as a Phenotyping Tool for Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping allows for the visualization of global atrial wavefront propagations. One mechanism of initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF) is stimulation from EGF-identified focal sources that serve as driver sites of fibrillatory conduction. Electrographic flow consistency (EGFC) further quantifies the concordance of observed wavefront patterns, indicating that a healthier substrate shows more organized wavefront propagation and higher EGFC.

Solvent Selection as a Key Factor in the Performance of Semitransparent Heterojunctions Composed of Hydrogenated Nanotubes and Bismuth Sulfides.

Research on titanium nanotubes modified with metal sulfides, particularly bismuth sulfide (BiS), aims to create heterostructures that efficiently absorb sunlight and then separate photogenerated charge carriers, thereby enhancing the energy conversion efficiency. This study shows a key role of solvent used for sulfide and bismuth salt solutions used during successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) onto the morphology, structure, and photoresponse of the heterojunction where one element is represented by semitransparent titania nanotubes (gTiNT) and the second is BiS. Using 2-methoxyethanol and methanol during SILAR, results in remarkably photoactive 3D heterostructure and recorded photocurrents were 44 times higher compared to bare titania nanotubes.

Quality of life assessment after minimally invasive operative treatment in children with pectus excavatum: A single-center study and literature review.

Background: Most patients with chest wall deformities have a negative body image, which affects their self-esteem and quality of life (QoL).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in patients' QoL after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE).

Material And Methods: A prospective, single-center study was conducted between 2019 and 2023.

Novel therapies in SLE treatment: A literature review.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory disease with a multisystem manifestation and a variety of clinical symptoms. Over the last decades, the prognosis and life expectancy of patients with SLE improved significantly due to the implementation of corticosteroids combined with immunosuppressive agents. Nevertheless, the use of these medications is often associated with the occurrence of serious side effects and additional deterioration of organ function.

Beauveria felina Accelerates Growth When Competing With Other Potential Endophytes.

The fungus Beauveria felina is often classified as one of the so-called good biocontrol agents. However, no information is available about the growth of this entomopathogenic fungus in the presence of other endophytic fungi, which are usually found in plant tissues. Effects of fungal interactions vary from inhibiting the activity of a biocontrol agent to stimulating its effect on the targeted pathogen.

The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex: A High-level Hub for Allostatic Cardiovascular Control.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is increasingly targeted by various noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial current stimulation protocols in a range of neuropsychiatric and other brain disorders. The rationale for this therapeutic modulation remains elusive. A model is proposed, and up-to-date evidence is discussed, suggesting that the dlPFC is a high-level cortical centre where uncertainty management, movement facilitation, and cardiovascular control processes are intertwined and integrated to deliver optimal behavioural responses in particular environmental or emotional contexts.

A 46-Year-Old Man with an Incidental Finding of a Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Thyroglossal Duct Cyst.

BACKGROUND The thyroglossal duct cyst, which develops from the midline migratory tract between the foramen cecum and the anatomic location of the thyroid, is the most prevalent congenital abnormality of the neck, accounting for about 70% of all cervical neck masses in children and 7% in adults. Only up to 1% of these abnormalities contain malignant thyroid tissue, with 90% of those cases being papillary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroglossal duct cyst is rarely linked to carcinoma.

Investigation of the Protective Effects of Dexmedetomidine, Midazolam, Propofol, and Intralipid on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Rats with Lidocaine-Induced Toxicity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of dexmedetomidine, midazolam, propofol, and intralipid on lidocaine-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity.

Methods: Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups (n = 8 per group): control (C), lidocaine (L), lidocaine + dexmedetomidine (LD), lidocaine + midazolam (LM), lidocaine + propofol (LP), and lidocaine + intralipid (LI). Dexmedetomidine (100 µg/kg), midazolam (4 mg/kg), propofol (40 mg/kg), and intralipid (10 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally as pretreatment.

Echocardiography of the right heart in pulmonary arterial hypertension: insights from the ULTRA RIGHT VALUE study.

Aims: Outcome in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is determined by right ventricular (RV) function adaptation to increased afterload. Echocardiography is easily available to assist bedside evaluation of the RV. However, no agreement exists about the feasibility and most relevant measurements.

Urbanization enhances body condition, but not innate immune defences, in a common waterbird.

There is a growing body of evidence that urbanization can affect body condition and immune function in wild birds, although these effects may be complex and taxa-specific. Here, we assessed the effects of urbanization on body condition (size-corrected body mass and haemoglobin concentration) and innate immune defences (haemolysis-haemagglutination assay, haptoglobin concentration and bacterial killing assay) in 136 Eurasian coots () from three urban and three non-urban populations across Poland. We also quantified the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio to control for the potential effect of physiological stress on immune defences.

Peroneus brevis split tear - A challenging diagnosis: A pictorial review of magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging - Part 2: Imaging with magnetic resonance and ultrasound.

Peroneal tendon pathology is common among physically active individuals, with tenosynovitis, tendon subluxation, split tears and rupture. However, diagnosing these conditions, particularly peroneus brevis split tears, is clinically and radiologically challenging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) can sometimes miss split tears.

Response of capillaries and small arterioles to full-field flicker is not dependent on local ganglion cell thickness.

To measure the influence of ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness on the changes in size and red blood cell (RBC) flow in small retinal vessels evoked by full-field flicker. We used a dual-beam adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope to image 11 healthy young controls in two retinal areas with significantly different GCL thicknesses. All capillaries and arterioles of the superficial vascular plexus were responsive to the flicker stimulation.