Hepatitis B Virus in Polish Blood Donors in the Period 2005-2019-Significant Changes in Epidemiology and Demographic Characteristics of Infected Donors.

In the 1980s, Poland was a medium-endemic country, with one of the highest incidences of hepatitis B in Europe (45/10 inhabitants). Pursuant to the WHO guidelines, obligatory vaccination was introduced in 1994-1996 (as a part of hepatitis B prophylaxis for newborns), and in 2000-2011, all 14-year-olds were vaccinated. To prevent transfusion-transmitted HBV infection (TT-HBV), since the 1970s, each donation has been tested for HBsAg and, since 2005, additionally for the presence of HBV DNA.

Association Between Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in (), , and Genes with Severe Symptoms in Children Presenting COVID-19.

The global number of COVID-19 deaths has reached 7 million, with 4% of these deaths occurring in children and adolescents. In Brazil, around 1500 children up to 11 years old died from the disease. The most common symptoms in children are respiratory, potentially progressing to severe illnesses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and MIS-C.

Non-Intrusive Monitoring of Vital Signs in the Lower Limbs Using Optical Sensors.

Invisible health monitoring is currently a topic of global interest within the scientific community. Sensorization of everyday objects can provide valuable health information without requiring any changes in people's routines. In this work, a feasibility study of photoplethysmography (PPG) acquisition in the lower limbs for continuous and real-time monitoring of the vital signs, including heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR), is presented.

Predictive Factors for 24-h Survival After Perioperative Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Perioperative cardiac arrest (POCA) remains a major challenge in surgical settings, with low survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aims to identify predictive factors for 24 h survival after CPR and cause of POCA. A retrospective, single-center study was conducted on patients aged ≥18 years who experienced POCA and received CPR in the operating room or within 2 h postoperatively at Chiang Mai University Hospital from 2010 to 2019.

Anticancer-Drug-Related Cardiotoxicity from Adjuvant Goserelin and Tamoxifen Therapy.

Breast cancer is a prevalent malignancy with rising incidence globally. Advances in endocrine therapy have improved outcomes for premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. However, these treatments may induce menopause-like states, potentially elevating cardiovascular risks, including left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

Efficacy of Larval Therapy for Wounds: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

: Larval therapy (LT), an intervention using live fly larvae to remove necrotic tissue and promote healing, has regained attention in order to address the growing need for chronic wound management. LT was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 to treat difficult-to-heal wounds; however, LT remains an underutilized therapy. To evaluate efficacy of LT in a systematic review and meta-analysis of wound outcomes from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

A TriNetX Analysis of Hypertrophic Scarring Disorders, Genitourinary Strictures, and Urethroplasty Failure.

Urethral strictures and bladder neck contractures (BNCs) can be significantly morbid for patients and may require intervention for effective urinary drainage. We hypothesized patients with abnormal scarring disorders, such as keloids or hypertrophic scars, are at elevated risks of urethroplasty failure as well as postprocedural urethral strictures and BNCs. We queried the TriNetX database to determine the risk of urethroplasty failure for patients with abnormal scarring disorders compared to controls.

Eu-Substituents-Induced Modifications in the Thermoelectric Properties of the Zintl Phase BaEuZnSb System.

Four quaternary Zintl phase thermoelectric (TE) materials belonging to the BaEuZnSb ( = 0.02(1), 0.04(1), 0.

g-CN Modified with Metal Sulfides for Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) proved to be a promising semiconductor for the photocatalytic degradation of various organic pollutants. However, its efficacy is limited by a fast electron hole recombination, a restricted quantity of active sites, and a modest absorption in the visible range. To overcome these limitations, g-CN-BiS and g-CN-ZnS composites were effectively produced utilizing a starch-assisted technique.

Simplified Model for the Behaviour of Asphalt Mixtures Depending on the Time and the Frequency Domain.

Sigmoid functions are widely used for the description of viscoelastic material properties of asphalt mixtures. Unfortunately, there are still no known closed functions for describing connections among model parameters in the time and the frequency domains. In most cases, complicated interconversion methods are applied for the conversion of viscoelastic material properties.

The Influence of Rice Husk Ash Incorporation on the Properties of Cement-Based Materials.

Rice husk ash is a kind of biomass material. Its main component is silicon dioxide, with a content of up to 80%. It has high pozzolanic activity and can react with hydroxide in cement.

Investigation of Exome-Wide Tumor Heterogeneity on Colorectal Tissue-Based Single Cells.

The progression of colorectal cancer is strongly influenced by environmental and genetic conditions. One of the key factors is tumor heterogeneity which is extensively studied by cfDNA and bulk sequencing methods; however, we lack knowledge regarding its effects at the single-cell level. Motivated by this, we aimed to employ an end-to-end single-cell sequencing workflow from tissue-derived sample isolation to exome sequencing.

Effects of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Without In-Hospital Infection on FABP-I, LBP, and sCD-14.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a serious condition complicated by delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), where inflammation plays a key role. Although altered gut permeability is noted in other conditions, its significance in aSAH remains unclear. Fatty acid-binding protein (FABP-I), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), and soluble CD-14 (sCD-14) are established markers of barrier dysfunction.

Long-Term Effects of Sinus Floor Elevation with and Without Bone Graft: A Systematic Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

The aim of this systematic review was to assess clinical trials on the efficiency of sinus lift techniques with and without bone grafting in the atrophic posterior maxilla. This article was written under the PRISMA and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were electronically searched until December 2023.

Myocardial Infarction-Associated Shock: A Comprehensive Analysis of Phenotypes, SCAI Classification, and Outcome Assessment.

: In-hospital mortality associated with myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (MI-CS) remains critically high. A particularly challenging form, mixed shock (MS), combines features of cardiogenic shock (CS) with distributive elements such as vasodilation and reduced vascular resistance. MS is associated with elevated mortality rates and presents unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Is the Use of Tourniquets More Advantageous than Other Bleeding Control Techniques in Patients with Limb Hemorrhage? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Trauma, particularly uncontrolled bleeding, is a major cause of death. Recent evidence-based guidelines recommend the use of a tourniquet when life-threating limb bleeding cannot be controlled with direct pressure. Prehospital hemorrhage management, according to the XABCDE protocol, emphasizes the critical role of tourniquets in controlling massive bleeding.

Comparison of Robot-Assisted, Laparoscopic, and Open Radical Prostatectomy Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis from KSER Update Series.

: We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the perioperative, functional, and oncological outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) with open radical prostatectomy (ORP) in patients with prostate cancer. A comprehensive literature search was performed in Pubmed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library for papers published before May 2021. Only studies of patients with prostate cancer that assessed perioperative, functional, and oncological outcomes and reported outcome values were included.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Plasmids Identified in Food Isolates.

is one of the leading bacterial causes of gastroenteritis worldwide. It frequently contaminates poultry and other raw meat products, which are the primary sources of infections in humans. Plasmids, known as important mobile genetic elements, often carry genes for antibiotic resistance, virulence, and self-mobilization.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Commensal spp. Isolates from Chickens in Hungarian Poultry Farms Between 2022 and 2023.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest challenges of our time, urging researchers in both veterinary and public health to engage in collaborative efforts, thereby fostering the One Health approach. Infections caused by species can not only lead to significant diseases in poultry but also pose serious threats to human life, particularly in hospital (nosocomial) infections; therefore, it is crucial to identify their antimicrobial resistance.

Methods: Our objective was to assess the susceptibility profile of commensal strains ( = 227) found in commercial chicken flocks in Hungary through the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values.

Safety and Effectiveness of BPaL-Based Regimens to Treat Multidrug-Resistant TB: First Experience of an Italian Tuberculosis Referral Hospital.

: Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable, but multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) pose significant challenges worldwide due to the limited treatment options, lengths of therapies, and high rates of treatment failure. The management of MDR-TB has been revolutionized by all oral anti-TB drug regimens that are likely to improve adherence and treatment outcomes. These regimes include bedaquiline (B), pretomanid (P), and linezolid (L) (BPaL), and moxifloxacin if resistance to fluoroquinolones is not detected (BPaLM).

Stress and Strain: Differentiating the Responses to High and Moderate Heat Loads and Subsequent Recovery in Grain-Fed Feedlot Steers-Metabolic Hormones.

The extent of endocrine changes in response to various levels of heat stress and subsequent recovery is not well understood. Two cohorts of 12 Black Angus steers were housed in climate-controlled rooms (CCR) and subjected to three thermal periods: PreChallenge (5 d), Challenge (7 d) and Recovery (5 d). PreChallenge and Recovery provided thermoneutral conditions.

Assessing Facial Thermal Nociceptive Response in Female Dogs After Elective Ovariohysterectomy Anesthetized with Isoflurane and Treated with Cannabidiol and Meloxicam Analgesia.

Pain management requires the identification of certain indicators to recognize pain. Various tools have been suggested to achieve an objective evaluation, including infrared thermography (IRT). The objective of this study was to assess the facial thermal nociceptive response produced by the use of cannabidiol (CBD) alone and in combination with meloxicam in female dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy anesthetized with isoflurane.

Predictive Value of the Loss of pRb Expression in the Malignant Transformation Risk of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the current evidence on the significance of the loss of early stages of oral carcinogenesis in lesions diagnosed according to clinical and/or histopathological criteria and their evolution to oral cancer.

Materials And Methods: We searched MEDLINE (through PubMed), Embase, Scopus and Web of Science for primary-level studies published before November 2024, designed as prospective or retrospective longitudinal cohorts, and not restricted by language or publication date. The risk of bias was critically assessed using the QUIPS tool.

Targeting Fibroblast-Derived Interleukin 6: A Strategy to Overcome Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Radioresistance in Head and Neck Cancer.

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts have been reported to play a central role in driving cancer progression, promoting metastasis, and conferring resistance to therapy in HNSCC.

Methods: Indirect and direct co-culture models of HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC cells with fibroblasts were developed to study the effect of fibroblasts on cancer cells. ELISA was used to measure IL-6 secretion in these models.

Neoadjuvant Accelerated Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Cancer: Large, Single-Center Analysis of Consecutive Patients' Data.

: Bladder cancer is a significant clinical problem with approximately 500,000 new cases worldwide annually. In approximately 25% of cases, disease is diagnosed at a stage of invasion of the muscle layer of the bladder. The current standard approach in this disease is preoperative chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy.