Peritonitis caused by a giant trichobezoar ventriculi--a case report

Bezoars are the most common foreign bodies of gastrointestinal tract. They contain swallowed hair, different fibres, seeds, nut shells, sweets or drugs. Clinical manifestations vary, depending on the location and size of bezoar, from "no symptoms" to "acute abdomen" syndrome. In this case report, the authors describe a giant trichobezoar from the stomach of an 18-year-old girl, who had been admitted to the gynecological department with syndromes suggesting an ovarian cyst torsion. The preoperative diagnosis was not confirmed and a giant trichobezoar was found and removed during the surgery.     

The Lesniowski-Crohn disease and pregnancy--case report

Le?niowski-Crohn disease is an inflammatory process, involving all layers of the intestine, mesentery and regional lymph nodes. During the development of the disease, a thickening of the intestine wall, stricture of its lumen and adhesions have been observed. The aim of the study was to present the case of a 27-year-old pregnant woman with Crohn's disease, a very rare complication of gestation.     

Differential flow cytometric detection of intracellular cytokines in peripheral and peritoneal mononuclear cells of women with endometriosis

OBJECTIVE: The pathogenesis of endometriosis is related to functional changes in CD3+ and CD14+ cells observed both at the local and systemic level. Here we investigated whether, and if so, how the body compartment influences cytokine expression in stimulated peritoneal and peripheral CD3+ and CD14+ cells of women with endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN: Isolated peripheral blood (PB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) mononuclear cells from women with endometriosis were cultured under non-adherent conditions and stimulated with PMA and ionomycin for 6h to induce intracellular cytokine synthesis of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-8 by CD3+ cells or with LPS for 9h to produce TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, and IL-8 by CD14+ cells. RESULTS: The percentages of positive CD3+ cells stained for TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were significantly higher and those stained for IL-8 were significantly lower in PF compared with PB, this being independent of the stage of endometriosis. In contrast, the percentages of CD14+ cells producing TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, and IL-8 were significantly higher in PB than PF of women with endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes derived from the peripheral and peritoneal compartments of women with endometriosis differentially respond to stimulated cytokine synthesis induction. However, it is difficult to state whether the observed phenomenon is more related to body compartment influence per se or to the presence of endometriosis.     

Assessment of fetal circulation in the late first trimester--preliminary study

OBJECTIVES: to confirm that fetal echocardiography is indeed possible in late first trimester and that it improves the standard of the so-called "genetic" ultrasound scan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Early echocardiography was performed in 75 fetuses from high and low risk pregnancies. All fetuses underwent echocardiography examination in 18-22 weeks of gestation and established follow up. RESULTS: The most suitable method of visualization seems to be transabdominal examination, between 13.0-13.6 weeks of gestation, an transvaginal one, between 12.0-12.6 weeks of gestation, with 90% effectiveness. In researched group of 75 fetuses (with established follow up) there were four heart defects (5.3%). Three of them were diagnosed before 14th week of gestation. One case (tetralogy of Fallot) was overlooked. There were two false positive diagnosis verified at 20th week of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Early echocardiography, especially between 12.0-13.6 weeks of gestation, is a possible and valuable method of diagnosis. Reference evaluation should be performed between 18 and 22 weeks of gestation. In cases with suspected anomalies karyotyping is recommended. Congenital heart disease diagnosed at late first trimester should be treated as the next potential marker of genetic disorder.     

DNA adducts in human female genital organs

DNA adducts, one of genetic damages markers, precede and finally can lead to oncogenic mutations. They appear in genome as a result of DNA bases damages caused by various and numerous environmental factors eg. ultraviolet light, ionic radiation, toxins and also endogenic substances, for example estrogens. It is believed that the creation of DNA adducts is a necessary but insufficient process for the neoplastic transformation of the cell. The following review presents concise knowledge about the DNA adducts creation and their sequels served in healthy and cancerous tissues of the female genital organs, on the base of the available data.     

The length of menstrual bleeding and the risk of urogenital infections in the context of the activity of hemoglobin-derived microbicidal peptides

OBJECTIVE: Well-known natural unspecific antimicrobial factors acting in the vagina are additionally reinforced during menstrual bleeding by hemocidins--a recently discovered novel class of microbicidal peptides generated proteolytically from hemoglobin. The aim of the presented research was to investigate the relation between the average length of menstrual bleeding and the frequency of urogenital infections. We expected that the shorter menstrual bleeding might increase the risk of urogenital infections because is synonymous with the shorter period of exposition on bactericidal action of hemocidins. STUDY DESIGN: The study contains statistical analysis of an average declared length of menstrual bleeding in the group of 267 young, sexually active women with the symptoms of urogenital infections. The control group consisted of 300 young healthy women. RESULTS: The length of menstrual bleeding in the group of patients with urogenital infections (average 4.35 days) was statistically significantly shorter than in the control group (average 4.95 days). The average length of the menstrual cycle was equal and counted ca. 28 days in both groups. CONCLUSION: The length of menstrual bleeding seems to be a significant factor in the vaginal ecology maintenance.     

GL Beams Reinforced with Plywood in the Outer Layer

Glulam beams are increasingly used in the construction industry because of their high strength and the possibility of using round timber with smaller cross-sections. The load-bearing capacity of beams is strongly related to the quality of the outer layers and, in the case of wood, especially the tension zones. For these reasons, this study decided to replace the outer lamella with tensile plywood. The produced beams were subjected to static bending strength and modulus of elasticity evaluation. It was shown that the best static bending strength values were obtained for beams containing plywood in the tension layer. However, the change in structure in the tension zone of beams made of glued laminated timber results not only in an increase in the load capacity of elements produced in this way but also in a decrease in the range/range of the obtained results of bending strength. This way of modifying the construction of glued laminated beams allows a more rational use of available pine timber.     

Computational and Experimental Studies of Selected Types of Biomass Combustion in a Domestic Boiler

The paper analyzes the suitability of four types of biomass pellets as a fuel for heating purposes. Three types of waste biomass (sunflower husks, rapeseed cake, and corn straw) and one type of biomass grown for energy purposes (willow) were selected. After appropriate preparation, the selected starting materials were subjected to the pelletization process. Selected physical and chemical properties of the studied biomass pellets were determined. All four types of the analyzed pellets met the EN-ISO-17225-2:2014 standard in terms of bulk density, dimensions, as well as nitrogen and moisture content. The highest calorific value was pellets made of sunflower husk (17.27 MJ/m³) and willow (16.81 MJ/m³), while the calorific value of pellets made of corn straw and rapeseed cake did not exceed 16.5 MJ/m³ and did not meet the standard. In addition, the ash content for these two types of pellets was well above the standard. A 10 kW domestic biomass boiler was employed for burning the tested pellets. The consumption of analyzed fuels during boiler operation was determined. The concentration of CO, CO₂, and NO_x in exhaust gases was also examined. The obtained experimental results were compared with the numerical calculations with the use of ANSYS Chemkin-Pro using two mechanisms. The highest concentrations of CO₂ and CO were observed during the combustion of sunflower and willow husk pellets, which probably resulted from the highest carbon content and, thus, the highest calorific value when compared to cake and straw pellets. For all analyzed pellets, the value of NO and NO₂ concentration was similar and did not exceed 368 ppm and 18 ppm, respectively. The results closest to the experiment were obtained for calculations using the mechanism developed by Glarborg et al. The research carried out in the article shows that out of the four analyzed types of pellets, only sunflower and willow husk pellets can be burned in a domestic boiler adapted to burning wood pellets, which is a cheap alternative to wood pellets.