NeuroBox: Computational Mathematics in Multiscale Neuroscience.

The brain is a complex organ operating on multiple scales. From molecular events that inform electrical and biochemical cellular responses, the brain interconnects processes all the way up to the massive network size of billions of brain cells. This strongly coupled, nonlinear, system has been subject to research that has turned increasingly multidisciplinary. The seminal work of Hodgkin and Huxley in the 1950s made use of experimental data to derive a coherent physical model of electrical signaling in neurons, which can be solved using mathematical and computational methods, thus bringing together neuroscience, physics, mathematics, and computer science. Over the last decades numerous projects have been dedicated to modeling and simulation of specific parts of molecular dynamics, neuronal signaling, and neural network behavior. Simulators have been developed around a specific objective and scale, in order to cope with the underlying computational complexity. Often times a dimension reduction approach allows larger scale simulations, this however has the inherent drawback of losing insight into structure-function interplay at the cellular level. This paper gives an overview of the project NeuroBox that has the objective of integrating multiple brain scales and associated physical models into one unified framework. NeuroBox hosts geometry and anatomical reconstruction methods, such that detailed three-dimensional domains can be integrated into numerical simulations of models based on partial differential equations. The project further focusses on deriving numerical methods for handling complex computational domains, and to couple multiple spatial dimensions. The latter allows the user to specify in which parts of the biological problem high-dimensional representations are necessary and where low-dimensional approximations are acceptable. NeuroBox offers workflow user interfaces that are automatically generated with VRL-Studio and can be controlled by non-experts. The project further uses uG4 as the numerical backend, and therefore accesses highly advanced discretization methods as well as hierarchical and scalable numerical solvers for very large neurobiological problems.

Fetal hemoglobin as a possible marker of susceptibility to working conditions for certain men exposed to industrial pollutants.

In 43 from 222 men (19.4%) employed in a coking plant a higher than normal concentration of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) was found, whereas an elevated level of HbF was detected in only two from 87 persons (2.3%) working in the cold rolling mill of the steel mill 'Huta Sendzimira', Krakow, Poland. Subjects employed in the coking mill worked in a much more polluted atmosphere than those in the cold rolling mill. It is speculated that synthesis of HbF may be a marker of the effect of unfavorable working conditions on some susceptible persons.

Occurrence of pulmonary diseases in steel mill workers.

The 'Sendzimir' Steel Mill, Cracow, Poland, gives employment to approximately 17,000 workers. During the years 1994-98, 1396 compensation claims for diseases related to occupational hazards were registered. After a scrupulous investigation, 851 cases were certified as occupation-related diseases. Of this number, 481 cases (56.5%) were diagnosed as pulmonary diseases, including silicosis (n = 225, 46.7%); chronic bronchitis (n = 138, 28.7%); lung carcinoma (n = 59, 12.3%); epithelial cancer (n = 42); adenocarcinoma (n = 12); microcellular carcinoma (n = 5); asthma, 12 atopic and 24 non-atopic (n = 36, 7.5%); and asbestosis (n = 23, 4.8%). Chronic bronchitis was diagnosed in patients exposed to industrial dusts, containing SiO2, NOx, and SO2. Asthma occurred most frequently among those exposed mainly to Cr+6, Co and Ni containing dusts, and lung carcinoma in those exposed to policyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including benz(a)pyren, asbestos, chromium, vapours of oils and lubricants. In 1994-96, chronic bronchitis and silicosis, and in 1997-98, lung carcinoma and asthma were most frequently diagnosed in the workers under study. It is likely that the diminishing frequency of chronic bronchitis and silicosis was the consequence of technological progress, and greater concern for hygiene standards. Increasing incidence of lung cancer reflects long latency characteristic of this illness.

[Characteristics of glycosylated hemoglobin distribution]. / Charakterystyka rozkladu stezenia glikozylowanej hemoglobiny.

On the basis of 1518 values of concentration of glycosylated Hb in blood of workers responsible for safety in railroad transportation authors tried to calculate the range of normal values of this parameter. It was assumed that distribution of GHb in a healthy part of population is normal. From the primary set of data, values most distant from the arithmetic mean were gradually discarded until distribution of values was as close to the normal distribution as attainable. The best fit to the normal distribution was obtained for 1486 values. The normal range was then 4.6 to 8.6% (mean +/- 2 SD). The normal range was in a good agreement with published data as well as with own analytical experience.

[Risk factors of ischemic heart disease in various occupational groups. II. Complex analysis of risk factors]. / Czynniki ryzyka choroby niedokrwiennej serca w róznych grupach zawodowych. II. Kompleksowa analiza czynników ryzyka.

Four hundred four men aged 30 to 59 years, belonging to one of 4 occupational groups were investigated in a standard clinical conditions. Two from those groups were characteristic for steel mill professions: 121 blast furnace workers; exerting strenuous physical effort and working in hot microclimate. 131 operators (the second group) performed work in comfort microclimate conditions not demanding much effort. The third group comprised 73 executives of industry. The fourth group consisted of 79 monks. For all subjects of investigations 8 selected risk factors of ischemic heart disease were evaluated. They included: age, sex, family history, habit of smoking, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood cholesterol level, obesity index and professional physical activity. The level of each risk factor had numerical value in a span from "0" to "8". The sum of all points was decisive to which of 3 groups of risk given man should be accounted. Those 3 groups were arbitrary divided into "low, intermediate and high risk". The highest risk was found for the executives group, and the lowest for blast furnace workers. From the risk factors under investigation highest overall influence on incidence of ischemic heart disease had habit of smoking and obesity. Described here point classification system seems to be very simple and useful for estimation of risk of ischemic heart disease in a given population.

[Evaluation of health status for inhabitants of the protected zone near a steel mill. III. Occurrence of pulmonary emphysema]. / Ocena stanu zdrowia mieszkanców strefy ochronnej kombinatu metalurgicznego. III. Wystepowanie rozedmy plluc.

In the groups of 232 inhabitants of the protective zone of Steel-Mill Nowa Huta in Kraków (181 women and 51 men) and 137 inhabitants of Tokarnia village, located appx 60 km from Kraków, far from industrial emitters of chemical and physical pollutants (100 women and 37 men), frequency of occurrence of emphysema was estimated. Diagnosis of that disease was based on clinical signs and symptoms, as well as on values of RV%TLC. It was shown that despite similar values of arithmetic mean, mode and median of RV%TLC in both groups, standardised curves representing normal distribution of this parameter were displaced toward higher pathological values in both sexes, inhabitants of the protective zone. Higher frequency of incidence of emphysema in the groups living in the protective zone could be connected with gaseous and dust pollutants present in the atmosphere.

[Evaluation of magnesium cation levels in serum of patients with mitral valve prolapse syndrome]. / Ocena stezenia kationów magnezowych w surowicy krwi u chorych z zespolem wypadania platka zastawki dwudzielnej.

Magnesium deficiency has been suggested to be related to the mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVPS). The aim of the present study was to analyse the concentration of magnesium in blood plasma of patients (pts) with MVPS. In the group of 80 subjects, including 50 pts with MVPS and 30 healthy people matched for age and gender, who comprised the control group (CG), concentration of magnesium in blood plasma was estimated. Magnesium levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Mean concentration of magnesium cation in plasma in pts with MVPS was 0.74 +/- 0.12 mmol/l (range 0.47-1.02 mmol/l). It was only 1.02% lower than in the CG (x = 0.76 +/- 0.07 mmol/l; range 0.67-0.97 mmol/l). However evaluation of the magnesium concentration in blood plasma did not prove magnesium deficiency in the mitral valve prolapse syndrome. Moreover the study revealed that histograms of magnesium concentration values in both investigated groups were divergent.

[Evaluation of health status in inhabitants of the protected zone near a steel mill. II. Overweight and obesity]. / Ocena stanu zdrowia mieszkanców strefy ochronnej kombinatu metalurgicznego. II. Nadwaga i otylosc.

In the group of 232 inhabitants of the protective zone of Nowa Huta the Steel-Mill (181 women and 51 men) incidence of overweight and obesity was estimated using the Quetelet and Wot indices. The results were compared with appropriate data obtained for 37 men and 100 women, matched with age and occupation, inhabitants of Tokarnia village, known by favorable microclimate, rarely encountered in polluted areas of southern Poland. It was found that overweight and obesity was present in the group of the protective zone statistically more often than in Tokarnia. The differences were more pronounced for women than for men. Concentrations of serum cholesterol and triglycerides were also compared. Distribution of cholesterol in examined groups was similar to the distribution of the Quetelet index, differences of arithmetic means being statistically significant, whereas concentration of triglycerides was remarkably similar in all groups under investigation. In this paper rarely used method of data presentation was applied. From histograms of given parameter normalised curves were derived and served as a representation of parameter distribution in the studied population. This method grossly alleviated task of comparison and evaluation of obtained data.

Concentration of magnesium in hair of inhabitants of down-town Kraków, the protective zone of Steel-Mill "Huta im. Sendzimira" and Tokarnia village.

Concentration of magnesium in hair was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 3 groups of persons aged 48 to 79. All the participants of the study lived at least 10 years and none of them worked in industry or commerce. Their work place was in the distance less than 10 kilometers from their dwellings. The first group comprised inhabitants of the protective zone surrounding the Steel-Mill Huta im. Sendzimira, southern Poland, regarded as one of the biggest source of air, water and soil pollution. The second group constituted inhabitants of down-town Kraków (some 15 km from the steel-mill). The third group were the inhabitants of Tokarnia village with favourable microclimate. Though the concentration of magnesium in hair was similar to the one reported by other authors, it was shown that the concentration of this cation in hair was the smallest in the inhabitants of down-town Kraków and the highest in Tokarnia. The differences were statistically significant. It is postulated that magnesium hair concentration may be an easier, cheaper and less invasive indicator of body magnesium depletion.

Reference values for fetal hemoglobin concentration in blood of steel-mill workers.

The concentration of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in blood of 195 healthy men and 39 women was measured by alkali denaturation method of Singer et al. Arithmetic mean in the group of men was 0.325% whereas in women it was 0.399%. The difference between the means was statistically significant. Frequency histograms showed two unlike subpopulations with wider span of values in women, different standardised skewness and kurtosis. Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test revealed a significant abnormality of both distributions. The data presented may serve for the comparison of HbF values obtained in persons living and working in similar microclimatic conditions.

Blood serum triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations in healthy children at the age of 1 and 2 years.

The physiological mean concentrations of T3, T4 an TSH in 150 healthy children aged from 1 month to 2 years of life decreased gradually with age. The statistically significant difference was observed only in T3 levels between the first and second year of life. The remaining parameters did not show statistically significant differences.