Acute daily exposure to ambient air pollution impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses in young, healthy individuals.

Exposure to ambient air pollution influences cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. The differential effects of changing particulate or gaseous air pollution on endothelial function in young healthy individuals remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between exposures to different pollutants and vascular function in a group of 39 young (33±11 years old) subjects with low CV risk. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation (NMD) were performed, when air pollution reached highest levels (heating period) and repeated in a subgroup of 18 participants a few months later (just before the heating period starts). Daily mean concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were inversely correlated with FMD, and this relationship remained significant after adjusting for factors known to affect vascular dysfunction. Endothelial function did not differ between the two time points studied. However, we observed a strong inverse association between the change in the concentration of particulate matter (deltaPM2.5 and deltaPM10) and the change in FMD (deltaFMD) between the two visits (R= -0.65, p= 0.02; R= -0.64, p= 0.02, respectively). In summary, we provide evidence that the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10, but not SO2, NO, NO2, CO, or O3 is associated with impaired endothelial function in young, healthy individuals.

A study of the symmetry of roots and root canal morphology in mandibular anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomographic imaging in a Polish population.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to analyse mandibular anterior teeth in a Polish population and determine the symmetry of root and root canal morphology between the right and left side using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 111 CBCT examinations, 303 pairs of equivalent mandibular anterior teeth were analysed on the right and left sides to evaluate symmetry. Axial, sagittal, and cross-sectional slices with a thickness of 0.2-0.25 mm were used. The number of root canals and their internal patterns were classified following Vertucci's criteria. RESULTS: All incisors in this study had 1 root. Canines usually had a single root and much less often had 2 roots. Type I and III root canal configurations were found most often, while type V and II configurations were less frequent. Significant compatibility between the left and right side was observed in all evaluated variables. Incisors had the highest symmetry with regard to the number of roots (100%). Second canals were observed more often in males than females, but only the results in lateral incisors were significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides supplemental information for dentists and should help them to better predict the morphology of mandibular anterior teeth in complicated cases in the Polish population. Symmetry was observed in roots and root canal morphology in all examined parameters.

Pumping liquid metal at high temperatures up to 1,673 kelvin.

Heat is fundamental to power generation and many industrial processes, and is most useful at high temperatures because it can be converted more efficiently to other types of energy. However, efficient transportation, storage and conversion of heat at extreme temperatures (more than about 1,300 kelvin) is impractical for many applications. Liquid metals can be very effective media for transferring heat at high temperatures, but liquid-metal pumping has been limited by the corrosion of metal infrastructures. Here we demonstrate a ceramic, mechanical pump that can be used to continuously circulate liquid tin at temperatures of around 1,473-1,673 kelvin. Our approach to liquid-metal pumping is enabled by the use of ceramics for the mechanical and sealing components, but owing to the brittle nature of ceramics their use requires careful engineering. Our set-up enables effective heat transfer using a liquid at previously unattainable temperatures, and could be used for thermal storage and transport, electric power production, and chemical or materials processing.

Heterogeneity of peripheral blood monocytes, endothelial dysfunction and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. SLE patients have increased prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis, although the mechanisms of this observation remain unclear. Considering the emerging role of monocytes in atherosclerosis, we aimed to investigate the relationship between subclinical atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and the phenotype of peripheral blood monocytes in SLE patients. METHODS: We characterized the phenotype of monocyte subsets defined by the expression of CD14 and CD16 in 42 patients with SLE and 42 non-SLE controls. Using ultrasonography, intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) as well as nitroglycerin-induced dilation (NMD) were assessed. RESULTS: Patients with SLE had significantly, but only modestly, increased IMT when compared with non-SLE controls (median (25th/75th percentile) 0.65 (0.60/0.71) mm vs 0.60 (0.56/0.68) mm; p < 0.05). Importantly, in spite of early atherosclerotic complications in the studied SLE group, marked endothelial dysfunction was observed. CD14dimCD16+proinflammatory cell subpopulation was positively correlated with IMT in SLE patients. This phenomenon was not observed in control individuals. Interestingly, endothelial dysfunction assessed by FMD was not correlated with any of the studied monocyte subsets. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest that CD14dimCD16+monocytes are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE, although the mechanism appears to be independent of endothelial dysfunction.

Sella turcica anomalies on lateral cephalometric radiographs of Polish children.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of sella turcica anomalies on lateral cephalograms of children with malocclusion. To describe the craniofacial morphology in patients with sella turcica anomalies. METHODS: Lateral cephalograms obtained at ages 8-16 years (n = 431) were assessed for good visibility of cephalometric structures, including the sella turcica, and the absence of craniofacial congenital deformities; finally, 322 cephalograms were included and analysed. Subsequently, anomalies of sella turcica have been identified. Hypertrophic posterior clinoid process, hypotrophic posterior clinoid process and oblique contour of the floor were the abnormalities found that could not be classified based on literature. The study group consisted of 151 cephalograms with abnormal sella turcica, while the control group consisted of 171 cephalograms without any sellar pathology. Data normality has been tested using Shapiro-Wilk test. Correlations with age were made using Spearman correlation coefficient and those with sex were made using independence test with Yate's correction for continuity. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare between groups and subgroups. The level of significance has been established as p < 0.05. RESULTS: Sellar anomalies were found in 151 individuals (46.9%). Statistically significant differences between patients with normal and abnormal sellar morphology were found concerning: Pg:NB (p = 0.0009), 1+:NA (p = 0.0004) and 1-:NB (p = 0.012), indicating a more distal position of jaw structures in subjects with abnormal sella. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that almost 50% of children with malocclusion have sellar abnormalities confirms a general aetiology of malocclusion. Sella turcica assessment should be carried out during cephalometric analysis.

Characterization of the impairment of the uptake of apoptotic polymorphonuclear cells by monocyte subpopulations in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Efficient removal of apoptotic polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) is an important step in the resolution of inflammation, which protects tissues from the noxious contents of dying cells. While the impairment of apoptotic PMNs removal has been demonstrated for macrophages in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), recent studies show that monocytes are also capable of such phagocytosis, although their involvement in SLE is not clear. Therefore, we characterized phagocytosis of apoptotic PMNs by monocytes in 22 patients with SLE and 22 healthy controls. Using flow cytometry we demonstrate that in SLE peripheral blood monocytes show impaired phagocytosis of autologous apoptotic PMNs, while they efficiently engulf apoptotic PMNs isolated from healthy subjects. Monocytes CD14highCD16+ and CD14dimCD16+ more efficiently interacted with apoptotic neutrophils than CD16- cells both in SLE and healthy subjects. Monocytes in SLE showed modestly decreased expression of CD35 and CD91 and increased expression of T Cell Ig- and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 (TIM-3); however, these differences were evident mainly in selected subsets of monocytes (CD16+) while defects in phagocytosis were observed in all monocyte subsets. Apoptotic cell-dependent induction of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated production of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was blunted in SLE while the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α was unchanged.

Planarians require an intact brain to behaviorally react to cocaine, but not to react to nicotine.

Planarians possess a rudimentary brain with many features in common with vertebrate brains. They also display a remarkable capacity for tissue regeneration including the complete regeneration of the nervous system. Using the induction of planarian seizure-like movements (pSLMs) as a behavioral endpoint, we demonstrate that an intact nervous system is necessary for this organism to react to cocaine exposure, but not necessary to react to nicotine administration. Decapitated planarians (Girardia tigrina) display pSLMs indistinguishable from intact worms when exposed to nicotine, but cocaine-induced pSLMs are reduced by about 95% upon decapitation. Decapitated worms recover their normal sensitivity to cocaine within 5 days after head amputation. In worms where half of the brain was removed or partially dissected, the expression of cocaine-induced pSLMs was reduced by approximately 75%. Similar amputations at the level of the tail did not show a significant decrease to cocaine exposure. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first report that explores how regenerating planarians react to the exposure of cocaine.

Interpretation of the nonextensivity parameter q in some applications of tsallis statistics and Levy distributions

The nonextensivity parameter q occurring in some of the applications of Tsallis statistics (known also as index of the corresponding Levy distribution) is shown to be given, in the q>1 case, entirely by the fluctuations of the parameters of the usual exponential distribution.

[Changes in the visual system of patients with carotid artery occlusion]. / Zmiany w narzadzie wzroku u chorych z niedroznoscia tetnic szyjnych.

The authors presented results of visual system examination in 28 persons in whom disturbances of blood flow in carotid arteries were diagnosed with colour doppler ultrasonography. The patients underwent routine ophthalmological examination, including kinetic and static perimetry. Ocular signs only, with no neurological changes, were found in 46% of patients. In 21% of cases there were episodes of transient blindness; homonymous hemianopsia occurred in 10%, acute ischaemic optic neuropathy in 11%, and secondary neovascular glaucoma in 14% of patients.