Markers of Inflammation and Vascular Parameters in Selective Progesterone Receptor Modulator (Ulipristal Acetate)-Treated Uterine Fibroids

The exact mechanism of selective progesterone receptor modulator action in leiomyoma still challenges researchers. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of ulipristal acetate (UPA) on immunoexpression of inflammatory markers and vascularization in fibroids. UPA-treated patients were divided into three groups: (1) good response (≥25% reduction in volume of fibroid), (2) weak response (insignificant volume reduction), (3) and no response to treatment (no decrease or increase in fibroid volume). The percentage of TGFβ, IL6, IL10, CD117, and CD68-positive cells were significantly lower in the group with a good response to treatment vs. the control group. Moreover, the percentage of IL10 and CD68-positive cells in the group with a good response to treatment were also significantly lower compared to the no response group. Additionally, a significant decrease in the percentage of IL10-positive cells was found in the good response group vs. the weak response group. There were no statistical differences in the percentage of TNFα-positive cells and vessel parameters between all compared groups. The results of the study indicate that a good response to UPA treatment may be associated with a decrease of inflammatory markers, but it does not influence myoma vascularization.

Assessment of Factors Affecting Inactivated COVID-19 (CORONAVAC) Vaccine Response and Antibody Response in Healthcare Professionals

BackgroundAlthough COVID-19 pandemic Phase III trial results of many vaccines were reported, the literature about community results is inadequate. This study aims to evaluate the experience gained during the vaccination process of healthcare workers (HCW), the measured antibody responses and the factors affecting the response, and to contribute to the literature in this field by presenting the data. MethodAnti-RBD anti-SARS Cov2 IgG antibodies were measured by the ELISA method in blood samples taken at least a month after the second vaccine from 264 HCW vaccinated twice with an interval of 28 days. Information from individuals were collected with an online participation form. Results264 HCW (166 females (63%), 98 males (37%)) were included in the study whose age are between 23-69 (mean 44.22 ± 11.58). After vaccination, 22 (8.3%) were unresponsive, 25 (9.5%) had weak response, and 217 (82.2%) had a response. The overall rate of weak response and the high response was 91.6%. In our study, that the antibody response was found to be statistically significantly lower in males (p: 0.022), there was a significant decrease in antibody response with advanced age (p <0.005), and the difference was highly significant (p: 0.0005) above the age of 60.ConclusionIn this study, 91.6% anti spike antibodies were detected with CoronaVac which an inactivated vaccine and the antibody response is was lower in cases of advanced age, male gender, not having COVID-19, not developing PVAE, and having pandemic H1N1 vaccine.

About „filomacka“ tradition during the inter-war period in Vilnius: “Wiwlasy” by Edward Walewski (1926) and a newspaper „Filomatka“ (1929).

In Vilnius that was considered as spiritual capital of Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the period of inter-war, and mainly in ’20s of the XX century still was very living romanticism tradition. The important person and symbolic messenger of this tradition was Adam Mickiewicz, the most famous polish-lithuanian poet, polish national prophet. Very noticeable was the fact that the best known literary scientists, like: J. Kallenbach, S. Pigoń, K. Górski were employed in Polish Literature Department, in Faculty of Humanities of Stefan Batory University. Wladysław Mickiewicz – son of the poet Adam Mickiewicz, also his biographer visited Vilnius and university in 1922. In 1926 was published collection of poems named Wiwlasy. Jamb na stulecie filomatów by Edward Walewski. It consists of 48 sonnets that describe the activity of „Filomaci and Filareci“ Society members. The lyrics refer also to people (J. Lelewel, K. Kontry, E. Groddeck), and places (Nowogródek, Tuhanowicz, Bolcienik) related to some meaningful locations connected with „Filomaci“ trial case. The other significant literary event was the attempt to issue due to efforts of some teachers K. Adamska-Roubina, S. Szemitówna-Cywińska and O. Zambrzycka-Swianiewiczowa, in Vilnius in 1929, the school newspaper „Filomatka“. Till our times only one archival copy is left, there is no evidence if there were more copies. It is necessary to mention that both literary events, despite their weak response, are interesting and worth mentioning examples of still alive tradition of „Filomaci“ in Vilnius.

STUDY OF CHANGES IN TUMOR BLOOD FLOW FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF EARLY RESPONSE TO NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Background. Over the past 20 years, there has been a change in approaches to the treatment of breast cancer, in particular, a significant increase in the role of drug therapy. Breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is currently considered as a surrogate biomarker, which allows evaluation of the clinical course and prognosis of the disease. To solve this problem, it is necessary to assess the functional and metabolic changes in tumor tissue during treatment. Doppler ultrasound is a non-invasive, affordable, and low-cost imaging technique that can be safely used for repeated measurements.The purpose of the study was to study vascular changes in the tumor by power Doppler ultrasound for the evaluation of the early breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Material and Methods. From May 2017 to August 2019, 63 patients with breast cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Changes in the tumor blood flow were assessed before starting the treatment and prior to the second course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using Doppler scanning. Changes in tumor blood floor after chemotherapy were compared with the pathological tumor response after surgical treatment.Results. In the vast majority of cases (78 %), there was a decrease in the number of tumor vessels after the first cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy independent of the grade of pathological response. In 8 cases with increased vascularization after the first cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, histological examination of the removed tumor showed no response / weak response to treatment in the absence of peritumoral inflammation. In 5 cases, a sharp increase in the number of vessels around large areas of intranodular necrosis and peritumoral inflammation was observed. In general, a comparison of changes in tumor vascularization and pathological response revealed a weak, although statistically significant, negative correlation between changes in the tumor blood flow after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pathological response.Conclusion. It was not possible to establish an unambiguous relationship between the reaction of the vascular bed and the tumor response to the cytostatic effect. An increase in the number of tumor vessels in the absence of peritumoral inflammation was the only situation when changes in tumor blood flow during chemotherapy can be unambiguously interpreted as a predictive criterion for the absence / weak response of the tumor to treatment.

Simulation and Experimental Study of Closed Crack Detection by Ultrasonic Nonlinearity Under Electromagnetic Loading

The reliability of micro-damage detection of metal materials plays a crucial role in the safe and reliable operation of large equipment. In recent years, nonlinear ultrasonic nondestructive testing technology has achieved good development in closed cracks detection, but the problem of nonlinear ultrasonic detection of closed cracks is weak response signal and vulnerable to external interference. This paper realizes the modulation of the ultrasonic wave by electromagnetic loading at the closed cracks, which can effectively enrich the frequency components of nonlinear ultrasonic and magnify the amplitude. This lays a foundation for further research on nonlinear ultrasonic detection of closed cracks under electromagnetic loading.

Pandemic will increase El Salvador financing needs

Significance The second quarter will almost certainly be worse. COVID-19 containment measures have hit consumption and investment while a US slowdown in the first half of the year has weighed on exports, tourism and remittances. Hotels and restaurants, transport and construction have suffered the greatest contractions. Impacts Gang violence and related corruption will continue to weigh on foreign investment. Tensions between Bukele and the Legislative Assembly pre-date the health crisis and will endure even if the crisis recedes. Frequent exposure to natural disasters and weak response capacity will continue to hinder economic growth.

Modern Slavery and Supply Chain Transparency

The scourge of modern slavery has led to legislation in various countries requiring firms to engage in a particular form of supply chain transparency. However, these regulatory initiatives have been widely perceived to be, by themselves, a weak response to such a serious challenge. This chapter argues that assessment of these initiatives hinges on the interpretation of modern slavery itself: Are extreme forms of labor exploitation aberrations of an otherwise blameless system, or are they intrinsic to the functioning of contemporary global capitalism? If the latter, then new types of transparency might be needed that go beyond firms reporting on their policies and efforts. The chapter introduces the idea of interrogational transparency as a mechanism by which civil society actors (including consumers, activists, and researchers) can develop accountability dialogues with powerful corporations. To illustrate these points, the chapter examines emergent patterns of transparency within the food giant Nestlé.

A Qualitative Study of the Ionospheric Weak Response to Super Geomagnetic Storms

The ionospheric response to a geomagnetic storm is a geophysical process. Although strong geomagnetic storms input more energy into the Earth’s upper atmosphere, the ionospheric response often does not reflect the same level of variation as the geomagnetic storm, and the response may be weak during a very strong storm. However, the estimated ionospheric response to geomagnetic activity also varies with extraction method. Here, two different methods—the spectral whitening method (SWM) and the monthly median method (MMM)—are used to verify whether the apparent weak ionospheric response is an artifact of the processing method. The weak ionospheric response is found with both methods, which suggests it is a real ionospheric phenomenon. The statistical characteristics of the regional and global ionospheric weak response to a super geomagnetic storm (SGS) and to an SGS with a preceding storm event (SGS-PRE) are investigated and compared. The results show that the regional ionospheric weak response to an SGS is more prevalent at middle latitudes than those at low and high latitudes. The global ionospheric weak response occurs more frequently under high solar activity and has a strong correlation with SGS-PRE, which suggests that the effect of a storm on the ionosphere can be influenced by its preconditioning, especially when there is an earlier storm and the time interval between the two storms is short. In fact, an ionospheric long-lasting disturbance may be an important reason for the ionospheric weak response caused by the SGS-PRE.