A statistically significant correlation was found between clinical organoleptic diagnosis of halitosis and VSC level by halimeter. Subjective patients' opinion correlated well with objective evaluation of halitosis.

The salivary amine levels significantly correlated with VSC levels and organoleptic scores. Therefore, the ninhydrin method of detecting salivary amines may be an alternative or additional method of diagnosing halitosis. This method may also be used to evaluate treatment efficacy.

Poneratoxin is a small neuropeptide found in the venom of the ant Paraponera clavata. It is stored in the venom reservoir as an inactive 25-residue peptide. Here we describe both chemically synthesized poneratoxin and poneratoxin obtained by expression in insect cells. When expressed in insect cells, poneratoxin was observed attached to cell membranes. Both synthetic and recombinant ponerotoxins were soluble below pH 4.5. The structure of synthetic poneratoxin was characterized by circular dichroism and solved by nuclear magnetic resonance. In an environment imitating a lipid bilayer, at pH within the range of insect hemolymph, synthetic poneratoxin has a V shape, with two a-helices connected by a b-turn. Insect larvae were paralyzed by injection of either of the purified toxins, with the recombinant one acting faster. The recombinant toxin-producing baculovirus reduced the average survival time of the insect host by 25 h compared with unmodified virus. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that the recombinant toxin has an N-terminal 21-residue extension, possibly improving its stability and/or stabilizing the membrane-bound state. The potential use of poneratoxin for the construction of biological insecticide is discussed.

Standard auditory oddball ERPs are not sensitive enough to detect and/or quantify subtle objective neuropsychological changes in selected MTBI patients, especially those with traumatic MRI brain lesions. More complex auditory or other oddball paradigms have to be tested in the future.

Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and reduced left ventricle ejection fraction benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). However, increasing numbers of patient with CRT and ICD devices produce overload of cardiology centers where patients are admitted to ambulatory visits. This study aims to find multivariate model predicting the requirement for ambulatory follow-up of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).The LUCY study is an observational, cohort, prospective, 2-stage trial. As equal number of patients (300) will be included in the first and the second part of the study, finally, 600 patients will be included in the study. The inclusion criteria will be: age between 18 and 90 years, CHF (New York Heart Association classes I–III) and implanted ICD or CRT at least 30 days before study inclusion. The exclusion criteria will be dementia and other conditions impeding cooperation during the study. All patients included in the study will undergo standard ambulatory visit. Primary endpoint will be defined as any ambulatory visit qualified as necessary due to patient's condition or device malfunction diagnose by the cardiologist: any change in pharmacotherapy related to patient's clinical status assessed during the visit, any change in tachyarrythmia counter or discriminator status, any change in tachyarrythmia threshold, presence of ventricular undersensing or oversensing, presence of atrial or ventricular ineffective pacing, or device's pocket infection. Secondary endpoint will be defined as any ambulatory visit qualified as necessary due to the alarm identified via Medtronic CareLink Express (MCLE): sustained or treated ventricular tachyarrythmia, any not previously diagnosed supraventricular tachyarrythmia, or elective replacement indicator.Our study is the first attempt of implementation of the machine learning and elements artificial intelligence in health care optimization of patients with CIED. The LUCY will be an open product, available for additional testing and improvement with supplementary functionalities: quality of life assessment, teleconsultation, video-streaming, automated imagine recognizing.

No abstract

A comparison between vitellogenesis in virgin and mated females of Tenebrio molitor showed significant differences at each investigated developmental stage. Yolk protein deposition in oocytes, measured as an increase in their size parameters (length, width, and volume), proceeded much faster and was more efficient in mated females as compared to virgins. In fertilized females the gonadotropic cycle showed a cyclicity with an eight-day period while virgin females finish their vitellogenic stage after the first cycle. These differences were reflected in changes in the rate of protein synthesis in the fat body of females completing vitellogenesis or entering the next oogenetic cycle. In the haemolymph, in addition to a large (158 kDa) and two small (56 kDa and 45 kDa) subunits of vitellogenin, there was an abundance of proteins of 80 kDa and 60 kDa.

Introduction. Overweight and obesity, as well as a gonadal function, are pivotal factors influencing bone tissue metabolism. Materials and method. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of dietary induced obesity (DIO) on bone tissue metabolism in sham-operated (SHO) or ovariectomized (OVX) adult female Wistar rats. Additionally, the influence of DIO in SHO or OVX on the concentration of sclerostin in the blood serum was analyzed. After SHO or OVX, the rats were placed in groups (n=8) and either received a standard diet (11.5 MJ/kg) (SHO-CON; OVX-CON) or a high-energy diet (17.6 MJ/kg) (SHO-FAT; OVX-FAT). The experiment lasted for 90 days and allowed for the establishment of osteopenia in OVX females and obesity in the rats that had received the high-energy diet. Results. The results of the study demonstrate that obesity or/and ovariectomy increases the resorption of femora and tibiae, hence decreasing the densitometric and mechanical parameters affecting the bone structure in adult females rats. The strongest osteodegenerative effect was seen in the OVX-FAT females. Interestingly, the degree of bone tissue degradation caused exclusively by ovariectomy was similar to that found in the obese sham-operated rats. Conclusions. Bone losses invoked by DIO seem to be independent from the Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibition induced by sclerostin. While further study is necessary, the obtained results suggest that the usage of sclerostin anti-body in the treatment of osteoporosis can be ineffective, and in obese patients the undertaking of such therapy should be reassessed.