Stress exposure alters brain mRNA expression of the genes involved in insulin signalling, an effect modified by a high fat/high fructose diet and cinnamon supplement

In occidental societies, high fat and high sugar diets often coincide with episodes of stress. The association is likely to modify brain energy control. Brain insulin signalling is rarely studied in stressed individuals consuming high fat diets. Furthermore the effects of cinnamon supplement are not known in these conditions. Therefore, we exposed rats, over a 12-week period, to a control (C) or a high fat/high fructose (HF/HFr) diet that induces peripheral insulin resistance. A cinnamon supplement (C+CN and HF/HFr +CN) was added or not. After diet exposure, one group of rats was exposed to a 30-min restraint followed by a 10-min open-field test, their combination featuring a moderate stressor, the other rats staying unstressed in their home cages. The insulin signalling in hippocampus and frontal cortex was studied through the mRNA expression of the following genes: insulin receptor (Ir), insulin receptor substrate (Irs1), glucose transporters (Glut1 and Glut3), glycogen synthase (Gys1) and their modulators, Akt1 and Pten. In C rats, stress enhanced the expression of Ir, Irs1, Glut1, Gys1 and Akt1 mRNA. In C+CN rats, stress induced an increase in Pten but a decrease in Gys1 mRNA expression. In HF/HFr rats, stress was associated with an increase in Pten mRNA expression. In HF/HFr+CN rats, stress increased Pten mRNA expression but also decreased Gys1 mRNA expression. This suggests that a single moderate stress favours energy refilling mechanisms, an effect blunted by a previous HF/HFr diet and cinnamon supplement

Repeatability and reproducibility of artificial intelligence-acquired fetal brain measurements (SonoCNS) in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based algorithms are increasingly entering clinical practice, aiding in the assessment of fetal anatomy and biometry. One such tool for evaluating the fetal head and central nervous system structures is SonoCNS™, which delineates appropriate planes for measuring head circumference (HC), biparietal diameter (BPD), occipitofrontal diameter (OFD), transcerebellar diameter (TCD), width of the posterior horn of the lateral ventricle (Vp), and cisterna magna (CM) based on a 3D volume acquired at the level of the fetal head’s thalamic plane. This study aimed to evaluate the intra- and interobserver variability of measurements obtained using this software. The study included 381 patients, 270 in their second trimester of pregnancy (70%) and 111 in the third trimester. Each patient underwent manual biometric measurements of the aforementioned structures and twice using the SonoCNS software. We calculated the intraobserver variability between the manual measurements and the average of the automated measurements, as well as the interobserver variability for automated measurements. We also compared the median examination time for manual and automated measurements. The interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for interobserver and intraobserver variability for parameters BPD, HC, and OFD ranged from good to excellent reproducibility in the general population and subgroups (> 0.75). CM and Vp measurements, both in the general population and subgroups, fell into the category of moderate (0.5–0.75) and poor reproducibility ( 0.5) to good reproducibility (0.75–0.9), and OFD showed good and excellent reproducibility. The assessment of the biometry of fetal head structures using SonoCNS took an average of 63 s compared to 14 s for manual measurement (p < 0.001). The SonoCNS™ software is characterized by good to excellent reproducibility and repeatability in the measurement of fetal skull biometry (BPD, HC, and OFD), with poorer performance in measurements of intracranial structures (CM, Vp, TCD). Apart from biometric parameters, the software is useful in clinical practice for delineating appropriate planes from the acquired volume of the fetal head and shortening examination time

A three-wheeled vehicle for the disabled people

AbstractThis article presents the construction of a prototype three-wheeled vehicle for people with disabilities, approved in the L2e category. The vehicle is equipped with a special tilt mechanism that allows people with disabilities, who cannot balance their body, to return to an upright position after completing a driving maneuver on a curve of the road. The tilt angle of the vehicle depends on its speed and steering angle. When designing the vehicle, the availability and price of spare parts for scooters and motorcycles were taken into account to make the vehicle as cheap as possible.</jats:p

Recurrence after surgical excision and radiotherapy in cervical cancer stage IB/IIA

Aim of paper: Analysis of clinical course of tumour recurrence in patients undergoing surgical excision and radiotherapy for FIGO stage IB/IIA cervical cancer and retrospective evaluation of selected clinical-pathological tumour features in the group of patients, who developed a recurrence, with particular emphasis on recurrence-associated risk factors based on the GOG (Gynaecologic Oncology Group) scale. Material and method: Retrospective analysis encompassed 107 women treated at the OEwiêtokrzyskie Centrum Onkologii (Holycross Cancer Centre) since 2000 thru 2004. Results: Three-year symptom-free survival was obtained in 92 out of 107 women (85%). Recurrence occurred in 16 out of 107 patients (15%), thereof 9 out of 84 women (10%) originally had no lymph-node metastases and 7 out of 23 women (21%) had confirmed lymph node involvement. Recurrences were associated with lateral metastases (5 cases), distant metastases (7 cases) and lateral and distant metastases (4 cases). Recurrence-associated mortality rate was 81% (13 out of 16 patients). Currently, 3 women are alive, 2 thereof having signs of recurrence. Mean recurrence-free survival was 19.6 months and mean symptom-free survival was 8.5 months. Retrospective analysis based on the GOG scale predicted high risk of recurrence (over GOG score 120) in 14 out of 16 women (88%), who did recur and a moderate risk (GOG score 70-120) in the remaining 2 patients (12%). Conclusions: High risk of recurrence predicted by the GOG score has been confirmed in the group of women with cervical cancer FIGO stage IB/IIA undergoing combined treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) independent of invasion of regional lymph nodes. An essential risk factor for tumour recurrence is presence of tumour cells in pericervical and perivaginal tissues.Cel pracy: Omówienie przebiegu klinicznego wznów po leczeniu chirurgicznym i uzupełniającym raka szyjki macicy w stopniu IB/IIA według FIGO oraz retrospektywna ocena wybranych cech kliniczno-patologicznych guza w grupie kobiet z nawrotem, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem czynników ryzyka nawrotu według punktacji GOG (Gynaecologic Oncology Group Study). Materiał i metoda: Retrospektywnej analizie poddano 107 kobiet leczonych w Świętokrzyskim Centrum Onkologii (ŚCO) w latach 2000-2004. Wyniki: Trzyletnie przeżycie bez objawów nawrotu stwierdzono u 92/107 (85%) pacjentek. Wznowa pojawiła się u 16/107 (15%) chorych, w tym u 9/84 (10%) kobiet, u których nie stwierdzono przerzutów w węzłach regionalnych oraz u 7/23 (21%) kobiet z potwierdzonymi przerzutami do węzłów. Odnotowano 5 wznów bocznych, 7 odległych i 4 wznowy boczne z przerzutami odległymi. Zmarło z powodu wznowy 13/16 (81%) pacjentek. Żyją 3 kobiety, w tym dwie z objawami wznowy. Średni czas wolny od wznowy wynosił 19,6 miesiąca, a średni czas przeżycia od wykrycia wznowy - 8,5 miesiąca. U 14/16 (88%) chorych ze wznową stwierdzono retrospektywnie wysokie ryzyko wznowy (>120 punktów według GOG), a u 2/16 (12%) średnie ryzyko wznowy (70-120 punktów według GOG). Wnioski: Wysokie ryzyko wznowy według punktacji GOG potwierdziło się w grupie kobiet z nawrotem raka szyjki macicy w stopniu IB/IIA według FIGO po leczeniu chirurgicznym i skojarzonym, bez względu na zajęcie regionalnych węzłów chłonnych. Istotnym czynnikiem ryzyka wznowy jest obecność komórek nowotworowych w tkankach otaczających szyjkę macicy i pochwę