The article focuses on tracing changes in Slovak pre-service TEFL student teachers' emotional states over the first semester of their university study and detecting possible factors inciting their emotions. It highlights the importance of understanding these emotional states as they significantly impact students' perceptions of their suitability as educators. A mixed-methods approach was employed to collect qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires, reflections, and interviews. The sample consisted of 67 non-native Slovak first-year TEFL students. It was found that the students experienced a range of emotions, from initial confusion and worry to eventual joy and contentment. Negative emotions were mainly triggered by the flood of new information and study-related factors, while positive emotions were associated with the supportive attitude of teachers and the freedom of university life.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

BACKGROUND: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a developing therapy for disorders related to gut dysbiosis. Despite its growing application, standardised protocols for FMT filtrate preparation and quality assessment remain undeveloped. The viability of bacteria in the filtrate is crucial for FMT's efficacy and for validating protocol execution. We compared two methods-in vitro cultivation and membrane integrity assessment-for their accuracy, reproducibility and clinical applicability in measuring bacterial viability in frozen FMT stool filtrate. METHODS: Bacterial viability in stool filtrate was evaluated using (i) membrane integrity through fluorescent DNA staining with SYTO9 and propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometry and (ii) culturable bacteria counts (colony-forming units, CFU) under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. RESULTS: Using different types of samples (pure bacterial culture, stool of germ-free and conventionally bred mice, native and heat-treated human stool), we refined the bacterial DNA staining protocol integrated with flow cytometry for assessment of bacterial viability in frozen human stool samples. Both the membrane integrity-based and cultivation-based methods exhibited significant variability in bacterial viability across different FMT filtrates, without correlation. The cultivation-based method showed a mean coefficient of variance of 30.3%, ranging from 7.4% to 60.1%. Conversely, the membrane integrity approach yielded more reproducible results, with a mean coefficient of variance for viable cells of 6.4% ranging from 0.2% to 18.2%. CONCLUSION: Bacterial viability assessment in stool filtrate using the membrane integrity method offers robust and precise data, making it a suitable option for faecal material evaluation in FMT. In contrast, the cultivation-dependent methods produce inconsistent outcomes.

• MeSH
• Bacteria isolation & purification   MeSH
• Feces * microbiology   MeSH
• Fecal Microbiota Transplantation * methods   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Microbial Viability * MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Flow Cytometry * methods   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH

INTRODUCTION: False aneurysms in the thoracic aorta are dangerous complications that can occur after cardiac surgery. They often result in high mortality rates. These aneurysms are caused by damage to all layers of the aortic wall. This study aimed to pinpoint the area of the experimental specimen (native vessel, anastomosis, or prosthetic graft) with the greatest deformation, to determine whether a false aneurysm is likely to develop in the anastomotic portion. METHODS: We conducted the inflation-extension test by performing eight cycles ranging from 0 to 20. The pressure sampling frequency was 100 Hz, and each cycle lasted approximately 34 seconds, resulting in a loading frequency of 0.03 Hz. During the experiment, each camera captured 3,000 frames. Based on the data collected, we evaluated and compared the loading stages of cycle 1 and cycle 8. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: During loading, the native vessel experienced a dominant deformation of approximately 7% in the circumferential direction. The prosthetic graft, which had a longitudinal construction, deformed by approximately 8% in the axial direction. The prosthetic graft, on the other hand, only experienced a deformation of up to 1.5% in the circumferential direction, which was about 5 times smaller than the deformation of the native vessel. The anastomosis area was very stiff and showed minimal deformation. Additionally, there was little difference in the mechanical response between the first C1 and the eighth C8 cycle. CONCLUSION: Based on the available evidence, it can be inferred that aortic false aneurysms are more likely to form just behind the suture lines in the native aorta, which is more elastic compared to stiff sections of anastomosis and prosthetic graft. Numerous pulsations of the native vessel will likely cause the impairment of the aorta at the margin of the anastomosis. This will lead to disruption of the aortic wall and false aneurysm formation in the native vessel near the area of anastomosis.

• MeSH
• Anastomosis, Surgical adverse effects   MeSH
• Aorta, Thoracic surgery   MeSH
• Aortic Aneurysm * complications   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Aneurysm, False * diagnosis   etiology   surgery   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Background This study examines disparities in the place of death in patients in the United States with diabetes mellitus (DM) using data from the CDC WONDER (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) database covering a 22-year period (1999-2020). Looking at age, gender, ethnicity, and census location, among other variables, the study aims to understand trends and determinants of mortality at home or hospice care compared to mortality at a medical or nursing facilities. Materials and methods An online freely accessible mortality database, CDC WONDER database, was used to collect information regarding DM-related mortality, using the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) code range E10-E14. To investigate patterns in location of death, the research population was split by census regions, racial categories, age groups, and gender. Statistical techniques such as univariate logistic regression and graphical representations were employed. Results Based on a study of 1,674,724 DM-related deaths, medical or nursing facilities recorded higher deaths (1,041,602) compared to home or hospice deaths (572,567). The highest number of deaths in home or hospice setting was recorded for the age group of 75-84 years (146,820), male gender (324,325), Census Region 3 (South) (225,636), and white race (458,690). Among the patients with death at home or a hospice center; the odds were highest for the age group of 55-64 years, male gender, Census Region 4 (West), and American Indian or Alaska Native race. Discussion The results showed a general upward trend in DM patients' deaths at home and in hospice care in the United States. Males, white people, and those in the age group of 75-84 years notably had the highest death rates. Regional differences also came into play, with the South showing the biggest trend in mortality. To better understand the underlying causes of these changes and to increase at-risk groups' access to healthcare facilities, more research is required. Conclusion There is an overall rising trend in home and hospice deaths in the United States for patients with DM, but with a steady dip between the years 2005 and 2010. Patient deaths from DM were categorized by age groups, gender, race, and census regions. The highest mortality trends are exhibited in whites, males, and those aged 75-84 years. Out of the census regions, the South has the highest mortality trend. Further studies could be carried out to determine the reasons for the rising trends in home or hospice deaths in the aforementioned groups and how to provide these groups with better access to healthcare facilities.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Individual differences in the ability to process language have long been discussed. Much of the neural basis of these, however, is yet unknown. Here we investigated the relationship between long-range white matter connectivity of the brain, as revealed by diffusion tractography, and the ability to process syntactically complex sentences in the participants' native language as well as the improvement thereof by multiday training. We identified specific network motifs by singular value decomposition that indeed related white matter structural connectivity to individual language processing performance. First, for two such motifs, one in the left and one in the right hemisphere, their individual prevalence significantly predicted the individual language performance, suggesting an anatomical predisposition for the individual ability to process syntactically complex sentences. Both motifs comprise a number of cortical regions, but seem to be dominated by areas known for the involvement in working memory rather than the classical language network itself. Second, we identified another left hemispheric network motif, whose change of prevalence over the training period significantly correlated with the individual change in performance, thus reflecting training induced white matter plasticity. This motif comprises diverse cortical areas including regions known for their involvement in language processing, working memory and motor functions. The present findings suggest that individual differences in language processing and learning can be explained, in part, by individual differences in the brain's white matter structure. Brain structure may be a crucial factor to be considered when discussing variations in human cognitive performance, more generally.

• MeSH
• White Matter * diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Language MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Brain diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Learning MeSH
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a neuroviral disease that ranges in severity from a mild febrile illness to a severe and life-threatening meningoencephalitis or encephalomyelitis. There is increasing evidence that susceptibility to tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV)-induced disease and its severity are largely influenced by host genetic factors, in addition to other virus- and host-related factors. In this study, we investigated the contribution of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in innate immunity genes to predisposition to TBE in humans. More specifically, we investigated a possible association between SNPs rs304478 and rs303212 in the gene Interferon Induced Protein With Tetratricopeptide Repeats 1 (IFIT1), rs7070001 and rs4934470 in the gene Interferon Induced Protein With Tetratricopeptide Repeats 2 (IFIT2), and RIG-I (Retinoic acid-inducible gene I) encoding gene DDX58 rs311795343, rs10813831, rs17217280 and rs3739674 SNPs with predisposition to TBE in population of the Czech Republic, where TBEV is highly endemic. Genotypic and allelic frequencies for these SNPs were analyzed in 247 nonimmunized TBE patients and compared with 204 control subjects. The analysis showed an association of IFIT1 rs304478 SNP and DDX58 rs3739674 and rs17217280 SNPs with predisposition to TBE in the Czech population indicating novel risk factors for clinical TBE but not for disease severity. These results also highlight the role of innate immunity genes in TBE pathogenesis.

• MeSH
• Genotype MeSH
• Interferons genetics   MeSH
• Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide MeSH
• Encephalitis, Tick-Borne * genetics   epidemiology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Immunity, Innate genetics   MeSH
• Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne * genetics   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Background: Native chickens are dispersed in a wide geographical range and have hereditary assets that are kept by farmers for various purposes. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a widely utilized marker in molecular studies because of its quick advancement, matrilineal legacy, and simple molecular structure. Method and Results: We performed NGS sequencing to investigate mitochondrial genomes and to evaluate the hereditary connections, diversity, and measure of gene stream estimation in Indian native chicken breeds and Red Jungle fowl. The chicken breeds were genotyped using the D-loop region and 23 haplotypes were identified. When compared to Indian native breeds, more haplotypes were identified in the NADH dehydrogenase subunits, Cytochrome c oxidase, Cytochrome b, ATP synthase subunit 6, and Ribosomal RNA genes. The phylogenetic examination indicated that the analyzed chicken breeds were divided into six significant clades, namely A, B, C, D, E, and F, of which the F clade indicated the domestication of chicken breeds in India. Additionally, our work affirmed that the Indian Red Jungle Fowl is the origin for both reference Red Jungle Fowl as well as all Indian breeds, which is reflected in the dendrogram as well as network analysis based on the whole mtDNA and D-loop region. Indian Red Jungle Fowl is distributed as an outgroup, suggesting that this ancestry was reciprocally monophyletic. Conclusion: The mtDNA sequences of Indian native chickens provided novel insights into adaptation mechanisms and the significance of important mtDNA variations in understanding the maternal lineages of native birds.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Background: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) is one of the most frequently used mechanical circulatory support devices. Distribution of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation flow depends (similarly as the cardiac output distribution) on regional vascular resistance. Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), used frequently as hemodialysis access, represent a low-resistant circuit which steals part of the systemic perfusion. We tested the hypothesis that the presence of a large Arteriovenous fistulas significantly changes organ perfusion during a partial and a full Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Methods: The protocol was performed on domestic female pigs held under general anesthesia. Cannulas for Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were inserted into femoral artery and vein. The Arteriovenous fistulas was created using another two high-diameter extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulas inserted in the contralateral femoral artery and vein. Catheters, flow probes, flow wires and other sensors were placed for continuous monitoring of haemodynamics and organ perfusion. A stepwise increase in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation flow was considered under beating heart and ventricular fibrillation (VF) with closed and opened Arteriovenous fistulas. Results: Opening of a large Arteriovenous fistulas (blood flow ranging from 1.1 to 2.2 L/min) resulted in decrease of effective systemic blood flow by 17%-30% (p < 0.01 for all steps). This led to a significant decrease of carotid artery flow (ranging from 13% to 25% after Arteriovenous fistulas opening) following VF and under partial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Cerebral tissue oxygenation measured by near infrared spectroscopy also decreased significantly in all steps. These changes occurred even with maintained perfusion pressure. Changes in coronary artery flow were driven by changes in the native cardiac output. Conclusion: A large arteriovenous fistula can completely counteract Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support unless maximal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation flow is applied. Cerebral blood flow and oxygenation are mainly compromised by the effect of the Arteriovenous fistulas. These effects could influence brain function in patients with Arteriovenous fistulas on Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Cíl: Prezentovat zajímavý případ zánětlivého pseudotumoru v pravé plícisimulující maligní tumor s lokoregionální diseminací při 18F-FDG PET/CTvyšetření u 63leté ženy. Metodika: Pacientka byla dlouhodobě léčena pro asthma bronchiale. Na RTGsnímku a CT hrudníku a se nově zobrazila měkkotkáňová expanze v oblastipravého plicního hilu, jež svědčila pro nádor. Před zvažovaným chirurgickýmvýkonem bylo ještě provedeno 18F-FDG PET/CT vyšetření s cílem dokončitstaging. Celotělové PET/CT vyšetření proběhlo v rozsahu od báze lební dopoloviny stehen, a to za 60 minut po intravenózní aplikaci 18F-FDG o aktivitě416 MBq (tj. 5,1 MBq/kg). Akviziční čas PET zobrazení činil 2,5 minuty naprojekci, celkem bylo provedeno sedm projekcí. V identickém rozsahu byloprovedeno nativní CT zobrazení. Výsledky: PET/CT zobrazilo tumorózní expanzi s intenzivní akumulací s 18F-FDGv pravém plicním hilu a několik lymfatických uzlin s intenzivní akumulací18F-FDG v mediastinu. Nález byl hodnocen jako viabilní nádorová expanze vpravém plicním hilu s viabilní nádorovou lymfadenopatií v mediastinu.Následovala pravostranná střední plicní lobektomie a mediastinálnílymfadenenektomie. Histologické vyšetření nicméně vyloučilo maligníepiteliální nádorové struktury v resekovaném plicním laloku a v lymfatickýchuzlinách, nález byl hodnocen jako mezenchymální afekce, na prvním místě bylzvažován zánětlivý pseudotumor. Závěr: 18F-FDG PET/CT vyšetření zobrazilo zánětlivý pseudotumor v pravé plícisimulující maligní tumor s diseminací do mediastinálních lymfatických uzlin.

Aim: To present an interesting case of inflammatory pseudotumour in the right lung simulating a malignant epithelial tumour with locoregional dissemination on 18 F-FDG PET/CT in a 63-year-old woman. Method: The patient was treated for asthma bronchiale for a long time. The chest X-ray and CT scan showed a new soft tissue expansion in the right lung hilum, which was highly suspicious for a tumour. An 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging was performed to complete staging before surgical intervention. A whole-body PET/CT scan was performed from the base of the skull to the mid-thighs 60 minutes after intravenous administration of 18 F-FDG with an activity of 416 MBq (5.1 MBq/kg). The acquisition time of PET imaging was 2.5 minutes per bed projection and a total of 7 bed projections were performed. Native CT imaging was performed in an identical range. Results: PET/CT showed intense 18 F-FDG uptake in tumorous expansion in the right ung hilum and in mediastinal lymph nodes. The finding was evaluated as a viable tumour expansion in the right lung hilum with viable tumor lymphadenopathy in the mediastinum. This was followed by a right-sided mid-lung lobectomy and mediastinal lymphadenectomy. However, histological examination excluded malignant epithelial tumor structures in the resected lung lobe and lymph nodes; an inflammatory pseudotumour was proven. Conclusion: 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging showed an inflammatory pseudotumour in the right lung simulating a malignant epithelial tumour with dissemination to the mediastinal lymph nodes.

AIMS: This study compared the results obtained by basic immunophenotyping of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells by flow cytometry (FC) to the results of conventional cytology and evaluated the possibility of detailed analyses of CSF B-cell subpopulations. METHODS: Samples from 42 patients were examined by conventional cytology (native and/or pre-centrifuged CSF) and FC. The results from 15 patients without evidence of organic neurological disease were used to estimate reference ranges. RESULTS: Pre-centrifugated CSF had significantly higher cell yield on the cytologic slide, but cell subpopulation percentages were altered; the percentage of lymphocytes was significantly higher and monocytes significantly lower compared to both native CSF slides and FC. The percentage of granulocytes was higher in FC compared to cytology. For leukocyte count, the following reference ranges were estimated for Fuchs-Rosenthal chamber (FR) counting and FC, respectively: leukocytes ≤4.7/μL and ≤2.5/μL, lymphocytes ≤4.1/μL and ≤1.8/μL, monocytes ≤1.2/μL and ≤0.9/μL, and granulocytes 0/μL and ≤0.2/μL. The following reference ranges were estimated for basic subpopulations: T-lymphocytes 84.1-100%, B lymphocytes 0.0-1.5%, NK cells 0.0-6.3%, NKT cells 0-9.5%, and CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ 0.8-4.9. Using a volume of 1.2-2.4 mL, the number of B lymphocytes was too low (<20) in samples with ≤2.7 cells/μL in the FR. CONCLUSIONS: Even normal CSF samples are amenable to basic mononuclear cell subpopulation analysis by FC. However, analysis of the B-cell subpopulations requires either a larger sample volume or selection of samples with ≥ 3 cells/μL.

• MeSH
• Immunophenotyping MeSH
• Leukocytes * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Lymphocytes * MeSH
• Cerebrospinal Fluid MeSH
• Flow Cytometry methods   MeSH
• T-Lymphocytes MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH