Aldona Kubala-Kukus

Introduction: A patient’s voice, after thyroidectomy uncomplicated by recurrent laryngeal nerve damage, may undergo both objective and subjective changes. The intensity and duration of these changes are unclear.Aim: To perform a subjective and acoustic analysis of the voice in patients after thyroidectomy uncomplicated by recurrent laryngeal nerve damage.Materials and methods: A prospective study was performed at an endocrinological surgery clinic in Poland between 2018 and 2019. The study included 70 patients who had undergone thyroidectomy due to a noncancerous goiter. The Voice Handicap Index was used for a subjective assessment of the voice. An acoustic analysis was performed using the DiagnoScope Specjalista software, designed for a comprehensive assessment of the voice. A three-stage laryngologic examination was performed.Results: The mean age of the participants was 53 years (71% women and 29% men). Most of the patients (80.0%) subjectively assessed their vocal impairment as minor, 18.6% as moderate, and 1.4% as severe. The patients assessed the physical state of their voice as the worst. The short-term parameters obtained through an acoustic analysis differed significantly between the subsequent measurements and were worst on the second day after the operation. The changes subsided six months after the operation. Similarly, a significant improvement in the long-term parameters was observed six months after the operation; specifically, the phonation time (15.11 vs 12.64 vs 16.14) and the performance index (7.91 vs 6.50 vs 9.04). No significant changes were observed between each measurement in terms of the no phonation index, voice breaks coefficient, and the F0 modulation index.Conclusions: Voice impairment after thyroidectomy is frequent, according to a subjective assessment, and has been confirmed by an acoustic analysis of the short- and long-term parameters of the voice. These changes usually subside six months after the operation. Some patients require speech therapy to normalise their voice emission technique.

Certified reference materials constitute a fundamental principle of reliable measurements across scientific, industrial, and regulatory domains, as they provide the basis for the formal demonstration of metrological traceability and result comparability. Unfortunately, the availability of certified reference materials for complex plant matrices, particularly fruit or leaves tissues, remains limited. This study presents the scenario for the development of MultiBio CRM, a strawberry-based certified reference material pair comprising leaves and fruit, which reflects compositional characteristics typical of plant materials cultivated under Polish environmental and agricultural conditions. The study further demonstrates a complete, ISO-aligned workflow for the production of plant-based reference materials. The production strategy was designed in accordance with ISO 17034, ISO 33405, and related international requirements for reference material production. It encompasses matrix selection, controlled cultivation and sampling, pre-treatment, drying or lyophilization, particle-size reduction, homogenization, stabilization, and certification. Material homogeneity and stability were verified using statistically designed studies, and uncertainty contributions were evaluated following internationally accepted guidelines. The resulting certified reference materials represent robust, internationally compliant plant matrices and illustrate a comprehensive metrological approach to reference material development. This work addresses a significant gap in existing certified reference material portfolios and supports reliable, traceable measurements in food-safety and environmental analysis.

Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis was used to determine element concentrations in blood serum samples of patients receiving parenteral nutrition. The concentrations of elements were measured in the serum samples two times, namely in the first day (measurement I) of the treatment and on the seventh day (measurement II) after nutrient supplementation. For comparison purposes, also serum samples of 50 patients without nutritional disorders, admitted to a planned cholecystectomy (surgical procedure of the gall bladder removal), were analyzed and treated as the control group. Descriptive statistics of measured concentrations of P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, and Br were determined both for the studied and control groups. Statistical analysis of the results concentrates on verifying the type of element concentration distributions. Next, the comparison of element concentration between groups of women and men was done. Parenteral nutrition resulted in a significant increase in supplemented Se and a decrease in Cu concentrations between measurement I and II. Parametric as well as nonparametric approaches were applied to verify the hypothesis. Additionally, it was found out that for some elements differences between the studied and control groups can be observed (P, S, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br). The analyses were also performed taking into account the gender of the patients. Correlation coefficients were calculated for the studied and control groups as regards the determined elements. It was observed that in all groups positive correlations were obtained between S and Ca, and for Zn and Se. In studied and control groups a negative correlation between Ca and Cr was obtained. This paper discusses also prediction of trace element concentrations following seven days of parenteral nutrition therapy, based on the knowledge of various anthropometric, biochemical and immunological parameters describing the patient’s condition. The procedure is discussed for Br concentration.

The measurements of X-rays excited by pulsed beams of highly charged ions from an Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS), which were performed using fast silicon drift detector (SDD), are discussed in context of count losses due to the detector dead time effect. We demonstrate that for pulsed X-rays the measured intensities can be strongly affected both by a SDD dead time and pulse length. In a dedicated measurements with constant intensity X-rays, which were excited by electrons from an electron gun, we showed that a SDD detector used is of paralyzable type and its dead time can be determined experimentally. The observed dead time effects for pulsed X-rays were interpreted using performed Monte Carlo simulations what, additionally, gives access to determine the length of X-ray pulse. The results are crucial for interpretation of X-rays emitted from hollow atoms formed in collisions of pulsed beams of highly charged ions from EBIS with surfaces.

Purpose: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is quite a safe procedure, as only about 2% of cases result in clinically significant postoperative complications. The occurrence of conversion and postoperative complications is associated with prolonged hospitalization and higher perioperative mortality. Some parameters assessed in preoperative laboratory tests are used to predict the risk of conversion and clinically significant postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values in predicting the risk of conversion and complications in laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed due to symptomatic cholelithiasis. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients operated on for symptomatic cholelithiasis was performed. The Results of preoperative laboratory tests were assessed – NLR, MLR and PLR. Their impact on early outcomes of surgical treatment was analyzed in the study population. Results: The analysis concerned 227 patients operated on for symptomatic cholelithiasis. The study group included 61 (26.9%) men and 166 (73.1%) women. As the NLR, MLR and PLR values increase, the length of hospitalization increases (rS 0.226, 0.247 and 0.181, respectively), as well as the risk of converting the procedure to an open method (p< 0.05). Moreover, with increasing NLR and MLR values, the grade of postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo scale increases (p 0.0001 and 0.008, respectively). The grade of postoperative complications does not depend on the PLR value. Conclusion: The risk of conversion can be assessed based on preoperative NLR, MLR and PLR values in patients undergoing surgery for symptomatic cholelithiasis. Elevated preoperative NLR and MLR values are associated with a higher grade of postoperative complications in the Clavien-Dindo scale.

In this article, the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis was used for determination of element concentrations in three isolated peripheral blood components: lymphocytes, erythrocytes, and plasma, collected from 36 healthy donors (15 men and 21 women) from eastern Poland. The studied blood components were isolated from whole peripheral blood using Histopaque-1077 density gradient centrifugation. In the lymphocytes, the following elements were measured: P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Br, Sr, and Pb. In the erythrocytes: P, S, Cl, K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, and Pb, while in the plasma samples: P, S, Cl, K, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Se, Sr, and Pb. The descriptive statistics parameters of concentration such as: mean value, standard deviation, median, first and third quartiles, 10th and 90th percentiles were calculated for all samples of the studied blood components, as well as separately for male and female groups. The measured element concentrations and calculated parameters can be used as the reference values. Element concentration distributions for male and female groups were statistically compared using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney test and statistical significance differences (α = 0.05) were found for: P (in lymphocytes), Se and Rb (in erythrocytes), and V (in plasma). The multigroup statistical comparison of element concentration distribution for different blood components was also done (Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests). The statistical tests show that the concentration levels are usually different, except in the following cases: Zn, Fe (lymphocytes and plasma, Fe only for female group), Cr (erythrocytes and plasma). The obtained concentration ranges were compared with literature-based data available for element concentration in lymphocytes, erythrocytes, and plasma. In this work, the application of the TXRF method allowed additionally for the simultaneous determination of the concentrations of such elements as: P, S, Cl, Br, Sr and Pb in lymphocytes, S, Cl and Br in erythrocytes, and P, S, Cl, K, Ti, Br and Pb in plasma. From an analytical point of view, the article describes in detail the measurement procedure including the isolation of blood components and samples preparation for TXRF measurements, and later the detection limit of the method is discussed.

Total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) was used to determine chromium, selenium and bromine concentrations in blood serum samples of 50 patients with parenteral nutrition treatment. The concentrations were measured two times, namely in the first day (I measurement) of the treatment and the seventh day (II measurement) after the chromium and selenium supplementation. For comparison purposes also serum samples of 50 patients without nutritional disorders, admitted to a planned surgical procedure to remove the gall bladder (cholecystectomy), were analyzed and treated as the control group. Descriptive statistics of measured concentrations of Cr, Se and Br both for the studied and control groups was determined. In order to check the effectiveness of Cr and Se supplementation, the results of the first and seventh day measurements for studied group were statistically compared with each other, with literature reference values and with the results of the control group (two-group comparison). These comparisons indicate the effectiveness of selenium supplementation in the applied treatment procedure. In the case of Cr and Br concentrations no statistically significant differences were observed. We conclude that monitoring of the concentration of the important trace elements in human serum should be standard procedure in parenteral nutrition treatment. In this monitoring the TXRF technique can be successfully used.