The Medical University of Łódź was founded on October 1, 2002 as a merger of the Medical Academy of Łódź (founded January 1, 1950) and the Military Medical Academy of Łódź (founded July 1, 1958). It is the largest teaching hospital unit in Poland and a European research center.
Hospital logistics can significantly benefit from autonomous robotic technologies capable of alleviating personnel workload, reducing operational costs, and streamlining internal workflows. This paper introduces HOSBOT (HOSpital roBOT), a modular and cost-effective robotic system designed to enhance hospital logistics and workflow management through autonomous missions and real-time monitoring of transported items. HOSBOT combines a commercially available autonomous mobile robot with a customisable non-motorised cart, the SmartRack, which accommodates standalone, sensorised SmartBoxes equipped with Radio Frequency IDentification technology. This paper describes the overall design of HOSBOT, including its mechanical, electrical, and software interfaces. The system has been validated in three pilot experiments in real hospital environments across Europe, demonstrating good levels of acceptability, usability and efficacy. This innovative robotic solution highlights the potential for scalable integration of autonomous mobile robots in healthcare and other indoor logistics settings. Note to Practitioners-This paper is motivated by the need to optimise logistics in hospital settings, which heavily relies on the manual transportation of consumable goods from storage to operational areas, placing a daily workload on hospital staff. The article describes current solutions employed in hospitals for logistics operations and discusses how autonomous mobile robots are among the most versatile and flexible approaches, capable of integration into various settings. In this context, HOSBOT (HOSpital roBOT) is introduced, a logistics robot composed of modular multiscale units that can be freely configured and combined with different autonomous mobile robotic bases. This robot is advantageous not only because it can be customised according to the client's needs and available resources but also due to the use of intelligent containers called SmartBoxes, which can operate as standalone units and track transported contents through integrated RFID-based electronics. This system has been validated in three hospital environments with different logistical requirements, demonstrating its compliance and potential for optimising logistics flow in healthcare settings.
Background: Severe asthma affects approximately 5–10% of the asthma population and is characterized by significant heterogeneity in pathophysiology and clinical presentation. The condition is traditionally categorized into Type 2-high (T2-high) inflammation, driven by mechanisms such as eosinophilia and IgE mediation, and Type 2-low (T2-low) inflammation, which is less well-defined. Standard treatments involving broad immunosuppression with corticosteroids are often insufficient or associated with toxicity in severe cases. Consequently, the understanding of asthma has evolved from a "one-size-fits-all" approach to a precision medicine model based on specific phenotypes and endotypes. Aim: The aim of this review is to examine the efficacy, safety, and selection of biological therapies for severe asthma. Materials and Methods: The review included scientific papers sourced from the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Results: Monoclonal antibodies have transformed severe asthma management. Omalizumab addresses allergic asthma, while anti-IL-5 agents (mepolizumab, reslizumab, benralizumab) effectively reduce exacerbations in eosinophilic phenotypes. Dupilumab (targeting IL-4/IL-13) offers superior lung function improvement, particularly in mixed phenotypes. Notably, tezepelumab (anti-TSLP) and emerging anti-IL-33 agents demonstrate efficacy across a broader spectrum, offering new therapeutic options for previously refractory T2-low patients. Conclusions: Biologics have shifted the therapeutic goal from disease control to clinical remission. While T2-high asthma is well-managed by existing targeted therapies, upstream inhibitors now provide vital solutions for the challenging T2-low population. Consequently, a precise, biomarker-driven approach is essential to select the optimal therapy and maximize patient outcomes.
ABSTRACT:Quadruplet therapy with Isa-VRd (isatuximab, Velcade [bortezomib], Revlimid [lenalidomide], and dexamethasone) followed by Isa-Rd in the randomized phase 3 IMROZ study provided a significant progression-free survival benefit to transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). In the primary analysis, more Isa-VRd/Isa-Rd-treated patients achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity and MRD-negative complete response (CR) at any time point than patients receiving VRd followed by Rd. Here, we report landmark analysis results of MRD negativity over time and its impact on clinical outcomes in IMROZ. Treatment with Isa-VRd/Isa-Rd led to deeper responses, with higher rates of MRD negativity and MRD-negative CR at the end of induction and during maintenance vs VRd/Rd, up to 60 months of follow-up. Benefit with Isa-VRd/Isa-Rd was observed across key patient subgroups, including older (>70 years) and frail patients. Time to progression (TTP) was significantly prolonged with Isa-VRd/Isa-Rd vs VRd/Rd in patients who converted from MRD negative to MRD positive at any time point. In a landmark analysis of the time of conversion to MRD positivity, TTP in patients who converted from MRD negative at the end of induction to MRD positive also favored Isa-VRd/Isa-Rd. Evaluating MRD status of patients at >1 time point may therefore be useful to support decisions on treatment selection and treatment continuation/discontinuation. Our findings on the degree of MRD negativity and MRD-negative CR benefit achieved during induction and maintenance by patients receiving Isa-VRd/Isa-Rd vs VRd/Rd extend the IMROZ primary analyses and further support Isa-VRd as standard of care for frontline treatment of transplant-ineligible patients with NDMM. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03319667.
BACKGROUND The Dark Triad Scale (DTS) encompasses 3 personality traits: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. While numerous studies have explored the structure and social, medical, and behavioral implications of Dark Triad personality, its association with attitudes toward brain death, organ donation, and futile therapy has not been previously examined. The aim of this study was to assess how DTS traits influence perceptions of these end-of-life issues. MATERIAL AND METHODS This cross-sectional study used the DTS and an original questionnaire. Participants included Polish paramedic and midwifery students (n=48) and non-medically educated (NM) individuals recruited via Facebook (n=88). Due to underrepresentation of males in the NM group, only female respondents (n=75) from this group were included in cluster analysis. RESULTS Students of both genders were significantly more willing to become organ donors after death than were NM participants (mean score 3.92±1.3 vs 3.33±1.4 on a 1-5 scale; P=0.014). Among male and female students, higher Machiavellianism was associated with the belief that futile therapy is unethical. In NM females, psychopathy was correlated with denial of the existence of brain death, while Machiavellianism correlated with acceptance of withdrawing futile therapy. Cluster analysis identified 3 subgroups of NM females. Individuals with the highest levels of Dark Triad traits showed the greatest acceptance of withdrawing futile therapy, whereas those tending to deny brain death had moderate levels of these traits. CONCLUSIONS DTS traits are associated with attitudes toward futile therapy and brain death. Higher Machiavellianism is linked to greater acceptance of withdrawing futile therapy, while denial of brain death among females is associated with intermediate Dark Triad traits and higher psychopathy.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a valuable tool for presurgical brain mapping, traditionally implemented with task-based paradigms (tb-fMRI) that measure blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes during controlled motor or cognitive tasks. Tb-fMRI is a well-established tool for non-invasive localization of cortical eloquent areas, yet its dependence on patient cooperation and intact cognition limits use in individuals with aphasia, cognitive impairment, or in pediatric and other vulnerable populations. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) provides a task-free alternative by leveraging spontaneous low-frequency BOLD fluctuations to delineate intrinsic functional networks, including motor and language systems that show good spatial concordance with tb-fMRI and with direct cortical stimulation. This narrative review outlines the methodological foundations of tb-fMRI and rs-fMRI, comparing acquisition protocols, preprocessing and denoising pipelines, analytic approaches, and validation strategies relevant to presurgical planning. Particular emphasis is given to the technical and physiological foundations of BOLD imaging, statistical modeling, and the influence of motion, noise, and standardization on data reliability. Emerging evidence indicates that rs-fMRI can reliably expand mapping to patients with limited task compliance and may serve as a robust complementary modality in complex clinical contexts, though its methodological heterogeneity and absence of unified practice guidelines currently constrain widespread adoption. Future advances in harmonized preprocessing, multicenter validation, and integration with connectomics and machine learning frameworks are likely to be critical for translating rs-fMRI into routine, reliable presurgical workflows.
