Rzeszów University

Purpose: This study examines how SMEs operating in the Polish transport, shipping and logistics (TSL) sector perceive the business value of digital freight exchanges, and how they associate platform use with operational efficiency, empty vehicle movements, transport resource utilization and competitive positioning. The study investigates whether the functionalities offered by digital freight platforms constitute distinct value dimensions or a single integrated platform value dimension. Methodology: Empirical data were collected in 2025 through a questionnaire survey of 65 purposively selected Polish SMEs actively using digital freight exchanges. The sample is therefore not representative of the broader Polish SME road-freight population. The analysis included descriptive and reliability statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) (Principal Axis Factoring), Spearman's correlation, multiple linear regression, and Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn-Bonferroni post hoc comparisons. Factor stability was assessed using bootstrap analysis. Findings: Respondents primarily used digital freight exchanges to obtain transport orders, improve fleet utilization, monitor shipments and maintain operational continuity during periods of lower demand. The most valued functionalities were contractor credibility assessment, freight search, fleet utilization, transaction security and responsiveness to demand fluctuations. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified a provisional one-factor solution explaining 50.67% of the total variance, interpreted as a Perceived Integrated Platform Value dimension, and suggesting that these SMEs evaluate platform functionalities as complementary elements of an integrated business-support system, because the items measure perceived importance. This dimension is interpreted as a proxy for perceived platform value rather than as a measure of realized benefits rather than as separate capabilities. Perceived platform value was positively associated with competitive advantage (rho = 0.411, p < 0.001). While overall platform value did not differ significantly by enterprise size, micro-enterprises reported greater competitive benefits and more frequent platform use than medium-sized enterprises.

Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is a novel technique for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the impact of electrode type on lesion formation at fixed PFA parameters remains unknown. This study investigated differences in lesion characteristics when using a 4 mm non-irrigated catheter versus an open-irrigated flexible-tip catheter in focal-bipolar PFA in a potato model. PFA applications were performed in a potato model using a purpose-made PFA generator, applying both a solid-tip 4 mm non-irrigated catheter and an open-irrigated flexible-tip catheter under identical energy delivery parameters. After electroporation, potatoes were stained with triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to visualize lesion boundaries. Depth, diameter, and volume of the irreversibly electroporated zones were measured to assess the impact of each electrode type. A total of fifty PFA applications were performed − 25 with the 4 mm non-irrigated catheter and 25 with the open-irrigated flexible-tip catheter. The depth of the irreversible electroporation zone was significantly greater with the 4 mm non-irrigated catheter than with the irrigated electrode (1.7 ± 0.5 mm vs. 1.4 ± 0.7 mm, p = 0.03). The diameter of irreversible lesions created with the 4 mm electrode was 7 ± 1 mm, compared to 6 ± 1 mm with the irrigated electrode (p = 0.001), resulting in a total lesion volume of 46 ± 19 mm³ versus 30 ± 12 mm³, respectively (p = 0.0008). The use of a solid-tip 4 mm non-irrigated catheter in focal-bipolar PFA creates lesions with greater depth, volume and diameter compared to an open-irrigated flexible-tip catheter. Ablation catheter type significantly influences lesion spread during focal-bipolar PFA.

The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented transformation in breast cancer management, driven by parallel advances in targeted therapies, immunomodulation, drug-delivery technologies, and molecular diagnostic tools. This review summarizes the key achievements of 2015-2025, encompassing all major biological subtypes of breast cancer as well as technological innovations with substantial clinical relevance. In hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2- disease, the integration of CDK4/6 inhibitors, modulators of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders (SERDs), and real-time monitoring of Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1) mutations has enabled clinicians to overcome endocrine resistance and dynamically tailor treatment based on evolving molecular alterations detected in circulating biomarkers. In HER2-positive breast cancer, treatment paradigms have been revolutionized by next-generation antibody-drug conjugates, advanced antibody formats, and technologies facilitating drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier, collectively improving systemic and central nervous system disease control. The most rapid progress has occurred in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), where synergistic strategies combining selective cytotoxicity via Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), DNA damage response inhibitors, immunotherapy, epigenetic modulation, and therapies targeting immunometabolic pathways have markedly expanded therapeutic opportunities for this historically challenging subtype. In parallel, photodynamic therapy has emerged as an investigational and predominantly local phototheranostic approach, incorporating nanocarriers, next-generation photosensitizers, and photoimmunotherapy capable of inducing immunogenic cell death and modulating antitumor immune responses. A defining feature of the past decade has been the surge in patent-driven innovation, encompassing multispecific antibodies, optimized ADC architectures, novel linker-payload designs, and advanced nanotechnological and photoactive delivery systems. By integrating data from clinical trials, molecular analyses, and patent landscapes, this review illustrates how multimechanistic, biomarker-guided therapies supported by advanced drug-delivery technologies are redefining contemporary precision oncology in breast cancer. The emerging therapeutic paradigm underscores the convergence of targeted therapy, immunomodulation, synthetic lethality, and localized immune-activating approaches, charting a path toward further personalization of treatment in the years ahead.

BACKGROUND:UNITI Jr is a phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of ustekinumab, an interleukin-12/-23 antagonist, in pediatric patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. Results from patients weighing at least 40 kg are reported. METHODS:Patients at least 40 kg and aged less than 18 years with a Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index score of >30 received a single intravenous weight-tiered induction dose of ustekinumab. After 8 weeks, patients were randomized to subcutaneous ustekinumab 90 mg every 8 or 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was clinical remission at Week 8. Secondary endpoints included clinical response (Weeks 8, 52), endoscopic response (Weeks 16, 52), clinical remission, and corticosteroid-free remission (Week 52). RESULTS:Of 48 patients, median age was 15.0 years (interquartile range: 14.0-16.0). At Week 8, 52.1% (25/48) achieved clinical remission and 93.8% (45/48) achieved clinical response. At Week 16, 29.8% (14/47) achieved endoscopic response. Clinical remission at Week 52 was achieved in 15/25 (60.0%; every 12 weeks) and 10/23 (43.5%; every 8 weeks). Three patients (6.3%) discontinued ustekinumab between Weeks 8 and 52. Ustekinumab was safe and well-tolerated; adverse event rates were similar between groups. Immunogenicity was low; trough median (mean) steady-state serum ustekinumab concentrations following 8 weeks of dosing were 1.38 (2.08) to 1.74 (2.32) μg/mL and were comparable to levels in adult patients: 2.83 (2.05) μg/mL. CONCLUSIONS:Ustekinumab induction and maintenance therapy was effective and safe through 52 weeks in pediatric patients weighing at least 40 kg with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS:NCT04673357.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related disorder increasingly linked to chronic inflammation and redox imbalance, yet its systemic oxidative and nitrosative profile remains insufficiently characterized. In this cross-sectional study, fasting serum samples were collected from 47 men with clinically confirmed BPH scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate and 40 healthy controls. We assessed antioxidant status (thiols, total antioxidant capacity), lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxynonenal), protein nitration (3-nitrotyrosine), glycoxidation markers (Amadori products, advanced glycation end products (AGE)-associated fluorescence), and tryptophan metabolism indices (tryptophan, kynurenine, N '-formylkynurenine). Compared with controls, BPH patients showed significantly lower antioxidant capacity and thiol levels, together with increased lipid peroxidation and protein nitration. AGE-associated fluorescence was modestly elevated, whereas Amadori products and advanced oxidation protein products did not differ significantly. Tryptophan metabolism was markedly altered, with lower tryptophan and higher kynurenine and N '-formylkynurenine, indicating activation of the kynurenine pathway. After false discovery rate correction, most redox biomarkers remained significant. Multivariable logistic regression confirmed independent associations of lipid peroxidation, nitrosative stress, and kynurenine pathway activation with BPH after adjustment for age and metabolic parameters. These findings support a role for systemic oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms in BPH pathophysiology, although confirmation in age-matched and longitudinal studies is needed.