The problems of patients with lymphoedema. Pilot study of breast cancer survivors

Background and aims: Lymphoedema is a serious problem for many breast cancer survivors. It is a chronic condition, which can often limit patients’ activities and result in dramatic life changes. The aim of the study was to define problems the patients contended with. Material and methods: The clinical study involved 22 patients suffering from post-mastectomy lymphoedema. They were asked to fill in a special lymphoedema physiotherapy assessment form. Results: All the patients included in the study underwent physiotherapy within lymphoedema treatment. Only three patients (14%) used complex decongestive therapy and most of the patients (82%) had therapy only once a year for twenty days. The results of the study confirm the fact, that lymphoedema is a chronic condition. Fourteen patients (63%) described their lymphoedema as permanent and increasing in time and only three patients (14%) as periodically retreating. The post-mastectomy pain syndrome is another serious problem of patients after surgery. Four of the patients (18%) suffered from pain with the average intensity of 9 on NRS scale (0-10). None of the patients received any special analgetic treatment, which proves that the post-mastectomy pain syndrome is rarely diagnosed and treated. Conclusion: The study presents the outline of problems and needs of patients after breast cancer surgery. It also emphasizes the importance of physiotherapy in post-mastectomy patients. However, it ought to be continued in a bigger group of patients as to authenticate the observations.Background and aims: Lymphoedema is a serious problem for many breast cancer survivors. It is a chronic condition, which can often limit patients’ activities and result in dramatic life changes. The aim of the study was to define problems the patients contended with. Material and methods: The clinical study involved 22 patients suffering from post-mastectomy lymphoedema. They were asked to fill in a special lymphoedema physiotherapy assessment form. Results: All the patients included in the study underwent physiotherapy within lymphoedema treatment. Only three patients (14%) used complex decongestive therapy and most of the patients (82%) had therapy only once a year for twenty days. The results of the study confirm the fact, that lymphoedema is a chronic condition. Fourteen patients (63%) described their lymphoedema as permanent and increasing in time and only three patients (14%) as periodically retreating. The post-mastectomy pain syndrome is another serious problem of patients after surgery. Four of the patients (18%) suffered from pain with the average intensity of 9 on NRS scale (0-10). None of the patients received any special analgetic treatment, which proves that the post-mastectomy pain syndrome is rarely diagnosed and treated. Conclusion: The study presents the outline of problems and needs of patients after breast cancer surgery. It also emphasizes the importance of physiotherapy in post-mastectomy patients. However, it ought to be continued in a bigger group of patients as to authenticate the observations

Przemoc w rodzinie. Analiza podstawowych pojęć na podstawie współczesnej literatury

The subject of this article is selected issues relating to the phenomenon of domestic violence. According to contemporary Polish literature, the definitions of domestic violence, and the basic terms included in them are explained. The second section describes the main types and forms of violencePrzedmiotem artykułu są wybrane zagadnienia dotyczące problematyki zjawiska przemocy w rodzinie. Na podstawie najnowszej polskiej literatury przedstawiono definicje przemocy w rodzinie, wyjaśniono podstawowe terminy w nich zawarte. W drugim punkcie opisano główne rodzaje i typy stosowanej przemoc

Przemoc w rodzinie. Analiza podstawowych pojęć na podstawie współczesnej literatury

The subject of this article is selected issues relating to the phenomenon of domestic violence. According to contemporary Polish literature, the definitions of domestic violence, and the basic terms included in them are explained. The second section describes the main types and forms of violencePrzedmiotem artykułu są wybrane zagadnienia dotyczące problematyki zjawiska przemocy w rodzinie. Na podstawie najnowszej polskiej literatury przedstawiono definicje przemocy w rodzinie, wyjaśniono podstawowe terminy w nich zawarte. W drugim punkcie opisano główne rodzaje i typy stosowanej przemoc

Ultrastructure of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in fasted and refed young and old rats

Many hypothalamic nuclei are involved in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis. An ultrastructural investigation of the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN), a hypothetical "satiety centre" was performed to explore the morphological basis of altered feeding behaviour of old rats in an experimental model of fasting/refeeding. Young (5 months old, n = 12) and old (24 months old, n = 12) male Wistar rats were fasted for 48 hours, then refed for 24 hours and sampled thereafter. Brain tissue was fixed by perfusion, histological and ultrathin sections were obtained by routine methods. Although food intake was similar in control young and old rats, during refeeding old animals consumed less chow than young ones. The EM analysis of VMN neurones of old control rats revealed, besides typical age-related residual bodies, deep indentations of the nuclear envelope and the presence of long, undulating rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae in the cell periphery. In both young and old rats fasting for 48 hours led to the expansion of Golgi complexes and increased folds of the nuclear envelope, which is suggestive of enhanced cellular activity of the VMN neurones. These fasting-induced alterations were sustained in the VMN neurones of refed rats in both age groups. The results showed that the VMN neurones of old control rats differ at the ultrastructural level from young ones. However, starvation and subsequent refeeding cause similar alterations in the hypothalamic neurones of "satiety centre" of both young and old rats