Raising territorial awareness of the students from Gorzów Wielkopolski county (Poland) as part of geographical and historical education

This article contains selected results of research on the course of geographical regional education and the territorial awareness of pupils in Gorzów county (Western Poland), a region situated on the border with Germany (the Land of Brandenburg). The paper defines the basic concepts and terms, and describes a research tool. Students' knowledge about their own region, the source of this knowledge and the means of its acquisition were set as outcomes. The state of territorial awareness of pupils including its spatial extent and the nature and strength of ties were established. While analyzing the results, the authors highlighted the differences between the declared attitudes of the students of each school, differentiating them due to the stage of education (middle school and high school) and the place (Gorzów Wielkopolski, Kostrzyn nad Odrą and Witnica). It was found, that lessons on regional issues implemented within geography lessons and educational trail such as Regional education – cultural heritage in the region (Edukacja regionalna – dziedzictwo kulturowe w regionie) play an important role and contribute significantly to the mastery of complex knowledge about the region. Beside the formal education about the region a family home is of great importance, especially in terms of shaping forces of territorial ties. Deficiencies in terms of regional education were also highlighted. Due to the nature of this article and its small size authors focuses only on the selected parts of research, in particular the analysis of the diversity of geographical and historical knowledge resources of the surveyed students was omitted

Kategoria płci w języku polskim

The article aims at presenting the opinion that, in the Polish language, apart from the grammatical category of gender, there is also the grammatical category of sex. The two categories are usually related, sometimes, however, they formulate an opposition. The category of gender is a category of noun and adjective, while the category of sex refers to personal pronouns, mostly to the first person singular, less frequently to the second person singular and even less often to the third person singular. Exponents of gender are mirrored in the paradigmatic forms of nouns and adjectives, whereas the exponents of sex reveal themselves in verbs and predicates, being examples of misplaced morphemes.Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie opinii, że w języku polskim obok gramatycznej kategorii rodzaju występuje także gramatyczna kategoria płci. Obie kategorie są zwykle powiązane ze sobą, jednak czasem tworzą opozycję. Kategoria rodzaju jest kategorią rzeczownika i przymiotnika, a kategoria płci zaimka osobowego, przede wszystkim pierwszej, w mniejszym stopniu drugiej, jeszcze rzadziej trzeciej osoby. Wykładniki rodzaju znajdują odzwierciedlenie w formach paradygmatycznych rzeczowników i przymiotników, natomiast wykładniki płci ujawniają się w czasownikach i orzecznikach, stanowiąc przykład morfemów nie na swoim miejscu.

Mental stress, heart rate and endothelial function in patients with syndrome X

Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether the baseline heart rate (HR) and changes in HR after mental stress (MS) can influence endothelial function in syndrome X. Methods: Forty four patients with syndrome X (F/M: 21/23, mean age: 55.4 &#177; 10.7 years) were examined. The endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was defined as the percentage change in the brachial artery diameter during reactive hyperaemia related to baseline (%FMD). The %FMD was assessed before and after (at 10, 30, and 45 min) standardised three-minute MS. HR and blood pressure were monitored simultaneously. The %FMD values were compared between subgroups characterised by baseline HR, maximum HR and DHR, and HR after MS below and over the median values. Results: The values of %FMD measured at 10, 30 and 45 min after MS (4.39 &#177; 5.4%, 4.99 &#177; 3.9%, 4.03 &#177; 3.5%, respectively; p < 0.001) were significantly lower than baseline values (7.73 &#177; 4.9%). Impaired vasodilatation after MS was observed in the following subgroups of patients: those with baseline HR below the median (< 71.5 bpm; baseline: 8.35 &#177; 5.8%; 10 min: 2.87 &#177; 3.6%, 45 min: 4.56 &#177; 3.9%; p < 0.001); those with HR after MS below the median (< 76.5 bpm; baseline: 8.19 &#177; 5.5; 10 min: 3.88 &#177; 4.3%, 45 min: 4.59 &#177; 3.7%; p < 0.01); and those with maximum HR after MS below the median (< 84 bpm; baseline: 8.88 &#177; 5.6%; 10 min: 3.88 &#177; 3.8%, 30 min: 5.88 &#177; 3.9%, 45 min: 4.51 &#177; 3.8; p < 0.01). Conclusion: The stress-induced endothelial dysfunction syndrome X is related to the baseline HR and the changes in HR after MS, suggesting that the autonomic nervous system plays a part in its pathogenesis. (Cardiol J 2007; 14: 180-185

Right atrial myxoma as an atypical source of pulmonary embolism

The most common primary benign heart tumor is myxoma, located only 15–20% in the right atrium. Right heart tumors are a rare cause of pulmonary embolism. In this paper, we present a case report of a 42-year old patient with a tumor of the right atrium and acute pulmonary embolism. The described case confirms the important role of imaging modalities in the diagnosis of proliferative changes in the heart.The most common primary benign heart tumor is myxoma, located only 10–20% in the right atrium. Right heart tumors are a rare cause of pulmonary embolism. In this paper, we present a case report of a 42-year old patient with a tumor of the right atrium and acute pulmonary embolism. The described case confirms the important role of imaging modalities in the diagnosis of proliferative changes in the heart

Stres psychiczny a częstość akcji serca i funkcja śródbłonka u chorych z kardiologicznym zespołem X

Wstęp: Wydaje się, że wywołany sytuacją stresową wzrost częstości akcji serca (HR), istotny dla niedokrwienia, może wiązać się z upośledzeniem czynności śródbłonka. Celem niniejszej pracy jest określenie, czy wyjściowa HR oraz jej zmiany wywołane przez stres psychiczny (MS) wpływają na funkcję śródbłonka u chorych z zespołem X. Metody: Do badania włączono 44 chorych z zespołem X (K/M: 21/23, śr. wieku: 55,4 &#177; 10,7 roku). Zależną od przepływu wazodylatację (FMD) oceniano jako procentową zmianę średnicy tętnicy ramiennej po 3-minutowej okluzji (%FMD) przed i po 10, 30, 45 minutach od MS. Wartości %FMD były porównywane w podgrupach, które charakteryzowały się następującymi wartościami parametrów: wyjściowa HR, maksymalna HR (maxHR), HR po MS, przyrost HR (DHR) wywołany MS powyżej i poniżej wartości mediany. Wyniki: W całej grupie badanej obserwowano istotny spadek %FMD w kolejnych minutach po MS (odpowiednio: 4,39 &#177; 5,4%, 4,99 &#177; 3,9%, 4,03 &#177; 3,5%; p < 0,001) w porównaniu z wartościami wyjściowymi (7,73 &#177; 4,9%). Wykazano istotne zmniejszenie %FMD po MS w następujących podgrupach: z wyjściowym HR poniżej wartości mediany (< 71,5/min; wyjściowo: 8,35 &#177; 5,8%; 10 min: 2,87 &#177; 3,6%, 45 min: 4,56 &#177; 3,9%; p < 0,001); w podgrupie z HR po MS poniżej wartości mediany (< 76,5/min; wyjściowo: 8,19 &#177; 5,5%; 10 min: 3,88 &#177; &#177; 4,3%, 45 min: 4,59 &#177; 3,7%; p < 0,01); w podgrupie z maxHR poniżej mediany (< 84/min; wyjściowo: 8,88 &#177; 5,6%; 10 min: 3,88 &#177; 3,8%, 30 min: 5,88 &#177; 3,9%, 45 min: 4,51 &#177; 3,8; p < 0,01). W podgrupach z wyjściowym HR, HR po MS, maxHR po MS powyżej wartości mediany istotne zmniejszenie %FMD wykazano w 30. i 45. minucie obserwacji. Wnioski: U chorych z zespołem X MS wywołuje dysfunkcję śródbłonka, która wykazuje czasowy związek z wyjściową HR oraz obserwowaną po MS. (Folia Cardiologica Excerpta 2007; 2: 236-242

Applying time-frequency analysis to assess cerebral autoregulation during hypercapnia.

OBJECTIVE: Classic methods for assessing cerebral autoregulation involve a transfer function analysis performed using the Fourier transform to quantify relationship between fluctuations in arterial blood pressure (ABP) and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV). This approach usually assumes the signals and the system to be stationary. Such an presumption is restrictive and may lead to unreliable results. The aim of this study is to present an alternative method that accounts for intrinsic non-stationarity of cerebral autoregulation and the signals used for its assessment. METHODS: Continuous recording of CBFV, ABP, ECG, and end-tidal CO2 were performed in 50 young volunteers during normocapnia and hypercapnia. Hypercapnia served as a surrogate of the cerebral autoregulation impairment. Fluctuations in ABP, CBFV, and phase shift between them were tested for stationarity using sphericity based test. The Zhao-Atlas-Marks distribution was utilized to estimate the time-frequency coherence (TFCoh) and phase shift (TFPS) between ABP and CBFV in three frequency ranges: 0.02-0.07 Hz (VLF), 0.07-0.20 Hz (LF), and 0.20-0.35 Hz (HF). TFPS was estimated in regions locally validated by statistically justified value of TFCoh. The comparison of TFPS with spectral phase shift determined using transfer function approach was performed. RESULTS: The hypothesis of stationarity for ABP and CBFV fluctuations and the phase shift was rejected. Reduced TFPS was associated with hypercapnia in the VLF and the LF but not in the HF. Spectral phase shift was also decreased during hypercapnia in the VLF and the LF but increased in the HF. Time-frequency method led to lower dispersion of phase estimates than the spectral method, mainly during normocapnia in the VLF and the LF. CONCLUSION: The time-frequency method performed no worse than the classic one and yet may offer benefits from lower dispersion of phase shift as well as a more in-depth insight into the dynamic nature of cerebral autoregulation

Badanie rezonansem magnetycznym przeprowadzone bez powikłań u chorego z wszczepionym kardiowerterem-defibrylatorem

The number of patients with cardiac pacemakers (PM), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronisationtherapy PM systems is increasing. The number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations is also growingand amounts to about 60 million tests per year worldwide. The presence of an ICD is still considered to be an absolute contraindicationto MRI by most experts. We present a patient with an implanted ICD who successfully underwent brain MRIwith use of special precautions

Pro Libris: Lubuskie Pismo Literacko-Kulturalne, nr 3 (2008)

152 s. : il.