Stress among medical students in Poland

There is no doubt that stress is bonded with daily routine of students. Medical colleges are one of these environments, which are associated with negative impact of stress on many fields of life like physical health, academic feedback and physiological mood of student`s. Aim of study is to analyse the incidence of stress among students from different fields of study in Medical Universities in Poland. In that case we perform anonymous questionnaire, which contained 23 original questions and was widespreaded via Internet. Stress is a common problem among students from medical faculties. There is no doubt that stress is an inseparable companion during not only studies, but also after degree while working as a professional. For that reason it is necessary to encourage young people to find their own effective manner to cope with stress

Consciousness of the consequences of smoking cigarettes and the prevalence of cigarette smoking among medical students

Cigarettes are composed of toxic substances that result in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular diseases. Smoking is also a risk factor of many cancers. Among the billions of smokers in the world, many of them are doctors and medical students - people who realize the importance of negative consequences of this addiction. We made an anonymous questionnaire, which contained 28 original questions and was published on the Internet to find out how many students of Medical Universities in Poland are addicted to tobacco and if they are aware of the consequences of their addiction. Papierosy składają się z wielu toksycznych substancji, powodują rozwój POChP, chorób sercowo-naczyniowych, a także są predykatorami wielu nowotworów. Wśród miliardów palaczy na świecie są lekarze, studenci medycyny, ludzie, którzy zdają sobie sprawę z wagi komplikacji tego uzależnienia. Przeprowadzono anonimową ankietę, która zawierała 28 oryginalnych pytań i została opublikowana w internecie, aby sprawdzić, ilu studentów uniwersytetów medycznych w Polsce jest uzależnionych od tytoniu i czy są oni świadomi konsekwencji uzależnienia

Amanita Phalloides intoxication - methods of treatment and epidemiology in Lublin voivodeship in last 5 years

Introduction: In Poland, mushrooms poisonings, are still quite often, especially in autumn. Each year, in our country 500-1000 cases of mushrooms poisoning are registered, from which 70% are adults, and 30% children. Amanita Phalloides, also known as a ‘death cap’ is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in our climatic zone, and is responsible for ca. 90-95 % of all deadly mushroom poisonings. Aim of the study: is to present an epidemiology of Amanita poisonings in a Lublin voivodeship in a last 5 years, as well as the up to date methods of managing this kind of poisonings. Materials and methods: Data comes from the database of the Department of the Toxicology of Medical University of Lublin. To present the methods of treatment, the analysis of the available publications was made. Results: In years 2013-2018 in a Clinical Department of Toxicology of the Medical University in Lublin, 78 patients were hospitalized because of the mushroom intoxication. 37 (47.5%) of them were male and 41 (52,5%) - women. In 27 patients (34%), the poisoning with Amanita Phalloides was confirmed. The most mushrooms poisonings occurred in 2017 (21). Mushroom poisoning is the most common in summer and autumn - the most cases occured in August, September and October. Discussion: First steps in case of suspecting amatoxins intoxication is to take the clinical history of the patient and start stabilizing measures. To confirm Amanita poisoning, a test that allows to detect α-amanitine in urine can be made. Several drug treatments have been applied in intoxications by amatoxins, from which the biggest role plays sylibin and N-acetylcystein

New methods of varicose veins treatment

Chronic venous disease may affect even 60% of the population. Manifestation of this condition may vary from no symptoms to an active venous ulcer. The treatment of this disease may improve patient’s quality of life. A large number of new studies have been carried out since the guidelines publication of the Society for Vascular Surgery, American Venous Forum and European Society for Vascular Surgery considering chronic venous disease treatment. There is also available a 2 year follow-up of the study described in the guidelines. New non- thermal techniques like Mechanochemical ablation (MOCA) and Cyanoacrylate closure (CAC) are very effective, less painful and safe. The use of endovenous non- thermal ablation techniques doesn’t require tumescent anaesthesia which works as a heat sink protecting surrounding tissues from damage in thermal techniques. This eliminates the risk of bleeding and pain associated with multiple needle injections along the vein section to be treated. New studies show that MOCA and CAC techniques have high closure rates directly after the procedure and in the follow-up periods

Vitamin D and hypertension

Introduction: Current epidemiological studies indicate, that insufficiency of vitamin D affects 50% of the population worldwide. 1α,25(OH)2D – active form of vitamin D affects tissues and organs through vitamin D receptor (VDR). Attention to the role of vitamin D deficiency in hypertension development has been continuously increased during recent decades. The aim of the study: The purpose of this narrative systemic review was to analyse and summarize available data on role of vitamin D deficiency in hypertension development. Material and method: Standard criteria were used to review the literature data. The search of articles in the PubMed and Google Scholar database was carried out using the following keywords: hypertension, calcitriol, vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Description of the state of knowledge: Vitamin D influence blood pressure level through renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and parathormon regulation. Studies conducted on animal model could explain possible mechanism of vitamin D influence on blood pressure control. However, clinical trial results are equivocal due to differences in sample size, heterogeneity of patient baseline characteristics, different vitamin D doses and study duration. Summary: Further research is needed to confirm the role of vitamin D in hypertension development

Fatal methanol poisoning due to massive windshield screen washer fluid ingestion - case report

Methanol is a toxic alcohol that can imitate ethanol in smell and taste. It has many household and industrial applications but can also be present in informally-produced alcoholic beverages. Methanol poisoning feature with high mortality and may be seen due to its intentional or unintentional ingestion. Metanol does not have significant intrinsic activity but its metabolites, especially format lead to severe metabolic acidosis, visual disturbances and neurological deficit. Diagnosis is mainly based upon the typical clinical course, metabolic acidosis with high osmolar gap and detection of methanol in plasma or urine. Recent guidelines recommend therapy using the competitive alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitors - fomepizol or ethanol. In cases of severe poisoning hemodialysis should be considered. We present a case of a 39-year-old male who was considered to Emergency Department due to consumed high amount of windshield washer fluid containing methanol. Intoxicated patient was unstable with respiratory insufficiency and consciousness impairment. Despite of implemented treatment - hemodialysis, ethanol infusion and active respiratory therapy - patient died on seventh day after admission to a hospital. Methanol poisonings feature with high mortality even when the best healthcare is provided. It depends mainly on a dose of ingested alcohol and delay in admission to a hospital

To continue or discontinue aspirin? The risk of perioperative complications

Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is a noncompetitive irreversible antagonist of the enzyme cyclooxygenase 1 (COX1). This drug is commonly used in prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events due to inhibition of platelet function. Because of the risk of surgical hemorrhage it is recommended to cessation aspirin intake couple days before the surgical intervention. However, discontinuation of aspirin treatment may results in increased risk of thrombotic events and perioperative complications. Antithrombotic Trialist's Collaboration proved that low dose of aspirin intake before surgery reduces the risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction by 33%, vascular events by 17% and nonfatal stroke by 25%. However, some studies showed the increased risk of perioperative bleeding in patients continuing aspirin treatment. The position of experts is not unambiguous and there have been doubts about the necessity of discontinuation or continuation this drug before surgery

The correlation between sleep disorders and obesity – abnormal sleep duration as a risk factor for high weight

Obesity and overweight are among the most common diseases in the world. Last data from 2016 showed that 650 million people were obese and since 1960 the number of obese people has increased three times, which is associated with "fast" lifestyle of the majority of the world's population. This is the clue why so many scientists are looking for modified obesity factors. Overweight is a major risk factor for inter alia diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Most studies have shown obesity as a cause of sleep disorders such as excessive daytime sleepiness EDS or sleep apnoea, but recent studies have suggested that sleep disorders cause obesity. Otyłość i nadwaga należą do najczęstszych chorób na świecie, ostatnie dane opublikowane w 2016r. wykazały, że 650 milionów osób było otyłych, a od 1960 r. liczba osób zmagających się z otyłością wzrosła trzykrotnie, co wiąże się z "szybkim" stylem życia większości populacji na świecie. W związku z tym, wielu naukowców szuka modyfikowanych czynników otyłości. Nadwaga jest głównym czynnikiem ryzyka między innymi cukrzycy, chorób sercowo-naczyniowych i nowotworów. Większość badań ukazuje otyłość, jako przyczynę zaburzeń snu, takich jak nadmierna senność EDS w ciągu dnia lub bezdech senny, ale ostatnie badania sugerują, że zaburzenia snu mogą powodować otyłość

Lipoic acid dose-dependently stimulates bone formation in ovariectomized rats

The study was undertaken to determine the osteotropic effect of different doses of lipoic acid (LA) on the mineralization of bone tissue in female Wistar rats with experimental osteopenia induced by bilateral ovariectomy. Fifty-six rats were randomly selected and submitted to either a sham-operation (n=8) or an ovariectomy (n=48). The ovariectomized rats were randomly placed into two control groups treated subcutaneously either with physiological saline or 17β-estradiol in the dose of 4 Οg/kg b.w./day, respectively, and into four experimental groups which received LA subcutaneously in the doses of 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg b.w/day (n=8 in each group). After 28 days of experimental treatment, the rats were sacrificed. There-after, body weight, total skeletal density and body composition were recorded. Blood serum and isolated femora were stored for further analysis. Our results revealed that osteoprotective effect of LA is dose-dependent and was observed in females treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg of LA. Moreover, the LA applied to the ovariectomized rats in the dose of 50 mg/kg, not only stopped the bone resorption, but stimulated its formation.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author