Immunity to hepatitis A virus among working professionals in Poland - Results of a 3-year serological survey 2013-2015

Introduction Hepatitis A (HA) is caused by infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The differential etiological diagnosis of acute hepatitis is based on a positive result of the serological test detecting IgM class anti-HAV. For epidemiological studies on past infection and seroprevalence of HAV in populations, the tests measuring IgG class anti-HAV or total anti-HAV are used. Since the 1990s, specific prophylaxis is possible by vaccination against HA. In Poland, vaccination is recommended and in majority is performed at own cost. Material and methods Database was obtained from electronic medical records of the 2 major private health care providers networks (Luxmed and Medicover) operating in Poland. During a 3-year period (2013–2015), 1,124 persons with unknown status of anti-HA vaccination were tested for the presence of total anti-HAV. Objective. The aim of the study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-HAV among working professionals in Poland. Results Anti-HAV were detected in 603 (53.6%) persons, while 521 (46.3%) tested negative. The study group was divided into 2 subgroups: 25–44 and 45–64-years-old. For detailed statistical analysis, the presence of anti-HAV was considered as a dependent variable, and its predictors were gender, age and the year of the test performance. The presence of anti-HAV was significantly more prevalent in older age group. The lack of specific antibodies was more prevalent in younger age group. Conclusions Results of the study show increasing susceptibility to HAV infection in the younger age group, compared with the older age group of corporate professional employees in large cities in Poland. Since the epidemiological situation of HA is currently changing with increasing number of symptomatic cases of HA, it is suggested that employers might consider including an additional procedure of vaccination against HA into their private health insurance portfolio

Factors Related to the Level of Depression and Suicidal Behavior Among Men With Diagnosed Depression, Physically Ill Men, and Healthy Men

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in people who die by suicide. Awareness of risk factors for suicide in depression is important for clinicians. The study was aimed at establishing models of factors related to the level of depression and suicidal behavior among men from three different groups—in men with depressive disorder, in comparison to men with physical disorder and healthy men. A total of 598 men were included in the study. The following questionnaires were used in research model: test with sociodemographic variables, AUDIT Test, Fagerström Test, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Inventory for Measuring Coping with Stress (Mini-COPE), Resilience Evaluation Questionnaire (KOP-26), Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire—Revised (SBQ-R) by Osman, and Gotland Male Depression Scale. In men with depression, the positive factors strongly related to the intensity of depression and suicidal behavior were as follows: vocational education, active coping, turning toward religion, social competence for resilience, and bachelor status. The factors negatively related to the intensity of depression and suicidal behavior in this group were as follows: unemployed status, student status, low satisfaction with the financial situation, having children, history of mental disorders in family, alcohol addiction, and seeking instrumental support. In the group of men with physical disorders, the following protection factors were identified: the medium or small city as a place of living, active coping, venting, and personal competence. The following risk factors were identified in this group: psychiatric treatment in the past. In the group of healthy men, the following protective factors were identified: the medium city as a place of living, positive reappraisal, planning abilities, and personal and social competence for resilience. In this group, the following risk factors were identified: vocational and higher education, student status, satisfaction with the financial situation, having more than one children, the occurrence of mental disorders in the family, the occurrence of alcohol abuse in the family, and use of psychoactive substances as a strategy of dealing with stress. The risk factors identified in this study should be included in the clinical assessment of depression and suicidal behavior risk in male patients. There are some protective factors identified, including productive coping and personal and social competencies, which can be developed and should be especially considered and strengthened in mental health promotion programs aimed at men

Promotion of men’s mental health

Introduction: Despite the fact that the knowledge of health differences between males and females is more and more available, it does not always translate into the differentiation of health programmes. Undoubtedly, there is a need for innovative programmes promoting the mental health of men and accounting for male standards. Material and methods: Review of scientific literature concerning mental health promotion, with special regard to recommendation to create programmes of promotion of men’s mental health searched in Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar. Results: Health promotion is a process enabling people to increase their control over health and to improve it. Mental health promotion is a rarely discussed branch of health promotion, and its characteristics differ from physical health promotion. Currently, no organised activities are conducted in Poland aiming at the promotion of men’s mental health. Looking at suicide statistics, according to which men take their lives seven times more often than women, it seems essential to design comprehensive activities targeting this specific group. Male-specific determinants of mental health should constitute a reference point for health promoters in the process of designing programmes of mental health promotion. Conclusions: It seems necessary to consider gender factor while designing activities related to mental health promotion. The activities directed to men should be planned according to specific principles. Their implementation may have a positive effect on male participation and involvement in the suggested programme of mental health promotion, and in turn on its efficacy.Introduction: Despite the fact that the knowledge of health differences between males and females is more and more available, it does not always translate into the differentiation of health programmes. Undoubtedly, there is a need for innovative programmes promoting the mental health of men and accounting for male standards. Material and methods: Review of scientific literature concerning mental health promotion, with special regard to recommendation to create programmes of promotion of men’s mental health searched in Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar. Results: Health promotion is a process enabling people to increase their control over health and to improve it. Mental health promotion is a rarely discussed branch of health promotion, and its characteristics differ from physical health promotion. Currently, no organised activities are conducted in Poland aiming at the promotion of men’s mental health. Looking at suicide statistics, according to which men take their lives seven times more often than women, it seems essential to design comprehensive activities targeting this specific group. Male-specific determinants of mental health should constitute a reference point for health promoters in the process of designing programmes of mental health promotion. Conclusions: It seems necessary to consider gender factor while designing activities related to mental health promotion. The activities directed to men should be planned according to specific principles. Their implementation may have a positive effect on male participation and involvement in the suggested programme of mental health promotion, and in turn on its efficacy

Management of an educational institution on the example of the Catholic School in Wisłok Wielki

Jedną z organizacji publicznych, która wymaga sprawnego zarządzania jest szkoła. Niniejsza praca stara się wyjaśnić różnice w zarządzaniu publiczną szkołą katolicką a publiczną szkołą państwową. Badania dotyczące szkoły katolickiej przeprowadzono na podstawie Publicznej Szkoły Podstawowej Stowarzyszenia Przyjaciół Szkół Katolickich im. Św. Brata Alberta Chmielowskiego w Wisłoku Wielkim. Pierwszy rozdział odnosi się do kwestii związanych z zarządzaniem – omówiono w nim genezę, definicje, funkcje kierownicze oraz role i umiejętności kierownicze. W drugim rozdziale omówiono pojęcie zarządzania publicznego oraz zarządzania placówką oświatową w Polsce, w szczególności jej definicję i funkcje oraz strukturę szkolnictwa. Następnie, w trzecim rozdziale, opisano najważniejsze aspekty zarządzania szkołę katolicką w Polsce, a następnie po szczegółowej charakterystyce badanej placówki, na podstawie literatury zostały opisane różnice w zarządzaniu publiczną szkołą państwową a katolicką. W kolejnym rozdziale zwięźle opisano jak przebiegało badanie empiryczne – kim byli respondenci, jakich użyto narzędzi i procedury badawczej oraz przedstawiono pytania badawcze i oczekiwania. Piąty rozdział został poświęcony weryfikacji pytań badawczych, czyli opracowaniu i interpretacji wyników badań dotyczących szkoły katolickiej. W ostatnim rozdziale przedstawiono ocenę przeprowadzonego badania –przedstawiono wyniki, opinie oraz rekomendacje. W pracy została wykorzystana dostępna literatura z zakresu zarządzania, a w szczególności zarządzania szkołą oraz strony internetowe.One of the public organizations that requires efficient management is the school. This paper tries to explain the differences in the management of a public Catholic school and a public state school. The research on the Catholic school was carried out on the basis of the Public Primary School of the Association of Friends of Catholic Schools. St. Brother Albert Chmielowski in Wisłok Wielki. The first chapter deals with issues related to management - it discusses the genesis, definitions, managerial functions as well as managerial roles and skills. The second chapter discusses the concept of public management and management of an educational institution in Poland, in particular its definitions and functions as well as the structure of education. Then, in the third chapter, the most important aspects of managing a Catholic school in Poland are described, and then, after a detailed description of the institution under study, the differences in the management of a public state school and a Catholic school are described on the basis of the literature. The next chapter briefly describes the course of the empirical research - who were the respondents, what research tools and procedures were used, and research questions and expectations were presented. The fifth chapter is dedicated to verify the research questions, namely the development and interpretation of test results on the Catholic school. The fifth chapter is dedicated to the verification of research questions, i.e. the preparation and interpretation of research results concerning the Catholic school. The work uses the available literature in the field of management, in particular school management, and websites

Brand image management in social media on the example of the Jakub Błaszczykowski Foundation for Human Gesture

Jednym ze sposobów zarządzania wizerunkiem marki jest jej promowanie w mediach społecznościowych. W ten sposób dana organizacja, bądź produkt zyskuje popularność wśród użytkowników mediów społecznościowych, którzy mogą być jedną – często główną – z grup docelowych. W niniejsza praca stara się wyjaśnić, czym jest zarządzanie wizerunkiem marki w mediach społecznościowych na przykładzie Fundacji Ludzki Gest Jakuba Błaszczykowskiego. Praca podejmuje problem definiowania pojęcia marka, omówione zostały funkcje marki, cykl jej życia oraz najważniejsze kwestie z nią związane, a także to, czym jest wizerunek marki w mediach społecznościowych. Następnie przedstawiono działalność Fundacji Ludzki Gest Jakuba Błaszczykowskiego – jej cele oraz działania podejmowane w mediach społecznościowych. Nawiązano też do biografii założyciela fundacji, w tym dramatycznej historii, która ukształtowała go, jako człowieka. W opracowaniu ukazano również wyniki i analizę badań dotyczących rozpoznawalności Fundacji Ludzki Gest i jej działań w mediach społecznościowych.Promotion in social media is one of the way of brand image management. In this way, the given organization or product is gaining popularity, especially if users of social media are one of the target groups. This thesis explains how to manage brand image in social media on the example of the Foundation for Human Gesture by Jakub Błaszczykowski. This thesis presents the definitions of the brand, because, as it turns out, it has many of them and its function, life cycle and the most important issues related to it, as well as what the brand image is in social media. In second chapter discussed the activities of the Jakub Błaszczywski's Foundation for Human Gesture - its goals and activities in social media. There will also be a reference to the biography of the founder of this foundation, Jakub Błaszczykowski, especially traumatic experiences from childhood which have influence to all life of Jakub Błaszczykowski. This thesis presented as well an analysis and interpretation of the results of a questionnaire on the recognition of Foundation for Human Gesture

Methanol Production in the Brayton Cycle

This article presents the concept of renewable methanol production in the gas turbine cycle. As part of the work, an analysis was performed, including the impact of changing the parameters in the methanol reactor on the obtained values of power, yield and efficiency of the reactor, and chemical conversion. The aim of this research was to investigate the possibility of integrating the system for the production of renewable methanol and additional production of electricity in the system. The efficiency of the chemical conversion process and the efficiency of the methanol reactor increases with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature. The highest efficiency values, respectively η = 0.4388 and ηR = 0.3649, are obtained for parameters in the reactor equal to 160 °C and 14 MPa. The amount of heat exchanged in all exchangers reached the highest value for 14 MPa and 160 °C and amounted to Q˙ = 2.28 kW. Additionally, it has been calculated that if an additional exchanger is used before the expander (heating the medium to 560 °C), the expander’s power will cover the compressor’s electricity demand

Stosowanie substancji psychoaktywnych i poziom zasobów osobistych wśród mężczyzn z zaburzeniami depresyjnymi — badanie pilotażowe

Introduction: Many of the symptoms of depression in men can be placed in the category of other mental healthproblems, such as substance abuse. Personal resources are important factors that can have a positive impacton the treatment of people affected by depression. The aim of the study was to analyze the use of alcohol andnicotine and the level of personal resources among men diagnosed with depression. Material and methods: The test group consisted of 40 men diagnosed with depressive disorders (F31 — in thephase of depression, F32 and F33) treated in the 2nd Department of Psychiatry of the Institute of Psychiatry andNeurology and 40 men from the control group. The study used: AUDIT Test, Fagerstrom Test, Emotion ControlScale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale. To ensure reliability that in the control groupare only men without depression, an additional test for this group was added — Gotland Male Depression Scale(to exclude men with symptoms of depression in further analysis) and test with sociodemographic variables. Results: The level of nicotine and alcohol addiction did not differ significantly between the study group and thecontrol group. The groups differed in the context of self-efficacy (p = 0.006) and the level of life satisfaction(p = 0.003). Men with depression assessed their mental health worse and had a lower sense of self-efficacy comparedto the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups in the control of emotionsand its components, and in the context of the assessment of physical health. Conclusions: The frequency of abuse of psychoactive substances by men with depression is similar to that inthe control group. Men with depression are characterized by a lower sense of self-efficacy and life satisfaction.Therefore, psychological help addressed to this group of patients should be based on strengthening self-esteem.Wstęp: Wiele objawów depresji u mężczyzn można umieścić w kategorii innych problemów ze zdrowiem psychicznym, takich jak nadużywanie substancji. Zasoby osobiste stanowią ważne czynniki mogące mieć pozytywny wpływ na proces leczenia osób dotkniętych depresją. Celem badania była analiza sposobu używania alkoholu i nikotyny oraz poziomu zasobów osobistych wśród mężczyzn ze zdiagnozowaną depresją. Materiał i metody: Grupa badana składała się z 40 mężczyzn z rozpoznanym zaburzeniem depresyjnym (F31 — w fazie depresji, F32 i F33) leczonych w II Klinice Psychiatrycznej Instytutu Psychiatrii i Neurologii oraz 40 mężczyzn z grupy kontrolnej. W badaniu wykorzystano: test AUDIT, test Fagerstroma, Skalę Kontroli Emocji (CECS), Skalę Uogólnionej Własnej Skuteczności (GSES), Skalę Satysfakcji z Życia (SWLS), Gotlandzką Skalę Męskiej Depresji (GMDS), użytą jedynie wśród respondentów z grupy kontrolnej, w celu wykluczenia z dalszej analizy mężczyzn z objawami depresji, oraz ankietę demograficzną. Wyniki: Poziom uzależnienia od nikotyny i alkoholu nie różnił się istotnie pomiędzy grupą badaną a grupą kontrolną. Grupy różniły się w kontekście poczucia własnej skuteczności (p = 0,006) oraz poziomu zadowolenia z życia (p = 0,003). Mężczyźni z depresją gorzej oceniali swoje zdrowie psychiczne oraz mieli niższe poczucie własnej skuteczności w porównaniu z grupą kontrolną. Nie stwierdzono występowania istotnych różnic pomiędzy grupami w zakresie kontroli emocji i jej składowych oraz w kontekście oceny zdrowia fizycznego. Wnioski: Częstość nadużywania substancji psychoaktywnych przez mężczyzn z depresją jest podobna jak w grupie kontrolnej. Mężczyźni z depresją charakteryzują się niższym poczuciem własnej skuteczności oraz satysfakcji z życia. W związku z tym pomoc psychologiczna skierowana dla tej grupy pacjentów powinna bazować na wzmacnianiu poczucia własnej wartości

Methods of Measuring Mitochondrial Potassium Channels: A Critical Assessment

In this paper, the techniques used to study the function of mitochondrial potassium channels are critically reviewed. The majority of these techniques have been known for many years as a result of research on plasma membrane ion channels. Hence, in this review, we focus on the critical evaluation of techniques used in the studies of mitochondrial potassium channels, describing their advantages and limitations. Functional analysis of mitochondrial potassium channels in comparison to that of plasmalemmal channels presents additional experimental challenges. The reliability of functional studies of mitochondrial potassium channels is often affected by the need to isolate mitochondria and by functional properties of mitochondria such as respiration, metabolic activity, swelling capacity, or high electrical potential. Three types of techniques are critically evaluated: electrophysiological techniques, potassium flux measurements, and biochemical techniques related to potassium flux measurements. Finally, new possible approaches to the study of the function of mitochondrial potassium channels are presented. We hope that this review will assist researchers in selecting reliable methods for studying, e.g., the effects of drugs on mitochondrial potassium channel function. Additionally, this review should aid in the critical evaluation of the results reported in various articles on mitochondrial potassium channels

Occurrence of male depression symptoms, suicidal behaviors, alcohol and tobacco use and level of personal resources in three male groups

Background and objective: The study was to compare the severity of male depression symptoms, suicidal behaviors, the use of psychoactive substances (alcohol, nicotine), and evaluate personal resources (self-efficacy, coping strategies and resilience) among men from three different groups. Material and methods: The clinical group contained men with depression disorders diagnosed by psychiatrists and treated in psychiatric hospitals (n = 197). The control groups contained men with physical disorders treated in general hospitals in Warsaw, Poland (n = 198) and men who self-evaluated themselves as healthy without physical or mental disorders (n = 203). Several tests were used for evaluation: a test with sociodemographic variables, the AUDIT Test, the Fagerstrom Test, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the MINI-COPE Questionnaire, the Resilience Evaluation Questionnaire (KOP-26), the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised by Osman (SBQ-R) and the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS). Results: Most of the men with depression disorders presented non-typical symptoms of depression which are not included in diagnostic criteria. It allows us to assume that a large percentage of men who suffer from depression are not properly being diagnosed. Moreover, we found that men with any type of physical disorder have the greatest severity of male depression symptoms than healthy men. Men with depression disorders have suicidal thoughts and have made efforts in the past more often, as well as having higher alcohol and nicotine addictions. Patients who overuse or are addicted to alcohol or nicotine should be additionally screened for the possible occurrence of depressive disorders, and substance usage should be treated as a symptom of male depression. Men with depression present low resilience and low self-efficacy. They also use negative strategies in dealing with stress. Conclusion: There is a need to plan and implement effective prevention actions that will take the conditioning of these groups into account

Nutritional Status of Elderly Patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Surgical trauma can result in immobilization of biological material, degradation of muscle proteins, synthesis of acute-phase proteins in the liver, occurrence of catabolism phase and anabolism simultaneously, and as a consequence weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status of patients with ischemic heart disease subjected to coronary artery bypass surgery and physical activity and postoperative complications. The analysis among 96 men included total number of lymphocytes (TNL), body mass index (BMI), case history of a patient and results of laboratory tests. The activities of daily living (ADL) and the mini nutritional assessment (MNA) questionnaires were used. According to TNL, before the procedure malnutrition occurred in 46% of patients. BMI revealed overweight in 62.5% and obesity in 26.0%. After the surgery, no changes were observed. According to MNA, 59% of patients before the surgery were at risk of malnutrition. After the operation, the number of people at risk of malnutrition increased by 50% (p < 0.0001). The correlation was noted between BMI and patients’ efficiency in the fifth day after the surgery (p = 0.0031). Complications after the surgery occurred in 35.4% of patients. After the surgery, the risk of malnutrition increased, decreased activity and complications occurred more frequently in people with underweight, obesity, and overweight than in people with normal BMI