Projekt Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) w Polsce

Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Project in PolandSocial and economical consequences of using tobacco products are commonly known. This is an issue of a global scale and requires systematic monitoring. The need of in depth examination of this issue concerns also Poland. In 2008 Polish Ministry of Health joined Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). This survey is conducted under Bloomberg Global Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. In Poland GATS is being coordinated by World Health Organization. Three institutions were selected to conduct the survey: Maria Sklodowska-Curie Oncology Center (Centrum Onkologii – Instytut im. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie), Pentor Research International and Warsaw Medical University (Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny). GATS survey is national, representative survey of households conducted amongst adult population. Globally standardized protocol is being used to implement the survey in Poland. The protocol has been adapted to the Polish needs and reality.The main aim of the project is to assess the usage of tobacco products and examination of the size of the problem, exposure to the tobacco smoke and perception, attitudes and knowledge regarding tobacco products use as well issues concerning taxes on tobacco products. Information gained during GATS will support tobacco control policy. Experience gained during the survey implementation will, in the future, allow building systematic monitoring system of tobacco use and other health behaviors in our country

Cardiovascular complications after radiotherapy

Over the past decades, effective cancer therapies have resulted in a significant improvement in thesurvival rates for a number of cancers and an increase in the number of cancer survivors. Radiationtherapy is widely used in the treatment of cancer, and it can induce various cardiotoxicities that differconsiderably from chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. They occur primarily as late radiation-inducedcomplications, several years from the end of anticancer treatment and present as coronary artery disease,heart failure, pericardial disease, valvular heart disease and arrhythmias. Patients who recoveredfrom cancer disease suffer from cardiac complications of anticancer treatment, it affects the quality oftheir lives and life expectancy, especially if the diagnosis is delayed. These patients may present distinctsymptoms of cardiac injury, resulting from radiation-induced neurotoxicity and altered pain perception,which makes diagnosis difficult. This review highlights the need for a screening programme for patientswho have undergone radiation therapy and which will subsequently have a potentially profound impacton morbidity and mortality

Energy drinks - product ingredients and their potential toxicity

Energy drinks (NE) are popular stimulants among adolescents and adults. They are commercial, advertised, widely available products that contain increased amounts of caffeine, and are designed to reduce feelings of fatigue in favor of increased mental and physical performance. In addition to caffeine, various ingredients such as vitamins, dyes or substances that impart a certain flavor are added to NEs. Many cases have been described of the harmful effects of NE used alone and in combination with alcohol on the human body: including on the digestive system, central nervous system, cardiovascular system or kidneys. We decided to analyze and compare with each other the composition of NEs from the most popular manufacturers available in most Polish grocery stores. We then briefly described the most important substances available in NE and reviewed the literature on their potential toxicity.  It is reasonable for physicians and teachers to educate young people and their parents about the harmfulness of NE, especially when children are suspected of taking large amounts. Further observations and studies monitoring the harmfulness of NEs are needed, and the drinks themselves should be subject to special surveillance

The Skin as a Mirror of Internal Disease: Comorbidities and Epidemiology of Acne Vulgaris and Adult Female Acne – A Cross-sectional Study and Current State of Knowledge

Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition affecting an increasing number of adults and might be a clue to identifying systemic disease. Objective of this study is assessment of the demographic and clinical characteristic, including comorbidities, of patients with acne with a special focus on adult female acne (AFA). This cross-sectional study analyzed the medical records of 354 patients with acne (323 outpatients and 31 hospitalized). Data concerning patient age, sex, lesions morphology and distribution on body areas, duration of the disease, Body Mass Index, and dermatologic and systemic comorbidities were collected. 61% of all patients were female, 45.37% of women were classified as AFA. The median age of patients with acne was 24 years and 32.5 years for AFA. The face was the most commonly affected area; patients with AFA had lesions on their back than less frequently non-AFA. Predominant eruptions were pustules and papules. 38.7% of patients had concomitant systemic chronic disease, 15.25% had an endocrinologic disorder, and 6.21% had thyroid gland dysfunction. Women with AFA had endocrinologic disorders more frequently (P=0.002), whereas cutaneous signs of hyperandrogenism were observed less frequently than in the non-AFA group (P=0.034). AFA possess distinct clinical features and it should raise suspicion towards possible underlying endocrinologic disturbance

Should we affraid of induced cancer in group of patients after radical radiotherapy of prostate cancer?

Radiotherapy is one of the basic methods of radical treatment of prostate cancer. Because of that getting to know all factors of post-radiation complications, and in consequence the possibility to limit them, is one of the challenges of contemporary radiotherapy.One of the potential complications associated with radiation treatment is radiation-induced cancer. Despite a whole range of epidemiological analyses there is still lacking a fully credible model that would allow one to estimate the magnitude of risk of inducing such cancers. The last decades have seen the entry into clinical practice of technologically advanced methods of radiation therapy, such as the 3DCRT and IMRT. As the previous epidemiological analyses refer mainly to older radiation techniques, there is still a lack of credible data estimating the risk of inducing secondary cancers for new techniques, and in particular IMRT. It should be emphasized that IMRT allows one to escalate the dose, which may contribute to the improvement of radiotherapy effectiveness. From this there follows a new problem to be solved in future, i.e. how the escalation of the dose may influence the magnitude of risk of radiation carcinogenesis.The problem of carcinogenesis may concern the group of younger patients for whom long survival is very likely, and the competitive edge of RT relative to surgery, in particular in the aspect of late complications, has to be thoroughly justified