Report on Polish Public Libraries 2001

Report is an overview of polish public libraries, services to a variety of communities, it also provides statistics, n explanation of the funding policy for public libraries in Poland and information about the governance of public libraries in the country

Une application pour téléphones intelligents facilitant l’accueil au début des stages en unité de soins intensifs

Implication Statement The Department of Critical Care at Dalhousie University developed a smartphone app to improve the quality of learner orientation to the intensive care unit (ICU). The app increased satisfaction with orientation and was perceived as useful. It was ranked as the second most valued resource for orientation after other residents. There is potential to improve the experience of learners with this popular technology.Énoncé des implications de la recherche Le département des soins critiques de l'Université Dalhousie a mis au point une application pour téléphones intelligents en vue d'améliorer la qualité de l’accueil des apprenants à l'unité de soins intensifs (USI). L'application a permis d'augmenter la satisfaction par rapport à l’accueil et elle a été jugée utile. Elle a été classée la deuxième ressource d’orientation la plus appréciée après « les autres résidents ». L'expérience des apprenants peut être améliorée à l’aide de cette technologie populaire

Asymmetric dimethylarginine versus proton pump inhibitors usage in patients with stable coronary artery disease : a cross-sectional study

A recent experimental study suggested that proton pump inhibitors (PPI), widely used to prevent gastroduodenal complications of dual antiplatelet therapy, may increase the accumulation of the endogenous nitric oxide synthesis antagonist asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an adverse outcome predictor. Our aim was to assess the effect of PPI usage on circulating ADMA in coronary artery disease (CAD). Plasma ADMA levels were compared according to PPI use for ≥1 month prior to admission in 128 previously described non-diabetic men with stable CAD who were free of heart failure or other coexistent diseases. Patients on PPI tended to be older and with insignificantly lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). PPI use was not associated with any effect on plasma ADMA (0.51 ± 0.11 (SD) vs. 0.50 ± 0.10 µmol/L for those with PPI (n = 53) and without PPI (n = 75), respectively; p = 0.7). Additionally, plasma ADMA did not differ between PPI users and non-users stratified by a history of current smoking, CAD severity or extent. The adjustment for patients’ age and GFR did not substantially change the results. Thus, PPI usage does not appear to affect circulating ADMA in non-diabetic men with stable CAD. Whether novel mechanisms of adverse PPI effects on the vasculature can be translated into clinical conditions, requires further studies

Depressed systemic arterial compliance is associated with the severity of heart failure symptoms in moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis : a cross-sectional retrospective study

Background: Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) may develop heart failure even in the absence of severe valve stenosis. Our aim was to assess the contribution of systemic arterial properties and the global left ventricular afterload to graded heart failure symptoms in AS. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 157 consecutive subjects (mean age, 71±10 years; 79 women and 78 men) hospitalized owing to moderate-to-severe degenerative AS. Exclusion criteria included more than mild aortic insufficiency or disease of another valve, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, severe respiratory disease or anemia. Heart failure symptoms were graded by NYHA class at admission. Systemic arterial compliance (SAC) and valvulo-arterial impedance (Zva) were derived from routine echocardiography and blood pressure. Results: Sixty-one patients were asymptomatic, 49 presented mild (NYHA II) and 47 moderate-to-severe (NYHA III-IV) heart failure symptoms. Mild symptoms were associated with lower SAC and transvalvular gradients, while more severe exercise intolerance coincided with older age, lower systolic blood pressure, smaller aortic valve area and depressed ejection fraction. By multiple ordinal logistic regression, the severity of heart failure symptoms was related to older age, depressed ejection fraction and lower SAC. Each decrease in SAC by 0.1 ml/m² per mmHg was associated with an increased adjusted odds ratio (OR) of a patient being in one higher category of heart failure symptoms graded as no symptoms, mild exercise intolerance and advanced exercise intolerance (OR: 1.16 [95% CI, 1.01-1.35], P=0.045). Conclusions: Depressed SAC may enhance exercise intolerance irrespective of stenosis severity or left ventricular systolic function in moderate-to-severe AS. This finding supports the importance of non-valvular factors for symptomatic status in AS

Knee arthroplasty in the elderly

Background: One of the many problems related to geriatric patients are degenerative changes in joints. In this article authors discuss about the knee joint endoprosthesis. During preparations of this publishment special attention was paid to the following aspects: role and the meaning of preventing actions, explanation the clue and main goal of the surgery intervention, and it’s simplified course. Subsequently there are short description of the knee joint with its most relevant to the fallowing subject structures. Furthermore the quantity of respective surgical procedure was given to approximate the scale of subject. Next paragraphs explaining why endoprothesis is the best way for dealing with this kind of problems, and the significance of the physiotherapist in whole process both before, and after surgery. Materials and methods: Analysis of available literature and articles in PubMed, ResearchGate and other scientific platforms related to discussed subject, using words: geriatrics, endoprothesis, knee arthroplasty, knee joint. Results: Gonarthrosis is a significant social problem. Endoprosthesis plastic surgery is performed on those patients who struggle badly in activities of daily living because of advanced articulations disorders. The main diagnoses underlying the primary knee replacement were primary bilateral gonarthrosis and other primary gonarthrosis accounted. The analysis of sources devoted to these issues includes people after 65 years old (mostly women) which occurs a low level of physical activity, the burden of metabolic disease such as diabetes (type 2). Authors demonstrated a correlation between excessive body weight, and insufficient production of synovial fluid, it’s damage and in the final phase lost which is a direct reason for pain. The following thesis was proven based on the source material: thanks to arthroplasty the patients quality of life as improved by around 90 percent. When the physiotherapist is involved in the whole process, both in the pre- and post-surgery phase it is possible to obtain much better therapeutic effects. Conclusions: Knee arthroplasty can help restore independence to patients in their daily activities. The introduction of artificial foreign bodies into the pond to replace the damaged leads to an improvement in the quality of life of sick patients. The introduction of intensive rehabilitation, patient education and pharmacological treatment after arthroplasty allows for reduction of pain and faster recovery. There are many types of rehabilitation after knee replacement surgery, so the therapy plan has to be adapted to the individual patient

Airborne Signals from a Wounded Leaf Facilitate Viral Spreading and Induce Antibacterial Resistance in Neighboring Plants

Many plants release airborne volatile compounds in response to wounding due to pathogenic assault. These compounds serve as plant defenses and are involved in plant signaling. Here, we study the effects of pectin methylesterase (PME)-generated methanol release from wounded plants (“emitters”) on the defensive reactions of neighboring “receiver” plants. Plant leaf wounding resulted in the synthesis of PME and a spike in methanol released into the air. Gaseous methanol or vapors from wounded PME-transgenic plants induced resistance to the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum in the leaves of non-wounded neighboring “receiver” plants. In experiments with different volatile organic compounds, gaseous methanol was the only airborne factor that could induce antibacterial resistance in neighboring plants. In an effort to understand the mechanisms by which methanol stimulates the antibacterial resistance of “receiver” plants, we constructed forward and reverse suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA libraries from Nicotiana benthamiana plants exposed to methanol. We identified multiple methanol-inducible genes (MIGs), most of which are involved in defense or cell-to-cell trafficking. We then isolated the most affected genes for further analysis: β-1,3-glucanase (BG), a previously unidentified gene (MIG-21), and non-cell-autonomous pathway protein (NCAPP). Experiments with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and a vector encoding two tandem copies of green fluorescent protein as a tracer of cell-to-cell movement showed the increased gating capacity of plasmodesmata in the presence of BG, MIG-21, and NCAPP. The increased gating capacity is accompanied by enhanced TMV reproduction in the “receivers”. Overall, our data indicate that methanol emitted by a wounded plant acts as a signal that enhances antibacterial resistance and facilitates viral spread in neighboring plants