Affective State during Physiotherapy and Its Analysis Using Machine Learning Methods

Invasive or uncomfortable procedures especially during healthcare trigger emotions. Technological development of the equipment and systems for monitoring and recording psychophysiological functions enables continuous observation of changes to a situation responding to a situation. The presented study aimed to focus on the analysis of the individual’s affective state. The results reflect the excitation expressed by the subjects’ statements collected with psychological questionnaires. The research group consisted of 49 participants (22 women and 25 men). The measurement protocol included acquiring the electrodermal activity signal, cardiac signals, and accelerometric signals in three axes. Subjective measurements were acquired for affective state using the JAWS questionnaires, for cognitive skills the DST, and for verbal fluency the VFT. The physiological and psychological data were subjected to statistical analysis and then to a machine learning process using different features selection methods (JMI or PCA). The highest accuracy of the kNN classifier was achieved in combination with the JMI method (81.63%) concerning the division complying with the JAWS test results. The classification sensitivity and specificity were 85.71% and 71.43%

Antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistance in Poland; findings and implications

Background: The problem of inappropriate use of antibiotics and the resulting growth in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has implications for Poland and the world. The objective of this paper was to compare and contrast antibiotic resistance and antibiotic utilisation in Poland in recent years versus other European countries, including agreed quality indicators, alongside current AMR patterns and ongoing policies and initiatives in Poland to influence and improve antibiotic prescribing. Methods: A quantitative ten-year analysis (2007-2016) of the use of antibiotics based on European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) data combined with a literature review on AMR rates and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. Results: The system of monitoring AMR and appropriate strategies to address AMR rates remain underdeveloped in Poland. The role of microbiological diagnostics and efforts to prevent infections is currently underestimated by physicians. Overall, Poland had one of the highest rates of total consumption of antibiotics in the analysed European countries. Total consumption of antibacterials for systemic use and relative consumption of beta-lactamase sensitive penicillins were characterized by small but statistically significant average annual increases between 2007 and 2016 (from 22.2DIDs to 23.9 DIDs and from 0.8% to 1.3%, respectively). Conclusions: The integrated activities around appropriate antibiotic prescribing in the pre- and post-graduate training of physicians and dentists seem to be particularly important, as well as changes in policies on prescribing antibiotics within ambulatory care. AMR and appropriate prescribing of antibiotics should be the focus of health policy actions in Poland

High rate of in-stent restenosis after coronary intervention in carriers of the mutant mannose-binding lectin allele

BACKGROUND: In-stent restenosis occurs in 10-30% of patients following bare metal stent (BMS) implantation and has various risk factors. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is known to have effect on the progression of atherosclerosis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the MBL2 gene intron 1 (codon 52, 54, 57) are known to modulate the bioavailability of the MBL protein. Our aim was to identify the association of these polymorphisms of the MBL gene in the occurrence of in-stent restenosis after coronary artery bare metal stent implantation. METHODS: In a non-randomized prospective study venous blood samples were collected after recoronarography from 225 patients with prior BMS implantation. Patients were assigned to diffuse restenosis group and control group based on the result of the coronarography. MBL genotypes were determined using quantitative real-time PCR. Proportion of different genotypes was compared and adjusted with traditional risk factors using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Average follow-up time was 1.0 (+ - 1.4) year in the diffuse restenosis group (N = 117) and 2.7 (+ - 2.5) years in the control group (N = 108). The age, gender distribution and risk status was not different between study groups. Proportion of the MBL variant genotype was 26.8% (29 vs. 79 normal homozygous) in the control group and 39.3% (46 vs. 71 normal homozygous) in the restenosis group (p = 0.04). In multivariate analysis the mutant allele was an independent risk factor (OR = 1.96, p = 0.03) of in-stent restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: MBL polymorphisms are associated with higher incidence of development of coronary in-stent restenosis. The attenuated protein function in the mutant allelic genotype may represent the underlying mechanism

Shadow Places: Patterns of Spatial Concentration and Incorporation of Irregular Immigrants in the Netherlands

Summary: In Western countries, irregular immigrants constitute a sizeable segment of the population. By combining quantitative and qualitative research methods, this article describes and explains irregular immigrants’ patterns of spatial concentration and incorporation in the Netherlands. So far these spatial patterns have not been described and explained systematically, neither in the Netherlands nor elsewhere. The article shows that illegal residence is selectively embedded in the (urban) social structure in various ways. The authors argue that irregular immigrants are likely to be spatially concentrated and incorporated in similar ways in other Western countries; now and in the foreseeable future