Assessment of Transmitted Power Density in the Planar Multilayer Tissue Model due to Radiation from Dipole Antenna

Recent relevant safety guidelines IEEE-Std C95.1- 2019 and ICNIRP-RF Guidelines 2020 have converged towards 6 GHz as a transition frequency from specific absorption rate (SAR), as basic restriction quantity, to absorbed power density (APD). Namely, the penetration of electromagnetic waves into the human tissue rapidly decreases as frequency increases, therefore, tissue heating can be considered as superficial above 6 GHz. However, besides the APD, an alternative internal dosimetric quantity transmitted power density or TPD is sometimes computed since its relation to SAR is more obvious and is easier to obtain. This paper deals with an analytical/numerical approach to determine TPD in planar multi-layered model of the human tissue exposed to the dipole antenna radiation. Analytical approach deals with assumed sinusoidal current distribution, while numerical approach pertains to the determination of current by solving the corresponding Pocklington integro-differential equation via Galerkin-Bubnov Indirect Boundary Element Method. The novelty presented in this paper with respect to previous work is a multilayer geometry whose effects are considered via the corresponding Fresnel plane wave reflection/transmission approximation. Some illustrative results for current distribution, transmitted field, volume power density (VPD) and TPD at various frequencies and distances of the antenna from the interface are given

Attitudes towards neurology among medical undergraduates

Diseases of the nervous system are an important contributor to clinical and social problems. Therefore there is a need to provide undergraduates and postgraduates of medical faculties with adequate training in neurology. However, many shortcomings have been observed in this field, often associated with students’ negative perception of neurology. The aim of this study was to explore attitudes towards neurology amongst undergraduates of the medical faculty at Wroclaw Medical University, and the reasons for these attitudes. As a qualitative component of the study, a focus group discussion was conducted with six fifth year undergraduates. The findings of the focus group and a literature search informed the content of a questionnaire distributed among fifth year students of the medical faculty, including non-Poles attending English Division. The responses to the closed questions were analysed quantitatively and subjected to statistical analysis while the free text comments were analysed qualitatively. Triangulation of the findings from the focus group and the survey was performed. 134 Polish students and 75 English-speaking ones responded to the survey. The majority of participants perceived neurology to be interesting and important for medical education, and it was highly ranked as a potential future speciality. The majority of the survey respondents regarded neurology as difficult and mentioned specific drawbacks. In spite of similar general perceptions of neurology, Polish and English- -speaking students differed in their perceptions of particular aspects, conditioned by diversity in cultural backgrounds and earlier experiences associated with neurology. The course in neurology affected attitudes towards the subject more than preceding experiences, mostly in a positive manner. The fifth year medical undergraduates expressed mostly positive attitudes towards neurology. Cultural background and the course in neurology were the main factors contributing to attitudes in these students

Ewolucja napadu padaczkowego w zapisie elektroencefalograficznym i czynnościowych badaniach obrazowych

Podłożem napadu padaczkowego są nadmierne, nieprawidłowe wyładowania neuronów mózgu. Elektroencefalografia (EEG) umożliwia zarejestrowanie zjawisk bioelektrycznych towarzyszących napadowi padaczkowemu i prześledzenie ich dynamiki. Czynnościowe badania obrazowe: komputerowa tomografia emisyjna pojedynczego fotonu (SPECT, single-photon emission computed tomography), czynnościowy rezonans magnetyczny (fMR, functional magnetic resonance) oraz pozytronowa tomografia emisyjna(PET, positron emission tomography) pozwalają natomiast uwidocznić dynamiczne zmiany perfuzji i metabolizmu w poszczególnych strukturach ośrodkowego układu nerwowego podczas napadu padaczkowego i po jego zakończeniu. Połączenie metody elektrofizjologicznej z neuroobrazowaniem, zwłaszcza przy użyciu nowoczesnych technik, umożliwia znacznie lepszy wgląd w patofizjologię napadu padaczkowego i znajduje zastosowanie w diagnostyce i planowaniu leczenia chorych na padaczkę. Polski Przegląd Neurologiczny 2010; 6 (3): 137–14

Anaesthesiological problems in children with congenital laryngeal stenosis

Congenital laryngeal stenosis is a rare condition, which can be diagnosed in the early neonatal period. Manifest stenosis can be life threatening. Severe ("critical") types of stenosis require securing an adequate airway just after the birth, as well as early tracheotomy as a life-saving procedure. This paper presents a case report of a preterm newborn with severe laryngeal stenosis diagnosed at birth. It was not possible to secure the airway even with endotracheal tubes of the smallest diameter, thus a laryngeal mask (LMA) was placed to provide adequate ventilation and oxygenation. Anaesthesia was administered in the same way during the tracheotomy procedure, which was performed in the earliest hours of the baby\u27s life

Prevalence of misophonia and correlates of Its symptoms among inpatients with depression

Misophonia is an underexplored condition that significantly decreases the quality of life of those who suffer from it. It has neurological and physiological correlates and is associated with a variety of psychiatric symptoms; however, a growing body of data suggests that it is a discrete disorder. While comorbid diagnoses among people with misophonia have been a matter of research interest for many years there is no data on the frequency of misophonia among people with psychiatric disorders. This could be the next step to reveal additional mechanisms underlying misophonia. Until recently, the use of a variety of non-validated questionnaires and the dominance of internet-based studies have been also a major obstacles to a proper definition of misophonia. A total of 94 inpatients diagnosed with depression were assessed for misophonia with face-to-face interviews as well as with MisoQuest - a validated misophonia questionnaire. The prevalence of misophonia among these patients and the congruence of MisoQuest with face-to-face interviews were evaluated. Additionally, the patients filled in a series of questionnaires that measured a variety of psychiatric symptoms and psychological traits. Anxiety, depression, impulsivity, somatic pain, vegetative symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, gender, and age were analyzed in relation to the severity of symptoms of misophonia. Between 8.5 to 12.76% of inpatients with depression were diagnosed with misophonia (depending on measurement and inclusion criteria). MisoQuest accuracy was equal to 92.55%, sensitivity-66.67% and specificity-96.34%. Severity of misophonia symptoms was positively correlated to the greatest extent with anxiety. Moderate positive correlation was also found between severity of misophonia symptoms and depressive symptoms, intrusions, and somatic pain; a weak positive correlation was found between severity of misophonia and non-planning impulsivity, motor impulsivity, avoidance, and vegetative symptoms. There was no relationship between the severity of misophonia symptoms and attentional impulsivity or the age of participants

Quantitative magnetic resonance assessment of brain atrophy related to selected aspects of disability in patients with multiple sclerosis : preliminary results

Purpose: The aim of this volumetric study was to evaluate the relationship between brain atrophy quantification in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and the progression of disability measured by neurological standardised tests. Material and methods: Seventeen patients (mean age 40.89 years) with clinically definite MS and 24 control subjects (mean age 38.45 years) were enrolled in the study. Brain examinations were performed on a 1.5T MR scanner. Automatic brain segmentation was done using FreeSurfer. Neurological disability was assessed in all patients in baseline and after a median follow-up of two years, using EDSS score evaluation. Results: In MS patients we found significantly (p < 0.05) higher atrophy rates in many brain areas compared with the control group. The white matter did not show any significant rate of volume loss in MS patients compared to healthy controls. Significant changes were found only in grey matter volume in MS subjects. At the follow-up evaluation after two years MS patients with deterioration in disability revealed significantly decreased cerebral volume in 14 grey matter areas at baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to MS subjects without disability progression. Conclusions: Grey matter atrophy is associated with the degree of disability in MS patients. Our results suggest that morphometric measurements of brain volume could be a promising non-invasive biomarker in assessing the volumetric changes in MS patients as related to disability progression in the course of the disease

Can Depopulation Create Urban Sustainability in Postindustrial Regions? A Case from Poland

Many towns and cities in the world experience the process of urban shrinkage. This may be observed in localities of different types and of all sizes, including a large group of post-industrial towns and cities of Central and Eastern Europe. One of the districts affected by the urban shrinkage process is the Katowice conurbation in Poland, which may serve as a good example to consider the potential for introducing the idea of sustainable development. In this perspective, sustainability is considered as a specific challenge within the progress of regional transformation, but also a target concept for a large urban region to be followed throughout the evolution and at particular stages of the change. In the discussed region it is all the more important because it is followed by phenomena related to post(industrialism), relatively high pollution levels compared with the European average and a polycentric system of settlement. This paper states that the current urban policy implemented in the Katowice conurbation does not seem to have any palpable effect reversing the trend of depopulation in the region, which seems to stem from the fact that numerous initiatives undertaken in the area are ‘illusory’ and often unnecessary and unjustified. This also applies to activities embracing and fostering the idea of sustainability. With regard to the latter issue, the main concern refers to overinvestment and wasting the measures to reduce low emissions and to make savings in the heat supply system for residential buildings. The Authors proposed a new vision for the transformation of the region. It will respond to the current and expected needs of the residents, while making allowances for multidimensional sustainable development, particularly in terms of housing policy and spatial development. This concept primarily focuses on a new balance between the areas covered by low-rise and high-rise buildings and the reorganisation of the structure of the local economy

Poststroke epilepsy

Naczyniopochodne uszkodzenie mózgu stanowi jedną z częstszych przyczyn objawowych napadów padaczkowych. W niniejszej pracy scharakteryzowano wczesne i późne napady padaczkowe związane z udarem mózgu. Omówiono patogenezę i przebieg kliniczny padaczki poudarowej, związane z nią problemy diagnostyczne i rokownicze oraz zasady jej leczenia.Cerebrovascular disease is one of the most common background for symptomatic epileptic seizures. In this study early seizures in the course of acute cerebral stroke are described as well as late poststroke seizures. Complex pathogenesis of such seizures and risk factors for their development are discussed, including kind of cerebrovascular lesion, coexisting clinical conditions and patients' characteristics. Clinical course of poststroke epilepsy is presented, with a special regard to some problems of differential diagnosis and prognostic factors. Finally, basic rules of antiepileptic treatment for this group of patients are resumed

Znaczenie badań elektrofizjologicznych w diagnostyce schorzeń ośrodkowego i obwodowego układu nerwowego

Dokonano przeglądu badań elektrofizjologicznych stosowanych we współczesnej diagnostyce neurologicznej. W pierwszej części artykułu omówiono podstawowe zagadnienia związane z elektroencefalografią, polisomnografią, wideometrią oraz potencjałami wywołanymi. Część druga jest poświęcona badaniom neuroi elektromiograficznym. Zwrócono uwagę na najczęściej spotykane nieprawidłowości w badaniach neurofizjologicznych, odnosząc je do patologii ośrodkowego i obwodowego układu nerwowego oraz mięśni

Ocznopochodne bóle głowy

Schorzenia narządu wzroku mogą być przyczyną objawowego bólu głowy. Autorzy omówili najczęstsze postacie ocznopochodnych bólów głowy, z uwzględnieniem obrazu klinicznego, niezbędnych do dokonania rozpoznania badań diagnostycznych oraz zalecanego leczenia. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono charakterystycznym objawom, stwierdzanym w badaniach podmiotowym i przedmiotowym, które pozwalają na właściwe ukierunkowanie diagnostyki różnicowej