Morphometric parameters of the human pineal gland in relation to age, body weight and height

The aim of the study was to compare the size, weight, volume and density of the pineal gland in several groups divided by age, body weight and height. 80 human pineal glands were included in the study. Obtained data were statistically analysed by means of Statistica by Statsoft to check existing differences. Obtained data show some significant differences between pineal gland morphometry in weight- and height-related groups. However, these differences do not influence pineal volume significantly. Differences between the pineal gland volume in the maximal and in the minimal weight groups may suggest some relationship between the gland’s structure and body weight. No age-related changes in the morphometry of the pineal gland were observed

Cigarettes smoking among young people in schools, due to actual research

Wstęp. W okresie dorastania u młodzieży pojawiają się i nasilają zachowania ryzykowne, których skutki można zaobserwować w dalszych latach życia. Celem pracy były pomiar częstotliwości palenia tytoniu przez młodzież oraz identyfikacja czynników wpływających na rozmiar tego zjawiska.Materiał i metody. Badanie przeprowadzono w 2010 roku, w losowo wybranej grupie młodzieży w dwóch szkołach średnich w Lublinie. W badaniu posłużono się metodą statystyczną, przy wykorzystaniu kwestionariusza ankiety własnej konstrukcji.Wyniki. Badania wykazały, że uzależnienie od palenia tytoniu jest jednym z głównych problemów wśród młodzieży (41% uczniów pali papierosy), przy czym uczennice palą 2,5-krotnie częściej niż uczniowie. Palenie wiąże się z wpływem czynników środowiskowych i rodzinnych oraz z subiektywnym postrzeganiem szkodliwości tego nałogu.Wnioski. W przeprowadzonym badaniu palenie tytoniu stanowi główne zagrożenie prowadzące do nałogu, w większym stopniu niż alkohol i narkotyki. Prezentowane wyniki wskazują na potrzebę podjęcia bardziej skutecznych działań profilaktycznych zapobiegających wzrostowi palenia tytoniu wśród młodzieży.Introduction. In the period of growing up, in young people there appear and are increasing risky types of behaviour, the results of which it is possible to observe in more distant years of life. The aim of the study was to measure the frequency of smoking by the young people and to identify the factors affecting the size of this phenomenon.Material and methods. A research was conducted in 2010, on a randomly chosen group of young people at two secondary schools in Lublin. In the examination the statistical method, using the questionnaire form of the questionnaire form of the own structure was applied.Results. Examinations showed addiction to smoking cigarettes was one of major problems amongst young people (41% pupils are smoking cigarettes), in addition female pupils are smoking 2.5 times more often than male pupils. Smoking is connected with the influence of environmental and family factors and with subjective perceiving of the harmfulness of this addiction.Conclusions. In the conducted examination smoking cigarettes constitutes the main threat leading to the addiction, in the large degree than alcohol and drugs. Presented results show the need of taking preventive effective actions against popularity of the smoking amongst young people

Selected studies in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism – review

INTRODUCTION Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the result of the narrowing or occlusion of the pulmonary artery or its branches by thrombotic material, which are most often thrombi originating from deep veins of the lower limbs or pelvis. Pulmonary embolism very quickly develops life-threatening symptoms, which is why rapid diagnostics and the implementation of appropriate treatment are particularly important. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of the following study is to summarize the state of knowledge about the effectiveness of selected methods in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. STATE OF KNOWLEDGE In diagnostic strategies regarding pulmonary embolism, the clinical probability of disease, D-dimer concentration, angio-CT examination and lung scintigraphy play a key role. Determining the clinical probability of the disease in combination with the determination of D-dimer concentration allows safe exclusion of pulmonary embolism in a significant percentage of patients. In the analyzed studies, attention was drawn to the large negative predictive value of such a procedure and the necessity to choose an appropriate scale, adjusted to the incidence of PE in a given area. The dissemination of multi-row computed tomography has made it a method of choice in the assessment of pulmonary vessels in the event of suspected pulmonary embolism. In the analyzed studies, attention was paid to the high negative predictive value of angio-CT, in particular in connection with the determination of clinical probability and the determination of D-dimer concentration. However, it may be controversial to choose a procedure for patients with high clinical probability of PE and a negative result of angio-CT. Scintigraphy is considered safe for patients due to the significant reduction of exposure to radiation - low enough that this method could be used also in pregnant women. Analyzed studies have proven that scintigraphy is as effective and safe in excluding pulmonary embolism as computed tomography, and its use may result in the development of new, automated methods for diagnosing pulmonary embolism. SUMMARY The dissemination of factors predisposing to pulmonary embolism made it one of the main causes of mortality, morbidity and hospitalization in Europe [4]. The increased risk of PE affects people over 40 and doubles in every subsequent decade, which means that, in an ageing European society, both the incidence and mortality will increase [6]. Due to non-specific signs and symptoms, which may indicate other diseases it is vital to introduce fast and safe diagnostics which may confirm or rule out pulmonary embolism

The society’s perception of suicide

Introduction: On account of its radical character, suicide is differently perceived by the society. The consequence of this phenomenon is the issue of moral evaluation by the society in the practical aspects of daily life, such as religious, psychological and social ones. Regarding society’s complexity, it is understandable that the knowledge and the evaluation of this act amongst people are different

Ból brzucha jako częsta przyczyna interwencji medycznych lekarzy pierwszego kontaktu = Abdominal pain as a common cause of medical interventions by primary care physicians

Putowski Maciej, Podgórniak Marta, Piróg Marta, Zawiślak Jacek, Opielak Grzegorz, Cyganok Mikołaj, Smoleń Agata. Ból brzucha jako częsta przyczyna interwencji medycznych lekarzy pierwszego kontaktu = Abdominal pain as a common cause of medical interventions by primary care physicians. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2016;6(7):359-366. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.57981 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/3699 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 755 (23.12.2015). 755 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Author (s) 2016; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 15.06.2016. Revised 09.07.2016. Accepted: 15.07.2016. Ból brzucha jako częsta przyczyna interwencji medycznych lekarzy pierwszego kontaktu Abdominal pain as a common cause of medical interventions by primary care physicians Maciej Putowski1, Marta Podgórniak1, Marta Piróg1, Jacek Zawiślak1, Grzegorz Opielak2, Mikołaj Cyganok3, Agata Smoleń4 1 Studenckie Koło Naukowe przy Katedrze i Zakładzie Epidemiologii i Metodologii Badań Klinicznych, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie 2 Katedra i Zakład Anatomii Prawidłowej, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie 3 Katedra i Zakład Medycyny Nuklearnej, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie 4 Katedra i Zakład Epidemiologii i Metodologii Badań Klinicznych, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie Streszczenie Wstęp. Ból brzucha stanowi częstą przyczynę interwencji medycznych obserwowanych w jednostkach POZ, Nocnej i Świątecznej Opieki Zdrowotnej, na Izbie Przyjęć czy w Szpitalnych Oddziałach Ratunkowych. W związku z niespecyficznością tego objawu, wymaga on od lekarza wiedzy i zdolności do przeprowadzenia szybkiej i trafnej diagnostyki różnicowej, zwłaszcza u pacjentów z szybko pogarszającym się stanem ogólnym. W większości przypadków ból brzucha stanowi przejaw chorób narządów jamy brzusznej, w szczególności przewodu pokarmowego. Należy jednak pamiętać, iż może manifestować patologie zlokalizowane w innych okolicach ciała lub być wyrazem chorób ogólnoustrojowych: metabolicznych, neurogennych, naczyniopochodnych czy zatruć. Cel Pracy. Celem pracy była ocena częstości interwencji medycznych z powodu zgłaszanych przez pacjenta dolegliwości bólowych brzucha na przykładzie Szpitalnego Oddziału Ratunkowego w Janowie Lubelskim w latach 2004-2010. Materiał i Metody. Informacje zaczerpnięto z analizy książki przyjęć SOR w Janowie Lubelskim. Analizie poddane zostały wszystkie przypadki pacjentów z dolegliwościami bólowymi brzucha, którzy zgłosili się do SOR. Grupa pacjentów uwzględnionych w badaniu obejmowała osoby hospitalizowane na oddziale SOR, które w późniejszym czasie nie zostały skierowane na oddział specjalistyczny. Wyniki. Najczęstszą przyczyną bólu brzucha wśród zdiagnozowanych pacjentów było zapalenie błony śluzowej żołądka, które stanowiło 49,9% wszystkich przypadków. Częstymi przyczynami zgłoszenia do Szpitalnego Oddziału Ratunkowego były także: kolka nerkowa (23,0%) oraz kolka żółciowa (3,7%). Wnioski. Ból brzucha stanowi jeden z najczęstszych powodów zgłaszania się pacjentów do Szpitalnego Oddziału Ratunkowego. W większości przypadków objaw ten stanowi przejaw chorób przewodu pokarmowego, a jako najczęstszą z przyczyn wyróżnić należy zapalenie błony śluzowej żołądka. Słowa kluczowe: ból brzucha, szpitalny oddział ratunkowy, diagnostyka. Key words: abdominal pain, emergency room, diagnostics. Abstract Background. Abdominal pain is a common cause of medical interventions, both in Primary Care, Night and holiday Patient Care, Admissions and in the Hospital Emergency Department. As a result of low specificity of this symptom, it requires a doctor's knowledge and ability to perform quick and accurate differential diagnosis, especially in patients with rapidly deteriorating health. In most cases abdominal pain is a symptom of diseases of the abdominal organs, especially the digestive tract, but it should be marked that it may be a manifestation of pathology located in other areas of the body or it can be an expression of systemic diseases: metabolic, neurogenic, vascular or poisoning. Objectives. The aim of the study was to evaluate the percentage of medical interventions because of the patient’s reported pain in the abdomen on the example of Emergency Department in Janow Lubelski in 2004-2010. Material and Methods. The data were taken from analysis of the admission book from Emergency Departement in Janów Lubelski. Data analysis included patients that arrived at the Emergency Department with an abdominal pain. The group of examinated patients involved persons hospitalized on the Emergency Ward, without further referral to the departments. Results. The most common cause of abdominal pain in patients was gastritis, which accounted for 49.9% of all cases. Common causes of arriving at the Hospital Emergency Ward were also: renal colic (23.0%) and biliary colic (3.7%). Conclusions. Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons for patients' arriving at the Hospital Emergency Ward. In most cases, this is a manifestation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and the most common diagnose was gastritis

Low miR 511-5p Expression as a Potential Predictor of a Poor Nutritional Status in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Subjected to Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

Nutritional deficiencies, including malnutrition and its irreversible type cachexia, are often observed in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Among the various factors contributing to the occurrence of these disorders, inflammation seems to be crucial. The potential regulatory properties of miR-511-3p, e.g., post-translational alteration of expression of genes with protein products that are involved in inflammation, may be related to nutritional deficiencies observed in HNC patients. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the correlation between pretreatment miR-511-3p expression and nutritional status in patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) due to HNC. In our retrospective study, 60 consecutively admitted patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) due to advanced HNC were enrolled. The analysis of miR-511-3p expression was performed using real-time PCR. Significantly higher expression of miR-511-3p was observed in well-nourished patients compared to patients with moderate or severe malnutrition (p = 0.0001). Pretreatment expression of miR-511-3p may be a useful biomarker of nutritional deficiencies in patients subjected to IMRT due to HNC

Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) as a Convenient Tool to Assess the Potential of Low Molecular Fraction Derived from Medicinal Fungus Cerrena unicolor in Action on L929 and CT-26 Cell Lines

The increase in the incidence of cancer has contributed to the search for new therapeutic methods. In recent years, the use of preparations of natural origin from medical fungi has increased. One such active substance is the extracellular, low molecular active fraction obtained from the medicinal fungus Cerrena unicolor. This study aimed to monitor the pharmacokinetics of different concentrations of substances isolated from the medicinal fungus Cerrena unicolor (ex-LMS) using the ECIS technique. In the study, mouse L929 fibroblasts and colon cancer CT26 cell lines were treated with different concentrations of the active fractions obtained from Cerrena unicolor: C1 = 2.285 (μg/mL); C2 = 22.85 (μg/mL); and C3 = 228.5 (μg/mL). This study demonstrated that the tested preparation from Cerrena unicolor had no considerable effect on the resistance, capacitance, and impedance of L929 fibroblast cells, which was an indicator of no significant effect on its physiological processes. At the same time, those parameters exhibited a decrease in colon cancer cell viability. Following our previous and current studies on Cerrena unicolor, ex-LMS extracts can be safely used in anticancer therapy or chemoprevention with no significant harmful effects on normal cells