Hand anthropometry in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a case-control study with a matched control group of healthy volunteers

Background: The aim of this study was to perform anthropometrical measure- ments of patients’ hands with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in order to evaluate if there is a correlation between CTS occurrence and hand features regarding sexual dimorphism, age and physical activity.  Materials and methods: Study sample consisted of 48 patients (33 females) and control group included 80 healthy volunteers (58 females) with no history of CTS. The following measurements were performed: the wrist circumference, length of the hand, the hand’s width, width of the wrist, thickness of the wrist, height of the hypothenar and thenar, length of the arm and forearm, circumference of the proximal phalanges and width of the digits; as well as several indexes were calculated i.e.: body mass index (BMI), shape index, digit index, wrist index, hand length/height ratio (HLH-ratio) and hand length/upper limb length ratio (HLULL-ratio).  Results: Correlation coincidences were analysed between circumferences within the hand, palm and body weight. All parameters except fingers were correlated with body weight in either gender in both groups (p < 0.05; r = 0.40–0.80); Furthermore, width of the hand was correlated with body height (p < 0.001; r = 0.56–0.71). Mean values of wrist index for CTS patients were: males: 0.8, females: 0.74 (significantly higher than in healthy individuals and indicating square shape); shape index: males 76.5, females 75.8; digit index: males 55.7, females 56.5. The calculated HLH-ratio in CTS group was: males 10.6, females 10.9; HLULL-ratio: males 23.6, females 24.9 and they did not differ significantly from healthy volunteers. Almost 90.0% of females with diagnosed CTS have BMI > 25.0 kg/m2.  Conclusions: There are significant differences in morphometrical features of the upper limbs between CTS patients and healthy individuals. Hands of patients with CTS are more massive and with ‘plumb’ fingers and square shape of the wrist. Furthermore, higher BMI values were confirmed to be predisposing factors in CTS occurrence.

Increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among Polish children age 14-18 between 2001 and 2013 from Krakow, Poland - a cross-sectional study

Introduction: So far, very little data on pediatric obesity has been published in Poland, although the problem seems to be growing.Objective: To investigate present prevalence of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren using CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) criteria in Krakow and to compare how it has changed between the years 2001 and 2013. Our aim was to establish the magnitude of this rising problem within the last decade.Materials and methods: The study was conducted in two phases. In 2001, height and weight of the group of schoolchildren were obtained. Twelve years later, children in the same age, attending the same schools, were measured and weighed. Using the collected data, BMI (kg/m2) was calculated in order to acquire BMI percentile. BMI cutoffs referential for Polish population were used.Results: Using the CDC criteria to diagnose children as obese or overweight, the authors determined that the prevalence of overweight, including obesity was 10.8% in 2001 and changed to 15.1% in 2013 (p=0.0054). The percentage of obese children increased from 2.0% to 4.8% (p=0.0012). The occurrence of overweight and obesity has increased among girls (p=0.0025; p=0.0112 respectively) while among the group of boys, it did not change. The factors associated with excess weight were: male sex (OR=1.48; 95%CI=1.13-1.95) and second phase of the study (OR= 1.48; 95%CI=1.13-1.95).Conclusion: Our study indicated that the prevalence of obesity and overweight among adolescents in Krakow rose within the last decade. The rising problem affected females more than males. Despite that, excess weight is still more frequent among males than females

True and Fair View or rzetelny i jasny obraz1? A survey of polish practitioners

Abstract The ongoing harmonisation processes with the European market (EC regulation 2002 on the application of International Accounting Standards, hereafter IAS) drive reforms in the Polish accounting framework. In 2000, the Accounting Act introduced significant changes to the 1994 Accounting Act, its predecessor. New accounting terminology and provisions based on the IAS framework were introduced and a substantial number of existing regulations modified. This paper outlines recent developments in Polish accounting and discusses their implications for the realisation of the True and Fair View construct (hereafter TFV). Legal changes (de jure analysis) are confronted with the insights from an exploratory study on the local operationalisation of the TFV construct. The questionnaire survey with Polish practitioners was conducted in the years 2000 and 2001. Then, follow-up interviews were carried out in order to validate the questionnaire data categorisation. Insights from the study raise issues of the (un)transferability of constructs such as the TFV across languages and culture though there is emerging evidence indicating that the current regulatory framework putatively supports the TFV concept. In practice, there appears to be a lack of consensus in translation and grammatical construction of the TFV concept, revealing a general local unfamiliarity with the substance of this ‘Western’-originated and constructed predominantly in the British and American context construct. The paper concludes that a Polish equivalent for the TFV as a multifaceted construct, a derivative of a hybrid experience, cannot be realised outside the localised Central and Eastern European reality in which it is situated, despite the new Europe discourse.

The Determinants of Capital Structure Choice: Evidence from Polish Companies

Capital structure, Static trade-off, Pecking order, Financing choices, G32,