Prostate cancer in patients from rural and suburban areas : PSA value, Gleason score and presence of metastases in bone scan

Introduction. Prostate cancer is the second most common neoplasm among men both worldwide and in Poland. In prostate cancer, bone metastasis is related to a poorer prognosis. A diagnosis of metastatic bone disease is important in prostate cancer patients prior to therapy. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) serum value is used both as a screening tool and for staging of prostate cancer. Aim. To evaluate whether there is a link between symptoms presented by patients, pain in particular, and the presence, number and location of bone metastases as assessed by bone scan scintigraphy in concordance with PSA values and Gleason scores. Material. A group of 186 patients (aged: 68.38±6.16) diagnosed with prostate cancer, from rural and suburban areas of Małopolska province, that was directed for bone scan scintigraphy to the Nuclear Medicine Dept, John Paul II Hospital in Kraków. Methods. Analysis of all laboratory findings (including PSA value) and a biopsy were performed. Then, bone scan scintigraphy was done with the use of methylene disphosphonate (MDP) labeled with Tc-99m. Results. In patients with a Gleason value ≤7 and a PSA value ≤20 ng/ml, the cutoff value for a negative bone scan with a confidence interval of 0.95 was established at a PSA value below 10 ng/ml (p<0.01). Correlations were established between PSA value and presence of metastases in bone scan (r=0.45, p=0.05), the number of metastases (r=0.66, p<0.01), and their presence in particular body regions. Conclusions. The correlation between PSA value and both presence and number of metastases confirms the usefulness of bone scan scintigraphy in prostate cancer staging. The cutoff value for negative bone scan with a 95% confidence interval was established at PSA = 10 ng/ml

Cardiac rehabilitation : a good measure to improve quality of life in peri- and postmenopausal women with microvascular angina

Cardiac Syndrome X (CSX) was considered a stable coronary syndrome, yet due to its nature, CSX symptoms often have a great impact on patients’ Quality of Life (QoL). According to ESC 2013 stable coronary artery disease criteria, CSX was replaced by Microvascular Angina (MA).Unfortunately, most CSX or MA patients, after classical angina (involving main coronary vessels) has been ruled out, often do not receive proper treatment. Indications for pharmacological treatment of MA patients were introduced only recently. Another problematic issue is that scientists describing the pathophysiology of both CSX and MA stress a lack of a deeper insight into the multifactorial etiology of the source of pain associated with this disease. In the presented article we have attempted to study the influence of cardiac rehabilitation (3 months programme) on the QoL of patients recognized as suffering from MA, as well as to check if changes in myocardial perfusion in these patients at baseline and after completion of cardiac rehabilitation match changes in their QoL. Therefore, after screening 436 women for MA, we studied 55 of them who were confirmed as having MA and who agreed to participate in the study. Exercise tests, Myocardial Perfusion Imaging, and QoL questionnaires were studied at baseline and after completing 3 months period of cardiac rehabilitation. Results were subsequently compared, which showed a link between improved perfusion score in SPECT study and improved overall physical capacity, on one hand, and improved QoL score on the other. These results confirm that cardiac rehabilitation is a very useful treatment option for MA patients. It seems that training during cardiac rehabilitation is a very important factor (improved physical efficiency –&amp;amp;gt; increase in self-belief), and that taking into consideration the multifactor pathophysiology of pain, it is connected with a better quality of life for MA patients

The factor harmful to the quality of human life : shift-work

The system of human activity, which is established by genetics and regulated by outer and inner factors, is associated with many characteristics which maintain the body in the best condition and ensure appropriate life quality. Objective. To evaluate of life quality among male shift-workers. Methods: Research based on a self-devised questionnaire, conducted among 700 shift-workers, followed by statistical analysis of the results. Results. Nearly a half of respondents (43.00%) reported that shift-work influences the quality of their family life. Remarkably, such an opinion was often stated by people with children (46.01%) p<0.05, the divorced (58.22%), married people (44.74%) and bachelors (25.33%), respectively. Fathers usually indicated lack of contact with their family as well as irregular consumption of meals (66.91%). Almost every third respondent noted that their shift type of work negatively influence their sexual life (31.14%). Conclusions. It was shown that shift-work negatively influences the respondents’ life quality in the form of deterioration of the quality of family life; the respondents, regardless of marital status, age and having children, most often complained about the lack of contact with the family and irregular eating with them; negative influence on sexual life, which was the case in one-third of respondents. In order to encourage healthy behaviour and increase the quality of life of people performing shift-work, training and programmes should be introduced. These would help shift- workers to adjust their work time to their family and social life

Effect of the Climatic Conditions in Central Europe on the Growth and Yield of Cornelian Cherry Cultivars

Fruit of Cornelian cherry can be used fresh or processed, and cultivation practices are developing in this direction. Due to the rarity of its cultivation, Cornelian cherry is harvested from natural sites of occurrence. However, the fruit from natural sites is of lower quality than the cultivars, as their seedlings differ in terms of fruit ripening. The objective of this experiment was the evaluation of approximately a dozen cultivars in terms of growth and fruit yield under the conditions of Central Europe. The effect of climatic conditions on the onset date of particular phenological stages was also assessed. All the analysed cultivars are suitable commodity crops, but they should be accurately selected depending on the direction of production. The first phenological stage of Cornelian cherry is the appearance of inflorescences before the development of leaves. The start of particular phenophases depends on the temperature and precipitation. Cornelian cherries cultivated under ecological conditions show satisfactory fruit size and generally a small percentage of stone. Most cultivars have an elongated fruit shape, and the shape factor decreases with their growth and ripening. The fruit grows along a double sigmoid, and its first intensive growth occurs following the extinction of intensive shoot growth

The Possibility of Using Fruit-Bearing Plants of Temperate Climate in the Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most dangerous metabolic diseases. The incidence of this disease continues to increase and is often associated with severe complications. Plants and natural plant products with a healing effect have been successfully used in the treatment of many disease entities since the beginning of the history of herbalism and medicine. At present, great emphasis is placed on the biodiversity of crops and the replacement of the monoculture production system of popular temperate climate plants, such as apple, pear, plum, and vine, with alternative fruit species. Very promising fruit plants are Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas); mulberry (Morus alba); bird cherry (Prunus padus); sour cherry (Prunus cerasus); plants of the genus Amelanchier, Sorbus, and Crategus; medlar (Mespilus germanica); quince (Cydonia oblonga); plants of the genus Vaccinium; and wild roses. When promoting the cultivation of alternative fruit-bearing plants, it is worth emphasizing their beneficial effects on health. This systematic review indicates that the antidiabetic effect of various parts of fruit plants is attributed to the presence of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, which have different mechanisms of antidiabetic action and can be used in the treatment of diabetes and various complications associated with this disease

Turning to religion as a mediator of the relationship between hopelessness and job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals representing the uniformed services or working in professions of public trust in Poland.

IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic individuals performing uniformed service or working in a profession of public trust were particularly exposed to chronic stress. The exposure to stress contributes to a decrease in quality of life across various domains, including professional performance. The perceived mental difficulties can lead to a feeling of hopelessness which, in turn can generate a decrease in job satisfaction. Religiosity is a factor which, in stress-inducing conditions, not only stops the spiral of perceived resource losses but also triggers gains in the resources possessed.AimThe aim of the study was to assess the preference for positive religious coping strategies, namely turning to religion as a mediator for the relationship between perceived hopelessness and job satisfaction in the individuals declaring religiosity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis has been performed based on the Conservation of Resources theory (COR).MethodsThe study encompassed 238 individuals representing the uniformed services or working in professions of public trust in Poland. The Inventory for Measuring Coping with Stress (MINI-COPE) and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) were used in the research.ResultsThe mediating role of turning to religion in relationship between perceived hopelessness and job satisfaction was confirmed only in the group of women. The relationship found in this group indicates that perceived hopelessness is alleviated by turning to religion, which simultaneously leads to an increase in job satisfaction.ConclusionThe obtained results prove that counselling should be standard practice after potentially traumatic events in the workplace; moreover, emotional and/or instrumental support should be offered along with spiritual one

The growth relationships in maiden trees of sour cherry ‘Łutówka’

The studies were conducted in a nursery of sour cherry ‘Łutówka’ budded on Prunus mahaleb L. in the years 1993, 2000–2003, and 2013. The height of trees, the diameter of stems, and the length of lateral shoots were measured. The air temperature and precipitation higher than the long-term mean (by approximately 10 % and 28%, respectively) contributed to the increase in the stem diameter, the total length of shoots, and the number of shoots per tree. The length of lateral shoots increased from the top of the crown towards the lower parts, however, the number of feathers per tree and the mean length of shoots decreased. A strong positive relationship (r = 0.74, P < 0.05) was revealed between the stem diameter and the total length of shoots. Generally, the correlations between the type of growth of sour cherry maiden trees and morphological traits were similar to those characteristic for apple maiden trees or “knip-boom” type trees

The Electrodegradation Process in PZT Ceramics under Exposure to Cosmic Environmental Conditions

Long-time electric field action on perovskite piezoelectric ceramic leads to chemical degradation. A new way to accelerate the degradation is the exposure of the ceramic to DC electric fields under a vacuum. A high-quality commercial piezoelectric material based on PbZr1−xTixO3 is used to study such impacts. To avoid the influence of ferroelectric properties and possible removal of oxygen and lead oxides during the degradation process, the experiments are in the temperature interval of 500 °C > T > TC. Changes in resistance during the electrodegradation process is an electrically-induced deoxidation, transforming the ceramic into a metallic-like material. This occurs with an extremely low concentration of effused oxygen of 1016 oxygen atoms per 1 cm3. Due to this concentration not obeying the Mott criterion for an isolator-metal transition, it is stated that the removal of oxygen mostly occurs along the grain boundaries. It agrees with the first-principle calculations regarding dislocations with oxygen vacancies. The decrease in resistivity during electrodegradation follows a power law and is associated with a decrease in the dislocation dimension. The observed reoxidation process is a lifeline for the reconstructing (self-healing) properties of electro-degraded ceramics in harsh cosmic conditions. Based on all of these investigations, a macroscopic and nanoscopic model of the electrodegradation is presented