Androgen receptor in early apoptotic follicles in the porcine ovary at pregnancy.

Localization of androgen receptor (AR) was investigated in ovarian follicles developing and undergoing atresia during pregnancy in the pig. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted on ovarian antral follicles isolated on different days of gestation: 10, 18, 32, 50, 70, and 90. Paraffin sections were also subjected to in situ DNA labeling. TUNEL staining revealed the presence of positive follicles on all days of pregnancy but the amount of atretic follicles increased with time. However, even on day 90 of gestation many follicles were normal, with no signs of atresia. In atretic follicles, apoptotic cells were localized predominantly in the granulosa while theca was much less affected. Atretic follicles with many apoptotic cells were negative for AR. Nuclear immunostaining for AR was positive in follicles with limited amount of apoptotic cells. The same relationship was observed in ovarian follicles isolated at various days of pregnancy

Mapping of policies affecting female migrants and policy analysis : the Polish case

The Polish policy towards foreigners is “European”; it does not have the features of the global policy, determined by the relevant UN documents concerning, among other things, the rights of migrants (human rights), fighting with discrimination of this category, particularly visible in correlation with gender, race, and the category male migrant/ female migrant. In numerous documents concern with the rights of female migrants is emphasized. In Poland, legislators do not pay attention to the sociological aspect of the issue. Detailed data concerning women are completely lacking. Poland has neither implemented policies with reference to the fight with discrimination in access to publicly provided goods and services, nor has a competent central body been appointed to support the fight against discrimination. Moreover, on 3 November 2005 the position of the Government Plenipotentiary for the Equal Status of Women and Men was closed down, whose tasks included fighting all kinds of discrimination and which undertook initiatives preventing racism, while one of its tasks was work on the preparation of the establishment of a special office dealing with discrimination. The attitude of public authorities to affirmative action must also be viewed negatively - so far no programmes have been planned concerning it; there is only the aforementioned provision, which unfortunately does not translate into appropriate legislative regulations or a policy promoting employment

Romheld's Gastrocardiac Syndrome, diagnosing a complex of cardiologic and gastroenterologic symptoms

In clinical practice among cardiac patients, symptoms of palpitations diagnosed as premature beats or episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) are very frequently reported. One of the most common diseases in the field of gastroenterology is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) . However, it may happen that the coincidence of the above-mentioned disease entities may predispose to the development of arrhythmias. In this article we describe the case of a 65-year-old man, without previously diagnosed diseases, in whom a clear association of arrhythmias with gastrointestinal complaints was observed. The presence of a burning sensation in the lower sternal region and typical symptoms resulting from esophagitis aggravated by triggers allows us to suspect esophageal reflux disease. Diagnostic tests performed for concomitant cardiac diseases did not reveal an organic cause of the arrhythmia. The recurrent course of symptoms observed in the present case and the analysis of the cause-effect course made us to diagnose gastrointestinal syndrome, also referred to as Romheld's Syndrome

Microvascular angina – an abstruse path to diagnose and to treat – a review of literature

Introduction: Chronic coronary syndrome is predominantly related to the atherosclerotic obstruction of the coronary artery or arteries. However, this phenomenon is not the only causative factor in this disease. It is usually forgotten, that there is a possibility of ischemia of the cardiac muscle with no obstruction found in the main vessel. The trigger of such pathology might be underlying in the microcirculatory system and the inappropriate dilation or constriction of those small vessels, which results in insufficient blood supply to the cardiomyocytes, similarly to the typical obstructive coronary artery disease. In this article we are willing to show that such dysfunction poses a great danger to the health and life and therefore we should be able to properly diagnose and treat it. Purpose of the work: The aim of this review of up-to-date literature is to raise awareness among both doctors and patients about the phenomenon of coronary artery disease but with no significant obstruction in the vessels supplying the cardiac muscle. The common cause of such condition is coronary microvascular dysfunction, that leads to a disease called microvascular angina. Our purpose was to reveal, how dangerous to the health of the patients this could be and therefore how essential it is to provide a proper diagnose and management. In addition, we have noticed a need for a summary of what has already been discovered on this topic, available therapeutic methods and future perspectives

How to deal with pain in the emergency department - pain management review

One of the primary health issues bringing patients to hospital emergency rooms is pain. It is often treated inadequately. Doctors working in the emergency department have the option of using a number of drugs for analgesia. The three main groups include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, non-opioid analgesics and opioid analgesics. In order to properly exploit their potential, it is necessary to properly classify the pain, know the basic action of the available drugs, choose the right dose, and know how to combine drugs from different groups to achieve balanced analgesia. By acting in this way, the patient in the hospital emergency department will be properly provided with medication, and this will have a positive effect on his overall health

Anemia amongst patients with heart failure - a review

Introduction Anemia and iron deficiency are common comorbidities in population with heart failure. Their association with unfavorable prognostic outcomes and diminished quality of life underscores the imperative need for accurate diagnosis and efficacious treatment interventions. In recent years numerous treatment options have been explored in clinical trials, aimed at addressing the multifaced aspects of these concurrent conditions. Summary In patients with heart failure effective treatment of anemia and iron deficiency has demonstrated enhancements in quality of life and exercise capacity. Findings from IRONMAN clinical study have prompted revisions in the latest guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology. The imminent release of results from two ongoing trials holds the potential to reshape the therapeutic landscape for treating individuals with heart failure and iron deficiency. Nevertheless, there is no explicit evidence that studied interventions could improve morbidity or risk of hospitalizations

The impact of physical activity on the risk and severity of COVID-19 infection

Introduction: A rapid outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in the past few years caused a significant increase in the number of upper respiratory tract infections throughout the world. Numerous public health institutions tried to control the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory mask wearing, vaccinations, increased frequency of using disinfectants or compulsory lockdowns. Lockdown interventions were necessary, although they lead to insufficient, comparing to the international recommendations, levels of physical activity, which could trigger an elevated susceptibility to diseases of affluence. Purpose: Regular aerobic exercise may suppress inflammation, boost innate immunity and result in enhanced protection against viral infections. This review aims to show the relationship between level of physical activity and the risk and severity of COVID-19 infectio

Decreased psychomotor vigilance of female shift workers after working night shifts

We compared psychomotor vigilance in female shift workers of the Bergmannsheil University Hospital in Bochum, Germany (N = 74, 94% nurses) after day and night shifts. METHODS:Participants performed a 3-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) test bout at the end of two consecutive day and three consecutive night shifts, respectively. Psychomotor vigilance was analyzed with respect to mean reaction time, percentage of lapses and false starts, and throughput as an overall performance score, combining reaction time and error frequencies. We also determined the reaction time coefficient of variation (RTCV) to assess relative reaction time variability after day and night shifts. Further, we examined the influence of shift type (night vs. day) by mixed linear models with associated 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for age, chronotype, study day, season, and the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). RESULTS:At the end of a night shift, reaction times were increased (&beta; = 7.64; 95% CI 0.94; 14.35) and the number of lapses higher compared to day shifts (exp(&beta;) = 1.55; 95% CI 1.16-2.08). By contrast, we did not observe differences in the number of false starts between day and night shifts. Throughput was reduced after night shifts (&beta; = -15.52; 95% CI -27.49; -3.46). Reaction times improved across consecutive day and night shifts, whereas the frequency of lapses decreased after the third night. RTCV remained unaffected by both, night shifts and consecutive shift blocks. DISCUSSION:Our results add to the growing body of literature demonstrating that night-shift work is associated with decreased psychomotor vigilance. As the analysis of RTCV suggests, performance deficits may selectively be driven by few slow reactions at the lower end of the reaction time distribution function. Comparing intra-individual PVT-performances over three consecutive night and two consecutive day shifts, we observed performance improvements after the third night shift. Although a training effect cannot be ruled out, this finding may suggest better adaptation to the night schedule if avoiding fast-changing shift schedules.</p

Night Shift Work Affects Urine Metabolite Profiles of Nurses with Early Chronotype

Night shift work can have a serious impact on health. Here, we assess whether and how night shift work influences the metabolite profiles, specifically with respect to different chronotype classes. We have recruited 100 women including 68 nurses working both, day shift and night shifts for up to 5 consecutive days and collected 3640 spontaneous urine samples. About 424 waking-up urine samples were measured using a targeted metabolomics approach. To account for urine dilution, we applied three methods to normalize the metabolite values: creatinine-, osmolality- and regression-based normalization. Based on linear mixed effect models, we found 31 metabolites significantly (false discovery rate <0.05) affected in nurses working in night shifts. One metabolite, acylcarnitine C10:2, was consistently identified with all three normalization methods. We further observed 11 and 4 metabolites significantly associated with night shift in early and late chronotype classes, respectively. Increased levels of medium- and long chain acylcarnitines indicate a strong impairment of the fatty acid oxidation. Our results show that night shift work influences acylcarnitines and BCAAs, particularly in nurses in the early chronotype class. Women with intermediate and late chronotypes appear to be less affected by night shift work

Five years of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Poland : state of play

Konwencja stambulska jest stosunkowo nowym elementem polskiego systemu prawa, a jednocześnie traktatem z dziedziny praw człowieka, który spotkał się z bezprecedensowym zainteresowaniem politycznej (niestety skutkującym podjętymi krokami w kierunku jej wypowiedzenia oraz podtrzymania wątpliwej deklaracji i zastrzeżenia), mediów oraz społeczeństwa. Poruszenie, które wywołała w Polsce, wynika jednakże nie tyle z jej postanowień jako takich, co ze splotu tendencji o charakterze globalnym, objawiających się w formie skrajnego konserwatyzmu, populizmu i antydemokratycznych przemian. Po pięciu latach obowiązywania Konwencji w Polsce można stwierdzić, że wywarła ona realny wpływ na kształt polskiego prawa. Najistotniejsze dokonania to wprowadzenie trybu ścigania z urzędu przestępstw seksualnych oraz zmian proceduralnych na rzecz ochrony ofiar tych przestępstw. Ostatnie, być może najbardziej spektakularne osiągnięcie, czyli ustanowienie postulowanego od lat policyjnego nakazu eksmisji sprawcy przemocy domowej jest także - paradoksalnie - dowodem na znaczenie Konwencji. Wspomniane zmiany to ważne, ale pojedyncze kroki w procesie implementacji Konwencji w Polsce. Do zwiększenia efektywności tego procesu konieczne jest uznanie przemocy wobec kobiet za problem systemowy, wymagający skoordynowanej polityki i podjęcia współpracy przez różne władze.The Istanbul Convention is a relatively new element of the Polish legal system and, at the same time, a human rights treaty, which has met with unprecedented interest on the part of the political scene (unfortunately resulting in steps towards its denunciation and confirmation of its dubious declaration and reservation), the media and the public. The stir it caused in Poland, however, is not so much due to its provisions as such, but to a combination of global trends, manifesting themselves in the form of extreme conservatism, populism and anti-democratic changes. After five years of the Convention being in force in Poland, it can be said that it has had a real impact on the Polish law. The most significant achievements are the introduction of ex officio prosecution of sexual crimes and procedural changes for the protection of victims of these crimes. The most recent and perhaps most spectacular achievement, namely the establishment of a police eviction order against the perpetrator of domestic violence, which has been postulated for years, is also - paradoxically - proof of the importance of the Convention. The changes mentioned above are important, but single steps in the process of implementation of the Convention in Poland. In order to increase the effectiveness of this process, it is necessary to recognize violence against women as a systemic problem requiring a coordinated policy and cooperation of various authorities