The Determinants of Electoral Volatility - recenzja

Recenzja książki The Determinants of Electoral Volatility Agnieszki Turskiej-Kawa

Mediatyzacja propagandy – propagandyzacja mediów: wczoraj i dziś

The main objective of this paper is to show examples of coexistence and interaction of media and propaganda, in a historical perspective and today, in the broader context of phenomena of politics mediatization and propagandization of political communication. In particular, the author examines and determines the propaganda potential (social, psychological, communication and technology) of the Internet and its use in political practice

Mediatization of propaganda – propagandization of media: yesterday and today

The main objective of this paper is to show examples of coexistence and interaction of media and propaganda, in a historical perspective and today, in the broader context of phenomena of politics mediatization and propagandization of political communication. In particular, the author examines and determines the propaganda potential (social, psychological, communication and technology) of the Internet and its use in political practice

Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire is a useful tool for monitoring asthma in children

PURPOSE: There is little agreement among researchers whether a caregiver’s QOL can be used to detect changes in asthma severity in children. We assessed correlation between QOL in parents and QOL in children with asthma as well as clinical parameters of asthma. We determined whether changes in caregiver’s QOL scores reflect changes in child’s QOL and their asthma control. METHODS: This was a 9-week period cohort study. One hundred and ten primary caregivers with 110 children were seen in the clinic at enrollment, at week #1, #5 and #9. At each visit, the parents completed the Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ). RESULTS: One hundred and one children and 101 caregivers completed the study. We found a significant correlation between asthma diary score in children and QOL in parents (from r = −0.46 to r = −0.53). We also found significant positive correlation between PAQLQ and PACQLQ and significant association between changes in asthma control and PACQLQ score for both domains. We observed significant change in PACQLQ of caregivers whose children obtained asthma control. CONCLUSIONS: PACQLQ is a useful tool for monitoring asthma in children. The implementation of the PACQLQ would be helpful in involving parents in therapy of their children with asthma

Effect of montelukast on lung function and clinical symptoms in patients with cystic fibrosis

Inflammatory process contributes to progressive lung tissue damage in cystic fibrosis(CF). Cysteinyl leukotrienes have been found in the sputum of CF patients at concentrations sufficienttocausepotentbiologicaleffect. This study was designed to assess the effect of anti-inflammatory treatment with montelukast sodium in CF patients. Twelve patients, aged 6-29 were recruited. It was 20 week, placebo-controlled, and randomized, double blind, crossover trial. At first and last week of each treatment course spirometry and whole body plethysmography parameters (FEV1, PEF, FEF25/75%, VC, TGV, Raw and RV) and clinical wheezing and cough scale were measured. In montelukast group significantimprovementinFEV1(mean&plusmn;SD,54,6 &plusmn; 22,6 before and 62 &plusmn; 19,0 after treatment, p = 0.0112) and FEF25/75% (28,9 &plusmn; 23,0 before and 37,5 &plusmn; 25,5 after treatment, p = 0.0053) were observed. Compared with placebo montelukast significantly improved FEV1(p = 0.0032),PEF(p = 0.0298)andFEF25/75%(p = 0.0091).There was no significant difference in VC, TGV, RawandRV. Montelukast compared with placebo significantlydecreasedcough(p < 0.0001)andwheezing(p = 0.0002)score. In summary, therapy with montelukast may provide clinical benefit to patients with CF

Opracowanie oraz analiza trafności i rzetelności Kwestionariusza Wsparcia Społecznego Pacjent–Opiekun

Introduction: Social support is an important mediator between disease and psychological adjustment, both for the patient, as well as for the family members. The aim of the study was to develop the self-reported Patient-Caregiver Social Support Questionnaire (KWPO) and assess the initial reliability and validity of this tool. Material and methods: A total of 102 cancer-caregiver dyads completed the KWPO. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were analyzed. Results: Reliability of the KWPO can be considered satisfactory with a Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.89 to 0.923. The mean Content Validity Ratio ranged between 0.85 to 0.92. A four-factor model with the multidimensional aspect of the construct in social support was supported. The fit indices of CFA non-hierarchical model for a flat model was eligible in the goodness of fit index (GFI) (0.943–0.982), the adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) (0.921–0.975), the comparative fit index (CFI) (0.703–0.968) and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) (0.656–0.963) for received social support, with exception of the root mean square error for caregivers demanded (RMSE) (0.112). Conclusions: The KWPO can be considered as suitable for measuring social support in cancer-caregivers dyads. It can be used to help Healthcare professionals to assess the patient’s need for social support and caregiver’s competences to provide it.Wstęp: Wsparcie społeczne jest istotnym mediatorem pomiędzy chorobą nowotworową a psychologicznym dostosowaniemsię do niej, zarówno wśród pacjentów, jak i ich członków rodzin. Celem tego badania było stworzenieKwestionariusza Wsparcia Społecznego Pacjent-Opiekun (KWPO) oraz wstępna ocena jego rzetelności oraz trafności. Materiał i metody: 102 pary pacjentów i ich opiekunów wypełniło KWPO. Następnie przeanalizowano rzetelnośćoraz trafność badanego narzędzia. Wyniki: Alfa Cronbacha narzędzia znajdowała się w zakresie od 0,89 do 0,92, trafność narzędzi znajdowała się w zakresieod 0,85 do 0,92. Potwierdzono czteroczynnikowy model wsparcia społecznego. Testowany model wskazuje napłaską, nieortogonalną strukturę poszczególnych wymiarów wsparcia społecznego z następującymi współczynnikamidopasowania: GFI (0.943–0.982), AGFI (0.921–0.975), CFI (0.703–0.968) TLI (0.656–0.963). Wnioski: KWPO jest odpowiednim narzędziem do pomiaru wsparcia społecznego wśród pacjentów chorującychz powodu nowotworu oraz ich opiekunów. Można z niego korzystać w celu oceny zapotrzebowania na wsparcieu chorego oraz możliwości jego udzielenia u członka rodziny

Home parenteral nutrition a life-saving therapy in a primary intestinal lymphangiectasia patient affecting the entire GI tract - 3 year follow-up case report

Introduction and Importance: Primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (PIL) is a rare protein-losing gastroenteropathy of unknown etiology, characterized by impaired lymphatic vessels drainage. The pathological changes in PIL result in usually localized or diffuse dilatation of intestinal lacteals, leading to leakage of lymphatic fluid rich of proteins, lymphocytes, and immunoglobulins into the intestinal lumen. PIL may be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic in moderate forms of the disease. In some patients, though, the outcome may be poor or even life-threatening. This case report demonstrates the severity of protein malnutrition, in some cases, and the extent of GI tract affected, requiring to start PN early and the need for its continuation as home parenteral nutrition (HPN). Case presentation: We present a case of 39-year-old male with Factor V Leiden deficiency, who presented initially with symptoms of malnutrition and anasarca. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological findings pathognomonic for PIL from biopsies of the stomach, small intestine and colon. Clinical discussion: The patient was started on low fat, high protein parenteral nutrition from the beginning of the treatment and required a long-term HPN for 3 years, because trials of tapering off and discontinuation of PN led to worsening of the biochemical results and recurrence of symptoms. Patient gradually improved and stabilized with persistent nutritional support. Conclusions: The presented case report shows the magnitude of nutritional support (HPN) needed for severe PIL patients. HPN offers PIL patients with poor outcome and life-threatening complications a chance to improve and lead a normal life

Taste disorders in the elderly

Sykuła Magdalena, Stelmach Aleksandra, Szacoń Monika, Kuśmierz Katarzyna, Sutuła Małgorzata, Rząca Marcin, Kachaniuk Hanna. Taste disorders in the elderly. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(12):501-516. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1123528 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5136 https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/sedno-webapp/works/842243 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; 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: 10.11.2017. Revised: 15.11.2017. Accepted: 21.12.2017. Taste disorders in the elderly Magdalena Sykuła, Aleksandra Stelmach, Monika Szacoń, Katarzyna Kuśmierz, Małgorzata Sutuła, Marcin Rząca, Hanna Kachaniuk Introduction: Disorders of the sense of taste mainly affect the elderly. There are many factors that contribute to their development, including various types of chronic diseases, polypharmacy, and the use of stimulants. Taste impairments lead to improper nutritional behaviour in the elderly, which may cause deterioration of their health and reduce their quality of life. Goal: The aim of the study was to estimate taste deficits in the elderly. Method: The participants were 24 persons aged 70–86. Sample size was limited by the number of available professional taste test kits (for identification of the four basic gustatory qualities: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). The respondents were assisted by a researcher to fill in a survey about their health status, eating habits, and subjective assessment of their taste function. Results: Most of the elderly persons assessed their taste function as being good, and the rating increased with the age of the participants. However, the organoleptic test showed that taste identification became less accurate with age. The participants had the greatest trouble recognizing the salty (58%) and sour (79%) tastes and had much less difficulty identifying the sweet (96%) and bitter (92%) tastes. The subjects' perception of taste became less and less intense with age. Conclusions: The seniors were the least likely to accurately recognize the salty taste. With age, the accuracy of identification of sweet, sour, bitter and salty gustatory qualities became lower. The positive subjective assessment of the taste function in the elderly did not go hand in hand with their actual taste perception, which declined with age. The use of stimulants such as alcohol and tobacco, pharmacological treatment of chronic diseases, and use dental prostheses reduced the perceived intensity of taste. The taste disorders observed among the elderly can lead to dietary mistakes and thus negatively affect their health. Key words: dysgeusia, seniors, eating habits, health risk

Genetic diversity structure of western-type carrots

Abstract: Background: Carrot is a crop with a wide range of phenotypic and molecular diversity. Within cultivated carrots, the western gene pool comprises types characterized by different storage root morphology. First western carrot cultivars originated from broad-based populations. It was followed by intercrosses among plants representing early open-pollinated cultivars, combined with mass phenotypic selection for traits of interest. Selective breeding improved root uniformity and led to the development of a range of cultivars differing in root shape and size. Based on the root shape and the market use of cultivars, a dozen of market types have been distinguished. Despite their apparent phenotypic variability, several studies have suggested that western cultivated carrot germplasm was genetically non-structured. Results: Ninety-three DcS-ILP markers and 2354 SNP markers were used to evaluate the structure of genetic diversity in the collection of 78 western type open-pollinated carrot cultivars, each represented by five plants. The mean percentage of polymorphic loci segregating within a cultivar varied from 31.18 to 89.25% for DcS-ILP markers and from 45.11 to 91.29% for SNP markers, revealing high levels of intra-cultivar heterogeneity, in contrast to its apparent phenotypic stability. Average inbreeding coefficient for all cultivars was negative for both DcS-ILP and SNP, whereas the overall genetic differentiation across all market classes, as measured by FST, was comparable for both marker systems. For DcS-ILPs 90–92% of total genetic variation could be attributed to the differences within the inferred clusters, whereas for SNPs the values ranged between 91 to 93%. Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components enabled the separation of eight groups cultivars depending mostly on their market type affiliation. Three groups of cultivars, i.e. Amsterdam, Chantenay and Imperator, were characterized by high homogeneity regardless of the marker system used for genotyping. Conclusions: Both marker systems used in the study enabled detection of substantial variation among carrot plants of different market types, therefore can be used in germplasm characterization and analysis of genome relationships. The presented results likely reveal the actual genetic diversity structure within the western carrot gene pool and point at possible discrepancies within the cultivars’ passport data