Variation in Indicators of Respiratory Functions among Warsaw Adolescents in Relation to Ambient Air Pollution and Smoking

This work presents results of studies on secondary school adolescents inhabiting two regions of Warsaw: Śródmieście district (Downtown) and Międzylesie (Wawer district - Vicinity), conducted in 2006. These two districts significantly differ according to air pollution, which is much higher in Downtown than in Vicinity. The sample consists of 219 boys and 225 girls aged 13-16 years. The measurements included body height and weight and 8 respiratory variables of lung function: VC, FEV1, TV, MV, IRV, ERV, Ap, RR. Additionally information about education of parents, number of children in family, number of rooms in a house/apartment, smoking habits of pupils and their parents were provided. Sib-sib size, parents education level and number of rooms in apartment or house were included in a principal component analysis (PCA) to obtain a common factor representing general socio-economic status (SES) for families. First factor scores were used as covariates in the further analysis. The influence of air pollution on respiratory variables was evaluated using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results show that there are significant relations of air pollution to Ap, MV and IRV and smoking habits of individuals on their MV and TV. In the heavier polluted region there are observed longer time of Ap and higher values of IRV. There is an opposite reaction of MV on air pollution and smoking. The MV values are lower in the heavier polluted area but presents greater values in smoking individuals. Also values of TV are greater if individuals smoke comparing with non smokers

Financial performance of public hospitals : a cross-sectional study among Polish providers

There is growing evidence of a positive association between health care providers’ financial standing and the quality of care. In Poland, the instable financial situation and growing debt of public hospitals has been a source of concern for more than two decades now. The objectives of this paper were to compare the financial performance of public hospitals in Poland, depending on the ownership and organizational form; and analyze whether there is an association between financial performance and the chosen variables. We conducted a cross sectional study covering the whole population of public hospitals operating in 2018. The total number of included units was 805. The hospitals’ financial outcomes were measured by several variables; Spearman’s rank correlation was calculated, and a multivariable logistic regression model was performed. In 2018, the majority of public hospitals in Poland (52%) generated a gross loss, while 40% hospitals had overdue liabilities. There were statistically significant differences between hospital groups, with university hospitals and those owned by counties (local hospitals) being in the most disadvantageous situation. Additionally, corporatized public hospitals performed worse than those functioning in the classic legal form of independent health care units. Urgent actions are needed to measure and monitor the potential impact of financial performance on the quality of care

Specyfika rozwoju osobniczego Homo sapiens na tle ssaków łożyskowych i Naczelnych

During ontogeny, there are many phenomena that significantly differentiate humans from other mammals, including Primates. The present considerations and analysis of regression applied for many species to illustrate allometric relations of developmental spurts of height and weight to final values of these parameters in adults, allow to compare processes of growth of Homo sapiens with other Primates and to submit the following results: In Homo sapiens, the maximal rate of growth in length and body mass exists at the prenatal period (during gestation), and after birth, it decelerates. In the evolution of human ontogeny, two new stages occurred: The first one is „childhood" which is manifested by slow body growth and intense brain development. The second one is named „adolescence" and includes pubertal spurt of many body variables. In Humans, as compare with other Primates, the infancy and juvenile stages had been shortened. Human puberty begins when the postnatal rate of growth in height and weight is the lowest since birth and there is a considerable delay in puberty and sexual maturation than in other Primates. The adolescent growth spurt shortens the time needed to reach sexual maturity, which could have been much longer as the result of a slow growth that childhood. Sexual dimorphism in the intensity of pubertal spurt of body mass is smaller in Humans than in other Primates. On the contrary,  sexual dimorphism in the onset of puberty and growth rate in height at this stage is rather well manifested. The adolescent stage is divided into two parts because there is a delay of years between puberty and the onset of the adult reproductive stage of life

Projekt Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) w Polsce

Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Project in PolandSocial and economical consequences of using tobacco products are commonly known. This is an issue of a global scale and requires systematic monitoring. The need of in depth examination of this issue concerns also Poland. In 2008 Polish Ministry of Health joined Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). This survey is conducted under Bloomberg Global Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. In Poland GATS is being coordinated by World Health Organization. Three institutions were selected to conduct the survey: Maria Sklodowska-Curie Oncology Center (Centrum Onkologii – Instytut im. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie), Pentor Research International and Warsaw Medical University (Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny). GATS survey is national, representative survey of households conducted amongst adult population. Globally standardized protocol is being used to implement the survey in Poland. The protocol has been adapted to the Polish needs and reality.The main aim of the project is to assess the usage of tobacco products and examination of the size of the problem, exposure to the tobacco smoke and perception, attitudes and knowledge regarding tobacco products use as well issues concerning taxes on tobacco products. Information gained during GATS will support tobacco control policy. Experience gained during the survey implementation will, in the future, allow building systematic monitoring system of tobacco use and other health behaviors in our country

Organotypic model of the gingiva for studying bacterial and viral pathogens implicated in periodontitis

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) tissue models bridge the gap between conventional two-dimensional cell cultures and animal models. The aim of this study was to develop an organotypic 3D gingival (OTG) model to provide a tool to investigate bacterial and viral pathogens in periodontitis. Methods: The OTG model composed of gingival fibroblasts (GFs) and telomerase- immortalized gingival keratinocytes (TIGKs) was constructed and applied to study infections by Porphyromonas gingivalis and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Immunohistochemical stain-ing, confocal microscopy, qPCR, titration techniques, and colony-forming unit counts were applied to interrogate epithelial markers expression, monitor P. gingivalis and HSV-1 presence, and evaluate the immune response along with the efficiency of antimicrobial drugs. Results: The OTG model resembled the morphology of the human gingiva. During infection, both pathogens penetrated deep into the tissue and persisted for a few days with P. gingivalis also forming a biofilm on the cell surface. The infection triggered the expression of inflammatory mediators in cells and both pathogens were efficiently eliminated by specific antimicrobials. Conclusions: Presented OTG model constitutes a simple and convenient tool to study the interaction between bacterial and viral pathogens within the gingival tissue, including penetration, persistence and biofilm formation. It is also suitable to examine the efficiency of antimicrobial drugs

Childhood and Adolescent Body Fat and Its Relationship with Health Outcome in 50 Year Old Males and Females: The Wroclaw Growth Study

The aim of the study was to estimate the association between relative weight in childhood and adolescence and its relationship with adult health outcome. Longitudinal data of the body mass index (BMI) from the Wroc³aw Growth Study (WGS) covering ages 8 to 18 and then a follow-up at 50 were used. At the age of 50, 124 males and 139 females in the longitudinal study underwent medical examination. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), total cholesterol (TCH), high density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HDL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol level (LDL), triglyceride level (TGL) and fasting glucose level (GLUC) were assessed by using standard techniques. The values of BMI were standardised with the LMS method. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship between health parameters and BMI at ages 8–18, adjusted for BMI at the age of 50, separately for different age categories and parameters, except for blood pressure where the usage of anti-hypertension medication was additionally used as a control variable. In males total cholesterol concentration showed a significant negative correlation with standardised BMI at ages 9–12 and 16 and 17. In females, only blood pressure showed a significant negative relationship with standardised BMI in all age categories reaching the highest values at age 15. The BMI in childhood and adolescence have only a weak effect on health outcome at age 50