Biophotonics methods for functional monitoring of complications of diabetes mellitus

The prevalence of diabetes complications is a significant public health problem with a considerable economic cost. Thus, the timely diagnosis of complications and prevention of their development will contribute to increasing the length and quality of patient life, and reducing the economic costs of their treatment. This article aims to review the current state-of-the-art biophotonics technologies used to identify the complications of diabetes mellitus and assess the quality of their treatment. Additionally, these technologies assess the structural and functional properties of biological tissues, and they include capillaroscopy, laser Doppler flowmetry and hyperspectral imaging, laser speckle contrast imaging, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and imaging, fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging, optical coherence tomography, optoacoustic imaging and confocal microscopy. Recent advances in the field of optical noninvasive diagnosis suggest a wider introduction of biophotonics technologies into clinical practice and, in particular, in diabetes care units

Increased endothelin-1 and diminished nitric oxide levels in blister fluids of patients with intermediate cold type complex regional pain syndrome type 1

BACKGROUND: In complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) pro-inflammatory mediators and vascular changes play an important role in the sustained development and outcome of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of vasoactive substances endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) during early chronic CRPS1. METHODS: Included were 29 patients with CRPS 1 who were diagnosed during the acute stage of their disease and observed during follow-up visits. Disease activity and impairment were determined and artificial suction blisters were made on the CRPS1 and the contralateral extremities for measurements of IL-6, TNF-α, ET-1 and nitrate/nitrite (NOx). RESULTS: The levels of IL-6, TNF-α and ET-1 in blister fluid in the CRPS1 extremity versus the contralateral extremity were significantly increased and correlated with each other, whereas NOx levels were decreased. CONCLUSION: The NOx/ET-1 ratio appears to be disturbed in the intermediate stage of CRPS, resulting in vasoconstriction and consequently in a diminished tissue blood distribution

Assessment of the impact of the rehabilitation procedure on functional and clinical condition of patients with coxarthrosis

Objectives: Coxarthosis is one of the most frequent reasons for disability of people at the age of 50 and more. The chronic and progressive nature of this disease makes it a common reason for impairment of the patient’s functional and clinical condition. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of the rehabilitation procedure on functional and clinical condition of patients with coxarthrosis measured with the WOMAC and Lequesne Indexes. Material and methods: The study included 85 patients, among whom 50 patients were treated non-invasively (35 women and 15 men) and 35 were treated surgically (21 women and 14 men). All patients were provided with the physiotherapeutic treatments (point laser therapy power 100 mW dose 8 J, time 12 minutes), kinesitherapy (the patients did non-weight bearing exercises hip joint exercises, isometric exercises for muscles of the hip), and classical massage. All patients were provided with physiotherapeutic treatments for 10 days, excluding Saturdays and Sundays. The assessment of functional and clinical condition of patients with coxarthrosis was conducted using the WOMAC Questionnaire and the Lequesne Pain Index for the hip joint. The assessment of functional and clinical condition was carried out on the first and the last treatment day. Results: The rehabilitation procedure significantly improved functional and clinical condition of all patients. The greatest improvements were observed with surgically treated male patients who had been ill for less than 10 years. Conclusions: The proposed rehabilitation procedure significantly improves functional and clinical condition of patients with coxarthrosis. Disease duration, female sex and non-invasive treatment are factors influencing on the efficiency of rehabilitation for patients with coxarthrosis. The results suggest the necessity of using rehabilitation procedures in patients with coxarthrosis

Visual assessment of voice disorders in patients with occupational dysphonia

[b]introduction[/b]. In a group of persons using the voice occupationally, the frequent symptoms are hoarseness, voice fatigability and aphonia. Pathological changes in the larynx may have organic or functional character which require different methods of treatment and rehabilitation. Visualization of vibrations of the vocal folds is an essential condition for an appropriate assessment of the causes of dysphonia. [b]objective[/b]. The purpose of the study is assessment of the usefulness of a high-speed imaging (HSI) system in the diagnosis of functional and organic dysphonia of occupational character, compared with digital kymography (DKG) and digital stroboscopy (DS) with a high resolution module. [b]material and methods[/b]. The study group consisted of 64 patients with voice quality disorders with features of occupational dysphonia. The control group consisted of 15 patients with euphonic voice. Analysis of the voice quality parameters during phonation of the ‘e’ vowel was performed using HSI, DKG and stroboscopy of high resolution, by means of a digital HS camera (HRES Endocam, Richard Wolf GmbH, Knittlingen, Germany). Vocal folds vibrations were registered at the rate of 4,000 frames per second. [b]results[/b]. HSI is the most reliable diagnostic tool giving the possibility of an analysis of the true vibrations of the vocal folds. It also enables an observation of the aperiodicity of vibrations of the vocal folds, while DS with high resolution allows diagnosis of the periodicity of the vibrations. [b]conclusions[/b]. HSI is particularly useful in the diagnosis of neurologically-based pathology of the voice (paralytic dysphonia) and organic dysphonia. The quickest method of diagnosing the phonatory paresis of the glottis is DKG. The advantage of both HSI and DKG is the non-invasiveness of examinations; however, their limitations are time-consuming and the high cost of equipment

Balneoterapia w leczeniu reumatoidalnego zapalenia stawów i choroby zwyrodnieniowej stawów

  Choroby reumatyczne są to autoimmunologiczne schorzenia o charakterze zapalnym, o postępującym i przewlekłym przebiegu. Celem pracy było omówienie znaczenia metod balneofizykoterapeutycznych w terapii reumatoidalnego zapalenia stawów i choroby zwyrodnieniowej stawów. Z przedstawionego przeglądu literatury wynika, że zabiegi te stosowane u pacjentów z reumatoidalnego zapalenia stawów lub chorobą zwyrodnieniową stawów pozwalają na uzyskanie efektu przeciwbólowego, przeciwzapalnego. Poprawa jakości życia, zmniejszenie liczby leków przeciwbólowych oraz przedłużenie okresu remisji umożliwia pacjentom prowadzenie „prawie normalnego życia”.

Visual assessment of voice disorders in patients with occupational dysphonia

[b]introduction[/b]. In a group of persons using the voice occupationally, the frequent symptoms are hoarseness, voice fatigability and aphonia. Pathological changes in the larynx may have organic or functional character which require different methods of treatment and rehabilitation. Visualization of vibrations of the vocal folds is an essential condition for an appropriate assessment of the causes of dysphonia. [b]objective[/b]. The purpose of the study is assessment of the usefulness of a high-speed imaging (HSI) system in the diagnosis of functional and organic dysphonia of occupational character, compared with digital kymography (DKG) and digital stroboscopy (DS) with a high resolution module. [b]material and methods[/b]. The study group consisted of 64 patients with voice quality disorders with features of occupational dysphonia. The control group consisted of 15 patients with euphonic voice. Analysis of the voice quality parameters during phonation of the ‘e’ vowel was performed using HSI, DKG and stroboscopy of high resolution, by means of a digital HS camera (HRES Endocam, Richard Wolf GmbH, Knittlingen, Germany). Vocal folds vibrations were registered at the rate of 4,000 frames per second. [b]results[/b]. HSI is the most reliable diagnostic tool giving the possibility of an analysis of the true vibrations of the vocal folds. It also enables an observation of the aperiodicity of vibrations of the vocal folds, while DS with high resolution allows diagnosis of the periodicity of the vibrations. [b]conclusions[/b]. HSI is particularly useful in the diagnosis of neurologically-based pathology of the voice (paralytic dysphonia) and organic dysphonia. The quickest method of diagnosing the phonatory paresis of the glottis is DKG. The advantage of both HSI and DKG is the non-invasiveness of examinations; however, their limitations are time-consuming and the high cost of equipment