The phenomenon of synaesthesia in phantom limbs — therapeutic treatment

Phantom pains, appearing as a consequence of the amputation of a limb, have their source in the work of human brain. Many authors claim that the development and intensification of these sensations are connected to the neuroplasticity of the brain. Difficulties in the estimation of the circumstances, as well as patients’ ineffective attempts to palliate the pain, make the problem a vitally important issue. Pharmacotherapy is still a dominant and popular form of treatment. This paper serves to describe the causes of phantom pains and to discuss the possible treatment techniques, namely physiotherapy and unconventional therapeutic methods. The effectiveness of physiotherapy depends mainly on the accurate choice of the physiotherapeutic method or concrete treatment. The reactions of tissues to a stimulus and the obtaining desirable reaction of the human organism allow for achieving proper homeostasis and limiting pain. There are many areas of medicine where physiotherapy has proved to be successful, and its usefulness in the management of the phantom sensations should be also assessed

Evaluation of blood prothrombotic parameters under the influence of physical activity

Introduction. Blood is a suspension of cellular components in plasma. Its viscosity is affected by haematocrit, the aggregation ability of erythrocytes and the viscosity of plasma, conditioned by high-molecular fibrinogen proteins or lipoprotein. The increase of blood viscosity occurs in the course of many diseases leading to the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Material and methods. The study involved 50 patients with femoral-popliteal type of occlusion in stage IIB according to Fontaine’s classification. Before the training, the patients underwent a treadmill test evaluating claudication distance. The proposed training included physical exercise performed 3 times a week and lasting 30 minutes for a period of 6 months. Before and after the training, venous blood samples for laboratory tests were taken to determine the values of haematocrit, haemoglobin, as well as phosphatase and calcium D-dimers. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of training on selected blood rheological parameters. In addition, the change in BMI values and the length of distance of relative claudication were evaluated in the prospect of changes in laboratory values. Results. The applied training contributed to the reduction of selected blood parameters. Statistical significance was observed at p < 0.0001 for D-dimers, haematocrit and phosphatase. The changes in BMI values were reflected in the results of D-dimers and phosphatase. A statistical significance also occurred in the case of the extension of claudication distance and changes in the values of D-dimers, haematocrit and phosphatase. Conclusions. The supervised training had an impact on the reduction of prothrombotic blood parameters. Health-oriented physical exercise can contribute to body weight decrease and painless distance extension

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Health Resort Reaction

Incident tissue-damaging factors trigger a systemic response manifested by inflammatory reaction. Acute-phase proteins are a diagnostic and prognostic marker in various systemic homeostasis disorders. In the course of health resort therapy, a so-called health resort reaction is observed presenting with, e.g., exacerbation of organ-related disorders, elevated body temperature, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and leukocyte counts. The objective of the study was to demonstrate a change in the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a result of health resort radon therapy as well as to determine the relationship between this change and the phenomenon known as health resort reaction. The study was conducted in Swieradow-Zdroj resort. The study population consisted of patients undergoing radon-active water bath treatment. Standard tests were used to determine CRP levels before the treatment as well as 5 and 18 days into the treatment. The study group consisted of n = 34 patients with osteoarthritis and spondyloarthritis. The control group consisted of 17 employees of the health resort who were also burdened with osteoarthritis or spondyloarthritis yet did not undergo radon therapy and had absolutely no contact with radon materials. The study revealed no statistically significant increase in the concentration of CRP. This trial is registered with NCT03274128. The study was carried out as part of the statutory task SUB.E060.19.001

Assessment of the Short-Term Effects after High-Inductive Electromagnetic Stimulation of Pelvic Floor Muscles: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Study

Background: Physiotherapy should be performed by patients with stress or mixed urinary incontinence (SUI and MUI) to increase the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs). A method that can positively affect the pelvic floor is stimulation with high-inductive electromagnetic stimulation (HIES). The aim of the study was to evaluate the PFMs after the application of HIES in women with SUI and MUI by using surface electromyography (sEMG). Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, single-blind study with a sham intervention group. The participants were randomly assigned to the HIES group or sham group. The outcomes were features of the bioelectrical PFM activity assessed using sEMG and endovaginal probes. A single-session intervention in the HIES group included 20 min of HIES with an electromagnetic induction intensity of 2.5 T. Results: In the HIES group, there was a statistically significant difference in the PFM sEMG activity during “contractions” (p < 0.001) and “quick flicks” (p = 0.005). In the intergroup comparison, higher PFM sEMG activity after the intervention (“contraction”) was observed in the HIES group than in the sham group (after: p = 0.047; 1 h after: p = 0.017). Conclusions: The assessed HIES method seems effective for SUI and MUI patients in the short term and shows an advantage over the sham intervention in the assessment of PFM contractions

Assessment of the Elastographic and Electromyographic of Pelvic Floor Muscles in Postmenopausal Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

Background. Shear wave elastography is an effective method for studying the condition of various musculoskeletal soft tissues. The primary aim of this study was the objective elastographic and electromyographic assessment of the pelvic floor during the rest and contraction of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) in postmenopausal women. Methods. This was a prospective observational study that was carried out at the University Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland, between January 2017 and December 2019. Patients. The target group of the study included postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. The primary outcomes were the features of the elastographic assessment of the pelvic floor during rest and contraction of the PFM obtained using shear wave elastography. Results. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study, 14 patients took part in the measurements. There was a significant difference between the elastographic assessment of the pelvic floor during rest and contraction of the PFM at all locations in front of the urethra. No statistically significant correlation was found between the results of elastography and the bioelectrical activity of PFM. Conclusion. The elasticity of the periurethral structures is higher during active pelvic floor muscle contraction than at rest, it seems that shear wave elastography is an effective test that objectively assesses the strength of PFM contraction

Prognoza zachorowań na cukrzycę typu 2 wg kwestionariusza FINDRISC

Introduction. Diabetes is not only an issue related to secretory organs or complications permanently attached to any ongoing disease process, but it is also an issue of public health as it is one of the four top priority non-contagious diseases the entire world is fighting against. The aim of this research was to assess the risk of possible diabetes incidence amongst a group of test subjects which may occur in the next decade. The study was based on a FINDRISC questionnaire. Material and methods. The research group were comprised of 100 responders at the ages of 18 to 88, including 70 female and 30 male subjects. The mean age of the men was 47.6 ± 19.98 years, while for the women it was 53.61 ± 18.31 years. Results. The results obtained in the questionnaire showed that the risk of diabetes incidence increased in subjects who turned 55 years of age in comparison to the younger responders. The risk of developing diabetes increased with the increase of BMI at the correlation coefficient 0.657 and p < 0.001. Conclusions. Genetic affinity was determined to be an irrelevant variable in the risk of developing diabetes. Both BMI and the age were strong factors determining the future risk of diabetes incidence.StreszczenieCukrzyca to nie tylko problem narządów wydzielniczych oraz powikłań na stałe wliczonych w trwający proces chorobowy, to również problem zdrowia publicznego stanowiący jeden z czterech priorytetowych chorób niezakaźnych, któremu wydano walkę na całym świecie.Celem badań była ocena prawdopodobieństwa wystąpienia cukrzycy wśród badanych respondentów w najbliższej dekadzie, ocenianej na podstawie kwestionariusza FINDRISK. Materiał stanowiło 100 respondentów w wieku 18-88 lat; 70 kobiet i 30 mężczyzn. Średnia wieku mężczyzn wyniosła 47.6 +/- 19.98 lat, zaś średnia wieku kobiet 53.61 +/- 18.31 lat.Wyniki. Osoby po 55 roku życia cechowały się większym prawdopodobieństwem zachorowania na cukrzycę według wyników kwestionariusza niż ich młodsi respondenci. Wraz ze wzrostem BMI proporcjonalnie wzrastało ryzyko zachorowania przy współczynniku korelacji 0.657 i p < 0.001. Wnioski. Powinowactwo genetyczne okazało się być nieistotną zmienną wskazującą na ryzyko zachorowania na cukrzycę. Zarówno BMI jak i wiek stanowiły silne predykatory stanowiące ryzyko zachorowania na cukrzycę