Johna Locke’a rozumienie autonomii osoby ludzkiej jako źródło współczesnej koncepcji autonomii pacjenta

In philosophical and social history, John Locke is known as the initiator of the classic form of empiricism and the theoretical basis of democratic rule. One of the consequences of his empirical philosophy and, at the same time, the basis of his theory of the state and law was his concept of the human person and his autonomy. In this theory, a person is understood as a human being who is able to see himself as integral in different times and in different places. Personal autonomy means that a human being as a person is in possession of himself, that he has the right of self-ownership, thanks to which he also has legal rights. This article demonstrates that the fundamental principle of respect for the patient’s autonomy which is generally accepted and treated as obvious in the modern world has its roots in Locke’s thoughts.John Locke przeszedł do historii myśli filozoficznej i społecznej jako twórca klasycznej postaci empiryzmu oraz teoretycznych podstaw rządów demokratycznych. Konsekwencją jego empiryzmu i zarazem podstawą jego teorii państwa i prawa była wypracowana przezeń koncepcja osoby ludzkiej i jej autonomii. Wedle tej koncepcji osoba to człowiek zdolny ująć samego siebie jako tożsamego w różnych czasach i miejscach. Autonomia człowieka natomiast polega na tym, że człowiek jako osoba posiada samego siebie, ma względem samego siebie prawo własności i dzięki temu właśnie jest podmiotem na płaszczyźnie działań prawnych. W artykule wykazuje się, że przyjmowana współcześnie powszechnie i z poczuciem oczywistości zasada bezwzględnego poszanowania autonomii pacjenta ma swe źródło w ustaleniach Locke’a

Leibniz jako prekursor zdrowia publicznego

This article argues that the proposals concerning the organization of medical activities put forward by Leibniz make it possible to consider him as a precursor of public health. His proposals can be analyzed with reference to three aspects: research, organizational-legal and didactic. Leibniz was clearly in favour of the creation of a holistic system of healthcare both regarding an individual and a social community which an individual belongs to. All his proposals were based on the assumption that the social dimension of healthcare was as important as the individual one, which is why he believed that healthcare activities should be coordinated at the level of the society and the entire state. Consistency in putting his proposals into practice can be expected to lead to the creation of a holistic model of public health – such activities began in the 19th century and continue – with increasing intensity – until the present. Leibniz’s proposals concerning healthcare are also connected with the issues in the philosophy of politics which he took up in his research and follow the Aristotelian belief which he shared that the common good of a given community is the ultimate aim of political activities.W artykule uzasadnia się, że propozycje Leibniza dotyczące organizacji działań medycznych pozwalają uznać go za prekursora zdrowia publicznego w trzech podstawowych aspektach: badawczym, organizacyjno-prawnym i wychowawczym. Leibniz zmierzał wyraźnie do stworzenia projektu całościowego systemu opieki zdrowotnej sprawowanej zarówno nad jednostką, jak i nad społecznością, w której jednostka żyje; wszystkie jego propozycje były czynione przy założeniu, że opieka zdrowotna ma nie tylko jednostkowy, lecz także społeczny wymiar, a jej realizacja wymaga koordynacji działań w skali społeczności i całego państwa. Gdyby te propozycje były konsekwentnie rozwijane, prowadziłyby do kształtowania holistycznego modelu zdrowia publicznego – i takie właśnie działania zaczęło podejmować od XIX wieku poczynając, a zostały one zdynamizowane w naszych czasach. Zarazem jego propozycje wpisują się w kontekst podejmowanej przezeń tematyki z zakresu filozofii polityki i są zgodne z żywionym przezeń arystotelesowskim przekonaniem, że właściwym celem działań politycznych jest dobro wspólne danej społeczności

Charles-Augustin Vandermonde (1727–1762) i jego utopia eugeniczna

The article presents the life and activities of Charles-Augustin Vandermonde, in particular his proposals to improve the human race through the proper matching of marriages. The innovative aspect of his eugenics was emphasized in the postulate of pairing people of different races, which was to increase the likelihood of producing good offspring. The utopian nature of the proposed actions was pointed out.W artykule przedstawiono życie i działalność Charlesa-Augustina Vandermonde’a, w szczególności jego propozycje ulepszania rodzaju ludzkiego poprzez właściwe kojarzenie małżeństw. Podkreślono nowatorski aspekt jego eugeniki wyrażający się w postulacie łączenia w pary osób odmiennych ras, co miało zwiększać prawdopodobieństwo wydania na świat dobrego potomstwa. Wskazano na utopijny charakter proponowanych działań

Influence of MLS laser radiation on erythrocyte membrane fluidity and secondary structure of human serum albumin

The biostimulating activity of low level laser radiation of various wavelengths and energy doses is widely documented in the literature, but the mechanisms of the intracellular reactions involved are not precisely known. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of low level laser radiation from an multiwave locked system (MLS) of two wavelengths (wavelength = 808 nm in continuous emission and 905 nm in pulsed emission) on the human erythrocyte membrane and on the secondary structure of human serum albumin (HSA). Human erythrocytes membranes and HSA were irradiated with laser light of low intensity with surface energy density ranging from 0.46 to 4.9 J cm(−2) and surface energy power density 195 mW cm(−2) (1,000 Hz) and 230 mW cm(−2) (2,000 Hz). Structural and functional changes in the erythrocyte membrane were characterized by its fluidity, while changes in the protein were monitored by its secondary structure. Dose-dependent changes in erythrocyte membrane fluidity were induced by near-infrared laser radiation. Slight changes in the secondary structure of HSA were also noted. MLS laser radiation influences the structure and function of the human erythrocyte membrane resulting in a change in fluidity

Polymorphisms of Homologous Recombination RAD51, RAD51B, XRCC2, and XRCC3 Genes and the Risk of Prostate Cancer

Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes may induce individual variations in DNA repair capacity, which may in turn contribute to the risk of cancer developing. Homologous recombination repair (HRR) plays a critical role in maintaining chromosomal integrity and protecting against carcinogenic factors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between prostate cancer risk and the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes involved in HRR, that is, RAD51 (rs1801320 and rs1801321), RAD51B (rs10483813 and rs3784099), XRCC2 (rs3218536), and XRCC3 (rs861539). Polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR-RFLP and Real-Time PCR in 101 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma and 216 age-and sex-matched controls. A significant relationship was detected between the RAD51 gene rs1801320 polymorphism and increased prostate cancer risk. Our results indicate that the RAD51 gene rs1801320 polymorphism may contribute to prostate cancer susceptibility in Poland

The influence of parity on the body mass of neonates

Abstract Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine whether there exists a positive correlation between the mother's parity and the child's weight on delivery. Materials and methods: A retrospective study has been conducted on a selected group of 86 multiriparas with three deliveries. Only in term babies of healthy mothers were taken into consideration. Data derived from cases has been analyzed by means of Microsoft Excel and Statistica 6.0 software. Results: In 65,1% of the cases, the birth weight of the second neonate exceeded the weight of the first one. The rate diminishes to 51,2% when we compare the third child with the second. In 2,3% of the records no changes have been observed. The abovementioned criteria enabled us to form three groups out of the initial cohort and perform further analysis. Conclusions: Significant correlation between birth weight of the first and second newborn has been found. No such correlation was found in the case of the second compared to the third delivery

A cap 0-dependent mRNA capture method to analyze the yeast transcriptome

Analysis of the protein coding transcriptome by the RNA sequencing requires either enrichment of the desired fraction of coding transcripts or depletion of the abundant non-coding fraction consisting mainly of rRNA. We propose an alternative mRNA enrichment strategy based on the RNA-binding properties of the human IFIT1, an antiviral protein recognizing cap 0 RNA. Here, we compare for Saccharomyces cerevisiae an IFIT1-based mRNA pull-down with yeast targeted rRNA depletion by the RiboMinus method. IFIT1-based RNA capture depletes rRNA more effectively, producing high quality RNA-seq data with an excellent coverage of the protein coding transcriptome, while depleting cap-less transcripts such as mitochondrial or some non-coding RNAs. We propose IFIT1 as a cost effective and versatile tool to prepare mRNA libraries for a variety of organisms with cap 0 mRNA ends, including diverse plants, fungi and eukaryotic microbes

Cell cycle regulation of embryonic stem cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking functional Pax7

The transcription factor Pax7 plays a key role during embryonic myogenesis and in adult organisms in that it sustains the proper function of satellite cells, which serve as adult skeletal muscle stem cells. Recently we have shown that lack of Pax7 does not prevent the myogenic differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. In the current work we show that the absence of functional Pax7 in differentiating embryonic stem cells modulates cell cycle facilitating their proliferation. Surprisingly, deregulation of Pax7 function also positively impacts at the proliferation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Such phenotypes seem to be executed by modulating the expression of positive cell cycle regulators, such as cyclin E

Valsartan in the treatment of primary hypertension : Polish multicenter, randomised studies

Wstęp Celem pracy jest ocena skuteczności hipotensyjnej i tolerancji walsartanu u pacjentów z łagodnym i umiarkowanym nadciśnieniem tętniczym pierwotnym. Metody Badaniami objęto 93 pacjentów (34K/60M), w wieku 18-80 lat (śr. 50 lat) z nadciśnieniem pierwotnym pochodzących z 6 ośrodków klinicznych w Polsce, u których przy końcu 2-tygodniowego stosowania placebo wartości ciśnienia rozkurczowego (DBP — diastolic blood pressure) mieściły się w granicach 95-115 mm Hg. Walsartan (Diovan®, Novartis) stosowano w jednorazowej dawce dobowej 80 mg przez 8 tygodni, z możliwością dodania hydrochlorotiazydu w dawce 12,5 mg/dobę po 4 tygodniach leczenia pacjentom, u których DBP nie spadło poniżej 95 mm Hg. Ciśnienie mierzono co 2 tygodnie metodą tradycyjną (standaryzowane manometry rtęciowe). Po okresie stosowania placebo (PA), po 4 i 8 tygodniach leczenia aktywnego u pacjentów wykonywano całodobową rejestrację ciśnienia tętniczego (ABPM) aparatem Spacelab 90121. Wyniki W dwóch 4-tygodniowych okresach badania uzyskano istotne statystycznie obniżenie ciśnienia tętniczego w porównaniu z okresem po PA. Ciśnienie skurczowe (SBP — systolic blood pressure) po 8 tygodniach leczenia obniżyło się ze 156 ± 14,8 mm Hg do 136 ± 15 mm Hg — mierzone metodą standardową oraz ze 144 ± 15,3 mm Hg do 134 ± 14,3 mm Hg — w rejestracji dobowej. Ciśnienie rozkurczowe obniżyło się odpowiednio z 103 ± 4,4 mm Hg do 89 ± 8,9 mm Hg — mierzone metodą standardową oraz z 98 ± 12,2 do 90 ± 12,9 mm Hg — w zapisie dobowym ABPM. U 61 osób poddanych monoterapii (Diovan®) po 8 tygodniach leczenia SBP średnio obniżyło się o 20 mm Hg, a DBP o 16 mm Hg — mierzone metodą standardową, a w zapisie dobowym ABPM odpowiednio o 9 i 8 mm Hg. U 32 pacjentów wymagających leczenia skojarzonego SBP po 8 tygodniach leczenia obniżyło się o 21 mm Hg, zaś DBP o 13 mm Hg — mierzone metodą standardową, a w zapisie dobowym odpowiednio o 12 i 9 mm Hg. Działania niepożądane w postaci bólów i zawrotów głowy, osłabienia i zgagi obserwowano u 6 pacjentów stosujących Diovan® i u 8 chorych leczonych metodą skojarzoną. Powyższe dolegliwości były umiarkowane i ustępowały w trakcie dalszego leczenia. Wnioski Walsartan jest skutecznym i dobrze tolerowanym lekiem hipotensyjnym zarówno w monoterapii, jak i w leczeniu skojarzonym z hydrochlorotiazydem.Background The aim of the study was the evaluation of valsartan’s efficacy and tolerance in patients with mild and moderate essential hypertension. Material and Methods The research carried out in six medical centres in Poland included 93 patients (60 male, 34 female), aged 18–80 (mean age: 50), with primary hypertension, whose diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at the end of a two-week placebo treatment ranged 95–115 mm Hg. Valsartan (Diovan®, Novartis) was administered as a single daily dose of 80 mg for 8 weeks. In case of patients whose DBP did not come down below 95 mm Hg after 4 weeks, a daily dose of 12,5 mg hydrochlorothiazide was added to the treatment. Blood pressure was measured with the traditional method (standardised mercurial manometers) every 2 weeks. After the period of placebo administration (PA), and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements (APBM) were performed with a Spacelab 90121 recorder. Results In both 4-week treatment periods, statistically significant reduction of blood pressure, as compared to the period of PA, was observed. After 8 weeks of treatment, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from 156 ± ± 14,8 mm Hg to 136 ± 15 mm Hg (standard measurement), and from 144 ± 15,3 mm Hg to 134 ± 14,3 mm Hg (ABPM). DBP decreased respectively from 103 ± ± 4,4 mm Hg to 89 ± 8,9 mm Hg (standard method) and from 98 ± 12,2 to 90 ± 12,9 mm Hg in ABPM. After 8 weeks, in 61 patients who underwent only valsartan treatment, SBP decreased by 20 mm Hg on average, and DBP decreased by 16 mm Hg in standard method, and in ABPM by 9 and 8 mm Hg, respectively. After 8 weeks, in 32 patients who required combination treatment, SBP decreased by 21 mm Hg on average, and DBP decreased by 13 mm Hg in standard method, and in ABPM by 12 and 9 mm Hg, respectively. Side effects in form of headache, vertigo, general weakness and pyrosis were observed in 6 patients taking valsartan and in 8 in the combination treatment group. The side effects were moderate and withdrew as the treatment continued. Conclusion Valsartan is an effective and well tolerated antihypertensive drug, both when administered in monotherapy and in combination with hydrochlorothiazide