Psychosomatic reaction to stress in primary care patients

Wstęp. Stres jest nieodłącznym elementem życia codziennego. Wywołują go każda nowa sytuacja i zadanie. Nie możemy żyć bez stresu, natomiast możemy sobie z nim radzić lepiej lub gorzej. Różne są strategie i style radzenia sobie ze stresem. Przedmiotem badań tego opracowania była analiza sposobu, w jaki ludzie - w tym przypadku pacjenci lecznictwa otwartego - radzą sobie ze stresem i jakie bywają psychosomatyczne następstwa zmagania się ze stresem. Materiał i metody. W badaniu korzystano z kwestionariusza CISS (Endlera i Parkera) oraz ze specjalnie przygotowanej ankiety. Populację badanych stanowiły dwie grupy: 80 osób - pacjenci z nadciśnieniem tętniczym oraz 74 osoby - pacjenci bez nadciśnienia tętniczego. Wszyscy badani mieścili się w przedziale wieku 20-70 lat. Wyniki. Na podstawie wyników badań stwierdzono, że podstawową reakcją na stres u pacjentów z nadciśnieniem tętniczym są różne formy obniżonego nastroju, podczas gdy u badanych bez nadciśnienia tętniczego występuje przewaga reakcji agresywnych. Wnioski. Stwierdzono, że osoby z nadciśnieniem tętniczym w radzeniu sobie ze stresem częściej stosują styl skoncentrowany na emocjach, natomiast badani bez nadciśnienia tętniczego zdecydowanie częściej stosują styl unikowy.Introduction. Stress is an intrinsic element of everyday life. Any new situation or task may cause stress. We cannot live without it but we can cope with it in ways that may be more or less successful. There are various strategies and styles of coping with stress. How can people - in this case patients of national health system - cope with stress and what psychosomatic consequences coping with stress may have, this is the subject of this study. Material and methods. Endler and Parker (CISS) questionnaire and specially prepared, dedicated questionnaire have been used in the study. The examined population covered two groups: 80 people suffering from hypertension arterialis and 74 people without hypertension arterialis. All examined persons were between 20 and 70 years old. Results. The results of the examination showed that various forms of worse mood are a basic reaction to stress in case of patients with hypertension arterialis. Whereas in case of patients not suffering from hypertension arterialis an aggressive reaction is more common. Conclusions. When coping with stress is concerned, the examination revealed that patients with hypertension arterialis more often use a style focused on emotions. On the other hand, in the second group, without hypertension arterialis, avoiding style was more often the method

The Use of Virtual Twins in the Robotic Yoghurt Mixing Process

This paper presents the results of computer simulations related to the selection and optimisation of parameters for a robotic yoghurt mixing process. The authors proposed a station configuration using the RobotStudio environment for off-line robot programming and virtual controller technology and determined the performance of the robotised production line. The main component of the study was a computer simulation of the station based on the Picking PowerPac package and Pick Master 3 program. As a result of the simulations, numerical values were obtained informing about the number of handled and rejected products, filled containers and the times of production cycles of the station

Management of confirmed mushroom poisoning

During the autumn season, it is common for mushroom pickers to eat poisonous mushrooms. This is due to many reasons, including the ignorance of pickers. The most common is the misidentification of inedible species as edible mushrooms. The result is poisoning, which in many cases requires hospitalization. This paper presents a case report of toadstool poisoning by a 62-year-old female patient. In addition, other relevant publications on intoxication, diagnostic methods and treatment are reviewed. The purpose of this paper is to present the management and treatment of a case of toadstool poisoning. The effects of mushroom poisoning can range from mild disorders, mainly gastrointestinal to organ failure and even death. Significant elevations of liver enzymes and prothrombin time are important in laboratory tests in cases of intoxication. Treatment most often involves specific antidotes, such as Sylimarin, Acetylcysteine. The diagnosis in most cases is made on the basis of the clinical picture and a thorough interview with the patient, and the diagnosis is established by detecting toxins in a urine test. The prognosis is better if patients with toadstool poisoning are admitted to the hospital early. It is worth noting that gastrointestinal syndromes can also result from eating raw or inadequately cooked mushrooms, and by eating them excessively or too often. Proper diagnosis and treatment of mushroom poisoning can save lives. It is very important to raise public awareness of mushroom poisoning, as well as early detection of potential signs of intoxication. Cooperation with the poison center and mycologists is very important, especially in high-risk cases

Family and professional situation and life events in patients suffering from hypertension

Introduction. Whenever talking about the psychological and environmental factors of the risk of hypertension, the long-lasting psychological stress is listed as one of the main causes of this disorder. The sources of this stress, however, are rarely discussed. The aim of this study is to point out the possible sources of stress, to which patients suffering from hypertension are exposed to in the family and professional life, and to examine their links to this disorder. Material and methods. Special questionnaire has been prepared for this purpose. A survey was undertaken on 157 people who were public health service patients. The examined population consisted of two groups: 84 patients diagnosed with hypertension and 73 patients not suffering from this disorder. All examined persons were between 20 to 75 years old. Results. The survey results showed that people who have bad family or marriage relations or become widowed are more likely to suffer from hypertension. The survey also revealed that the professionally active people are definitely less affected by this disorder than the unemployed. Further, the risk of hypertension is highly increased by an illness of relatives (a spouse or a child) or a loss of a parent or a spouse. Patients who had had negative life events in the previous 10 years, particularly over the last year, are more affected by hypertension than those who had not had such events. Conclusion. As a result of this study, it became apparent that the risk of hypertension is linked to the various forms of the family and professional distress as well as negative life events.Wstęp. Ilekroć mowa o psychologicznych i środowiskowych czynnikach ryzyka rozwoju nadciśnienia tętniczego, zawsze wymienia się długotrwały stres psychologiczny jako jedną z głównych przyczyn tego zaburzenia, natomiast rzadko omawia źródła tego stresu. Celem prezentowanego opracowania było wskazanie ewentualnych źródeł stresu w życiu rodzinnym i zawodowym pacjentów z nadciśnieniem tętniczym oraz zbadanie ich związków z tym zaburzeniem. Materiał i metody. W tym celu została przygotowana specjalna ankieta. W sumie zbadano 157 osób - pacjentów lecznictwa otwartego. Populację badanych stanowiły dwie grupy: 84 pacjentów z rozpoznanym nadciśnieniem tętniczym oraz 73 osoby, u których nie stwierdzono nadciśnienia tętniczego. Wszyscy badani mieścili się w przedziale wieku 20-75 lat. Wyniki. Na podstawie wyników badań stwierdzono, że osoby mające złą atmosferę rodzinną, złe relacje w małżeństwie oraz osoby owdowiałe wykazują większe skłonności do rozwoju nadciśnienia. U osób czynnych zawodowo występowanie nadciśnienia tętniczego było zdecydowanie rzadsze niż u osób niepracujących. Rozwojowi nadciśnienia wyraźnie sprzyja choroba osób bliskich (współmałżonka i dziecka) oraz utrata rodzica lub współmałżonka. U pacjentów, u których wystąpiły negatywne wydarzenia życiowe w okresie minionych 10 lat, a zwłaszcza w ciągu ostatniego roku, obserwuje się częstsze występowanie nadciśnienia tętniczego w porównaniu z chorymi, u których takich wydarzeń nie było. Wnioski. Zagrożenie występowania nadciśnienia tętniczego istotnie wiąże się z różnymi formami dystresu rodzinnego i zawodowego, jak również negatywnymi wydarzeniami życiowymi

Dysregulation of transcription factor activity during formation of cancer-associated fibroblasts

The reciprocal interactions between cancer cells and the quiescent fibroblasts leading to the activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) serve an important role in cancer progression. Here, we investigated the activation of transcription factors (TFs) in prostate fibroblasts (WPMY cell line) co-cultured with normal prostate or tumorous cells (RWPE1 and RWPE2 cell lines, respectively). After indirect co-cultures, we performed mRNA-seq and predicted TF activity using mRNA expression profiles with the Systems EPigenomics Inference of Regulatory Activity (SEPIRA) package and the GTEx and mRNA-seq data of 483 cultured fibroblasts. The initial differential expression analysis between time points and experimental conditions showed that co-culture with normal epithelial cells mainly promotes an inflammatory response in fibroblasts, whereas with the cancerous epithelial, it stimulates transformation by changing the expression of the genes associated with microfilaments. TF activity analysis revealed only one positively regulated TF in the RWPE1 co-culture alone, while we observed dysregulation of 45 TFs (7 decreased activity and 38 increased activity) uniquely in co-culture with RWPE2. Pathway analysis showed that these 45 dysregulated TFs in fibroblasts co-cultured with RWPE2 cells may be associated with the RUNX1 and PTEN pathways. Moreover, we showed that observed dysregulation could be associated with FER1L4 expression. We conclude that phenotypic changes in fibroblast responses to co-culturing with cancer epithelium result from orchestrated dysregulation of signaling pathways that favor their transformation and motility rather than proinflammatory status. This dysregulation can be observed both at the TF and transcriptome levels

Trajectory Tracking Control of a Mobile Robot with the ROS System

This article provides a simulation and laboratory study of a control system for a two-wheeled differential-drive mobile robot with ROS system. The authors propose an approach to designing a control system based on a parametric model of the robots dynamics. The values of unknown parameters of the dynamic model have been determined by means of a Levenberg-Marguardt identification method. By comparing the desired trajectories with those obtained from simulation and laboratory tests, and based on errors analysis, the correctness of the model parameter identification process and the control system operation was then determined

Choice of medical specialty and personality traits measured with the EPQ-R(S) in medical students and specialist doctors

Objective: The study was conducted to examine the differences between personality traits of medical students choosing future specialties and among specialist doctors. Methods: Two groups were tested: students and specialist doctors, totaling 87 people. The former consisted of 5th and 6th year medical students (48 people), and the latter included doctors of various specialties (39 people). All statistical analyses were performed using Statistica 10 software. Statistical significance was set at p <0.05. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised Short form (EPQ-R(S)) was used to conduct personality assessments. Results: In the student group, there were no differences in the personality traits measured with the EPQ-R(S) depending on their preferred specialty (surgical, non-surgical, pediatric, internal medicine specialties or areas which do not require contact with the patient). In the group of doctors, there were no differences in personality traits measured with the EPQ-R(S) pediatric and surgical specialists. Internal medicine specialists had a significantly higher level of extraversion. Conclusion: Personality traits are not the most important factor influencing the choice of the professional path in young Polish doctors. Contrary to the stereotypes prevailing in the medical environment, also among specialist doctors, the personality-related differences are not so obvious. The results of this study can be used in medical career counseling, in order to help young medical students to choose their future career paths

Venous malformations in children - a literature review

Introduction: Venous malformations are congenital, the most occurring subtype of vascular malformations. They are characterized by slow flow, tortuosity and lack of macular layer within the vessel. Venous malformations can be highly problematic to diagnose and treat, thus differentiation the venous malformations with other diseases in pediatric population is important.   Aim of the study: The aim of the study is to summarize the available knowledge about venous malformation in pediatric population. The options in diagnosis, treatment and potential new methods were summarized and described. Materials and methods The literature available in the PubMed database was reviewed using the following keywords: “Vascular malformations”, “Venous Malformations”, “Venous malformations treatment, “Children”. Conclusions: Venous malformations are an important problem in pediatric population, as a seldom affliction they can be easily misdiagnosed as other diseases and treated inadequately. Widening of awareness of venous malformations and possible methods of diagnosing and treating them is very important to raise quality of health care in children

IQOS - new heat-not-burn tobacco products and its impact on health

Introduction: Iqos and other heat-not-burn products according to tobacco companies are a safer alternative to cigarettes. The aim of this article is to objectively review the potential impact of iQOS® on human health by searching for and integrating published research findings. This article provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the scientific research conducted on the effects of Iqos use on human health, distinguishing between specific medical fields. Materials and methods: This study is based on medical articles collected from the PubMed database spanning the years 2016-2023. The research was conducted through the analysis of keywords such as "Iqos", "Heat not burn", and "Iqos health impact".&nbsp; Results: Tobacco heaters are seen as potentially less harmful. However, emerging research on their harmfulness clearly shows that despite reduced concentrations of compounds hazardous to health, the aerosol produced by heaters still contains the same harmful substances. Further studies show that the toxic impact of the aerosol is at a similar level to that of smoke from traditional cigarettes