Associations between physical activity, selected lifestyle factors, and quality of life during puerperium

Physical activity and a healthy lifestyle bring many benefits to the health of both mother and child and contribute to the improvement in the well-being of women. Regular exercise prevents depression and prepares the body for delivery and the puerperium, which is associated with significant changes in the quality of women's life. Aim of the study was to assess the impact of physical activity and selected lifestyle elements in pregnant women on their quality of life after birth. The study included 109 women after natural births and caesarean sections. The diagnostic survey method and questionnaire technique were used in the study. The author's questionnaire survey, the Quality of Life Questionnaire SF-36v2, and Ch. B. Corbin's Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire were applied. The study showed that 85% of the women led unhealthy lifestyles, while 67% of the interviewees were physically active during pregnancy. Proper diet, ability to control stress, and adherence to the advice of doctors contributed to a better quality of life after birth. It was demonstrated that women giving natural birth had a significantly lower quality of mental life compared to women giving birth through caesarean section. A relationship was demonstrated between selected elements of healthy lifestyle in pregnancy and the quality of life after birth. In the group studied, it was the way the pregnancy ended which determined the quality of life of the women. No statistically significant effect of physical activity on the quality of life was determined

The Filtering of the Posturographic Signals Shows the Age Related Features

Objective. Lower frequencies of slow oscillations of the posturographic signals can be removed using high-pass filtering. This procedure releases postural reflexes possessing higher frequencies and lower amplitude range. Mutual dependence between the x and y components of posturographic signals was analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). The posturographic signals of old patients with idiopathic gait disturbance were compared with the control group of similar age and with younger patients. There was also the analysis of the influence of the eyes state (open versus closed) and the head position (normal or bent back). The statistically significant differences in the mutual dependence between x and y components between the groups of patients were analyzed using MANOVA. The significant differences were observed mainly in the range of filter frequencies f=0.1–1.5 Hz and f=2.2–5.5 Hz with a maximum effect at approximately 4-5 Hz. A detailed post-hoc analysis is also presented. The differences in the higher frequency range suggest the main disturbance to be connected with the spinal reflexes. Visual and vestibular support appear insufficient for postural stability control in the idiopathic gait disturbance group. The results suggest that idiopathic gait disturbance is the final stage of the aging process of postural system

Molecular ghrelin system in the pancreatic acinar cells : the role of the polypeptide, caerulein and sensory nerves

Ghrelin (GHRL) is an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). Experimental studies showed that GHRL protects the stomach and pancreas against acute damage, but the effect of GHRL on pancreatic acinar cells was still undetermined. Aim: To investigate the effect of GHRL and caerulein on the functional ghrelin system in pancreatic acinar cells taking into account the role of sensory nerves (SN). Methods: Experiments were carried out on isolated pancreatic acinar cells and AR42J cells. Before acinar cells isolation, GHRL was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 50 µg/kg to rats with intact SN or with capsaicin deactivation of SN (CDSN). After isolation, pancreatic acinar cells were incubated in caerulein-free or caerulein containing solution. AR42J cells were incubated under basal conditions and stimulated with caerulein, GHRL or a combination of the above. Results: Incubation of isolated acinar cells with caerulein inhibited GHS-R and GHRL expression at the level of mRNA and protein in those cells. Either in rats with intact SN or with CDSN, administration of GHRL before isolation of acinar cells increased expression of GHRL and GHS-R in those cells and reversed the caerulein-induced reduction in expression of those parameters. Similar upregulation of GHS-R and GHRL was observed after administration of GHRL in AR42J cells. Conclusions: GHRL stimulates its own expression and expression of its receptor in isolated pancreatic acinar cells and AR42J cells on the positive feedback pathway. This mechanism seems to participate in the pancreatoprotective effect of GHRL in the course of acute pancreatitis

Capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves are necessary for the protective effect of ghrelin in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rats

Ghrelin was shown to exhibit protective and therapeutic effect in the gut. Aim of the study was to investigate the role of sensory nerves (SN) in the protective effect of ghrelin in acute pancreatitis (AP). Studies were performed on male Wistar rats or isolated pancreatic acinar cells. After capsaicin deactivation of sensory nerves (CDSN) or treatment with saline, rats were pretreated intraperitoneally with ghrelin or saline. In those rats, AP was induced by cerulein or pancreases were used for isolation of pancreatic acinar cells. Pancreatic acinar cells were incubated in cerulein-free or cerulein containing solution. In rats with intact SN, pretreatment with ghrelin led to a reversal of the cerulein-induced increase in pancreatic weight, plasma activity of lipase and plasma concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). These effects were associated with an increase in plasma interleukin-4 concentration and reduction in histological signs of pancreatic damage. CDSN tended to increase the severity of AP and abolished the protective effect of ghrelin. Exposure of pancreatic acinar cells to cerulein led to increase in cellular expression of mRNA for TNF-α and cellular synthesis of this cytokine. Pretreatment with ghrelin reduced this alteration, but this effect was only observed in acinar cells obtained from rats with intact SN. Moreover, CDSN inhibited the cerulein- and ghrelin-induced increase in gene expression and synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in those cells. Ghrelin exhibits the protective effect in cerulein-induced AP on the organ and pancreatic acinar cell level. Sensory nerves ablation abolishes this effect

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of a Shear Connection Made Using a Top-Hat Profile

The paper proposed a numerical model of a shear connection between a reinforced concrete slab and a steel shape. The connection was made using a top-hat profile. A method for conducting experimental research on shear connections in the composite structures was presented. Geometric dimensions and material parameters of the analysed model of connection, on which the experimental research was conducted, were noted. The results of the conducted experimental research were compared to the results of the numerical analysis performed using ANSYS software. displecement curves were analysed for both cases and any correlation between experimental and numerical results was noted

Impaired body balance control in adults with strabismus

AbstractPrevious studies revealed that people with binocular vision disorders have poor postural stability. However, most of the research was performed only on children and under binocular viewing condition, that could negatively affect the results. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of extra-ocular proprioceptive signals on postural stability in young adults with binocular vision disorders. Moreover, additional mental task was introduced to detect any postural compensation which could possibly hide the real influence of afferent extra-ocular signals.21 Subjects, aged 18–45 yrs, with horizontal strabismus, were qualified to binocular vision disorders (BVD) group. 41 subjects, aged 19–45 yrs, with no strabismus formed the normal binocular vision (NBV) group. Posturography data were collected in 2 separate parts: (1) quiet standing (Single-Task), and (2) performance of a mental task while standing (Dual-Task). Each part consisted of three 60-s viewing conditions, with: (1) dominant/fellow eye (DE), (2) non-dominant/strabismic eye (NDE), and with (3) both eyes closed (EC). Subjects were looking at X located at the distance of 150cm.Generally, BVD group showed elevated body balance during quiet stance compared to NBV group. Interestingly, better stabilization in BVD group occurred under NDE viewing. Surprisingly, additional mental task improved the postural stability in BVD group almost to the level of NBV group. These findings emphasize the role of the eye-muscle signals in postural control and suggest that suitable vision therapy can be the appropriate way to improve body balance/motor functions in people with binocular vision disorders

Wpływ reklamy na asortyment stosowanych leków na przeziębienie

INTRODUCTION The research is focused on the variety of OTC (over the counter) medications used to treat the common cold, with respect to sex, age, and educations of respondents, as well as the influence of advertising on purchasing such products. MATERIAL AND METHODS A survey including 131 respondents (74 women and 57 men) aged 19 to 65 years, was conducted in the Silesia Region (Poland). RESULT S AND CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that women more often than men fall victims of OTC cold medication advertisements and use a wider assortment of such medicines. The poorer the education of respondents, the lower the frequency with which they bought cold medications under the infl uence of advertising and were accustomed to a smaller assortment of such remedies. Persons with vocational or primary education had the most problems remembering the names of OTC cold drugs they self-administered during a cold. Respondents who purchased those medicines they knew from an advertisement used a richer assortment of OTC cold medications.WSTĘP Opracowanie dotyczy oceny różnorodności leków OTC (over the counter – leki bez recepty) stosowanych podczas leczenia przeziębienia, z uwzględnieniem płci, wieku i wykształcenia respondentów oraz wpływu reklamy na zakup tego typu preparatów. MATERIAŁ I METODY Badanie ankietowe przeprowadzono w województwie śląskim. Wzięło w nim udział 131 osób (74 kobiety i 57 mężczyzn) w wieku od 19 do 65 lat. WYNIKI I WNIOSKI Wyniki wskazują, że kobiety łatwiej ulegają wpływowi reklamy przy zakupie leków OTC na przeziębienie i stosują bogatszy asortyment tych leków niż mężczyźni. Im niższy poziom wykształcenia ankietowanych, tym rzadziej zaopatrują się oni w leki na przeziębienie znane im z reklamy i stosują mniejszy asortyment preparatów. Osoby z wykształceniem zawodowym lub podstawowym wykazują najsłabszą znajomość nazw leków stosowanych podczas przeziębienia. Respondenci częściej kupujący leki znane z reklamy stosują większy asortyment preparatów OTC podczas leczenia przeziębienia

Przeziębienie – zażywasz leki czy czekasz aż przejdzie?

INTRODUCTION Analysis of the frequency of using the following methods of treating a cold: the use of prescription medications, use of non-prescription drugs, or waiting for the disease to resolve spontaneously, as well as analysis of declared frequency with which package inserts provided with cold medications were read thoroughly was the objective of the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS The respondents were 129 persons from the Silesia Region (Poland), 73 of them were women, 56 of the subjects were men, all aged between 19 and 65 years old, without cold symptoms. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The results were as follows: in order to treat a cold, the respondents most often used over the counter drugs. Waiting passively for the disease to clear up was the least popular form of therapy. Younger persons more often than older ones ignored the symptoms and waited for them to disappear. Among the respondents declaring frequent or very frequent use of over the counter drugs during a cold, 30% were not interested in reading package inserts thoroughly.WSTĘP Celem niniejszej pracy była ocena popularności leczenia przeziębienia lekami na receptę, bez recepty lub czekania na samoistne ustąpienie objawów oraz analiza deklarowanej częstości dokładnego czytania ulotek dołączanych do opakowań leków na przeziębienie. MATERIAŁY I METODY W badaniu ankietowym wzięło udział 129 mieszkańców województwa śląskiego (73 kobiety i 56 mężczyzn) w wieku od 19 do 65 lat, bez objawów przeziębienia. WYNIKI I WNIOSKI Analiza wykazała, że podczas leczenia przeziębienia ankietowani najczęściej stosują leki bez recepty, a najrzadziej czekają na samoistne ustąpienie objawów. Osoby młodsze częściej niż osoby starsze ignorują objawy przeziębienia i czekają na ich samoistne ustąpienie. Wśród osób deklarujących częste i bardzo częste stosowanie preparatów bez recepty podczas przeziębienia około 30% nie jest zainteresowane dokładnym czytaniem ulotek informacyjnych dołączonych do leków