Colonising Poland’s Historiography. Concerning Lenny A. Ureña Valerio’s Breakthrough Study

The present article assesses Prof. Lenny A. Ureña Valerio scholarly debut in a broader context of the present literature in the post-colonial field. The reviewer pays attention to the breakthrough nature of the analysed book which is one of the first to indicate the fact that the German imperial expansion into the Polish lands in 1840–1920 was closely related to the German colonial enterprise in Africa.Niniejszy artykuł ocenia naukowy debiut prof. Lenny A. Ureña Valerio w szerszym kontekście istniejącej literatury z obszaru studiów postkolonialnych. Recenzent zwraca uwagę na przełomowy w swoim zakresie charakter omawianej książki, która jako jedna z pierwszych wskazuje na fakt, iż niemiecka ekspansja imperialna na ziemiach polskich w latach 1840–1920 była ściśle powiązana z działaniami Rzeszy w Afryce

Complex regional pain syndrome of the upper limb: A review

In this paper, we present some impressions and thoughts about CRPS which we found useful in our proceedings with CRPS patients. The clinical sub-types of the CRPS are presented and differences in their characteristics are discussed. The current pathophysiological concepts for CRPS are outlined. Diagnostic criteria are presented and critically discussed. Both classification and diagnosing have translation on research and clinical practice. Treatment modalities are provided, addressing separately acute/early and chronic forms of the syndrome. The “Szczecin” protocol of management of early CRPS is presented in details. Some information about prevention of the syndrome is given. We believe that the information presented may support doctors in resolving their diagnostic dilemmas associated with CRPS

Effectiveness of complex regional pain syndrome treatment: A systematic review

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a descriptive term for a complex of symptoms and signs typically occurring following trauma of the extremity. Typical symptomatology includes severe pain, swelling, vasomotor instability and functional impairment of the affected limb. At present there is no one, effective method of treatment of the condition. A large number of treatments have been investigated but major multicentre randomized controlled trials are lacking. This study presents the results of a systematic review of the evidence on effectiveness of treatment methods in CRPS. It is a follow-up to earlier reviews of randomized controlled trials on CRPS treatment published between 1966 and 2016. Results. The review of randomized controlled trials showed that only bisphosphonates were found to give uniformly positive effects, statistically significantly better than placebo. Improvement has been reported with topical dimethyl sulfoxide, systemic steroids, spinal cord stimulation and graded motor imagery/mirror therapy programmes. The available evidence does not support the use of other treatments in CRPS, however they are frequently used in clinical practice. Conclusion Available evidence, although numerous, does not necessarily reflect what is truly effective and what is sham in the management of CRPS

Porównanie wyników leczenia zespołu kanału nadgarstka w różnych grupach wiekowych

Background and purpose The age of the patient at the onset of the disease may influence its course and outcome of the treatment. The objective of this study was to compare outcomes of carpal tunnel release in patients in different age ranges. Material and methods The records from the register of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome who were operated on in the authors’ department over a period of two years (between 2009 and 2011) were analyzed. A total of 386 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, 322 female (83%) and 64 male (17%) with a mean age of 57 (range: 30–81) years were divided into three sub-groups according to their age: 40 years or less (n = = 28), 41–65 years (n = 248) and over 65 years (n = 73). All patients received mini-open carpal tunnel release. The results were assessed at 6 months after the operation by the Levine questionnaire and measurements of grip and pinch strengths as well as sensation of a light touch by the filament test. Results At the six-month follow-up, all patients showed significant resolution of symptoms as assessed by the Levine symptom score (from 3.3 to 1.4) and significant improvement of the dexterity of the hand, as assessed by the Levine function score (from 3.0–3.2 to 1.6–1.8). All patients showed significant improvement of sensation of a light touch and increase of grip and pinch strengths. However, patients older than 60 years showed less improvement of the total grip strength of the hand. Conclusion Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome at any age may expect a similar benefit from surgery.Wstęp i cel pracy Wiek pacjentów w momencie zachorowania może mieć wpływ na przebieg choroby i wyniki jej leczenia. Celem pracy było porównanie wyników leczenia operacyjnego zespołu kanału nadgarstka u osób w różnych grupach wiekowych. Materiał i metody Analizie poddano dane z rejestru chorych z zespołem kanału nadgarstka, którzy byli operowani w ośrodku autorów w latach 2009–2011. Grupę 386 chorych z zespołem kanału nadgarstka, 322 kobiety (83%) i 64 mężczyzn (17%), których średnia wieku wynosiła 57 lat (zakres: 30–81 lat), podzielono na 3 podgrupy wiekowe: ≥ 40 lat (n = 28), 41–65 lat (n = 248) i > 65 lat (n = 73). Wszyscy chorzy byli leczeni chirurgicznie za pomocą odbarczenia kanału nadgarstka metodą otwartą, małoinwazyjną. Wyniki oceniono po 6 miesiącach od operacji za pomocą kwestionariusza Levine'a, pomiarów siły chwytów: globalnego, klucza i trzypunktowego, oraz czucia dotyku testem filamentowym. Wyniki W badaniu kontrolnym po 6 miesiącach u wszystkich chorych zanotowano istotne zmniejszenie dolegliwości bólowych i poprawę sprawności ręki (zmniejszenie średniej punktacji objawowej kwestionariusza Levine'a z 3,3 do 1,4 i czynnościowej z 3,0–3,2 do 1,6–1,8). U wszystkich chorych istotnie poprawiło się czucie dotyku i wzrosła siła chwytów. Poprawa siły chwytu globalnego była jednak najmniejsza w grupie osób powyżej 60 lat. Wniosek Wyniki operacyjnego leczenia zespołu kanału nadgarstka są podobnie korzystne u chorych w różnych grupach wiekowych

Familial occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome

The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of familial carpal tunnel syndrome in patients admitted to theauthors’ institution for carpal tunnel release. Questionnaires completed by 120 patients: 92 women (77%) and 28 men (23%) at a mean age of 56 years at their baseline clinical examination were reviewed. Familial occurrence of the disease was noted in 21 patients (17%): 16 women and five men. Three family members were affected in three patients, two relatives in eight patients, and one relative in 10 patients, giving a total of 35 affected relatives. The patients’ sisters (n = 16) were the most commonly involved, followed by mothers (n = 12), daughters (n = 2), brothers (n = 2), grandmothers (n = 2) and an aunt (n = 1). Bilateral manifestation of the disease was noted in 19 patients (90%) and in 31 (88%) of their affected relatives. The results suggest that carpal tunnel syndrome shows a moderate tendency to familial occurrence and, if so, it usually manifests bilaterally

An immunohistochemical study of the thyroid parafollicular (C) cells in rats treated with cannabinoids - preliminary investigations

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a single intraperitoneal injection of a stable analogue of endogenous cannabinoid anandamide - R-(+)-methanandamide (2.5 mg/kg) and CP 55,940 (0.25 mg/kg), an egzogenous CB1 receptor-agonist, on the calcitonin (CT) immunoreactivity of the thyroid parafollicular (C) cells. Four hours after injection with both cannabinoids CT immunoreactivity, evaluated with an avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method by means of rabbit antibodies against CT, was seen to be enhanced in the parafollicular cells in comparison to those of the control group. In thyroids taken from cannabinoid-treated rats the majority of follicles, particularly those located peripherally were large in size, and had low epithelium. Moreover, dilatation of the blood vessels was observed. These changes were accompanied by a significant decrease in CT plasma level, without changes in calcium concentrations. This is the first evidence that a single injection of the cannabinoids R-(+)-methanandamide and CP 55,940 significantly decreases the activity of thyroid C cells

Wyreżyserowana przez Moskwę? Polityka komunistycznej Polski w Afryce okresu dekolonizacji, 1918/1945–1964

The article examines the historical breaks and continuities in the Polish state’s policies toward (de)colonial Africa, underlining the persistence of the economic and cultural factors therein. It is argued that during the period after World War II, Warsaw manager to exercise considerable autonomy in its approach to independent states and rebellious colonies on the continent, despite ideological and political pressure from Moscow. In this manner, the article reconsiders the role of the Polish (People’s) Republic in the international socialist project in the Global South and recommends further research, both on the period of 1945–1964 and later years.W artykule dokonano analizy historycznych przerw i ciągłości w polityce państwa polskiego wobec Afryki, podkreślając utrzymywanie się w niej czynników ekonomicznych i kulturowych. Twierdzi się, że w okresie po II wojnie światowej Warszawa zdołała wypracować znaczną autonomię w podejściu do niepodległych państw i zbuntowanych kolonii na kontynencie, pomimo nacisków ideologicznych i politycznych ze strony Moskwy. W artykule rozważa się zatem rolę RP/PRL w międzynarodowym projekcie socjalistycznym na Globalnym Południu i zaleca dalsze badania, zarówno w odniesieniu do okresu 1945–1964, jak i do lat późniejszych

Polityka kolonialna międzywojennej Polski w świetle źródeł krajowych i zagranicznych: nowe spojrzenie (1918–1945)

Interwar Poland's growing need for raw materials and new trade routes encouraged many social activists to argue for the acquisition of, or at least access to, colonies. Initially, this Polish colonial milieu connected the concept of creating pioneer settlements to the concept of channeling economic emigration to South America. After the creation of the Maritime and Colonial League (Liga Morska i Kolonialna) in 1930, the two concepts became partly separated as the Polish colonial milieu’s focus shifed to Africa. The Polish government endorsed activities intended to spread Polish influence in colonial areas: for example, it tacitly supported settlement projects in Angola, as well as a strictly confidential “Liberian action plan” for inciting an autochthonous uprising in Liberia and/or taking over that country’s finances. At the same time, unlike the revisionist powers, Poland attempted to satisfy its perceived needs in colonial matters through the international system. Moreover, Warsaw’s attitude toward the colonial question, made public in late 1936, was a matter of diplomacy. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Józef Beck, used colonial aspirations as diplomatic tools to detract Hitler’s attention from Europe and to prevent Western appeasement from taking place at Poland’s expense. In addition, his ministry incorporated the perceived need for Jewish emigration from Poland into colonial policies, especially in the context of Polish-French negotiations over Madagascar. By September 1939, however, the “Jewish question” was separated from Poland’s colonial policies in discourse and practice. The question of Polish colonies emerged for the last time during World War II, when certain officials of the Polish government-in-exile, failing to predict the quick collapse of the colonial system in the world, suggested channeling refugees and soldiers to Africa to create a basis for future Polish claims to colonial territories

Colonising Poland’s Historiography. Concerning Lenny A. Ureña Valerio’s Breakthrough Study

Niniejszy artykuł ocenia naukowy debiut prof. Lenny A. Ureña Valerio w szerszym kontekście istniejącej literatury z obszaru studiów postkolonialnych. Recenzent zwraca uwagę na przełomowy w swoim zakresie charakter omawianej książki, która jako jedna z pierwszych wskazuje na fakt, iż niemiecka ekspansja imperialna na ziemiach polskich w latach 1840–1920 była ściśle powiązana z działaniami Rzeszy w Afryce.The present article assesses Prof. Lenny A. Ureña Valerio scholarly debut in a broader context of the present literature in the post-colonial field. The reviewer pays attention to the breakthrough nature of the analysed book which is one of the first to indicate the fact that the German imperial expansion into the Polish lands in 1840–1920 was closely related to the German colonial enterprise in Africa