Assessment using a questionnaire of patient satisfaction with information on cancer provided by doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals

Cel pracy. Większość pacjentów chorych na nowotwory doświadcza problemów natury nie tylko medycznej, ale też psychologicznej, duchowej, socjalnej. Bardzo często pacjenci i ich bliscy czują się zagubieni i zdezorientowani, nie wiedząc, gdzie i od kogo mogliby otrzymać dodatkowe informacje i wsparcie. Celem badania była identyfikacja sposobu poszukiwania przez chorych na nowotwory lite i nowotwory hematologiczne informacji i profesjonalistów, do których mogliby się zwrócić o pomoc, oraz ocena satysfakcji z otrzymywanej informacji i wsparcia. Materiał i metody. W badaniu wzięło udział 219 chorych (111 chorych na nowotwory lite, mediana wieku 62 lata, i 108 chorych na nowotwory hematologiczne, mediana wieku 59 lat). Jedna trzecia osób badanych miała 65 i więcej lat. Wśród badanych było 53% kobiet i 47% mężczyzn. Chorzy wypełniali autorski kwestionariusz, przygotowany specjalnie na potrzeby tego badania. Wyniki. Emocje pozytywne znacząco dominowały nad emocjami negatywnymi. Emocje negatywne znamiennie częściej pojawiały się w grupie chorych na nowotwory hematologiczne. Większość chorych była zainteresowana otrzymaniem informacji, głównie od lekarzy (92% respondentów) i pielęgniarek (76% respondentów). Natomiast aż 77% chorych nie szukało informacji u psychologów i psychoterapeutów. Bardziej zainteresowanymi poszukiwaniem informacji u psychologów były osoby doświadczające więcej negatywnych emocji. Z pomocy pracodawcy/wychowawcy i pracownika socjalnego w zdobywaniu informacji pacjenci korzystali bardzo rzadko (odpowiednio 7% i 8% ankietowanych). Prawie wszyscy respondenci byli usatysfakcjonowani informacjami uzyskanymi od lekarzy i pielęgniarek, ale tylko połowa — informacjami uzyskanymi od psychologa/psychoterapeuty i rehabilitanta/fizjoterapeuty, i jeszcze mniej (42% ankietowanych) od organizacji pacjenckich. Wnioski. Pacjenci nie szukają aktywnie informacji i wsparcia, nie wiedzą też, kogo o nie prosić. Najczęściej kierują pytania do lekarzy i personelu pielęgniarskiego. Wskazane jest tworzenie wielodyscyplinarnych zespołów opieki i wsparcia w ośrodkach onkologicznych oraz dokładne informowanie pacjentów o zakresie pomocy, z którego mogą korzystać. Niezbędne są także specjalistyczne szkolenia poszczególnych członków zespołu w umiejętnościach nawiązywania dobrych profesjonalnych kontaktów z pacjentami.  Aim. Most patients suffering from cancer experience not only medical, but also psychosocial and spiritual problems. Very often patients and their family are lost in the healthcare system and do not know where and from whom to obtain reliable information. The aim of this study was to identify various approaching in seeking information and differences in satisfaction with healthcare, taking into account types of cancer. Material and method. Two hundred nineteen patients were included to the study (111 patients with solid tumours, median age 62 years and 108 haematological patients, median age 59 years). One third of patients were over 64 year old. There were 53% women and 47% men in the study group. All patients completed a questionnaire specially prepared for this study. Results. Negative emotions appeared significantly more often in patients with haematological malignancies. Most of the patients were interested in receiving information mainly from doctors (92% of responders) and from nurses (76% of responders). Up to 77% of patients did not seek information from psychologists and psychotherapists. Those interested in searching for information from psychologists were patients experiencing negative emotions. Patients very rarely used the employer/educator and a social worker for obtaining information (7% and 8% responders, respectively). Almost all patients were satisfied with the information received from the doctors and nurses, but only half were satisfied with the information received from the psychologist/psychotherapist and physiotherapist and even fewer (42% of respondents) from patient’s organisations. Conclusions. Patients are not actively looking for information and support. They also do not know whom to ask. Most frequently they ask professional questions of the doctors and nursing staff. It is recommended to create a multidisciplinary care and support teams at oncology centers, and accurately inform patients about the types of support that they can use. Specialized trainings of individual team members in the skills of good professional contacts with patients are also required

The 35 kDa acid metallophosphatase of the frog Rana esculenta liver: studies on its cellular localization and protein phosphatase activity.

The cellular localization of the 35 kDa, low molecular mass acid metallophosphatase (LMW AcPase) from the frog (Rana esculenta) liver and its activity towards P-Ser and P-Tyr phosphorylated peptides were studied. This enzyme was localized to the cytoplasm of hepatocytes but did not appear in other cells of liver tissue (endothelium, macrophages, blood cells). This LMW AcPase does not display activity towards 32P-phosphorylase a under conditions standard for the enzymes of PPP family. Proteins containing P-Ser: rabbit 32P-phosphorylase a and phosvitin are hydrolysed only at acidic pH and are poor substrates for this enzyme. The frog AcPase is not inhibited by okadaic acid and F- ions, the Ser/Thr protein phosphatase inhibitors. Moreover, the frog enzyme does not cross-react with specific antisera directed against N-terminal fragment of human PP2A and C-terminal conserved fragment of the eukaryotic PP2A catalytic subunits. These results exclude LMW AcPase from belonging to Ser/Thr protein phosphatases: PP1c or PP2Ac. In addition to P-Tyr, this enzyme hydrolyses efficiently at acidic pH P-Tyr phosphorylated peptides (hirudin and gastrin fragments). Km value for the hirudin fragment (7.55 ± 1.59 × 10-6 M) is 2-3 orders of magnitude lower in comparison with other substrates tested. The enzyme is inhibited competitively by typical inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases): sodium orthovanadate, molybdate and tungstate. These results may suggest that the LMW AcPase of frog liver can act as PTPase in vivo. A different cellular localization and different response to inhibition by tetrahedral oxyanions (molybdate, vanadate and tungstate) provide further evidence that LMW AcPase of frog liver is distinct from the mammalian tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases

Anomalous origin of the left vertebral artery from the arch of the aorta

Introduction. Although there are lots of varieties of aorta arch, they seem to appear relatively rarely. Anomalies of aortic arch departures are mainly concerned with its location, course, the place of departure and number of its main branches. However, they warrant attention due to their importance in operative, diagnostic, and endovascular procedures. Aim. We want to present here a case of a female cadaver with rare aortic arch origin of the left vertebral artery. The aim of this article is to complete the frame of anomalies in aortic arch and to explore rare variability shown in this specific case. Description of the case. The present report describes an anomalous case of the left vertebral artery arising from the aortic arch between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery in a female cadaver during dissection in an anatomical laboratory. Aortic origin of the vertebral artery is a rare anatomic variant. Conclusion. Thorough knowledge of anomalous origin is important for patients who undergo operation of an aortic arch or inferior part of the neck. Normally, the vertebral artery arises from the first part of the subclavian artery on both sides