Health promotion for the oldest seniors in the social sector. Examples of policies and programmes from Poland and the Czech Republic

The article identifies health promotion activities for the oldest people, who often become users of social services due to loss of capabilities, solitude and raising care needs related to worsening health status. The analysis is  based on the literature overview, experts’ consultations and interviews on the role of the social sector institutions in health promotion in selected countries. Examples of best practices in health promotion for older people in the social sector are presented. These include programmes of health information and campaigns on health risks avoidance, stimulation of physical activity, healthy eating for the oldest seniors, promotion of mental health and support of cognitive abilities, primary prevention activities and stimulation of social and cultural participation. The article concludes that health promotion activities for the oldest population, although on the side of main activities of the social sector, are an important element of activities of public and non-public institutions in providing care to dependent populations. Good practices identified typically involve numerous health promotion activities and require cooperation at the national – policy setting – level and within community. The article identifies health promotion activities for the oldest people, who often become users of social services due to loss of capabilities, solitude and raising care needs related to worsening health status. The analysis is  based on the literature overview, experts’ consultations and interviews on the role of the social sector institutions in health promotion in selected countries. Examples of best practices in health promotion for older people in the social sector are presented. These include programmes of health information and campaigns on health risks avoidance, stimulation of physical activity, healthy eating for the oldest seniors, promotion of mental health and support of cognitive abilities, primary prevention activities and stimulation of social and cultural participation. The article concludes that health promotion activities for the oldest population, although on the side of main activities of the social sector, are an important element of activities of public and non-public institutions in providing care to dependent populations. Good practices identified typically involve numerous health promotion activities and require cooperation at the national – policy setting – level and within community.&nbsp

Hypothyroidism during treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are relatively new targeted therapy drugs used for the treatment of metastatic clear cell kidney carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumours, thyroid carcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours during the progression of the disease. Hypothyroidism or thyroid dysfunction is often a side effect of this treatment. Therefore, monitoring of thyroid hormone levels before the beginning and during the treatment of tyrosine kinase inhibitors is a necessity. Hypothyroidism correlates with objective response to the treatment. Sunitinib. This is the most described tyrosine kinase inhibitor which causes hypothyroidism. The mechanism of hypothyroidism is still unclear. Sorafenib. Symptoms of hypothyroidism occur in 18% of patients treated with sorafenib due to metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Imatinib. Hypothyroidism is one of the most frequent side effects of the treatment. Emergent tracheotomy was necessary due to larynx swelling during marked hypothyroidism. Motesanib. Hypothyroidism or increased TSH level is diagnosed in 22% to 69% of patients with metastatic differentiated or medullary thyroid carcinomas. The management of patients with thyroid dysfunction and related symptoms such as fatigue is undoubtedly a challenge to an oncologist.Inhibitory kinaz tyrozynowych są stosunkowo nowymi lekami z grupy przeznaczonej do terapii celowanych, stosowanymi w leczeniu nowotworów złośliwych, takich jak przerzutowy jasnokomórkowy rak nerki, stromalny nowotwór przewodu pokarmowego (GIST), raki tarczycy oporne na leczenie jodem radioaktywnym, przerzutowe guzy neuroendokrynne trzustki. Niedoczynność tarczycy lub dysfunkcja tarczycy są częstymi powikłaniami tego leczenia. Dlatego konieczne jest oznaczenie stężenia hormonów tarczycy przed rozpoczęciem i w trakcie leczenia inhibitorami kinaz tyrozynowych. Niedoczynność tarczycy pozostaje w ścisłym związku z obiektywną odpowiedzią na leczenie. Sunitynib. Jest najczęściej opisywanym inhibitorem kinaz tyrozynowych, który wywołuje niedoczynność tarczycy. Mechanizm niedoczynności pozostaje niejasny. Sorafenib. U 18% osób leczonych sorafenibem z powodu przerzutowego raka nerki występują objawy niedoczynności tarczycy. Imatynib. Niedoczynność tarczycy jest jednym z najczęstszych powikłań leczenia imatinibem. W przebiegu nasilonej niedoczynności występowała konieczność wykonania pilnej tracheotomii z powodu obrzęku krtani. Motesanib. Niedoczynność tarczycy lub podwyższone stężenie TSH jest rozpoznawane u 22–69% chorych na przerzutowego zróżnicowanego lub rdzeniastego raka tarczycy. Postępowanie z chorymi z dysfunkcją tarczycy i ze współistniejącymi objawami, takimi jak zmęczenie, jest niewątpliwie wyzwaniem dla onkologa

Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Herbal Plants from Areas Not Exposed to Heavy Anthropopressure

The aim of the study was to evaluate the content of Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Hg and Fe in sandy everlasting, yarrow and stinging nettle in relation to the concentration of metals in the soil. Samples of soils and plants were collected from natural habitats (edges of forests in the Kujawy-Pomerania Province). The total metal content and their available forms for plants in the soil samples were determined. The stinging nettle inhabited the richest environmental areas in which anthropogenic accumulation of metals in the surface of soils was determined. The investigated soils were not contaminated with heavy metals and the content of their plant-available forms was not harmful for a proper plants growth. The content of metals extracted with the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid was considerably higher than the concentration referred to as the deficit level for plants. Among the analyzed herbal plants, sandy everlasting contained the largest amounts of copper, manganese, and only concentration of lead in dry weight was higher than 10 mg⋅kg-1, indicating that the plants harvested from the study areas should not be used in herbal medicine. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) values point clearly to the mercury and zinc accumulation in the aboveground parts of herbal plants.

Short-term repeated corticosterone administration enhances glutamatergic but not GABAergic transmission in the rat motor cortex

It has been demonstrated that stress impairs performance of skilled reaching and walking tasks in rats due to the action of glucocorticoids involved in the stress response. Skilled reaching and walking are controlled by the primary motor cortex (M1); however, it is not known whether stress-related impairments in skilled motor tasks are related to functional and/or structural alterations within the M1. We studied the effects of single and repeated injections of corticosterone (twice daily for 7 days) on spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and sIPSCs) recorded from layer II/III pyramidal neurons in ex vivo slices of the M1, prepared 2 days after the last administration of the hormone. We also measured the density of dendritic spines on pyramidal cells and the protein levels of selected subunits of AMPA, NMDA, and GABAA receptors after repeated corticosterone administration. Repeatedly administered corticosterone induced an increase in the frequency but not in the amplitude of sEPSCs, while a single administration had no effect on the recorded excitatory currents. The frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs as well as the excitability of pyramidal cells were changed neither after single nor after repeated corticosterone administration. Treatment with corticosterone for 7 days did not modify the density of dendritic spines on pyramidal neurons. Corticosterone influenced neither the protein levels of GluA1, GluA2, GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B subunits of glutamate receptors nor those of α1, β2, and γ2 subunits of the GABAA receptor. The increase in sEPSCs frequency induced by repeated corticosterone administration faded out within 7 days. These data indicate that prolonged administration of exogenous corticosterone selectively and reversibly enhances glutamatergic, but not GABAergic transmission in the rat motor cortex. Our results suggest that corticosterone treatment results in an enhancement of spontaneous glutamate release from presynaptic terminals in the M1 and thereby uncovers a potential mechanism underlying stress-induced motor functions impairmen

A COMUNIDADE POLONESA BRASILEIRA NAS PÁGINAS DA REVISTA “KULTURA” (ANOS 50)

O artigo aborda a questão da apresentação da diáspora polonesa no Brasil nas páginas da Kultura, importante periódico da emigração polonesa do pós-guerra, que reunia excelentes jornalistas e escritores poloneses emigrados. O fundador e redator-chefe da Kultura, publicada em Paris, foi Jerzy Giedroyć. Essa revista foi publicada entre os anos de 1947 a 2000. Tinha a ambição de atender os poloneses que viviam em diferentes continentes, bem como na Polônia, onde era entregue ilegalmente. Havia um empenho para propagar em suas páginas as concepções políticas e artísticas antitotalitárias ocidentais, bem como construir o interesse do leitor ocidental sobre a Polônia e, mais amplamente, sobre os países da Europa Central que permaneciam sob esfera de influência da União Soviética. Os governos comunistas consideravam a revista particularmente perigosa, devido às visões políticas propagadas, à eficiência em alcançar os destinatários, bem como à consequente formação de relações de boa vizinhança com os vizinhos orientais da Polônia. O Brasil e os imigrantes de origem polonesa que viviam nesse país eram objeto de interesse dos redatores da Kultura. Esse objeto raramente aparecia como tema de discurso na Kultura, por causa da ausência de um colaborador permanente morando no país e pela distância da Europa. Com isso, cada artigo com a temática brasileira era importante. Nos anos 1950, falaram nas páginas da Kultura principalmente imigrantes conhecidos na comunidade da diáspora polonesa, provenientes da emigração no período da Segunda Guerra Mundial, que trataram temas importantes, tanto para seu ambiente (como, por exemplo, relações com o governo brasileiro, status social dos emigrantes, condições econômicas) como para emigrantes poloneses espalhados pelo mundo

NEN — the role of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in clinical setting

Detection of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) and monitoring of their response to therapy is still challenging due to huge heterogeneity of that group of tumors. Actually, NENs visualization is mainly based on molecular imaging while in the past it was relied on less effective structural imaging including CT and MRI. Molecular imaging techniques in combination with structural imaging (hybrid imaging), especially in patients with well-differentiated NENs, in addition to morphological provide the functional information about tumor which benefits in a more accurate patient management, including more sensitive visualization of primary tumors, more precise staging and better therapy follow-up. Overexpression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) on NENs’ cell membrane was a basis for development of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) using single photon emission tomography SPECT, which is today a well-established standard in molecular imaging of NENs, and further imaging improvement in the field of positron emission tomography (PET). Use of hybrid imaging (SPECT/CT, PET/CT) increased sensitivity of examination, mainly resulting in better detection of small lesions. Generally, somatostatin receptor imaging with PET/CT is an emerging technique, although still with limited access, but due to several advantages over SSTR SPECT/CT, should be used if available. It is worth mentioning, that both SSTR PET/CT and SSTR SPECT/CT have some limitations, such as relatively low detection rate of benign insulinomas, poorly differentiated GEP-NETs and liver metastases. For that reason further improvement of NETs imaging is necessary. The most promising new tracers’ families are based on SSTR antagonists, 64Cu-radiolabeled ligands and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) imaging. Finally, in case of poor-differentiated neuroendocrine cancers 18F-FDG PET/CT may be beneficial in comparison with molecular imaging based on somatostatin receptor modalities