Knowledge of midwives about clinical trials

Introduction: Proper level of knowledge of midwives on the subject of clinical trials is influenced by the participant's safety and the quality of conducted clinical trials. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess midwives knowledge of clinical trials. Material and method: The study involved 105 midwives, at the age of 20–54years. The method of a diagnostic survey was used. The study was conducted in period April - December 2018 year. Results: The majority of respondents - 81% (n=85) knew the correct definition of the clinical trial. The most important benefit of clinical trials for the study group was "creating new treatment standards" (69,5%, n=74), and the greatest risk resulting from clinical trials "was" the possibility of adverse events and events "(92,4%, n=97). Conclusions: Midwives knowledge about clinical trials is on a sufficient level

Acute Valproic Acid Intoxication: An Attempt at Estimating the Correlation Between Serum Level and Clinical Manifestations

We investigated the association between serum valproic acid (VPA) levels and clinical conditions in patients after acute intoxication with this drug. We performed a retrospective study of cases of VPA intoxications hospitalized in Toxicology Unit in Cracow in 2 years of observation. The study included 26 patients (age: 35.69 ± 12.93 years). In all patients, the VPA plasma level was higher than the therapeutic range, mean ± SD: 275.32 ± 135.97 μg/ml. About half of poisoned patients described in this report were treated with VPA prior to the poisoning. We noted four cases of mixed VPA intoxications with ethanol. Acute pulmonary failure was observed in two persons. The mean hospital stay for all patients was 4.69 days. This analysis demonstrates that increased serum VPA levels, in acute intoxication with this drug, were associated with the severity of poisoning — in PSS (P = 0.019) and in Matthews coma scale (P = 0.022), diastolic pressure (P = 0.022) and length of stay in hospital (P = 0.001). No correlation was detected between the serum VPA concentration and the heart rate and systolic blood pressure. In persons treated with VPA earlier, the course of poisoning was less severe, although these results were not statistically significant

Impact of Allura Clarity technology on radiation dose exposure during left atrial appendage closure

Background: To evaluate the impact of the Clarity IQ technology on reducing radiation risk in patients undergoing cardiac interventional radiology (IR) procedures. Material/Methods: Phantom studies were performed with two angiographic systems, FD10 Allura Xper and FD10 Allura Clarity. In the study, we performed left atrial appendage closure. Dosimetric measurements were performed with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) placed inside a CIRS anthropomorphic phantom. Radiation risk was estimated based on the TLD readings and expressed as the dose absorbed by particular organs. The Mann-Whitney U test was carried out to test for significance of differences in the absorbed radiation doses between the techniques. Results: During left atrial appendage closure, the estimated dose absorbed by particular organs was lower in the case of the FD10 Allura Clarity system in comparison to the Allura Xper. In this procedure, dose reduction for particular organs ranged between 49-86%. Conclusions: Application of the FD10 Allura Clarity system resulted in a significant dose reduction, thereby leading to a significant decrease in radiation risk for patients undergoing IR procedures

Status społeczno-polityczny kobiety w Indiach na przełomie XX i XXI wieku - konflikt tradycji i prawa

Recent media reports about the loud process men accused of the brutal rape of a student started a new discussion about the position of women in Indian society. This status at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first to a large extent still is the result of tensions caused by the clash of tradition and modernity. The aim of this research work is to show the rank of the issue of socio-political women in India at the turn of the century. Article focuses on the determinants that have shaped the contemporary Indian political system and the description of the contemporary Indian society and discuss the major social problems of India. Moreover, analyses the determinants of religious and regulating the position of women in society. The article seeks to discuss contemporary media events, and analyse the development of problem in the future

Dose and noise in abdominal computed tomography examinations

Background: Dose reduction in computed tomography (CT) examinations was an idea of the Co-rdinated Research Project (CRP) "Dose Reduction in Computed Tomography (CT) while maintaining Diagnostic Confidence", supported by the International Agency of Atomic Energy (IAEA) in the years 2003-2005. Participation in the CRP inspired the authors' attempts to elaborate a method for optimization of CT abdominal procedures allowing reduce a dose to patient with saving diagnostically satisfying image quality. The paper presents the algorithm together with clinical verification of the results of the study. Material/Methods: Two types of single-slice CT scanners were used for the investigations. The images recorded for patients undergoing routine abdomen examinations and then these obtained with modified exposure parameters were analyzed. The influence of the changed tube outputs on image quality was checked using Catphan 424 phantom. Results: As the result no statistically significant difference between the measured noise in clinical images for patients examined at routine and modified settings (within the same weight category) was observed. Conclusions: The conclusion was that at routine (screening) abdomen examinations, the dose may be reduced up to 50% with saving diagnostically satisfying image quality

Alzheimer's disease: classification and diagnosis criteria

In recent  years, the intensity of population aging has increased and the incidence of senile diseases, including dementia, has significantly increased. With the aging of populations in Europe, knowledge about the detection and diagnosis of dementia has increased in the last decade. Due to the increase in the number of patients, new therapies and precise diagnostic criteria have been introduced, contributing to faster diagnosis of the disease. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the biggest cause of dementia in old age. It is characterized by progressive cognitive deficits, especially memory, and disorders such as: apathy, agitation and psychotic symptoms. Alzhaimer's disease is a degenerative brain disease caused by the deposition of pathological B-amyloid protein tau and alpha-synuclein in the brain, causing atrophy of neurons and their connections. The basis for diagnosis of dementia in the course of Alzheimer's disease are ICD-10 or DSM-IV criteria. The clinical course and symptoms in the course of AD are defined by the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), the scale also determines the stage of the disease. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs and memantine are used to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Prompt diagnosis and treatment significantly delays the progression of the disease and helps to prolong normal functioning of the patient