Stężenie cynku w surowicy krwi kobiet w wieku postmenopauzalnym

Introduction: Demographic facts and forecasts about lengthening life expectancy motivate to systematize the knowledge of health problems experienced by women at the age of 50 and older. It refers to the whole health policy including health economics. Longer female life spans cause that an increasing number of women suffer from health problems associated with the perimenopausal period, and become health care recipients. Also a shift of retirement age is the reason to take interdisciplinary actions for women’s health and quality of life. This study describes a decline in the levels of many bioelements in hair, urine and blood serum, which progresses with age. It not only correlates with a decrease in the synthesis and secretion of estrogen, but also environmental pollution, unhealthy lifestyle and the use of substances. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between serum zinc levels in postmenopausal women and such variables as the use of substances (cigarettes, alcohol) and menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). Material and method: The study was conducted among 152 healthy women being 1-16 years after menopause. The women were divided into study group (MHT users) and control group (MHT non-users). A sub-division criterionwas the use of substances (cigarettes, alcohol). Serum zinc levels were determined in all women. Results: The use of substances significantly contributed to the lowering of serum zinc levels in postmenopausal women. MHT users had statistically higher average zinc levels in blood serum, which referred both to smokers and consumers of alcohol and those who did not use these substances. Conclusions: 1. The use of substances (cigarettes, alcohol) contributes to the lowering of zinc levels in blood serum. 2. MHT positively affects serum zinc levels in postmenopausal women regardless of whether they use substances (cigarettes, alcohol) or not.Wstęp: Fakty i prognozy demograficzne dotyczące stałego trendu wydłużania się średniej długości życia, stają się pilnym postulatem do opracowywania oraz usystematyzowania problemów zdrowotnych kobiet w wieku 50+. Dotyczy to całokształtu polityki zdrowotnej, także w aspekcie ekonomiki zdrowia. Wydłużanie czasu życia kobiet sprawia, że coraz liczniejsza ich populacja doświadcza problemów zdrowotnych związanych ze zjawiskami okresu około-menopauzalnego, co odzwierciedla się dynamiką wzrostu korzystania z opieki zdrowotnej. Opisywane przez Autorów procesy obniżania się stężenia wielu biopierwiastków we włosach, moczu i w surowicy krwi postępują wraz z wiekiem. Zmiany te korelują nie tylko z obniżeniem syntezy i sekrecji estrogenu, ale także zatruciem środowiska oraz niewłaściwym stylem życia, w którym pierwszoplanowym problemem jest rozpowszechnienie stosowania używek. Cel pracy: Określenie zależności pomiędzy stosowaniem używek (papierosy, alkohol) a stężeniem cynku w surowicy krwi u kobiet po menopauzie, oraz wpływu menopauzalnej terapii hormonalnej (MTH) na to stężenie. Materiał i metoda: Badanie przeprowadzone zostało wśród 152 zdrowych kobiet w wieku od 1 roku do 16 lat po menopauzie. Badane podzielono w zależności od tego czy paliły papierosy lub/i spożywały alkohol. U wszystkich oznaczono stężenie cynku w surowicy krwi. Kryterium podziału stanowiło także stosowanie, bądź nie MTH. Wyniki: Stosowanie używek wpływało istotnie na obniżenie stężenia cynku w surowicy krwi kobiet po menopauzie. Kobiety stosujące MTH miały statystycznie wyższe średnie stężenie cynku w surowicy krwi, zarówno te, które paliły papierosy i piły alkohol jak i te, które nie stosowały tych używek. Wnioski: 1. Intensyfikacja edukacji zdrowotnej, mającej na celu zaniechanie stosowania używek może wpłynąć korzystnie na stężenie cynku w surowicy krwi kobiet w wieku postmenopauzalnym, co za tym idzie poprawę ich stanu zdrowia. 2. Upowszechnienie stosowania MHT wpływać może korzystnie na stężenie cynku w surowicy krwi u kobiet po menopauzie zarówno u kobiet stosujących jak i nie stosujących używki (papierosy, alkohol)

Risk factors of pelvic organ prolapsed in women qualified to reconstructive surgery – the Polish multicenter study

To evaluate the prevalence rate of various pelvic floor disorders among patients treated in 8 academic centers in Poland due to pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Results: The mean age of affected women with POP was 61,25 years (median 61), and mean BMI – 27.62 (median – 27.29). 80% of women were menopausal. Mean time of symptoms related to disease was 65,6 months; whereas the time relapsed from first doctor diagnosis of POP to hospital admission was 50.6 months. 97.4% affected women were multiparous. Only 1.21% women with POP were nulliparous. Family history of prolapse was found in 13.4% of patients, whereas familial positive history of urinary incontinence was 10%. Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among the analyzed group were as follows: frequency – almost 50%, urgency 32.2%, feeling of improper voiding – 29,6% and voiding difficulty – 17.7%. Functional disorders of lower bowel were found in 43% of patients and the most prevalent symptom was constipation (31%), followed by empting difficulty (12%), dyschesia (9%), and urge stool empting (7.7%). Cardiovascular diseases were found among 43% of respondents, whereas pulmonary diseases with chronic coughing were present in 20% of the analyzed population. Subjective POP symptoms reported by women were as follows: feeling of heaviness in lower abdomen – 37.8%, perineal pain – 27.8%, lumbosacral pain – 34.2%, and abdominal pain – 28.4%. Female sexual disorders were reported by 9,8% women and dyspareunia was found in 7.6% of responders. POP was the main reason for sexual abstinence only in 1 out of 10 patients. More than 30% of patients from the study group underwent previously pelvic surgery due to various reasons. POP related quality of life measured by VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) was 61.4 points (median – 60). The most common finding during gynecological examination was cystocele – 96.5%, followed by rectoenterocele – 92.7%, and central defect – 79%. Mean POP quantification was stage III in POP-Q scale. LUTS symptoms (urinary incontinence, urgency and voiding difficulties) were present among 81% of patients whereas lower gastrointestinal disorders (constipation, fecal incontinence, dyschesia) were found in 43% of women affected by POP

A new method for automatic determining of the DBSCAN parameters

Clustering is an attractive technique used in many fields in order to deal with large scale data. Many clustering algorithms have been proposed so far. The most popular algorithms include density-based approaches. These kinds of algorithms can identify clusters of arbitrary shapes in datasets. The most common of them is the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN). The original DBSCAN algorithm has been widely applied in various applications and has many different modifications. However, there is a fundamental issue of the right choice of its two input parameters, i.e the eps radius and the MinPts density threshold. The choice of these parameters is especially difficult when the density variation within clusters is significant. In this paper, a new method that determines the right values of the parameters for different kinds of clusters is proposed. This method uses detection of sharp distance increases generated by a function which computes a distance between each element of a dataset and its k-th nearest neighbor. Experimental results have been obtained for several different datasets and they confirm a very good performance of the newly proposed method

A New Method for Automatic Determining of the DBSCAN Parameters

Clustering is an attractive technique used in many fields in order to deal with large scale data. Many clustering algorithms have been proposed so far. The most popular algorithms include density-based approaches. These kinds of algorithms can identify clusters of arbitrary shapes in datasets. The most common of them is the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN). The original DBSCAN algorithm has been widely applied in various applications and has many different modifications. However, there is a fundamental issue of the right choice of its two input parameters, i.e the eps radius and the MinPts density threshold. The choice of these parameters is especially difficult when the density variation within clusters is significant. In this paper, a new method that determines the right values of the parameters for different kinds of clusters is proposed. This method uses detection of sharp distance increases generated by a function which computes a distance between each element of a dataset and its k-th nearest neighbor. Experimental results have been obtained for several different datasets and they confirm a very good performance of the newly proposed method

A novel grid-based clustering algorithm

Data clustering is an important method used to discover naturally occurring structures in datasets. One of the most popular approaches is the grid-based concept of clustering algorithms. This kind of method is characterized by a fast processing time and it can also discover clusters of arbitrary shapes in datasets. These properties allow these methods to be used in many different applications. Researchers have created many versions of the clustering method using the grid-based approach. However, the key issue is the right choice of the number of grid cells. This paper proposes a novel grid-based algorithm which uses a method for an automatic determining of the number of grid cells. This method is based on the kdist function which computes the distance between each element of a dataset and its kth nearest neighbor. Experimental results have been obtained for several different datasets and they confirm a very good performance of the newly proposed method

Health behaviors of postmenopausal women

Introduction: Health status and health-related quality of life of postmenopausal women are issues, which nowadays pose a serious challenge to many domains of science. Climacteric symptoms which occur at this stage of life, lower its quality and make a negative contribution to self-reported health status, are mostly observed in a particular group of women. Evaluation of health behaviors performed using a standardized questionnaire, the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI), may help establish a comprehensive diagnosis of women’s health, and thus select effective interventions. A systemic approach to menopause assumes that full fitness of women and good quality of their lives can be maintained not only by means of pharmacotherapy but also other forms of action, especially health education oriented towards changes in the lifestyle and promotion of healthy behaviors. The aim of this study is to perform a HBI-based assessment of women’s health behaviors in such categories as healthy eating habits (HEH), preventive behaviors (PB), positive mental attitudes (PMA), and health practices (HP). Material and methods: The study involved 151 healthy postmenopausal women. A research tool was a standardized questionnaire, the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI). Results: The surveyed women obtained 70% of the maximum score on average, which suggests a medium level of health behaviors in this group. The levels of health behaviors in the categories of positive mental attitudes and health practices significantly differed between older women and their younger counterparts (higher levels were observed among older respondents). There were also significant differences in the levels of healthy behaviors between women with secondary and higher education (those better educated declared healthy behaviors more often). There was no correlation between the level of health behaviors and the BMI of the surveyed women. Conclusions : Older women attached greater importance to positive mental attitudes, and so they avoided tension, stress and depressing situations. They also attached more weight to health practices (HP), i.e. the number of hours devoted to sleeping, resting and physical activity. The main determinant of a healthy lifestyle was higher education

Table1_Below or all the way to the peak? Oxygen uptake efficiency slope as the index of cardiorespiratory response to exercise—the NOODLE study.DOCX

Background: The ratio of oxygen uptake (VO2) to minute ventilation (VE) is described as the oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES). OUES has been suggested as a valuable submaximal cardiorespiratory index; however, its characteristics in endurance athletes remain unknown. In this study, we a) investigated OUES between different time intervals, b) assessed their prediction power for VO2peak, and c) derived new prediction equations for OUES tailored for well-trained individuals.Materials and Methods: A total of 77 male (age = 21.4 ± 4.8 yrs; BMI = 22.1 ± 1.6 kg·m−2; peak oxygen uptake = 4.40 ± 0.64 L·min−1) and 63 female individuals (age = 23.4 ± 4.3 yrs; BMI = 23.1 ± 1.6 kg·m−2; peak oxygen uptake = 3.21 ± 0.48 L·min−1) underwent the cycling cardiopulmonary exercise test. OUES was measured at 75%, 90%, and 100% of exercise duration. Prediction power and new models were derived with the multiple linear regression method.Results: In male subjects, OUES [mL·min−1/L·min−1] from 75% = 4.53 ± 0.90, from 90% = 4.52 ± 0.91, and from 100% = 4.41 ± 0.87. In female subjects, OUES [mL·min−1/L·min−1] from 75% = 3.50 ± 0.65, from 90% = 3.49 ± 0.62, and from 100% = 3.41 ± 0.58. OUES did not differ between time intervals in male (p = 0.65) and female individuals (p = 0.69). OUES strongly predicts peak VO2 independently from the measuring interval (β = 0.71–0.80; R2 = 0.50–0.63). The prediction model designed for elite athletes was OUES [mL·min−1/L·min−1] = −1.54 + 2.99; BSA [m2]—0.0014; (age [in years]; sex [1 = male, 2 = female]) (R2 = 0.36).Conclusion: OUES enables an accurate prediction of peak cardiorespiratory fitness in elite endurance athletes. OUES is a feasible alternative to maximal exercise testing. A new prediction equation should be used for highly trained individuals. Physicians should understand OUES physiology to properly assess the cardiorespiratory response to exercise in athletic cohorts.</p