Myoelectrical activity of muscles stabilizing the sacroiliac joints before and after the use of elastic tapes in women suffering from Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain

Objectives: The aim of this study was the analysis of activity of selected muscles stabilizing the sacroiliac joints in pregnantwomen suffering from pelvic pain and changes in the pattern in response to the implementation of Kinesio Taping(elastic tape).Material and methods: Seventeen women with Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain and 20 pregnant women withoutpain in the lumbar-pelvic complex were enrolled into the study. In patients with pelvic pain, the parameters describing theaction of the muscles were assessed: before the tape was applied, immediately after application, 3 days into applicationand 5 days after the cessation of taping. In the control group, the test was carried out one time. The activity of the muscleswas measured during extension of the hip from a four-point kneeling position.Results: The gluteus maximus muscle shows higher resting activity values than in the control group, before and after applicationof the tape as well as five days after the removal of the tape. Before application, the gluteus maximus activatesquicker than in the control group while the ipsilateral extensor spinae had a delayed activation when compared to thecontrol group.Conclusions: The patterns of activation of tested muscles and their action potential values are different in the groupof women with pelvic pain compared to the group without pelvic pain. The application of KT in the lumbar region appearsto alter the activation of the GM muscle as well as improve activation of IES muscle during hip extension from thefour-point-kneeling position

Impact of Kinesio Taping application on pregnant women suffering from pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain — preliminary study

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain on every day functioning and evaluate how effective Kinesio Taping is in reducing pain for pregnant women. Material and methods: 24 women filled the author’s questionnaire, Oswestry Disability Index Questionnaire and Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire before starting the therapy. Elastic tape was applied onto the lumbosacral area for 5 days and was evaluated 1st day of the test immediately before application, day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 day of the examination. Results: ODI score was 20.09 and showed major disability resulting from severity of the pain. PGQ score was 19.909. Sig­nificant pain reduction was registered on the 3rd day after tape was applied, significant pain reduction on the day of tape removal, and 5 days after tape removal. Conclusions: Elastic tape decreases pain in pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain. Pelvic girdle pain deteriorates the quality of life for pregnant women

Pre-columbian archeological textiles: A source of pseudomonas aeruginosa with virulence attributes

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen associated with a broad spectrum of infections in humans. However, the pathogenicity of environmental P. aeruginosa strains, especially isolates from museums and conservation laboratories, is not widely recognized. In this study, the virulence attributes of P. aeruginosa isolated from pre-Columbian textiles were compared to those of a clinical strain. Both genetically identified environmental strains (KP842564 and KP842565) exhibited a high ability to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces and high hemolytic activity. In addition, strain KP842564 was a moderate pyocyanin producer and showed proteolytic properties toward bovine serum albumin, fibrinogen, mucin, and casein. In contrast to the clinical isolate, the environmental strainswere susceptible to all the tested antimicrobial agents. The strains also showed high bioadhesion and colonization capacity on archeological textile samples, in which wool fibers were the only source of nutrients, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analysis. This study highlights the need to identify microorganisms which inhabit historic objects, in order to avoid exposure to occupational hazards. Although the strain KP842565 exhibited only some of the examined virulence-related features, given that the production of pyocyanin and hemolysins as well as the formation of biofilm are important virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, the results indicate that these strains may present a potential health risk for humans.Fil: Rajkowska, Katarzyna. Lodz University of Technology; PoloniaFil: Otlewska, Anna. Lodz University of Technology; PoloniaFil: Guiamet, Patricia Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Wrzosek, Henryk. Lodz University of Technology; PoloniaFil: Machnowski, Waldemar. Lodz University of Technology; Poloni

Age influence on opioid consumption in terminally ill digestive cancer patients

The aim of this work was to estimate the influence of the age and gender on the opioids usage in terminally ill digestive cancer patients. A retrospective files analysis of the 344 patients who had died in two palliative units, divided into three groups (< 60, 60–70, > 70 years old) was performed. Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (MEDD) on admission, within the last 3 days, last 5 days and in the last day of life were compared. The number of patients receiving coanalgesics and the number of coanalgesics used per patient were also analyzed. The amount of opioids remained stable through the last 5 days. The mean daily MEDD values in every time intervals were significantly higher in the youngest group than in older ones. The number of coanalgesics used was the highest in the youngest group. Smaller number of patients received coanalgesics in the oldest group. Women < 60 years old required a significantly higher MEDD than men in each time interval, except of the admission. Study confirms the lower amount of opioids used in the elderly digestive terminal cancer patients and also within younger males

Antistaphylococcal Activity of Selected Thiourea Derivatives

Five of thiourea derivatives were prepared using as a starting compound 3-(trifluoromethyl)aniline, 4-chloro-3-nitroaniline, 1,3-thiazol-2-amine, 2H-1,2,3-triazol-4-amine and commercial isothiocyanates. All compounds were evaluated in vitro for antimicrobial activity. Derivatives 2 and 3 showed the highest inhibition against Gram-positive cocci (standard and hospital strains). The observed MIC values were in the range of 0.5–8 μg/ml. The products effectively inhibited the formation of biofilms of methicillin-resistant and standard strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Inhibitory activity of thioureas 2 and 3 against Staphylococcus aureus topoisomerase IV was studied. The examined compounds were nongenotoxic

The role of pharmacological tests in patients with failed back surgery syndrome

Background. Chronic pain syndromes constitute a great therapeutic problem. One of the steps leading to precise diagnosis and to choosing an appropriate therapeutic strategy are the pharmacological tests (PT). They allow an indirect identification of the mechanism of pain and lead to a more efficient treatment. Material and methods. The study population consists of 19 consecutive patients suffering from failed back surgery syndrome. Patients were administered analgetic drugs with a known mechanism of action intravenously (lidocaine, ketoprofen, tramadol, fentanyl, metamizole) and placebo. Before and after each drug administration patients rated their pain severity based on the VAS scale and reported adverse events. Results. A very good result (≥ 50% reduction of pain intensity) was achieved only in 4 patients (21.1%). Additionally the satisfactory result (≥ 30% reduction of pain intensity) was achieved in 8 patients (42.1%). Fentanyl turned out to be the most effective drug, however its efficacy was low. Fentanyl elicited a 30% reduction of pain severity in 31.3% of patients and 50% reduction of pain severity only in 18.8% of patients. Conclusions. Pharmacotherapy is effective only in a small number of patients. Use of target pharmacotherapy (an effective drug based on pharmacological tests) in combination with other therapeutic methods (central and peripheral blocks, psychotherapy, neuromodulation, rehabilitation) appears to be the best approach.Wstęp. Przewlekłe bólowe zespoły neuropatyczne stanowią duży problem terapeutyczny. Celem stosowania testów analizy farmakologicznej (PT) jest ułatwienie diagnozy i wybór odpowiedniej metody leczenia. Testy te pozwalają na pośrednie zidentyfikowanie patomechanizmu bólu oraz uprawdopodobnienie skuteczności dalszej terapii. Materiał i metody. Przydatność testów analizy farmakologicznej oceniano u 19 kolejnych pacjentów z zespołem bólowym po nieudanych operacjach kręgosłupa. Chorzy otrzymywali dożylnie leki przeciwbólowe o znanym mechanizmie działania (lidokainę, ketoprofen, tramadol, fentanyl, metamizol), naprzemiennie z placebo. Przed i po każdym podaniu leku lub placebo pacjenci oceniali nasilenie bólu w skali VAS oraz zgłaszali wystąpienie działań niepożądanych. Wyniki. Wynik bardzo dobry (≥ 50-procentowa redukcja nasilenia bólu w skali VAS) uzyskano tylko u 4 pacjentów (21,1%), a satysfakcjonujący (≥ 30-procentowa redukcja nasilenia bólu w skali VAS) — u 8 osób (42,1%). Najlepiej działającym preparatem okazał się fentanyl, jednak jego skuteczność była niewielka i przyniósł on 30-procentową ulgę tylko 31,3% pacjentom, a 50-procentową ulgę jedynie 18,8% chorym. Wnioski. Farmakoterapia jest skuteczna tylko u nielicznych pacjentów. Odpowiednie wydaje się zastosowanie farmakoterapii celowanej (leku, którego skuteczność stwierdzono na podstawie PT) w skojarzeniu z innymi metodami terapeutycznymi (blokady centralne i obwodowe, psychoterapia, neuromodulacja, rehabilitacja)

Rozważania o obronności Rzeczypospolitej Doktryny i rzeczywistość

Ze wstępu: "W ostatnich latach termin „bezpieczeństwo narodowe” odmieniany był w licznych publikacjach naukowych i publicystycznych we wszystkich przypadkach i w każdej prawie możliwej konfiguracji. Pisano zatem i rozprawiano na konferencjach oraz seminariach naukowych o bezpieczeństwie zewnętrznym i wewnętrznym, ekonomicznym i energetycznym, społecznym, demograficznym i wielu innych. Praktycznie każdy obszar problemowy, któremu można było przypisać, z większym lub mniejszym sensem, rzeczownik „bezpieczeństwo” stawał się przedmiotem rozważań w ramach dyscypliny naukowej „nauki o bezpieczeństwie”. W tym natłoku „gatunków” bezpieczeństwa coraz mniej widoczne było bezpieczeństwo militarne, czyli innymi słowy obronność państwa. Dopiero wydarzenia na wschód od naszej granicy doprowadziły do swego rodzaju przebudzenia i od dwóch lat ponownie zaczęto głośno zastanawiać się nad istotą, poziomem i organizacją obronności Rzeczypospolitej. Wszystkie te wydarzenia doprowadziły do powstania swego rodzaju sytuacji problemowej, którą można by opisać w postaci pytania: w jakiej rzeczywistej kondycji znajduje się obronność Rzeczypospolitej?"(...)Publikacja powstała w ramach projektu badawczego nr WNoB/DS/1/2016-KO

Left atrial appendage thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent oral anticoagulation

Background: Electric cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of embolism, with embolic material existing in the heart cavities. The initiation of oral anticoagulation therapy reduces the risk of thromboembolic events. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi in non-valvular AF, to compare vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) with respect to thrombus prevalence, and to evaluate the rate of LAA thrombus persistence on repeat transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) after treatment change. Methods: We enrolled 160 consecutive AF patients who presented with an AF duration > 48 h and had undergone TEE before cardioversion. Results: Left atrial appendage thrombus was observed in 12 (7.5%) patients, and spontaneous echo contrast 4 was observed in 19 (11.8%) patients; the incidence was similar between the NOAC and VKA groups (8.9% vs. 3.6% and 12.4% vs. 18.5 %, respectively). Among patients on NOAC, thrombus prevalence was detected in 8.4% of users of rivaroxaban, 8% of users of dabigatran, and 12.5% of users of apixaban. Conclusions: The LAA thrombus developed in 7.5% of patients despite anticoagulation therapy, demonstrating similar prevalence rates among patients either on NOAC or VKA. Lower mean LAA flow velocity and a history of vascular disease were independent predictors of embolic material in the LAA. It seems that in the case of embolic materials in LAA under NOAC treatment, switching to VKA provides additional clinical benefit to the patients