Patients expectations toward treatment analyzed in a group of patients over sixty years old treated with intravenous chemotherapy due to hematological malignancies. Evaluation done during the period of treatment

Great expectations of chemotherapy have a significant impact on health activities. Patients relay their opinion on their positive self-assessment perceived with psychophysical capacity, clinical symptoms of the disease and the quality of medical actions. The expectation analysis of elderly patients who undergo intravenous chemotherapy was the objective of this paper.Research was performed in 2012. There were 30 patients of age 60 and more included. All patients were treated in Haematology Ward of District Hospital in Kraków. A questionnaire, ECOG scale, and 5 Juczyński tests were used in order to evaluate the psychophysical capacity of patients. The Juczyński tests measure selected psychological resources which influence on the adaptation of an organism to the disease and treatment. These are: optimism (LOT-R), satisfaction from life (SWLS), sense of self effectiveness (GSES), the degree of disease approval (AIS) and emotional control (CECS).Significant relations between psychophysical capacity and objective effects of treatment and subjective self-assessment of the state of one health were found. Better functioning of patients (measured by ECOG scale) is strictly correlated with good adjustment and acknowledgment of illness limitations (p=0.022). Patients having good sense of self-satisfaction suffer from different ailments less severely (p=0.039) and expect less intensification of bad syndromes in future (p=0.06). On the other hand those who are overcome with fear anticipate more troubles after chemotherapy (p=0.024).Based on the results of analysis the distribution of patients’ expectations towards their family, medical caregivers and the process of treatment was obtained. The picture of illness dynamics was presented using two categories: objective (medical) and subjective described by patients evaluations of their state of health during treatment.The research revealed the necessity of analyzing psychophysical functioning of elderly submitted to long treatment

Temporal perspective and other psychological factors making it difficult to adapt to requirements of treatment in chronic dialysis patients

Aim. The study analyzed the relationship between temporal perspective, selected personal resources, and unhealthy behavior, manifesting in problems with adherence to fluid intake restrictions, in chronic hemodialyzis patients. The authors tried to answer the question whether there is temporal perspective and other psychological factors increasing the risk of non-adaptive behaviors. Methods. Sixty-one patients, aged 23–81 years (M = 59; SD = 13,9) on chronic hemodialysis at the Department of Nephrology University Hospital were qualified to the study. The study group consisted of 30 patients with poorer fluid regimen adherence and 31 controls, who maintained fluid regimen. The patients were qualified on the bases of the average interdialysis weight gains measured nine times during three weeks. The following research tools were used: P. Zimbardo and J. Boyd ZTPI test; P.T. Costa and R.R. McCrae NEO-FFI Inventory; J. Strelau Temperament Inventory, R. Schwarzer GSES; M. F. Scheier; C. S. Carver and M. W. Bridges LOT-R; M. Watson and S. Greer CECS; BJ. Felton, TA. Revenson, GA. Hinrichsen AIS. Results. Difficulties in adapting to the fluid intake restrictions are significantly associated with temporal orientation towards negative aspects of the present and the past. Non-adaptive health behaviors are typical for patients with temperamental lack of balance between agitation and inhibition processes and are characterized by high agreeableness and low conscientiousness. The association between excessive anger control and the risk of non-adherence medical recommendations. Conclusions. Time perception and other personality factors form mechanisms regulating health behaviors in chronically treatment patients

Polska Bibliografia Naukowa – powstanie, rozwój i znaczenie

The article characterizes the development of the system of institutional evaluation of science in Poland. The Polish Scientific Bibliography (PBN) is discussed in detail – its transformation, current state, functionality, needs, users’ expectations as well as its importance and tasks for the future. The PBN is an important portal of the Ministry of Education and Science and a bibliographic-analytical database of an integrated Information System on Higher Education POL-on. The importance of the PBN results from its role as an official data source used in the process of evaluation of scientific units and consequently, for the distribution of subsidies in higher education.W artykule przeanalizowano rozwój systemu instytucjonalnej ewaluacji nauki w Polsce. Szczegółowo omówiono Polską Bibliografię Naukową (PBN) – jej transformację, stan obecny, funkcjonalność, potrzeby, oczekiwania użytkowników oraz znaczenie i zadania na przyszłość. PBN jest istotnym portalem Ministerstwa Edukacji i Nauki oraz bazą bibliograficzno-analityczną zintegrowanego Systemu Informacji o Szkolnictwie Wyższym POL-on. Ranga PBN wynika z przypisywanej jej roli oficjalnego źródła danych, wykorzystywanego w procesie ewaluacji jednostek naukowych, a w konsekwencji służącego do podziału dotacji w szkolnictwie wyższym

The regulation of contractual relationships in the agri-food chain in Poland

Podstawowym aktem prawa polskiego regulującym ochronę przedsiębiorców zajmujących się produkcją i obrotem produktami rolnymi i spożywczymi przed nieuczciwym wykorzystywaniem przewagi kontraktowej przez ich kontrahentów jest ustawa z dnia 15 grudnia 2016 r. o przeciwdziałaniu nieuczciwemu wykorzystywaniu przewagi kontraktowej w obrocie produktami rolnymi i spożywczymi, która implementuje dyrektywę 2019/633. Zawiera ona katalog praktyk nieuczciwie wykorzystujących przewagę kontraktową (tzw. "czarna lista"), które są bezwzględnie zakazane; ustawa przewiduje również wykaz praktyk, które co do zasady są zakazane, ale w pewnych okolicznościach nie są uznawane za nieuczciwie wykorzystujące przewagę kontraktową. Ponadto ustawa zawiera klauzulę generalną, zgodnie z którą praktyki niewymienione wprost w ustawie mogą zostać uznane za nieuczciwe wykorzystywanie przewagi kontraktowej. Ustawa koncentruje się na środkach administracyjnych służących zapobieganiu i zwalczaniu praktyk stanowiących nieuczciwe wykorzystywanie przewagi kontraktowej w obrocie produktami rolnymi i spożywczymi, takich jak postępowania w sprawach nieuczciwego wykorzystywania przewagi kontraktowej prowadzone przez polski organ właściwy w sprawach nieuczciwego wykorzystywania przewagi kontraktowej, czyli Prezesa Urzędu Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów. Ustawa o przeciwdziałaniu nieuczciwemu wykorzystywaniu przewagi kontraktowej w obrocie produktami rolnymi i spożywczymi stanowi, że przewidziana w niej ochrona przed nieuczciwym wykorzystywaniem przewagi kontraktowej nie wyłącza ochrony wynikającej z innych ustaw. Do ochrony słabszej strony obrotu na rynku rolno-spożywczym mogą być zatem wykorzystywane także środki przewidziane w innych aktach prawa polskiego, takich jak ustawa z dnia 16 lutego 2007 r. o ochronie konkurencji i konsumentów, ustawa z dnia 16 kwietnia 1993 r. o zwalczaniu nieuczciwej konkurencji, ustawa z dnia 8 marca 2013 r. o przeciwdziałaniu nadmiernym opóźnieniom w transakcjach handlowych czy ustawa z dnia 23 kwietnia 1964 r. - Kodeks cywilny. Ustawy te przewidują różne środki, które mogą być stosowane także w niektórych przypadkach nieuczciwego wykorzystywania przewagi kontraktowej w obrocie produktami rolno-spożywczymi, jeżeli praktyki silniejszej strony stosunków na tym rynku spełniają jednocześnie przesłanki stosowania tych ustaw. Cywilnoprawna ochrona słabszych uczestników obrotu produktami rolno-spożywczymi jest jednak rozproszona i nie w pełni dostosowana do problemów występujących w obrocie produktami rolno-spożywczymi.The fundamental act of Polish law regulating the protection of the entrepreneurs involved in production and trade of agricultural and food products from unfair use of contractual advantage by their counterparties is the Act of 15 December 2016 on Counteracting Unfair Use of Contractual Advantage in Trade in Agricultural and Food Products, which implements the Directive 2019/633. It contains a catalogue of practices that unfairly use contractual advantages (the so-called “blacklist”), which are absolutely prohibited; the Act also provides for a list of practices that are generally prohibited, but under certain circumstances are not considered unfairly using contractual advantages. In addition, the Act contains a general clause under which practices not explicitly mentioned in the Act may be considered unfair use of contractual advantage. The Act focuses on administrative measures to prevent and combat practices constituting unfair use of contractual advantage in trade in agricultural and food products, such as contractual advantage proceedings conducted by the Polish competent authority for matters of unfair use of contractual advantage, i.e., the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. The Polish Act on Counteracting Unfair Use of Contractual Advantage in Trade in Agricultural and Food Products states that the protection against unfair use of contractual advantage provided for therein does not preclude the protection arising from other laws. Thus, measures provided by other acts of Polish law can also be used to protect the weaker party in the agri-food market trade, such as the Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 16 February 2007, the Act of 16 April 1993 on Combating Unfair Competition, the Act of 8 March 2013 on 2013 on Counteracting Excessive Delays in Commercial Transactions or the Civil Code of 23 April 1964. These acts provide for various measures that can also be used in certain cases of unfair use of contractual advantages in the trade of agri-food products, if the practices of the stronger party to the relations in this market fulfil at the same time the prerequisites for the application of the norms of these acts. However, the civil law protection of the weaker participants in the trade of agri-food products is dispersed and not fully adapted to the problems encountered in the trade in agri-food products

Temporary external implantable cardioverter-defibrillator as a bridge to reimplantation after infected device extraction

Patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) and endovascular infection represent a difficult management group. The explantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) system deprives the patient of the protection against life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias. In this study, we describe feasibility and clinical outcomes of bridging with temporary dual-coil ICD lead and external ICD following the extraction of a CIED due to endovascular infection and compare the performance of this approach to other available options

Application of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model for differentiation between metastatic and non-metastatic head and neck lymph nodes

Background: Application of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model parameters, including: true diffusion (D), pseudodiffusion (D*), and perfusion fraction (Fp), for differentiation between metastatic and non-metastatic head and neck lymph nodes. Material/Methods: Diffusion-weighted images/apparent diffusion coefficient (DWI/ADC) images of 86 lymph nodes from 31 cancer patients were analyzed. DWI images were obtained with a 1.5T MRI scanner (Magnetom Avanto); b=0,50, 150, 300, 500, 750, 1000, 1200 s/mm2. Results: In the study group, there were 32 (37%) and 54 (67%) metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes, respectively. The mean values of D, D*, and Fp did not differ significantly between metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes. Conclusions: IVIM parameters are not useful for differentiation between metastatic and non-metastatic head and neck lymph nodes