Knowledge of patients about gastroesophageal reflux disease

Wstęp. Choroba refluksowa przełyku (GERD) dotyka 15–25% chorych w krajach rozwiniętych. Wiedza pacjentów na temat GERD jest najczęściej ograniczona. Zrozumienie podstawowych pojęć i poznanie celów terapii może poprawić jakość życia pacjentów. Cel pracy. Celem badania było określenie podstawowej wiedzy pacjentów dotyczących GERD oraz choroby wrzodowej żołądka. Materiał i metody. W badaniu wzięło udział 168 chorych z GERD (średnia wieku 48,57 ± 14,36 lat). Kobiety stanowiły 55,9%. Ankietowani podczas wizyty w gabinecie lekarskim wypełniali kwestionariusz zawierający 10 pytań dotyczących GERD. Wyniki. Większość ankietowanych (84,5%) zna typowe objawy. Ból w nadbrzuszu po przyjęciu pokarmu, jako objaw choroby wrzodowej żołądka wskazało 51,8% badanych; 42,2% osób stwierdziło, że choroba refluksowa przełyku może przebiegać bezobjawowo. Na konieczność wykonania gastroskopii w celu rozpoznania choroby wrzodowej żołądka wskazało 70,2% ankietowanych. Obecność Helicobacter pylori z chorobą wrzodową żołądka wiąże 57,7% osób; 79,7% chorych wybrało leczenie farmakologiczne w terapii GERD; 81,5% pacjentów ma świadomość konieczności zachowania właściwego stylu życia. Według 54,8% badanych przepuklina rozworu przełykowego nasila objawy GERD w pozycji leżącej. Wnioski. Wiedza pacjentów w zakresie choroby refluksowej przełyku oraz choroby wrzodowej żołądka jest niewystarczająca. Rolą lekarzy rodzinnych jest edukacja pacjentów dotycząca możliwości zmniejszenia nasilenia objawów GERD, co może przyczynić się do poprawy jakości życia pacjentów.Introduction. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects 15–25% of patients in developed countries. Knowledge of patients bout GERD is mostly limited. Understanding the basic concepts, learning objectives can improve the quality of life of patients. Aim of the study. The aim of the study was to determine the patient’s knowledge about GERD. Material and methods. The study involved 168 patients with GERD (mean age 14.36 years ± 48.57). Women 55.9%. Respondents during a visit to the doctor’s office completed a questionnaire containing 10 questions related to GERD. Results. The majority of respondents (84.5%) knows the typical symptoms of GERD. Epigastric pain after ingestion as a symptom of gastric ulcer indicated 51.8% of the respondents; 42.2% of patients said that gastroesophageal reflux disease may be asymptomatic. On the need to perform endoscopy to diagnose gastric ulcer indicated 70.2% of respondents. Connection of Helicobacter pylori presence and peptic ulcer knew 57.7% of respondents; 79.7% of patients chose pharmacological therapy in the treatment of GERD; 81.5% of patients are aware of the proper lifestyle. According to 54.8% hiatal hernia increases symptoms of GERD in the supine position. Conclusions. Knowledge of patients about gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease is insufficient. The role of family physicians to educate patients regarding the possibility of reducing the symptoms of GERD is very important, which can contribute to improving the quality of life of patients

Using the Internet to determine fatal cardiovascular risk in the Polish population

We present the first program in Poland to determine the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk of individuals, called Ryzyko. The program is freely available at www.ryzyko.amg.gda.pl. Our program, partially based on the European SCORECARD program, takes into account parameters such as age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol concentration and cigarette smoking, and enables internet users to observe themselves to determine the degree of their CVD risk

Zastosowanie kardiografii impedancyjnej w ocenie odpowiedzi hemodynamicznej podczas spiroergometrycznej próby wysiłkowej u pacjenta z niewydolnością serca - opis przypadku

The aim of the study was to evaluate the hemodynamic changes using the impedance cardiography during cardiopulmonary exercise test in a male patient with heart failure. Ramp protocol was performed. Target heart rate was achieved at 159 W of workload. The VO2 peak was 20 ml/kg/min; VO2 (AT) - 9 ml/kg/min; and V`E (V`CO2) slope - 33.1. Hemodynamic trends of stroke volume and contractility index showed that the deflection point was 100 s earlier than maximum workload. Monitoring of hemodynamic response during exercise test by impedance cardiography enables detection abnormalities in cardiac performance during exercise test before classic termination criteria are achieved

Cardiovascular risk factors among Polish employees of uniformed services

Objectives Employees of uniformed services (EoUS) were screened for cardiovascular risk factors. Material and Methods A total of 1138 EoUS (age M±SD 49.9±6.0 years) and 263 controls (age M±SD 54.4±9.7 years) under the care of the cardiology clinic in Gdańsk, Poland, were included in the study. Medical history and blood samples were collected, and a physical examination was performed. Ten-year cardiovascular risk of death was calculated using the systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE) risk algorithm for high-risk countries. Results Significantly higher values of mean systolic and mean diastolic blood pressure, mean total cholesterol level and mean BMI were recorded among the EoUS compared to controls (M±SD 141.7±11.6 mm Hg vs. 135.5±11.0 mm Hg, p < 0.001; 90.1±5.9 mm Hg vs. 84.5±6.8 mm Hg, p < 0.001; 6.01±0.76 mmol vs. 5.44±0.87 mmol, p < 0.001; 29.3±4.7 vs. 29.0±4.1, p 5 mmol, smoking,) was significantly higher among EoUS compared to controls (92.1% vs. 57.8%, p < 0.001; 89.0% vs. 66.9%, p < 0.001; 35.5% vs. 16.7%, p < 0.001, respectively). In the male group, the mean calculated ten-year risk of fatal cardiovascular events, the percentage of high calculated risk, and very high risk were higher in the EoUS group compared to controls (M±SD 4.44±3.49 vs. 4.23±3.86, p = 0.001; 23.7% vs. 20.2%, p = 0.007; 7.4% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions The prevalence of all identified risk factors was found to be higher among employees of uniformed services when compared to the control group. The presence of these risk factors within the population of uniformed service employees results in a greater risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(5):656–7

Cardiovascular risk factors determined via the Internet in 2 periods of time: 2004–2009 and 2010–2015 in Poland

Objectives Web information systems may serve as a diagnostic tool for the Internet users and they also support the epidemiological work of doctors and health care providers. As part of this study, a system has been created for detecting and calculating cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study has been the comparison of cardiovascular risk factors and calculated fatal cardiovascular risk in 2 periods of time: 2004–2009 and 2010–2015 in Poland, as determined via the Internet. Material and Methods The “Ryzyko program” (“Risk program”) is available on the website of the Medical University of Gdańsk. To assess the cardiovascular death risk in a 10-year period, the algorithm of the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation) project was used and 30 402 results of the algorithm have been analyzed. Results Over 30 402 webpage visitors entered the required data and received the outcome. More than 78% of the Internet users who had entered the data, received a recommendation for medical check-up. Significant differences between the data collected in 2004– 2009 and 2010–2015 were noticed. Hypercholesterolemia prevalence (67.3% vs. 70.8%; p < 0.001), mean total cholesterol concentration in blood (5.60±1.65 mml/l vs. 5.66±1.35 mml/l; p < 0.001), prevalence of hypertension (36.6% vs. 35.3%; p = 0.039), mean systolic blood pressure (131.5±20.3 mm Hg vs. 132.6±18.0 mm Hg; p < 0.001), prevalence of declared smoking (30.7% vs. 26.5%; p < 0.001), declared diabetes mellitus (DM) (6.4% vs. 9.7%; p < 0.001), and declared coronary artery disease (CAD) (7.2% vs. 14.1%; p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors has changed during the observed period of time. Online automatic gathering of new data by “Ryzyko program” provides up-to-date observations. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(3):499–51

Direct observation of the dead-cone effect in quantum chromodynamics

The direct measurement of the QCD dead cone in charm quark fragmentation is reported, using iterative declustering of jets tagged with a fully reconstructed charmed hadron

Direct observation of the dead-cone effect in quantum chromodynamics

At particle collider experiments, elementary particle interactions with large momentum transfer produce quarks and gluons (known as partons) whose evolution is governed by the strong force, as described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) [1]. The vacuum is not transparent to the partons and induces gluon radiation and quark pair production in a process that can be described as a parton shower [2]. Studying the pattern of the parton shower is one of the key experimental tools in understanding the properties of QCD. This pattern is expected to depend on the mass of the initiating parton, through a phenomenon known as the dead-cone effect, which predicts a suppression of the gluon spectrum emitted by a heavy quark of mass m and energy E, within a cone of angular size m/E around the emitter [3]. A direct observation of the dead-cone effect in QCD has not been possible until now, due to the challenge of reconstructing the cascading quarks and gluons from the experimentally accessible bound hadronic states. Here we show the first direct observation of the QCD dead-cone by using new iterative declustering techniques [4, 5] to reconstruct the parton shower of charm quarks. This result confirms a fundamental feature of QCD, which is derived more generally from its origin as a gauge quantum field theory. Furthermore, the measurement of a dead-cone angle constitutes the first direct experimental observation of the non-zero mass of the charm quark, which is a fundamental constant in the standard model of particle physics.The direct measurement of the QCD dead cone in charm quark fragmentation is reported, using iterative declustering of jets tagged with a fully reconstructed charmed hadron.In particle collider experiments, elementary particle interactions with large momentum transfer produce quarks and gluons (known as partons) whose evolution is governed by the strong force, as described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). These partons subsequently emit further partons in a process that can be described as a parton shower which culminates in the formation of detectable hadrons. Studying the pattern of the parton shower is one of the key experimental tools for testing QCD. This pattern is expected to depend on the mass of the initiating parton, through a phenomenon known as the dead-cone effect, which predicts a suppression of the gluon spectrum emitted by a heavy quark of mass $m_{\rm{Q}}$ and energy $E$, within a cone of angular size $m_{\rm{Q}}$/$E$ around the emitter. Previously, a direct observation of the dead-cone effect in QCD had not been possible, owing to the challenge of reconstructing the cascading quarks and gluons from the experimentally accessible hadrons. We report the direct observation of the QCD dead cone by using new iterative declustering techniques to reconstruct the parton shower of charm quarks. This result confirms a fundamental feature of QCD. Furthermore, the measurement of a dead-cone angle constitutes a direct experimental observation of the non-zero mass of the charm quark, which is a fundamental constant in the standard model of particle physics

Inclusive J/ψ\psi production at midrapidity in pp collisions at s = 13\sqrt{s}~=~13 TeV

We report on the inclusive J/$\psi$ production cross section measured at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}~=~13$ TeV. The J/$\psi$ mesons are reconstructed in the $\rm e^{+} e^{-}$ decay channel and the measurements are performed at midrapidity ($|y|<0.9$) in the transverse-momentum interval $0< p_{\rm T} <40$ GeV/$c$, using a minimum bias data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity $L_{\text{int}} = 32.2~\text{nb}^{-1}$ and an Electromagnetic Calorimeter triggered data sample with $L_{\text{int}} = 8.3~\mathrm{pb}^{-1}$. The $p_{\rm T}$-integrated J/$\psi$ production cross section at midrapidity, computed using the minimum bias data sample, is $\text{d}\sigma/\text{d}y|_{y=0} = 8.97\pm0.24~(\text{stat})\pm0.48~(\text{syst})\pm0.15~(\text{lumi})~\mu\text{b}$. An approximate logarithmic dependence with the collision energy is suggested by these results and available world data, in agreement with model predictions. The integrated and $p_{\rm T}$-differential measurements are compared with measurements in pp collisions at lower energies and with several recent phenomenological calculations based on the non-relativistic QCD and Color Evaporation models

Inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/ψ{\rm J}/\psi production at midrapidity in p−-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02 TeV

A measurement of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt ${\rm J}/\psi$ production in p$-$Pb collisions at a nucleon--nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV is presented. The ${\rm J}/\psi$ mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at midrapidity down to a transverse momentum $p_{\rm T} = 0$. The inclusive ${\rm J}/\psi$ nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ is calculated by comparing the results in p$-$Pb collisions to a measured proton$-$proton reference at the same centre-of-mass energy. Non-prompt ${\rm J}/\psi$ mesons, which originate from the decay of beauty hadrons, are separated from promptly produced ${\rm J}/\psi$ on a statistical basis for $p_{\rm T}$ larger than 1.0 GeV/$c$. These results are based on the data sample collected by the ALICE detector during the 2016 LHC p$-$Pb run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity ${\cal L}_{\rm int} = 292 \pm 11 \; {\rm \mu b}^{-1}$, which is six times larger than the previous publications. The total uncertainty on the $p_{\rm T}$-integrated inclusive ${\rm J}/\psi$ and non-prompt ${\rm J}/\psi$ cross section are reduced by a factor 1.7 and 2.2, respectively. The measured cross sections and $R_{\rm pPb}$ are compared with theoretical models that include various combinations of cold nuclear matter effects. From the non-prompt ${\rm J}/\psi$ production cross section, the ${\rm b\overline{b}}$ production cross section at midrapidity, $\mathrm{d}\sigma_{\rm b\overline{b}}/\mathrm{d}y$, and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space, $\sigma_{\rm b\overline{b}}$, are derived