Non-compliance with medical recommendations results in delayed hospitalization and poorer prognosis in patients with cerebral ischemic stroke in Poland: Non-compliance effects on post-ischemic stroke prognosis.

Objectives: This study aimed to reveal and analyze the causes of delays in reaching the hospital of patients with cerebral ischemic stroke and to assess their clinical picture.

Material And Methods: The study group included 161 patients with stroke, who reported to the hospital beyond the thrombolytic treatment therapeutic window. The control group consisted of 85 patients recruited consecutively with stroke who received thrombolytic treatment per eligibility criteria.

Huntington's Disease Progression and Caregiver Burden.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative, progressive disorder conditioned by a mutation in the HTT gene. Its progression is dependent on the causative mutation extension. Caregivers of individuals affected by HD, most often patients' relatives, are burdened with the care.

The contribution of gender differences in motor, behavioral and cognitive features to functional capacity, independence and quality of life in patients with Huntington's disease.

Introduction: Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative autosomal dominant disorder affecting patients' motor, behavioral and cognitive domains leading to total dependency for activities of daily life. This study compares whether gender differences in motor, cognitive and behavioral symptoms affect function and how functional impairment affects quality of life (QoL).

Methods: We recruited 2191 subjects from the REGISTRY data base that provides personal data, HD age of onset, visit date, CAG mutation size, UHDRS and TFC scores from at least one visit.

Monitoring risk behaviour in adolescent pupils regarding consumption of psychoactive substances.

Taking psychoactive substances constitutes a significant problem for Public Health, particularly in preventing drug abuse and addiction. To estimate the amount and incidence of drug consumption in middle and high school pupils, including the circumstances in which drug taking first started, and to determine pupils' knowledge about the consequences of taking psychoactive substances and designer drugs (DDs). .

Trends in smoking among secondary school and high school students in Poland, 2009 and 2011.

Objectives: To determine the age and the most common circumstances for smoking initiation along with smoking rates and to evaluate smoking trends for secondary and high school students in Poland during 2009 and 2011.

Material And Methods: In 2009, a pilot study was conducted in districts of Poland on high school students and their parents. For statistical analysis, correctly completed questionnaires from 999 students and 667 parents were qualified for use.

An impaired metabolism of nucleotides underpins a novel mechanism of cardiac remodeling leading to Huntington's disease related cardiomyopathy.

Huntington's disease (HD) is mainly thought of as a neurological disease, but multiple epidemiological studies have demonstrated a number of cardiovascular events leading to heart failure in HD patients. Our recent studies showed an increased risk of heart contractile dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy in HD pre-clinical models. This could potentially involve metabolic remodeling, that is a typical feature of the failing heart, with reduced activities of high energy phosphate generating pathways.

HDAC4 as a potential therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases: a summary of recent achievements.

For the past decade protein acetylation has been shown to be a crucial post-transcriptional modification involved in the regulation of protein functions. Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) mediate acetylation of histones which results in the nucleosomal relaxation associated with gene expression. The reverse reaction, histone deacetylation, is mediated by histone deacetylases (HDACs) leading to chromatin condensation followed by transcriptional repression.

Melatonin and cortisol profiles in patients with pituitary tumors.

The optic tract section at the optic chiasm is expected to disturb the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) rhythm, circadian rhythm and melatonin secretion rhythms in humans, although detailed studies have never been conducted. The aim of this paper was to describe melatonin and cortisol profiles in patients with a pituitary tumor exerting optic chiasm compression. Six patients with pituitary tumors of different size, four of whom had significant optic chiasm compression, were examined.

Skeletal muscle pathology in Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine stretch within the huntingtin protein (HTT). The neurological symptoms, that involve motor, cognitive and psychiatric disturbances, are caused by neurodegeneration that is particularly widespread in the basal ganglia and cereberal cortex. HTT is ubiquitously expressed and in recent years it has become apparent that HD patients experience a wide array of peripheral organ dysfunction including severe metabolic phenotype, weight loss, HD-related cardiomyopathy and skeletal muscle wasting.

Assessing physical activity and sedentary lifestyle behaviours for children and adolescents living in a district of Poland. What are the key determinants for improving health?

Introduction: Adequate levels of physical activity throughout an individual's life ensure an optimal state of health. Only 30% of adolescents and 10% of adults perform sufficient physical activity to facilitate proper physical, psychological/mental and emotional development.

Objective: Determining physical activity behaviour in children and adolescents through surveying the opinions of school pupils and parents, in order to lend support for optimised educational programmes designed to promote healthy lifestyle behaviour, as well as establishing consistent answers.

Alcohol consumption in Polish middle and high school pupils--has this rapidly increased during 2009-11?

Introduction: The dynamic rise of alcohol consumption in adolescents is a matter of serious concern, requiring frequently updated monitoring. By such means, it is possible to optimise preventative measures for dealing with this problem.

Objective: To estimate the magnitude/amount and frequency of alcohol consumed by middle and high school pupils in Poland, including the circumstances when alcohol was first drunk.

Huntington' disease--imbalance of amino acid levels in plasma of patients and mutation carriers.

Determination of the plasma amino acid (AA) levels in Huntington's disease (HD) can make it possible to find the metabolic markers used in early diagnosis. The aim of the presented study was to determine the AA profile in plasma samples from HD patients and presymptomatic carriers, compared to healthy subjects. The AA profile was analyzed with HPLC.

Psychosocial factors and health status of employees at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences.

Introduction: New opportunities in the labour market, competition in services and globalization have contributed to the increase in load factors in the psychosocial work environment. Availability, readiness to help, work with the sick, the suffering patient--night shifts, overtime, workaholic (as a new form of addiction), and bullying--are becoming more pronounced causes of stress, fatigue and burnout in medicine. Thus, difficult working conditions are largely the cause of unhealthy lifestyles in the medical professions and foster the development of various types of addiction and physical illness.

The evaluation of enamel matrix derivative on subgingival microbial environment in non-surgical periodontal therapy.

Introduction And Objective: Recent in vitro studies indicate that enamel matrix derivative (EMD) could modulate the growth of periodontopathogens. The aim of the presented study was an analysis of the influence of EMD on the presence of Porphyromonas and Prevotella bacteria in the periodontal pockets of patients with chronic periodontitis in non-surgical periodontal therapy.

Materials And Methods: The studies were conducted on 20 patients.

Nutrition-related health behaviours and prevalence of overweight and obesity among Polish children and adolescents.

Introduction: An adequate mode of nutrition is among the most important environmental factors affecting the development of Man and maintenance of a good health status. An improper selection of nutrients and irregular consumption of meals may lead to overweight and obesity.

Objective: The characteristics of health behaviours of the examined population of schoolchildren, with consideration of nutrition and body weight disorders.

Age at menarche in girls and the Developmental Origin of Health and Diseases.

The researchers express their attitude concerning a chapter in the book by Victor Preedy entitled 'Handbook of Anthropometry: Physical Measures of Human Form and Disease' written by Polish researchers, anthropologists concerning the age at menarche in Polish girls after World War II. The authors question the arguments explaining the phenomenon of acceleration of pubertal timing in girls in recent decades described in the scientific literature. In their opinion, the phenomena of acceleration or delay of pubertal onset in girls cannot be explained solely by the living conditions.

Comparative studies on promotion of health and life style of hospital staff in Sweden and Poland.

Introduction: Recently, an increase has been observed in the number of patients suffering from diseases which are the consequence of an anti-health life style; therefore it is necessary to undertake proper actions in this area, including those addressed to hospital staff.

Objectives: 1) Comparison of self-reported state of health and life style between hospital staff in Sweden and Poland, and the motivation of these employees to change the to-date life style for one that is more health promoting. 2) Presentation, based on Swedish experiences in the field of health promotion in hospitals, of the possibilities to implement these changes in Polish conditions.

A study of molecular changes relating to energy metabolism and cellular stress in people with Huntington's disease: looking for biomarkers.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive motor and cognitive decline and the development of psychiatric symptoms. The origin of molecular and biochemical disturbances in HD is a mutation in the HTT gene, which is autosomally dominantly inherited. The altered huntingtin protein is ubiquitously expressed in the CNS, as well as in peripheral tissues.

The relationship of purpose in life and hope in shaping happiness among patients with cancer in Poland.

The authors investigated the relationship of purpose of life, and hope in the happiness and life satisfaction of patients with cancer during or following cancer treatment. Fifty cancer patients were interviewed during recovery in two Warsaw medical centers. The primary measures used were Purpose in Life Test, Herth Hope Index, Happiness and Social Well-Being tools by Czapiński, and the Cantril Ladder of Satisfaction with Life, as well as medical and demographic measures.

Heracleum Sosnowskyi Manden.

Heracleum Sosnowskyi was discovered in 1772 and described as a separate species in 1944 by I. P. Mandenova.

Quality of life and social determinants of anxiolytics and hypnotics use in women in Poland: a population-based study.

Background: The majority of studies show a substantially higher consumption of anxiolytics and antidepressants among women than among men and in the age bracket above 45 years.

Aims: To analyse association between the use of hypnotics/anxiolytics, and various characteristics of Polish women, including health-related quality of life.

Method: One thousand, five hundred and sixty (1,560) women aged 45-60 years completed a questionnaire dealing with the use of hypnotics/anxiolytics, demographic characteristics, environmental and work stress exposure, and self-reported quality of life (SF-36 form).

Dietary behaviours of adolescents from urban and rural areas in the district of Szamotuły--a preliminary study.

Introduction: Numerous factors and conditions affect the dietary behaviours of the young population. Urban-rural differences may also influence the lifestyle of adolescents, including diet.

Aim: To describe dietary behaviours of two young populations: living in urban or rural areas in the district of Szamotuły (a city with a population of 19,000 inhabitants).

Do existential variables mediate between religious-spiritual facets of functionality and psychological wellbeing.

Religiosity has been related to psychological wellbeing outcomes. Although this relationship is primarily based on studies of church attendance or prayer and wellbeing, more recent work has focused on the potential mechanisms that may mediate the religion-wellbeing findings. One of the major function of religion is finding of meaning of life and improving hope.