Polish Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the PREM-C9 Questionnaire for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, preventable, and treatable disease. The first PREM (patient-reported outcome measure)-type questionnaire that has been dedicated to assess the experience of care in COPD is the PREM-C9. : The aim of this study was to create a Polish version of the PREM-C9 and determine its psychometric characteristics.

How COVID-19 Broke the Barriers Related to the Implementation of Telecare-Patients' Experiences with a New form of Providing Health Services in Primary Health Care.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly contributed to accelerating the development of telemedicine and eHealth. The main aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of patients towards remote care implemented in general practice (GP) during the pandemic.

Methods: The study was a pilot study conducted in March-April 2021, considering technical aspects of using teleconsultations, and evaluating the difficulties, advantages and disadvantages for patients.

Diverse PSMA expression in primary prostate cancer: reason for negative [Ga]Ga-PSMA PET/CT scans? Immunohistochemical validation in 40 surgical specimens.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to immunohistochemically validate the primary tumor PSMA expression in prostate cancer (PCa) patients imaged with [Ga]Ga-PSMA PET/CT prior to surgery, with special consideration of PET-negative cases.

Methods: The study included 40 men with newly diagnosed treatment-naïve PCa imaged with [Ga]Ga-PSMA I&T PET/CT as part of the diagnostic work-up prior to radical prostatectomy. All primary tumors were routinely stained with H&E.

Do guidelines influence breathlessness management in advanced lung diseases? A multinational survey of respiratory medicine and palliative care physicians.

Background: Respiratory medicine (RM) and palliative care (PC) physicians' management of chronic breathlessness in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fibrotic interstitial lung disease (fILD) and lung cancer (LC), and the influence of practice guidelines was explored via an online survey.

Methods: A voluntary, online survey was distributed to RM and PC physicians via society newsletter mailing lists.

Results: 450 evaluable questionnaires (348 (77%) RM and 102 (23%) PC) were analysed.

Ga-PSMA I&T PET/CT for primary staging of prostate cancer.

Purpose: The present study is based on a retrospective analysis of Gallium-68 (Ga)-labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen (Ga-PSMA I&T) PET/CT performed in newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve prostate cancer (PCa) patients prior to definitive treatment.

Methods: A total of 82 men were included in the study and were imaged with Ga-PSMA I&T PET/CT to assess the distribution of PSMA-avid disease for staging purposes (11 with low-risk, 32 with intermediate-risk, and 39 with high-risk PCa). Forty patients (20 with intermediate- and 20 with high-risk disease) underwent subsequent radical prostatectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection which allowed for correlation of imaging findings with histopathologic data.

Dosimetrically administered nebulized morphine for breathlessness in very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Systemic morphine has evidence to support its use for reducing breathlessness in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The effectiveness of the nebulized route, however, has not yet been confirmed. Recent studies have shown that opioid receptors are localized within epithelium of human trachea and large bronchi, a target site for a dosimetric nebulizer.

Altered Expression of Genes Encoding Cornulin and Repetin in Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: It is assumed that beside alterations in the filaggrin gene (FLG), disturbances within genes encoding other cornified envelope proteins are also involved in atopic dermatitis (AD). To identify new potential markers of AD, we studied the polymorphisms of genes encoding repetin (RPTN), cornulin (CRNN), and their expression in the skin of AD patients.

Methods: Polymorphisms in CRNN (rs941934), RPTN (rs284544, rs28441202, rs3001978, and rs12117644), and FLG mutations (R2447X, S3247X) were analyzed by TaqMan genotyping assay and by PCR-RFLP in the blood samples of 159 AD patients and 108 healthy subjects.

Efficacy of clinical diagnostic criteria for familial hypercholesterolemia genetic testing in Poland.

Background And Aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which leads to premature cardiovascular events, still remains underrecognized and undertreated in most countries. Untreated FH individuals aged 20-39 years are at 100-fold higher risk of mortality from coronary heart disease compared to those of a general population. Therefore, special efforts should be implemented to diagnose FH patients at early stages of life.

Association of a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in a Late Cornified Envelope-like Proline-rich 1 Gene (LELP1) with Atopic Dermatitis.

There is some evidence that genes involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, in addition to the filaggrin (FLG) gene, may be located at chromosome region 1q21. The aim of this study was to examine the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the region of the late cornified envelope-like proline-rich 1 (LELP1), hornerin (HRNR) and FLG genes with the course and risk of atopic dermatitis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and mutations were genotyped by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism and real-time PCR in a group of 152 patients with atopic dermatitis and 104 healthy volunteers.

Near-infrared transillumination back scattering sounding--new method to assess brain microcirculation in patients with chronic carotid artery stenosis.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the responses of pial artery pulsation (cc-TQ) and subarachnoid width (sas-TQ) to acetazolamide challenge in patients with chronic carotid artery stenosis and relate these responses to changes in peak systolic velocity (PSV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT) and time to peak response (TTP).

Methods: Fifteen patients with carotid artery stenosis ≥ 90% on the ipsilateral side and <50% on the contralateral side were enrolled into the study. PSV was assessed using colour-coded duplex sonography, CBF, CBV, MTT and TTP with perfusion computed tomography, cc-TQ and sas-TQ with near-infrared transillumination/backscattering sounding (NIR-T/BSS).

Interleukin-13 promoter gene polymorphism -1112 C/T is associated with atopic dermatitis in Polish patients.

Interleukin 13 (IL-13) is one of the major cytokines involved in the IgE synthesis in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). IL-13 gene has been mapped on chromosome 5q31-33 region associated with atopic conditions, where several polymorphisms are described. The aims of the study were to establish the frequency of the IL-13 gene polymorphism and its relation to serum IgE and IL-13 levels and SCORAD.

The impact of MRI white matter hyperintensities on dementia in Parkinson's disease in relation to the homocysteine level and other vascular risk factors.

Background: The role of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and homocysteine (Hcy) and other vascular risk factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) dementia (PDD) remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of WMH, Hcy and other biochemical and vascular risk factors on PDD.

Methods: A total of 192 patients with PD and 184 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included.

Effects of acute hypercapnia on the amplitude of cerebrovascular pulsation in humans registered with a non-invasive method.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess non-invasively the effects of acute hypercapnia on the amplitude of cerebrovascular pulsation (CVP) in humans.

Methods: Experiments were carried out in four male volunteers aged 25, 26, 31 and 49. Changes in blood flow through the pial arteries were induced using two interventions: (A) breathing a gas mixture containing 5% CO(2) for 2 minutes and (B) intravenous administration of 1g acetazolamide.

Flow-induced changes in pial artery compliance registered with a non-invasive method in rabbits.

Aim: This study was performed: 1) to assess the relationship between blood flow velocity in the internal carotid artery (CBF(ICA)) and pial artery pulsation (cc-TQ) and 2) to evaluate flow-induced changes in pial artery compliance.

Methods: Experiments were performed on 10 crossbred male rabbits. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), CBF(ICA), the systolic-diastolic blood volume fraction in the brain circulation (CBF(SDF)) and cc-TQ were recorded after glucagon and acetazolamide administration.

Student's plagiarism--a challenge for paramedic educators.

Student's plagiarism is a growing problem not only in the writing of controlling essays, but above all in the writing in BSc./MSc. diploma theses, which sometimes can be simply bought from ghost-writers.

Evaluation of surgical gamma probes for sentinel node localization in cervical and vulvar cancer.

Background: Sentinel node (SN) scintigraphy for cervical and vulvar cancer guides the gynaecological oncologist in finding the metastatic lymph nodes during lymphadenectomy. The role of the surgical gamma probe in the sentinel node concept in gynaecological oncology is to localise (SN) both intra-operatively and transcutaneously. Intra-operative hand-held collimated gamma probes are increasingly used for detection of the sentinel lymph node.

Artificial neural networks in nuclear medicine.

An analysis of the accessible literature on the diagnostic applicability of artificial neural networks in coronary artery disease and pulmonary embolism appears to be comparative to the diagnosis of experienced doctors dealing with nuclear medicine. Differences in the employed models of artificial neural networks indicate a constant search for the most optimal parameters, which could guarantee the ultimate accuracy in neural network activity. The diagnostic potential within systems containing artificial neural networks proves this calculation tool to be an independent or/and an additional device for supporting a doctor's diagnosis of artery disease and pulmonary embolism.

Cerebral blood flow SPECT imaging in right hemisphere-damaged patients with hemispatial neglect. A pilot study.

Background: Hemispatial neglect is characterised as a failure by a brain-damaged patient to attend to contralesional space. It is hypothesised to be a result of damage to a network involving the frontal, parietal and cingulated cortices, basal ganglia and thalamus.

Material And Methods: The aim of this preliminary study was to verify this model of neglect in 22 right hemisphere-damaged acute stroke patients, using single photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT).

Lung perfusion scintigraphy in the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary stenosis in patients after repair of Fallot tetralogy.

Background: The frequency of peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis in patients after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) ranges from 20 to 40%. This can be either primary or secondary to the surgical intervention. The influence of resulting lung perfusion alterations on the life quality of patients is difficult to predict.

Application of rhenium-188 HEDP in bone metastases therapy.

Radionuclide bone metastases therapy is a major achievement of nuclear medicine. Development of less radiotoxic and more effective radiopharmaceuticals is therefore a challenge for radiopharmacists and industry. This paper reviews the application of rhenium-188 HEDP as a reactor- or generator-produced nuclide for bone metastases therapy.

Undergraduate teaching of nuclear medicine: a comparison between Central & Eastern Europe and European Union countries.

This paper overviews the curricula of nuclear medicine (NM) undergraduate training in 34 Central & Eastern European (CEE) and 37 European Union (EU) medical faculties. The data show enormous variation in the number of hours devoted to nuclear medicine, varying between 1-2 to 40 hours and highly differentiated concepts/ideas of nuclear medicine training in particular countries. In most EU countries this teaching is integrated with that of radiology or clinical modules, also with training in clinical physiology.

The usefulness of CBF brain SPECT in forensic medicine: the civil law code cases. A description of four cases.

Background: The aim of this report was to assess the usefulness of cerebral blood flow (CBF) scanning utilising the SPECT technique in forensic medicine cases in the area of civil law cases.

Material And Methods: CBF SPECT scanning was performed in four patients utilising (99m)Tc-ECD and a triple-head gammacamera. In the analysis both the asymmetry index and cerebellar normalisation were applied.

[Scintimammography in breast cancer imaging].

Scintimammography is a rarely used method of breast cancer imaging. The aim of the study was to find its place among other radiological methods. Routine methods of breast cancer detection were compared considering their advantages and disadvantages.