Alexithymia in adolescents in Poland: an important issue in the holistic approach to patients' care.

Introduction: Alexithymia is defined as a disturbed ability to identify and verbally express emotions with a limited imaginative capacity as well as externally oriented thinking. The literature on alexithymia is limited and scarce research concentrated on alexithymia in different gender groups. Aim: As alexithymia may influence the therapeutic outcome, the objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of alexithymia in adolescents in Poland, paying special attention to gender differences. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was run on a group of 730 high school students in Poland. The mean age of this group was 17.05 ±1.18 years (age range: 15-19 years). Alexithymia was assessed with Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results: Alexithymia was found in 31.0% of adolescents. 56.0% of subjects presented with signs of at least intermediate (borderline) alexithymia. Significantly more females than males suffered from alexithymia (37.0% and 20.8%, respectively; p < 0.001). TAS-20 scores were also significantly higher in females than males (55.59 ±12.32 points and 49.40 ±12.00, respectively; p < 0.001). The same phenomenon was observed for the following domains of alexithymia: difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF) and difficulty in describing feelings (DDF). However, there was no difference in gender distribution in the externally oriented thinking (EOT) domain. Conclusions: Alexithymia was shown to be common among adolescents in our country. More females than males suffer from this condition. This seems to be of importance in the holistic approach to patients' care.

Prevalence and quality of life of facial acne: a cross-sectional study in high school students in Poland.

Introduction: Acne is a frequent chronic inflammatory disease, which affects most commonly adolescents. It might have a negative effect on patients' well-being. Aim: To appraise the prevalence of facial acne among adolescents and to assess how acne of different clinical severity influences quality of life in this age group. Material and method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of individuals aged 15-19 years in high schools in Poland. A total of 730 students were included in the final analysis. Standardized photographs according to the Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) were used for self-assessment of both the presence and severity of facial acne. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was employed to evaluate subjects' quality of life (QoL) impairment. Results: Facial acne was found in 547 (74.9%) respondents with no significant difference in acne prevalence among females (75.1%) and males (74.6%). The vast majority of acne individuals (90.9%) suffered from minimal and mild acne, moderate acne was reported by 7.3% and severe one by 1.8% of acne students. Acne had a small effect on QoL (DLQI mean score of 2.8 ±3.6 points); females had significantly more decreased QoL than males (3.17 ±3.74 and 1.76 ±2.69 points, respectively). QoL impairment positively correlated with the clinical severity of facial acne. Conclusions: Facial acne is a common health problem in adolescents. Although it is not very severe in the majority of subjects it significantly decreases their QoL. Therefore, acne should be treated as a serious skin condition requiring a holistic approach to the patients.

The concurrent impact of mild cognitive impairment and frailty syndrome in heart failure.

Pathological processes associated with ageing increase the risk of cognitive deficits and dementia. Frailty syndrome, also known as weakness or reserve depletion syndrome, may significantly accelerate these pathological processes in the elderly population. Frailty syndrome is characterized by decreased physiological function and neuropsychiatric symptoms, including cognitive decline and depressive states. In people with cardiovascular disease, the risk of frailty is 3 times higher. Frailty syndrome is particularly prevalent in severe heart failure, which increases the risk of mortality, increases hospital readmission, and reduces patients' quality of life. In addition, co-occurrence of cognitive impairment and frailty syndrome significantly increases the risk of dementia and other adverse outcomes, including mortality, in the heart failure population.

Chemotherapy and Physical Therapeutics Modulate Antigens on Cancer Cells.

Cancer cells possess specific properties, such as multidrug resistance or unlimited proliferation potential, due to the presence of specific proteins on their cell membranes. The release of proliferation-related proteins from the membrane can evoke a loss of adaptive ability in cancer cells and thus enhance the effects of anticancer therapy. The upregulation of cancer-specific membrane antigens results in a better outcome of immunotherapy. Moreover, cytotoxic T-cells may also become more effective when stimulated ex-vivo toward the anticancer response. Therefore, the modulation of membrane proteins may serve as an interesting attempt in anticancer therapy. The presence of membrane antigens relies on various physical factors such as temperature, exposure to radiation, or drugs. Therefore, changing the tumor microenvironment conditions may lead to cancer cells becoming sensitized to subsequent therapy. This paper focuses on the therapeutic approaches modulating membrane antigens and enzymes in anticancer therapy. It aims to analyze the possible methods for modulating the antigens, such as pharmacological treatment, electric field treatment, photodynamic reaction, treatment with magnetic field or X-ray radiation. Besides, an overview of the effects of chemotherapy and immunotherapy on the immunophenotype of cancer cells is presented. Finally, the authors review the clinical trials that involved the modulation of cell immunophenotype in anticancer therapy.

Facial acne causes stigmatization among adolescents: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Stigmatization is defined as a discrediting mark which sets the person from others and hindering interpersonal relationships. Literature data on stigma in acne subjects are scarce. AIMS: This study was undertaken to assess feelings of stigmatization in adolescents with facial acne. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study was performed on 730 high-school students aged 15 to 19 years with the mean age of 17.05 ± 1.18 years. Self-reported acne was found in 74.9% of subjects. The severity of acne was self-assessed with the standardized color images based on Investigators Global Assessment (IGA). Stigmatization was studied with 6-Item Stigmatization Scale (6-ISS) and Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ). Additionally, quality of life (QoL) was evaluated with Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). RESULTS: 58% of adolescents with acne presented with feelings of stigmatization. Within the acne population, stigmatization was significantly more common in females than in males (p < 0.001). The mean level of stigmatization according to 6-ISS was significantly higher in acne sufferers than in those free from acne (1.68 ± 2.42 points and 0.55 ± 1.50 points, respectively; p < 0.001). Feelings of stigmatization were significantly more pronounced by females than males (p < 0.001). Staring at the skin and the fact that others are not attracted to person due to skin lesions were main problems raised by the study participants with acne. 6-ISS scores correlated with acne severity (r = 0.278; p < 0.001) and both 6-ISS and PSQ scores with QoL impairment (r = 0.530; p < 0.001 and r = 0.341; p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Facial acne is a highly stigmatized skin disease and requires a holistic therapeutic approach.

Alexithymia in Adolescents with Acne: Association with Quality of Life Impairment and Stigmatization.

Alexithymia seems to be more common among patients with skin diseases. However, studies on acne patients are very limited. We conducted this study to evaluate alexithymia in adolescents with acne. In our cross-sectional study, 730 high school students (mean age: 17.05 ± 1.18 years) were recruited. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to measure alexithymia, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was employed to study quality of life (QoL), and the 6-item Stigmatization Scale (6ISS) was used to evaluate the level of stigmatization in acne subjects. Alexithymia was found in 31% of adolescents, with similar prevalence among those with and without acne (31.3% and 30.1%, respectively). The mean scoring on the TAS-20 in patients with acne (53.1 ± 12.8 points) was not significantly different from that of the non-acne group (53.5 ± 11.9 points). However, significant correlations between TAS-20 scores and QoL assessments (r = 0.332, p < 0.001) as well as stigmatization level (r = 0.284, p < 0.001) were found. These correlations were also significant for the domains of alexithymia described as difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF) and difficulty in describing feelings (DDF), but not for externally oriented thinking (EOT). The findings clearly showed that acne does not predispose to alexithymia; however, alexithymia in acne subjects is related to impaired QoL and stigmatization.