Family Fat Talk Questionnaire - Polish adaptation. / Family Fat Talk Questionnaire ­ adaptacja polska.

OBJECTIVES: One of the dangerous phenomena that reinforces a negative attitude towards one's own body is the so-called family fat talk1, i.e. conversations initiated by carers/siblings selfdevaluing body shapes and sizes. The aim of our own research was to adapt the self-report two-factor tool Family Fat Talk Questionnaire (FFTQ) by MacDonald et al., which may be used in the prophylaxis of maladaptive behaviours towards eating and the body, especially in the adolescent population. METHODS: The study covered 391 people at the turn of late adolescence and early adulthood. The following were used: (1) personal questionnaire - to control secondary variables (e.g. gender, BMI, difference between the actual and desired body weight), (2) Family Fat Talk Questionnaire in the Polish language version (FFTQ-PL) and (3) Kwestionariusz wizerunku ciala (KWCO) by A. Glebocka to check external accuracy. RESULTS: The research results indicate that the FFTQ-PL has satisfactory reliability and measurement accuracy, and its two-factor structure (factor 1 - "I"; factor 2 - "Family") has been confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: This measure is worth using in screening studies to identify people - especially adolescents - engaging in self-devaluing conversations within the family. It turns out that fat talk, especially in the case of people with a negative body image, can become a risk factor for risky eating practices.

Autonomic Phenotypes in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Are Associated with Illness Severity: A Cluster Analysis.

In this study we set out to define the characteristics of autonomic subgroups of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). The study included 131 patients with CFS (Fukuda criteria). Participants completed the following screening symptom assessment tools: Chalder Fatigue Scale, Fatigue Impact Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scales, the self-reported Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale. Autonomic parameters were measured at rest with a Task Force Monitor (CNS Systems) and arterial stiffness using an Arteriograph (TensioMed Kft.). Principal axis factor analysis yielded four factors: fatigue, subjective and objective autonomic dysfunction and arterial stiffness. Using cluster analyses, these factors were grouped in four autonomic profiles: 34% of patients had sympathetic symptoms with dysautonomia, 5% sympathetic alone, 21% parasympathetic and 40% had issues with sympathovagal balance. Those with a sympathetic-dysautonomia phenotype were associated with more severe disease, reported greater subjective autonomic symptoms with sympathetic over-modulation and had the lowest quality of life. The highest quality of life was observed in the balance subtype where subjects were the youngest, had lower levels of fatigue and the lowest values for arterial stiffness. Future studies will aim to design autonomic profile-specific treatment interventions to determine links between autonomic phenotypes CFS and a specific treatment.

The impact of total sleep deprivation upon cognitive functioning in firefighters.

INTRODUCTION: Firefighters as a profession are required to maintain high levels of attention for prolonged periods. However, total sleep deprivation (TSD) could influence negatively upon performance, particularly when the task is prolonged and repetitive. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to examine the influence of TSD on cognitive functioning in a group of firefighters. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixty volunteers who were active male fire brigade officers were examined with a computerized battery test that consisted of simple reaction time (SRT) (repeated three times), choice reaction time, visual attention test, and delayed matching to sample. Six series of measurements were undertaken over a period of TSD. RESULTS: Performance in the second attempt in SRT test was significantly worse in terms of increased number of errors and, consequently, decreased number of correct responses during TSD. In contrast, the choice reaction time number of correct responses as well as the visual attention test reaction time for all and correct responses significantly improved compared to initial time points. CONCLUSION: The study has confirmed that subjects committed significantly more errors and, consequently, noted a smaller number of correct responses in the second attempt of SRT test. However, the remaining results showed reversed direction of TSD influence. TSD potentially leads to worse performance in a relatively easy task in a group of firefighters. Errors during repetitive tasks in firefighting routines could potentially translate into catastrophic consequences.

Resilience as a predicator of mental health of incarcerated women. / Preznosc jako predyktor zdrowia psychicznego kobiet odbywajacych kare pozbawienia wolnosci.

OBJECTIVES: Serving a prison sentence is an experience that bears the hallmarks of a trauma. Scientific findings on how people handle traumatic The aim of the following research was to analyze the way in which psychological resilience differentiates mental states of incarcerated women and to identify the predicator of mental well-being in this group.experiences show that there are numerous personal and social resources that allow for better adaptation. One of the concepts used to describe the process reflecting relatively good adaptation is psychological resilience. METHODS: The study included women incarcerated in the External Department of Czersk Penitentiary for juvenile female offenders who serve a prison sentence for the first time and penitentiary recidivists. The following scales were used in the research: the Resilience Measurement Scale - RMS-25 and the HADS-M scale, which allows to conduct a test for symptoms of depression. RESULTS: The results revealed crucial statistical correlations between the results of the resilience scale and results of the HADS-M. It was also found that the predicators of anxiety and depression in the study group are the level of personal coping skills and tolerance of negative emotions (RMS-25). Additionally, a crucial factor in predicting the state of anxiety is the number of years of imprisonment. The conducted regression analysis also showed that the level of personal coping skills and tolerance of negative emotions (RMS-25) as well as openness to new experiences and sense of humor (RMS-25) are essential predicators of the level of aggression. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of psychological resilience is significant in analyzing the differences in mental health of incarcerated women and may help to create conditions that are conducive to reducing negative effects of prisoners staying in conditions of institutional constraint.

Measuring scales used for assessment of patients with traumatic brain injury: multicenter studies.

BACKGROUND: Application of adequate numeric scales is essential for assessment of a patient's condition. The scales most commonly used by the therapeutic team for assessment of a patient with traumatic brain injury (TBI) include deficit scales, functional scales, and scales assessing quality of life. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationships between the particular scales used for assessment of patients with TBI. METHODS: This multicenter study included 159 patients with TBI. The direct observation technique was used. Two measurements were made (at hospital admission and discharge) using standardized assessment scales, ie, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the Functional Capacity Scale (FCS), the Functional Index "Repty" (FIR), and the Glasgow Outcome Scale. RESULTS: Patients with mild impairment of consciousness were most numerous in the examined group at both admission and discharge, ie, 118 (78.8%) and 134 patients (89.3%), respectively. The mean score for functional capacity measured with the FCS was 34.41 points (71.7%) on the day of admission and 41.87 points (87.2%) on the day of discharge from hospital. A significant correlation was found between results obtained using the GCS and results on the FIR, on both the day of admission [R t(n-2) =7.612=0.530; P=0.00] and the day of discharge [R t(n-2) =8.998=0.595; P=0.00]. Further, a high correlation was found between the FCS and the FIR (r s= -0.854 on day of admission and r s= -0.840 on day of discharge). CONCLUSION: The majority of examined patients had mild impairment of consciousness. A moderate correlation was found between the GCS and the scales assessing activities of daily living. A high correlation was found between FCS and FIR, which may result from the similarities between the analyzed tools in the scope of their construction and application.

Whole-body cryostimulation increases parasympathetic outflow and decreases core body temperature.

The cardiovascular, autonomic and thermal response to whole-body cryostimulation exposure are not completely known. Thus the aim of this study was to evaluate objectively and noninvasively autonomic and thermal reactions observed after short exposure to very low temperatures. We examined 25 healthy men with mean age 30.1 ± 3.7 years and comparable anthropomorphical characteristic. Each subject was exposed to cryotherapeutic temperatures in a cryogenic chamber for 3 min (approx. -120 °C). The cardiovascular and autonomic parameters were measured noninvasively with Task Force Monitor. The changes in core body temperature were determined with the Vital Sense telemetric measurement system. Results show that 3 min to cryotherapeutic temperatures causes significant changes in autonomic balance which are induced by peripheral and central blood volume changes. Cryostimulation also induced changes in core body temperature, maximum drop of core temperature was observed 50-60 min after the stimulation. Autonomic and thermal reactions to cryostimulation were observed up to 6 h after the exposure and were not harmful for examined subjects.

Cardiovascular and autonomic responses to whole-body cryostimulation in essential hypertension.

Over recent years, a considerable increase in the popularity of cryostimulation and whole body cryotherapy (WBC) procedures has occurred both among healthy individuals and in various groups of patients, including those with primary untreated hypertension. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of WBC on the functional parameters of cardiovascular system in normotensive and primarily hypertensive individuals. The study included 26 young male volunteers with normal blood pressure range (NormoBP) and 13 with essential arterial hypertension (HyperBP). Each subject was exposed to cryotherapeutic factor (whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation, WBC) at a temperature of approximately -115°C to -125°C for a period of 3 min. The cardiovascular and autonomic parameters were measured noninvasively with Task Force® Monitor. Measurements in a supine position and tilt test were performed "before WBC" and "after WBC". Our study revealed that cryogenic temperatures exert strong modulatory effect on the cardiovascular system. Both groups showed adaptive changes of myocardial and vascular parameters in response to rapid cooling of virtually the whole body surface. While the profiles of some of these changes were similar in both the groups, also several considerable intergroup differences were documented. Consequently, the cryostimulation and cryotherapy treatment should be prescribed carefully to individuals who present with cardiovascular failure of any degree.

[Estimation of possibilities of needs fulfilment made by young people with sight disorders]. / Ocena mozliwosci zaspokajania potrzeb przez mlodziez z zaburzeniami widzenia.

UNLABELLED: According to the statistics, the number of people with sight disorders in Poland exceeds 500 thousand. The world statistics reveal that serious sight disorders reach 1% of the population and the total number of blind and vision loss people has an expanding tendency. Functioning in the contemporary world without the sense of sight is really difficult. The sight plays the major role in experiencing reality, phenomena and objects. It is included in the group of Tele-senses, it receives the stimuli from a distance; it becomes the tool of simultaneous sense of impressions. The aim of the study is to present the estimation of possibilities of needs fulfilment referring to the perspective of people with sight disorders and compare it with analogical estimation made by non-disabled ones. Finally, the article aims to investigate if there is any relation between aforementioned estimation and other variables such as sex, the place of living and the range of vision loss. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research was carried out in the school year 2008/2009 on the group of sight disordered students from Special Educational Centre for Children and Youth in Bydgoszcz. Statistical analysis was performed on the group of 75 people. The control group comprised of students from IX Secondary Grammar School and Secondary Grammar School of Centre for Permanent Education in Bydgoszcz. The research has been conducted with the help of originally constructed questionnaire. Five categories have been highlighted: the need of safety in confines of life material conditions, the need of orientation, the need of prestige and recognition, the need of psychological distance and the need of self-realisation. RESULTS: The statistical analysis enabled to form a general conclusion indicating that the average rate obtained by experimental group was definitely lower than the average rate in control group. Analysis conducted with the consideration of sex criterion, the range of vision loss and the place of living, emphasises diversification in estimation of possibilities of needs fulfilment. The results achieved according to the range of vision loss criterion seem to be particularly interesting. In comparison with control group, members of experimental group have lower estimation in terms of realizing their needs, regardless of them being classified as blind or vision loss. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome indicates that the average rate of possibilities of sight disordered people needs fulfilment is lower than analogical rate in control group. Sex and place of living are the factors responsible for such a diversification in the field of estimation of possibility of needs realization. The range of vision loss should therefore not be treated as a factor seriously diversifying the estimation of possibilities of needs fulfilment in experimental group compared to the control group.