Evaluation of the effects of hyperbaric on human attention functions based on eye movements recorded using an infrared camera.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the influence of elevated atmospheric pressure on the functions of attention of medical personnel working in hyperbaric chambers. We enrolled 15 participants who met the inclusion criteria. The test consisted of performing the same medical procedure under 2 conditions. For each of these test conditions, right eye movements were recorded using an oculograph. The obtained results revealed a relationship between elevated atmospheric pressure and the ability of medical personnel to focus. OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) on visual attention in medical personnel during medical activities performed under normobaric (1 absolute atmosphere (1 ATA)) and hyperbaric (4 ATA) conditions inside a hyperbaric chamber. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Each participant had a valid license to act as a medical attendant during therapeutic hyperbaric sessions. Fifteen individuals, 10 men and 5 women aged between 28 and 65 years, participated in the study. The participants were asked to perform a medical procedure involving the preparation of a syringe with a drug administered by an infusion pump under 2 test conditions: 1 ATA corresponding to the atmospheric pressure on land, and 4 ATA corresponding to an underwater depth of 30 m. The order of test conditions was random. Both test conditions were performed inside a hyperbaric chamber. RESULTS: The number of fixations in the area of interest (AOI) varied between stages (1, 2 and 3) and task conditions (1 ATA and 4 ATA), with lower values for the 4 ATA condition. Under 1 ATA, 30% of eye fixations were in the AOI, as compared to only 6% under 4 ATA. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results indicate that elevated atmospheric pressure has negative effects on the attention of medical personnel.

Effects of Physical Rehabilitation on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters and Ground Reaction Forces of Patients with Intermittent Claudication.

Chronic ischemia of the lower extremities often presents as intermittent claudication characterized by lower limb pain which subsides after a short break. This study aimed to provide an assessment of the spatiotemporal parameters of gait and ground reaction forces in patients with PAD participating in three forms of supervised physical training. A total of 80 subjects completed a three-month supervised physical rehabilitation program with three sessions per week. The subjects were assigned to one of three programs: group 1-standard walking training on a treadmill (TT); group 2-Nordic walking (NW) training; group 3-strength and endurance training comprised of NW with isokinetic resistance training (NW + ISO). Gait biomechanics tests (kinematic and kinetic parameters of gait) and a six-minute walk test were carried out before and after three months of physical training. Nordic walking training led to the greatest improvements in the gait pattern of patients with PAD and a significant increase in the absolute claudication distance and total gait distance. Combined training (NW + ISO) by strengthening the muscles of the lower extremities increased the amplitude of the general center of gravity oscillation to the greatest extent. Treadmill training had little effect on the gait pattern. Nordic walking training should be included in the rehabilitation of patients with PAD as a form of gait training, which can be conducted under supervised or unsupervised conditions.

The role of the tissue factor and its inhibitor in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in people living with HIV.

INTRODUCTION: HIV infection is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in connection with atherosclerosis and thromboembolic complications. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is still unclear in this group of patients. Studies on pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in the general population emphasize the role of the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation, particularly the tissue factor (TF) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI). The effect of persistent activation of the immune system on enhanced expression of TF on the surface of monocytes in subjects infected with HIV is known to be correlated with the level of HIV RNA in blood serum. STUDY AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of TF and its inhibitor TFPI in blood plasma, the impact of traditional and non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors on their concentration and the impact of both markers of haemostasis on the severity of subclinical atherosclerosis as assessed by the intima-media measurement of the carotid artery in HIV infected patients. MATERIALS: The study included 121 HIV-infected people with known clinical, immunological and virological status. The control group consisted of 42 healthy individuals, selected in terms of age and sex. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Higher concentrations of TF occurred in HIV-infected patients with a low current plasma HIV RNA level, nadir CD4+ T-cell count and longer duration of cumulative antiretroviral treatment. In multivariate analysis, it was the length of cumulative NRTI treatment that impacted on the concentration of TF. The determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and inflammatory markers did not show any effect on the concentrations of TF. The TFPI level in HIV-infected patients was significantly higher than in the control group and was negatively correlated with the current level of HIV RNA and nadir CD4+ T-cell count, being higher in patients subjected to antiretroviral treatment. It was shown that the higher the cardiovascular risk and the higher the levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL), the higher the concentrations of TFPI observed. The levels of TF and TFPI were positively correlated with carotid intima media thickness (cIMT); in the multivariate analysis, TF, non-HDL cholesterol and lifetime smoking (pack-years) independently affected the growth of cIMT. A similar effect on cIMT was demonstrated by TFPI.