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Cel pracyCelem pracy była ocena zachowań prozdrowotnych jako działań ochronnych przed objawami lęku i depresji w grupie pracowników służby zdrowia, w okresie pierwszej fali pandemii wirusa SARS-CoV-2.MetodaW badanu udział wzięło 114 osób, w tym 46 lekarzy w wieku 41,10±11,89 lat i 68 pielęgniarek w wieku 48,16±8,54 lat. Metody: Do badań użyto: Inwentarza Zachowań Zdrowotnych (IZZ), Inwentarza Objawów Depresyjnych (BDI) oraz Inwentarza Stanu i Cechy Lęku (STAI).WynikiW grupie badanej w IZZ otrzymano średni wynik 79,61±13,08 pkt. W kwestionariuszu BDI badani uzyskali średnio 3,7±4,65pkt. W kwestionariuszu STAI, w części dotyczącej lęku-stanu wynik średni w grupie badanej wynosił 38,08±9,46 pkt., a w odniesieniu do lęku-cechy 38,35±8,44pkt. Biorąc pod uwagę składowe IZZ jedynie wyniki uzyskane w podskalach: pozytywne nastawienie psychiczne (PNP) oraz praktyki zdrowotne (PZ) korelowały ujemnie z wynikami uzyskanymi w skalach STAI i BDI. Ponadto wykazano prozdrowotny wpływ PNP na objawy lęku i depresji.WnioskiNie zaobserwowano znacznego nasilenia objawów lękowych i depresyjnych wśród personelu medycznego w okresie pierwszej fali pandemii. Zachowania prozdrowotne, a zwłaszcza pozytywne nastawienia psychiczne mogą pełnić ochronna funkcję w odniesieniu do objawów lęku i depresji w sytuacji stresowej.

Cel pracyPróba oceny wpływu podwójnej diagnozy na występowanie zaburzeń seksualnych oraz ocena problemów z funkcjonowaniem seksualnym mężczyzn leczonych w oddziale psychiatrycznym.MetodaW badaniu udział wzięło 140 mężczyzn hospitalizowanych psychiatrycznie (średnia wieku 40,4 ±12,7 lat) z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii, zaburzeń afektywnych, lękowych, uzależnień oraz podwójnej diagnozy (schizofrenii i uzależnienia). W badaniach użyto Kwestionariusza Seksuologicznego Kokoszki oraz Międzynarodowego Indeksu Funkcji Seksualnych IIEF-5.WynikiWystępowanie zaburzeń seksualnych w badanej grupie notowano u 83.6% pacjentów. Najczęściej obserwowano obniżenie potrzeb seksualnych (53.6%) i opóźnienie orgazmu (40%). Zaburzenia erekcji w zależności od zastosowanego narzędzia badawczego pojawiły się u 38.6% badanych (wg Kwestionariusza Kokoszki) i 61.4% badanych (IIEF-5). Ciężkie zaburzenia erekcji występowały częściej w grupie chorych nie posiadających partnera (12.4% vs 0; p=0.000) w porównaniu do osób w związkach oraz w grupie z zaburzeniami lękowymi (p=0.028) w porównaniu do grup z innymi zaburzeniami psychicznymi. W grupie osób z podwójną diagnozą (PD) zaburzenia seksualne obserwowano częściej w porównaniu do chorych na schizofrenię (p=0.034). Leczenie powyżej 5 lat wiązało się częściej z występowaniem zaburzeń seksualnych (p=0,007). W grupie PD brak orgazmu i nadmierne potrzeby seksualne występowały częściej w porównaniu do osób z jednym rozpoznaniem (p=0.0145; p=0.035).WnioskiZaburzenia seksualne występują częściej w grupie chorych z PD w porównaniu do pacjentów z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii. Brak posiadania partnera oraz czas leczenia psychiatrycznego powyżej 5 lat wiąże się z częstszym występowaniem zaburzeń seksualnych.

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupts health care around the globe. The impact of the pandemic on chronic urticaria (CU) and its management are largely unknown. Aim: to understand how CU patients are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; how specialists alter CU patient management; and the course of CU in patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods: our cross-sectional, international, questionnaire-based, multicenter UCARE COVID-CU study assessed the impact of the pandemic on patient consultations, remote treatment, changes in medications, and clinical consequences. Results: the COVID-19 pandemic severely impairs CU patient care, with less than 50% of the weekly numbers of patients treated as compared to before the pandemic. Reduced patient referrals and clinic hours were the major reasons. Almost half of responding UCARE physicians were involved in COVID-19 patient care, which negatively impacted on the care of urticaria patients. The rate of face-to-face consultations decreased by 62%, from 90% to less than half, whereas the rate of remote consultations increased by more than 600%, from one in 10 to more than two thirds. Cyclosporine and systemic corticosteroids, but not antihistamines or omalizumab, are used less during the pandemic. CU does not affect the course of COVID-19, but COVID-19 results in CU exacerbation in one of three patients, with higher rates in patients with severe COVID-19. Conclusions: the COVID-19 pandemic brings major changes and challenges for CU patients and their physicians. The long-term consequences of these changes, especially the increased use of remote consultations, require careful evaluation., Novartis; Sanofi; Menarini Universidad Espiritu Santo; Takeda; Allakos; AstraZeneca; CSL Behring; Genentech; Pharming; GSK; Shire/Takada; BioCryst; ResTORbio; Pearl Therapeutics, CVS Health; Law offices of Levin; Riback; Adelman; Flangel; Vedder Price; Fresenius; Taiho; Kyowa Kirin; Tanabe; Korin; Uriach Pharma; Instituto Carlos III FEDER; Menarini; Amgen; Thermo Fisher; Avene; ALK‐Abello; Bencard/Allergy Therapeutics; Celgene; Allergopharma; Faes Farma; AbbVie; Janssen; Leo Pharma; Lilly; Roche; Genesis; Menlo Therapeutics; UCB; Pfizer; Almirall; Galderma; Allergika; Beiersdorf; Biocryst; Biogen Idec; BMS; Boehringer‐Ingelheim; Eli‐Lilly; Galderma; Hexal; Klosterfrau; LEO‐Pharma; LETI‐Pharma; L´Oreal; Medice; Octapharma; Pflüger; Pharming; Regeneron; Shire; ALK‐Abello; Fraunhofer‐IZI Leipzig; Hautnetz Leipzig/Westsachsen; MSD; HAL‐Allergy; Bencard; Nestle; Nutricia; Bayer Health Care; FAES; Henkel; Allakos; Argenx; Genentech Menarini; Moxie; Aralez; Celldex

Cel pracyStały wzrost zachorowań na cukrzycę skłania do poszukiwań nowszych form leczenia, ale także do badań różnych czynników mających wpływ na jakość życia tych pacjentów. Celem pracy była ocena związku wybranych parametrów stanu psychicznego z jakością życia pacjentów z cukrzycą.MetodaBadaniem objęto 51 pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 1 i 52 pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 2. W badaniach wykorzystano skale: jakości życia SF-36, AIS, HADS oraz SWLS.WynikiPacjenci z cukrzycą typu 2 osiągnęli niższe wartości niż pacjenci z cukrzycą typu 1 jedynie w zakresie funkcjonowania fizycznego skali SF-36 (p=0.001). Oceniając związek między parametrami badanymi wykazano, że długość trwania choroby wiązała się z gorszą oceną ogólnego stanu zdrowia (p=0.036) wśród pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 1. Natomiast wśród pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 2 czas trwania choroby korelował ujemny z funkcjonowaniem fizycznym (p=0.002), fizycznym funkcjonowaniem w rolach społecznych (p=0.001) i bólem fizycznym (p=0.047) a także satysfakcją z życia (p=0.012) a dodatnio z wartościami hemoglobiny glikowanej ( p=0,04). Wśród pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 1 poziom depresji ujemnie korelował z poziomem akceptacji choroby (p= 0.0009) oraz satysfakcją z życia (p=0.006), natomiast poziom lęku jedynie z poziomem akceptacji choroby (p=0.0004) a większe nasilenie lęku wiązało się z gorszą kontrolą metaboliczną (p= 0, 02). W grupie pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 2 poziom lęku korelował negatywnie z poziomem akceptacji choroby (p=0.003).WnioskiZ powodu licznych ograniczeń, jakie niesie ze sobą przewlekła choroba, należy zwracać większą uwagę na aspekt jakości życia oraz stan psychiczny pacjentów z rozpoznaniem cukrzycy oraz włączyć ocenę powyższych parametrów do procesu terapeutycznego.

Background: Angioedema coexisting chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is proved to result in patient anxiety occurrence, but the mechanisms and susceptibility patterns are unknown. Sense of coherence (SOC) is one of methods of coping with stress and is defined as a person’s general orientation toward life. We decided to assess SOC disturbances in CSU patients in the context of possible angioedema association. Methods: The study comprised 71 CSU subjects. To analyze disease activity, the Urticaria Activity Score seven-day assessment questionnaire (UAS7) was used. For anxiety assessment, the STAI questionnaire was used. The SOC-29 questionnaire, consisting of questions related to comprehensibility (SOC-C), manageability (SOC-M), and meaningfulness (SOC-Mf), was used to analyze SOC parameters (SOC-T). Results: In patients with coexisting angioedema, we observed statistically significantly lower values of SOC-Mf and SOC-T in comparison to the wheals only group. In the angioedema group, we noticed significant negative correlations between SOC-M and SOC-Mf, as well as SOC-T values and anxiety. In the wheals only group, we proved statistically significant correlations between SOC-Mf and SOC-T and anxiety assessed as a state. Conclusions: It is necessary to identify CSU patients manifesting angioedema as they are more likely to have impaired SOC. Lower SOC in this specific group of patients can be related to anxiety symptoms occurrence and should probably be an indication for psychological support.

Introduction: Urticaria is a clinical entity presenting as wheals, angioedema, or both simul-taneously. Elevated D-dimer levels were reported in the course of chronic spontaneous urticaria. Data regarding D-dimer levels in acute urticaria in children are limited. Objectives: To assess potential associations between duration of glucocorticosteroid (GCS) therapy and D-dimer concentrations in children with acute urticaria. Patients, materials, and methods: Hospital records of 106 children (59 females), aged 5.57 ± 4.91 years, hospitalized in 2014–2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The study group consisted of pediatric patients admitted to the hospital due to severe acute urticaria resistant to anti-histaminic treatment that was ordered in the ambulatory care (out-patient clinic). Patients were divided into subgroups: no GCS treatment, short-duration treatment (up to 5 days) and long-duration treatment (6 and more days) GCS treatment. Simultaneously, patients received antihistaminic drugs. D-dimer level and other inflammatory factors such as white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet (PLT) count, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in each group were analyzed. Results: The D-dimer level was elevated in 51% of cases. In the subgroup with longer GCS treatment, D-dimer concentration was significantly higher in comparison to patients with a shorter GCS course. There were no differences in the distribution of CRP, PLT, and WBC concentrations between these subgroups. Conclusions: In the studied group of children, there was a tendency for higher D-dimer levels in patients, who required a longer GCS treatment. This finding is hypothesis-generating and requires further investigation to confirm if D-dimers can be used as a prognostic factor in acute urticaria in children.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is defined using clinical symptoms as spontaneous occurrence of itchy wheals and/or angioedema for at least 6 weeks. Angioedema is underdiagnosed in CSU patients, and its presence has significant negative impact on health-related quality of life, daily activities, health care resource utilization, and work. Various cytokines have been found to be involved in pathogenesis of CSU. To study levels of interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-18 in CSU patients and to look for the differences in CSU subgroups divided with regard to angioedema reoccurrence, we included consecutive CSU patients into the study. To assess disease activity, urticaria activity score was used. In addition, we calculated disease duration time. In all groups, Il-10 and Il-18 serum concentrations were measured. The study involved 52 patients with CSU and 47 healthy volunteers. The IL-10 level was statistically significantly higher in patients with CSU compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in level of IL-18 between those groups. Comparison of patients with CSU and angioedema with those without angioedema showed no significant differences in level of IL-10 and IL-18. We see the need for further studies of serum levels of IL-10 and IL-18 to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and to find markers useful in predicting the symptom type in the course of CSU.

This update and revision of the international guideline for urticaria was developed following the methods recommended by Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group. It is a joint initiative of the Dermatology Section of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GALEN) and its Urticaria and Angioedema Centers of Reference and Excellence (UCAREs and ACAREs), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF; EuroGuiDerm), and the Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology with the participation of 64 delegates of 50 national and international societies and from 31 countries. The consensus conference was held on 3 December 2020. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Urticaria is a frequent, mast-cell-driven disease that presents with wheals, angioedema, or both. The lifetime prevalence for acute urticaria is approximately 20%. Chronic urticaria, i.e. chronic spontaneous urticaria and chronic inducible urticaria, is disabling, impairs quality of life, and affects performance at work and school. This updated version of the international guideline for urticaria covers the definition and classification of urticaria and outlines expert-guided and evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the different subtypes of urticaria. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Clinical experience indicates the role of the psychological component in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The CSU can lead to psychological disturbances. This phenomenon results in a possible quality of life impairment among CSU patients. Aim: To analyse in detail the quality of life parameters and anxiety aspects in relation to CSU duration and symptom intensity. Material and methods: The patient sample was composed of 67 CSU subjects. For the quality of life and mental status assessment, all subjects were questionnaired with CU-Q2 oL and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). In the control group, 42 healthy volunteers were enrolled to fill in the STAI questionnaire. The Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) was used to assess disease activity. Results: We observed greater intensity of anxiety as a state and as a trait in CSU patients and greater intensity of anxiety as a state due to increasing patients’ age. The CU-Q2 oL Itching subscale was significantly impaired as a result of the intensity of the UAS scale. The Swelling/Mental status subscale was related to anxiety as a state and as a trait. Additionally, we noticed a greater quality of life impairment in subjects with longer disease duration. Conclusions: Our results prove that CSU results in a significant quality of life impairment. This phenomenon particularly concerns patients with longer disease duration time. As anxiety is a relatively frequent disturbance and negatively influences quality of life, we should identify these patients and monitor this parameter especially in older patients.

Introduction Chronic spontaneous urticaria constitutes an interdisciplinary problem and its pathogenesis is still a subject of debate. Overweight and hyperlipidemia are supposed to be related to chronic spontaneous urticaria. Fatty tissue can be the source of adipokines. Aim of the study To assess the potential role of adiponectin in chronic spontaneous urticaria pathogenesis. Material and methods The study included 52 chronic spontaneous urticaria patients and 43 healthy controls. The patients were divided into two subgroups: patients with wheals only, and patients with urticaria and an accompanying angioedema. The adiponectin concentration was measured in all studied subjects. Results No statistically significant difference in adiponectin level was determined between the studied groups and subgroups. Conclusions We are among the first to present the results of study to determine a possible role of adipokines in chronic spontaneous urticaria pathogenesis. We did not observe any difference in adiponectin level. In our opinion, it is necessary to conduct further analyses in this field.

Introduction. Due to high prevalence of diabetes mellitus all over the world it is essential for students who will become doctors of different specialties to possess a basic knowledge of it in this field. This pilot surveybased study was designed to assess diabetes related knowledge among faculty of medicine students from all of the medical universities in Poland. Materials and methods. Students were invited to fulfill the questionnaire during Students’ Diabetology Conference and via the Internet (social media). The survey consisted of questions about respondent’s age and personal history of diabetes and diabetes related knowledge (etiology, symptoms, risk factors, complications and treatment of diabetes mellitus and additionally a section concerning gestational diabetes). Results. A total number of 1200 medical students from Poland (70% women; mean age [SD] 22.12 [1.83] years of age) completed the survey. Mean test result was 66.62%. The best score was observed in the group of students enrolled in the 5th and 6th year of study, and those with diabetes mellitus type 1. Conclusions. The study outcome proves that knowledge about diabetes mellitus among surveyed medical students in Poland is insufficient, therefore persistent improvement in transmitting it during the course of medical education is essential.

Emotional disorders accompany many somatic diseases, especially ones with severe or chronic course, and such are allergic diseases. Long-term course of the disease, the need for chronic treatment and repeated exacerbations as well as symptoms of depression or anxiety have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients, constituting a serious burden both from the point of view of the individual and the society. The data evaluating emotional disturbances and their impact on the quality of life in three atopic diseases: bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis and seasonal rhinitis were analysed. Mood disorders as well as mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol abuse are the most common psychiatric disorders observed in patients with bronchial asthma. There are data indicating a relationship between the occurrence of allergic rhinitis and mood disorders, anxiety disorders and suicidal tendencies. Atopic dermatitis is associated with an increased risk of depressive and anxiety disorders and sleep disorders, and in children with more prevalence of behavioral disorders. Most studies highlighted the relationship between emotional disorders and quality of life in the above-mentioned patient groups. In addition to physical ailments, patients suffering from allergic diseases also report emotional problems that can adversely affect the course of the disease, the treatment process, and reduce quality of life. Therefore, these patients require a holistic approach with a more accurate assessment of emotional disorders.

Recent studies underline a potential role of autoimmune and genetic disturbances in this disorder pathogenesis. Variants in genes related to inflammatory processes may possibly predispose to chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) occurrence. The objective of this study was to search for an association of Il1 genes polymorphisms with the pathogenesis of CSU. The examined group consisted of 153 unrelated chronic spontaneous autoreactive urticaria patients. The control group consisted of 104 unrelated healthy volunteers. In all studied subjects, IL1 rs1304037 and rs180058 polymorphisms were examined. The Urticaria Activity Score was used to assess disease intensity. The age of disease onset was also analyzed. Statistically significantly higher prevalence of Il1 rs1304037 TT genotype and T allele among CSU was proved. Similarly, the prevalence of Il1 rs1800587 GG genotype and G allele was statistically significantly higher in the CSU group. Haplotype combination rs1304037C/rs1800587G was statistically significantly more frequent in CSU, whereas rs1304037C/rs1800587A revealed statistically significantly less frequent occurrence in CSU. We did not observe any relationship between Il1 genotypes and the disease severity or age of disease onset. We are the first to suggest a significant role of IL1 gene polymorphisms in the susceptibility to CSU. This observation may lead to a better pathogenesis understanding and more effective treatment. We recommend further studies on other polymorphisms in chronic urticaria to analyze the role of the genetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

Cel pracyPorównanie przebiegu choroby i funkcjonowania, występowania chorób somatycznych pomiędzy pacjentami z podwójną diagnozą, uzależnionymi bez współistnienia choroby psychicznej i osób chorych na schizofrenię lub choroby afektywne. Zwrócenie uwagi na potrzeby i problemy osób z podwójną diagnozą i potrzebę dłuższych hospitalizacji tej grupy pacjentów.MetodaZbadano 108 osób w trakcie leczenia w zamkniętym oddziale psychiatrycznym, oceniono występowanie chorób somatycznych, urazów, wypisów na własne żądanie ze szpitali, podejmowanie prób samobójczych, zachowań agresywnych. Poprzez wykorzystanie własnych ankiet porównano dane socjodemograficzne oraz dane o dotychczasowym przebiegu choroby i leczenia pomiędzy pacjentami z podwójną diagnozą (n=30), z chorobą psychiczną (n=41) i uzależnieniem od substancji psychoaktywnych (n=37).WynikiW grupie PD chorzy częściej podejmowali próby samobójcze, w młodszym wieku rozpoczynali używanie substancji psychoaktywnych. W grupie PD istotnie więcej osób było przed zawarciem małżeństwa lub po rozwodzie. W grupach PD i chorych psychicznie (K) było istotnie więcej osób, którzy byli w ciągu życia hospitalizowani powyżej 180 dni. Nie wykazano istotnych statystycznie różnic między grupami porównując częstość występowania chorób somatycznych, urazów, wypadków, wypisów na żądanie ze szpitali, czy zachowań agresywnych.WnioskiZ powodu słabej współpracy, częstego przerywania leczenia, większego ryzyka samobójczego w grupie pacjentów z podwójną diagnozą, wymagają oni dłuższych hospitalizacji psychiatrycznych w celu ustabilizowania stanu psychicznego, regularnego leczenia farmakologicznego, zapewnienia wsparcia społecznego, motywacji i przygotowania do leczenia odwykowego. Konieczne jest podjęcie działań zmierzających do stworzenia standardów postępowania terapeutycznego oraz dostosowania finansowania do potrzeb tej grupy chorych leczonych w Polsce.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome (SIBO) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by an increase in the number and/or presence of atypical bacteria in the small intestine. Aetiology of SIBO is usually complex, associated with disorders of protective antibacterial mechanisms such as achlorhydria, pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, immunodeficiency syndromes and anatomical abnormalities such as small intestinal obstruction, diverticula, fistulae, surgical blind loop, previous ileo-caecal resections and motility disorders. Clinical signs of SIBO may be non-specific. Most often there is dyspepsia, diarrhoea, bloating and abdominal discomfort. SIBO can sometimes lead to malebsorption, severe malenutrition and/or other syndromes associated with nutritional deficiency. The gold standard for diagnosing SIBO is still microbial investigation of jejunal aspirates. Non-invasive hydrogen breath tests are most commonly used for diagnosis of SIBO. Therapy for SIBO must be complex. It should include treatment of the underlying disease, nutritional support and cyclical gastro-intestinal selective antibiotics. Prognosis is usually serious, determined mostly by the underlying disease that led to SIBO.

Background and aims: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) may compromise the quality of life (QoL). We decided to compare the QoL of T1DM patients to those suffering from CSU. Materials and methods: Sixty-six patients with well-controlled T1DM (male 52%) in the mean age of (SD) 36.3 (11.09) years and 51 patients with CSU (male 33%) in the mean age of (SD) 35.8 (8.53) years were enrolled in this observational study. All the participants completed a Short-Form 36 (SF-36) QoL. Results: The QoL related to social functioning was significantly worse among CSU patients. There were differences related to gender found in the group of patients with T1DM&mdash, where men tended to declare a better quality of life than women (p = 0.015)&mdash, especially in the area of energy/fatigue and pain. It appeared that due to physical and emotional problems occurring in married patients, the QoL is lower in T1DM group in comparison to the CSU one. Conclusions: The patients with CSU presented significantly worse social functioning compared to the ones with T1DM. This fact proves the QoL impairment level is not always related to the level of health danger. The differences in the QoL related to gender and marital status found among T1DM patients point to the necessity for further exploration in a larger group of patients. Due to the fact that optimal disease management should ensure patient&rsquo, s good emotional well-being, there is a need for additional psychological and social care for patients from those two groups.

Life-threatening anaphylaxis is a systemic hypersensitivity reaction that may be allergic or non-allergic. Kounis syndrome is an acute coronary syndrome caused by an allergic reaction. Food, environmental factors, drugs, radiological contrast agents and some disease states are among the etiological factors that trigger an allergic reaction. Kounis syndrome is a relatively rarely recognized cause of myocardial infarction, which is most likely due to its underdiagnosis. The presented case concerns a patient with a history of ischemic heart disease after coronary angioplasty. Until the insect stings, the course of the angina was stable. The course of the allergic reaction was turbulent and met the criteria for anaphylactic shock. Subsequently, the patient developed unstable angina. The clinical picture and additional tests allowed to diagnose a myocardial infarction in the patient. The coincidence of myocardial infarction with a history of an insect sting allows for the recognition of an allergic reaction as a trigger for acute coronary syndrome. The described case highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the patient and regular supervision during the use of specific immunotherapy in the course of allergy to Hymenoptera venom, as well as the inclusion of Kounis syndrome in the differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes.

This article presents the Simple Packet Protocol version 2.0 (SPP 2.0). The protocol core is technology-independent and it is designed to provide communication for low data rate wired bus networks. The protocol is characterized by its low hardware requirements which allows for implementing it on embedded systems with limited hardware resources and achieving a very low price per node. An important feature of the SPP 2.0 is that its design addresses the multi-master asynchronous communication with flexible addressing model. Thanks to an effective collision avoidance and detection mechanism, the protocol is reliable under heavy network load conditions even without any additional feedback from a receiver. The presented SPP 2.0 is designed to provide wired communication for embedded systems connected with economical and maintenance-free wired network. SPP 2.0 systems can be easily integrated into larger networks, including IoT applications. The possible use cases for the protocol include: wired sensor and actuator networks, building automation systems, and modular embedded hardware platform prototyping.

This article presents the FogDevices hardware platform. It is a comprehensive set of concepts, approaches, and solutions for fast and effective IoT node hardware and software development. The proposed solution may contribute to more effective embedded IoT node software development by providing a unique tool for emulating environmental conditions. It is especially useful in development and testing of advanced data processing algorithms and operation logic for environmental conditions monitoring. By using the discussed approach, engineers can set up highly customized IoT hardware for operation in specific usage scenarios but without an excessive amount of work. The complete functional, electrical, and mechanical solution is presented along with multiple test results of its practical implementation.

Diese evidenz- und konsensbasierte Leitlinie wurde entsprechend den Methoden der Cochrane und der Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE)-Arbeitsgruppen entwickelt. Die Leitlinien-Konferenz fand am 1. Dezember 2016 statt. Sie ist eine gemeinsame Initiative der European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), dem von der EU gegrundeten Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN), dem European Dermatology Forum (EDF) und der World Allergy Organization (WAO) mit 48 teilnehmenden Delegierten aus 42 nationalen und internationalen Gesellschaften. Die Leitlinie ist von der European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) akzeptiert worden. Urtikaria ist eine haufige, mastzellabhangige Erkrankung, die mit Quaddeln, Angioodemen oder beidem einhergeht. Die Lebenszeitpravalenz der akuten Urtikaria liegt bei circa 20 %. Chronische spontane Urtikaria (CSU) und andere chronische Formen der Urtikaria sind belastend, beeintrachtigen die Lebensqualitat und haben einen negativen Einfluss auf die Leistungsfahigkeit in Beruf und Schule. Diese Leitlinie umfasst die Definition und Klassifikation der Urtikaria unter Berucksichtigung der jungsten Fortschritte in der Identifikation von Ursachen, Auslosefaktoren und Pathomechanismen. Daruber hinaus skizziert sie evidenzbasierte, diagnostische und therapeutische Ansatze fur die verschiedenen Subtypen der Urtikaria.

Nowadays, the Internet of Things plays a significant role in many domains. Especially, Industry 4.0 is making significant usage of concepts like smart sensors and big data analysis. IoT devices are commonly used to monitor industry machines and detect anomalies in their work. This paper presents and describes a set of data streams coming from a working 3D printer. Among others, it contains accelerometer data of printer head, intrusion power and temperatures of the printer elements. In order to gain data, we lead to several printing malfunctions applied to the 3D model. The resulting dataset can therefore be used for anomalies detection research.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) generated a huge pressure on health care systems worldwide and exposed their lack of preparation for a major health crisis. In the times of a respiratory disease pandemic, members of the dental profession, due to having a direct contact with the patients’ oral cavity, body fluids and airborne pathogens, are exposed to a great occupational hazard of becoming infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The authors carried out a systematic literature search using the main online databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, UpToDate, Embase, and Web of Science) with the following keywords: “COVID-19,” “2019-nCoV,” “coronavirus,” “SARS-CoV-2,” “dental COVID-19,” “dentistry COVID-19,” “occupational hazards dentistry,” “ventilation,” “air disinfection,” “airborne transmission,” “hydrogen peroxide disinfection,” “UV disinfection,” “ozone disinfection,” “plasma disinfection,” and “TiO 2 disinfection.” They included publications focused on COVID-19 features, occupational hazards for dental staff during COVID-19 pandemic, and methods of air disinfection. They found that due to the work environment conditions, if appropriate measures of infection control are not being implemented, dental offices and dental staff can become a dangerous source of COVID-19 transmission. That is why the work safety protocols in dentistry have to be revised and additional methods of decontamination implemented. The authors specifically advise on the utilization of wildly accepted methods like ultraviolet germicidal irradiation with additional disinfection systems, which have not been introduced in dentistry yet, like vaporized hydrogen peroxide, non-thermal plasma and air filters with photocatalytic disinfection properties. Due to its toxicity, ozone is not the first-choice method for air decontamination of enclosed clinical settings. Med Pr. 2021;72(1):39–48

Objective Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of a chronic nature, most often with periods of exacerbation and remission, mainly affecting people between 20-40 years of age, with a slight prevalence of women. The aim of the study was to collect and analyze materials published in the literature regarding the prevalence and co-occurrence of mental disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis. Current reports show that as many as 75% of patients with this chronic disease experience various mental disorders, and the incidence of mental diseases - including mood disorders and anxiety disorders - is statistically higher than in the general population. Conclusion Conclusions: Depending on the literature, depressive symptoms appear in 6.94% -70.1% of patients with MS. Diagnosis of anxiety disorders affects 11.1% of patients, while bipolar disorder affects up to 16.2%. Co-occurrence of MS with schizophrenia is estimated at 1.28%. The incidence of other psychoses is 2-4% in patients with MS. Only in the case of schizophrenia, men with MS are more likely to develop it, while other psychiatric disorders are more common among women. Co-occurrence of mental disorders in the course of multiple sclerosis adversely affects the treatment process and the functioning of patients and their families.

Sexual disorders are very common problems in the psychiatric patients. Many factors induce sexual dysfunction, e.g. the effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics. The article reviews literature on sexual disorders in psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders and eating disorders. Bipolar disorder significantly affects the quality of life and increases the risk of sexual dysfunction. In the manic phase there is an increase in libido, which is associated with the risky sexual behavior. Depressive disorders are associated with reduced libido and dissatisfaction with sexual activity. Panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder are correlated with less frequent sexual contact. Decreased sexual desire and sexual aversion are strongly associated with anxiety disorders. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia is high among both those treated and untreated. Women suffering from schizophrenia have anorgasmia, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, vaginism, and dyspareunia. Men suffering from schizophrenia as the main complaints give lowering the drive of difficulty in maintaining an erection, delaying orgasm. In patients with eating disorders, libido decreases as well as sexual activity and the level of sexual satisfaction decreases. Satisfaction with sexual life is an important factor affecting the quality of life. Patients rarely deal with problems in sexual life, so questions about this area of life should not be overlooked during a medical interview.

Conflict Frame in the Description of Mass Media and Politics during the Polish Parliamentary Campaign 2015 in Selected Opinion Weekly The article presents the results of the content analysis of selected copies from four opinion weekly publications, namely “Polityka”, “Wprost”, “Newsweek Polska”, and “Do Rzeczy”, published during the Polish parliamentary campaign in 2015. The aim of the analysis was to show how the editors build the conflict frame by describing the relationship between mass media and politics and what elements are utilized to construct the analytical frame.

This evidence- and consensus-based guideline was developed following the methods recommended by Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group. The conference was held on 1 December 2016. It is a joint initiative of the Dermatology Section of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the EU-founded network of excellence, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA²LEN), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO) with the participation of 48 delegates of 42 national and international societies. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Urticaria is a frequent, mast cell-driven disease, presenting with wheals, angioedema, or both. The lifetime prevalence for acute urticaria is approximately 20%. Chronic spontaneous urticaria and other chronic forms of urticaria are disabling, impair quality of life and affect performance at work and school. This guideline covers the definition and classification of urticaria, taking into account the recent progress in identifying its causes, eliciting factors and pathomechanisms. In addition, it outlines evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the different subtypes of urticaria.

Modern environmental monitoring and decision support systems are based on complex IT infrastructures comprising multiple hardware and software subsystems that need to provide a variety of Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees required for urgent computing services, essential in emergency situations. Such IT infrastructures need to be managed in order to maintain the quality of service, which–especially when operating in the urgent mode–involves optimization of multiple, often conflicting, objectives and making trade-offs between them. Existing approaches do not solve this issue optimally because they focus on delivering quality of service within individual subsystems in isolation. We propose a holistic approach to system management which takes into account knowledge about the system as a whole—in particular the interplay of conflicting objectives and configuration options across all subsystems. We argue that such an approach produces a better configuration of the involved subsystems, improving the resolution of trade-offs between cost, energy and performance objectives, leading to their better overall fulfillment in comparison with the non-holistic approach in which individual subsystems are managed in isolation. We validate our approach using a prototype implementation of the holistic optimization algorithm—the Holistic Computing Controller, and applying it to a smart levee monitoring and flood decision support system.

Due to he complexity of the Internet of Things systems, embedded devices require complex hardware, usually composed of various microprocessors communicating with each other. This calls for deep understanding of communication protocols and features offered by various components for designers and programmers alike. Unfortunately, the available hardware platforms for prototyping IoT devices are not adapted to such complex design and do not tackle these aspects. In the paper we propose the Copernicus board, composed of two different microprocessors, focusing on the software aspects of IoT device design. The device is used in the Introduction to IoT course which is part of the Computer Science curriculum at AGH University of Science and Technology. At the end of the paper we summarize student interest in the course, in the form of statistics.

To evaluate the incidence and severity of the impairment of selected cognitive functions in patients after sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in comparison to patients after myocardial infarction without SCA and healthy subjects and to analyze the influence of sociodemographic and clinical parameters and the duration of cardiac arrest on the presence and severity of the described disorders.The study group comprised 30 cardiac arrest survivors, the reference group comprised 31 survivors of myocardial infarction without cardiac arrest, and the control group comprised 30 healthy subjects. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Digit Span test from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Lauretta Bender's Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, and the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) were used to assess the presence of cognitive impairment. An original questionnaire developed by the author was used for overall mental state assessment.The Bender test demonstrated a significant difference in the presence and severity of visual-motor skills between the study group and the control group, while BVRT and MMSE revealed increased incidence of cognitive impairment in the study group. The Bender and BVRT (D/D)/SS (version D, method D, scaled score) scales indicated cognitive impairment in 53.3% of these patients, while the BVRT (C/A)/SS test indicated cognitive impairment in 40%. For the reference group, the values were 32.3% and 12.9%, respectively. No correlation was found between the severity of cognitive impairment and the duration of cardiac arrest.Impairment of visual-motor skills, short-term visual memory, concentration, and visual-motor coordination occurs much more frequently and is more severe in individuals after SCA than in healthy individuals. Impairment of memory trace storage and recall after delay occurs more frequently in patients after SCA than in patients after myocardial infarction without cardiac arrest and in healthy individuals. SCA duration did not have any influence on the severity of the described disorders.Ocena częstości występowania i nasilenia zaburzeń wybranych funkcji poznawczych u pacjentów po nagłym zatrzymaniu krążenia (NZK) w odniesieniu do osób po przebytym zawale mięśnia sercowego bez NZK i osób zdrowych oraz analiza wpływu niektórych parametrów socjodemograficznych i klinicznych oraz czasu trwania NZK na obecność i nasilenie opisywanych zaburzeń poznawczych.Grupę badaną utworzyło 30 osób po NZK, grupę odniesienia – 31 osób po zawale serca bez NZK, a grupę kontrolną – 30 osób zdrowych. Do oceny obecności zaburzeń wybranych funkcji poznawczych użyto Krótkiej skali oceny stanu psychicznego (MMSE), Testu powtarzania cyfr ze Skali inteligencji Wechslera dla dorosłych, Testu zdolności wzrokowo-motorycznych Lauretty Bender oraz Testu pamięci wzrokowej Bentona (BVRT). Oryginalnie opracowany kwestionariusz posłużył do ogólnej oceny stanu psychicznego.W teście Lauretty Bender stwierdzono istotną różnicę w występowaniu i nasileniu zaburzeń zdolności wzrokowo-motorycznych w grupie badanej w stosunku do grupy kontrolnej, a w teście BVRT i MMSE – częstsze występowanie zaburzeń poznawczych w grupie badanej. U tych osób zaburzenia poznawcze mierzone skalami Bender i BVRT (D/D)/WP występowały u 53,3% badanych, a testem BVRT (C/A)/WP – u 40% osób. Dla grupy odniesienia wartości te wynosiły odpowiednio 32,3% i 12,9%. Nie wykazano zależności nasilenia zaburzeń poznawczych od czasu trwania NZK.Zaburzenia zdolności wzrokowo-motorycznych, krótkotrwałej pamięci wzrokowej, koncentracji oraz koordynacji wzrokowo-ruchowej u osób po przebytym NZK występują znacznie częściej i są bardziej nasilone niż u osób zdrowych. Zaburzenia zdolności przechowywania śladu pamięciowego i odtwarzania go po odroczeniu występują u chorych po przebytym NZK częściej niż u pacjentów po przebytym zawale mięśnia sercowego bez NZK i u osób zdrowych. Czas trwania NZK nie miał wpływu na nasilenie opisywanych zaburzeń.

This article presents a concept of a system which can be utilized as a remote management add-on for embedded devices. It can be applied to resource-constrained wireless sensors and IoT nodes based on a general purpose microcontroller unit or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip. The proposed solution facilitates remote firmware update, management, and operation monitoring. Thanks to the utilization of standard protocols and interfaces, the proposed system is very flexible and it can be easily customized for multiple modern microcontrollers or programmable logic chips. The presented system can be an efficient solution for fast prototyping and it can be an alternative to a time-consuming process of bootloader development for ad hoc devices. It can also be applied to remote laboratory access for educational purposes. A proof of concept prototype implementation has been successfully developed and evaluated. The implementation is available on a free license and utilizes a commonly available and inexpensive hardware platform.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the place of living on the prevalence of the alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) and to find its possible connections with socio-demographic data within a post-industrial city with a population100 000 inhabitants.The study was carried out in 2004-2012 on a group of 431 patients living in Bytom with diagnosed ADS treated either in psychiatric wards or in outpatient psychiatric clinics. The patients' gender, age, employment, marital status, level of education and the fact of living in a given town district were analysed. The majority of the demographic data was obtained from the City Office.The study demonstrated the influence of the place of living, age, gender, level of education and employment on the prevalence of ADS in a post-industrial city.Alcohol addicts who seek treatment are predominantly men40 years of age, with low education, mostly unemployed, living in the urbanized districts within the city center or the post-industrial area of the city, which are the areas with the highest risk of ADS. Living in a suburban neighborhood may protect against alcohol addiction due to the lower risk of exposure to environmental factors contributing to the prevalence of ADS. Additional protective factors include at least secondary education and paid employment prospects. The neighborhood of people with ADS has a particularly devastating effect on women, who are more likely to become addicted in such environments. Med Pr. 2019;70(2):221-8.Celem pracy była ocena wpływu miejsca zamieszkania oraz innych wskaźników socjodemograficznych na częstość występowania zespołu zależności alkoholowej (ZZA) w mieście postindustrialnym liczącym100 tys. mieszkańców.Badaniem przeprowadzonym w latach 2004–2012 objęto 431 pacjentów z rozpoznaniem ZZA leczonych ambulatoryjnie lub szpitalnie mieszkających w Bytomiu. Analizowano wiek, płeć, stosunek do pracy, stan cywilny, wykształcenie oraz miejsce zamieszkania w mieście (dzielnica). Większość danych demograficznych uzyskano z Urzędu Miasta.Wykazano, że miejsce zamieszkania, płeć, wiek, wykształcenie i status zawodowy wpływają na rozkład występowania ZZA w obrębie dużego miasta postindustrialnego.Osoby uzależnione od alkoholu zgłaszające się na leczenie to w większości mężczyźni40 r.ż., z niskim wykształceniem, najczęściej bez pracy, zamieszkujący zurbanizowane dzielnice w centrum miasta i poprzemysłową część miasta (obszary najbardziej zagrożone występowaniem ZZA). Zamieszkiwanie w dzielnicy o charakterze podmiejskim może chronić przed uzależnieniem od alkoholu ze względu na mniejsze ryzyko narażenia na czynniki środowiskowe wpływające na rozpowszechnienie ZZA. Dodatkowymi czynnikami ochronnymi są co najmniej średnie wykształcenie oraz praca zarobkowa. Sąsiedztwo osób z ZZA ma szczególnie destrukcyjny wpływ na kobiety, które częściej popadają w uzależnienie w sprzyjającym uzależnieniu środowisku. Med. Pr. 2019;70(2):221–228.

With the arising amounts of devices and data that Internet of Things systems are processing nowadays, solutions for computational applications are in high demand. Many concepts targeting more efficient data processing are arising and among them edge and fog computing are the ones gaining significant interest since they reduce cloud load. In consequence Internet of Things systems are becoming more and more diverse in terms of architecture. In this paper we present FogFlow - model and execution environment allowing for organization of data-flow applications to be run on the heterogeneous environments. We propose unified interface for data-flow creation, graph model and we evaluate our concept in the use case of production line model that mimic real-world factory scenario.

Designing medical devices requires a wide range of verification steps for estimation of the performance and safety. Designing the research program needs a rational selection of appropriate testing methods (in preclinical and clinical studies) for determination of the risk of potential incompatibilities resulting in adverse events. The significance of the appropriate selection of the testing method is increased in advanced medical devices. The presented research considers the verification of the functional properties of recently developed topical haemostatic agents with the use of the chitosan/alginate fibrids, based on the previously elaborated risk analysis made according to the guidelines of the PN-EN-ISO 14971:2012 and PN-EN ISO 22442-1:2008 standards. The aim of this research was to verify the stability of the performance of the newly developed haemostatic agents during storage. The defined aim of the study arose from the thesis that the appropriate selection of raw materials and a new manner of reprocessing them enabled keeping the usability of the final product for at least two years.

Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology could have significant potential in the construction of Web services, but it generates multiple issues that software and hardware designers must overcome first. As a Web service hardware platform, the FPGA could be an experimental yet interesting and powerful alternative to standard solutions based on microprocessors and microcontrollers. Here, the authors share their thoughts about the possibility of using FPGA chips to implement environment-aware embedded Web services.

In this paper we introduce the Rapid Embedded Systems Prototyping (RESP) approach aimed at accelerating the development of novel, experimental, and proof-of-concept implementations of embedded devices based on micro controllers and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chips. It is intended to be used in the fast-paced business environment in which an early working prototype is required. The RESP approach can be useful for remote developing and temporary monitoring of various embedded devices: primarily for resource-constrained IoT platforms, microcontroller-based sensor nodes, and customized ad hoc systems. The RESP-compliant system uses a central server and one or multiple Remote Reconfiguration and Monitoring (RRM) modules. Each RRM allows the software developers to manage reprogramming and monitoring of multiple target embedded devices. It can be applied to a device that needs to be remotely reconfigured, tested, or reprogrammed in its target environment without implementing a reliable bootloader. The RRM described in this paper has been successfully implemented and its functionality and performance have been tested.

Due to the development of IoT solutions, we can observe the constantly growing number of these devices in almost every aspect of our lives. The machine learning may improve increase their intelligence and smartness. Unfortunately, the highly regarded programming libraries consume to much resources to be ported to the embedded processors. Thus, in the paper the concept of source code generation of machine learning models is presented as well as the generation algorithms for commonly used machine learning methods. The concept has been proven in the use cases.

The Internet of Things concept has found applications in a wide range of solutions, including smart homes, smart cities, enterprise systems, and others. Due to the limited resources available on physical devices and the intermittent availability of wireless networks, IoT may hugely benefit from Mobile Cloud Computing as it may provide the necessary processing power and the storage. This, however, increases the complexity of IoT systems and calls for a flexible testing environment to simplify the development process. In this paper we propose the concept of a software-defined IoT testbed which enables an IoT system to be immersed and tested in a virtual environment in order to evaluate its behavior under controllable conditions. Additionally, the features of the implemented testbed prototype are discussed on the basis of a specific use case.

Designing usable forms of topical haemostatic agents is the most important activity during the design process, resulting in strengthened functional properties of the final medical devices. This study aimed to propose indications for a research programme based on risk management supporting the development of two usable forms of a topical haemostatic agent: chitosan/alginate lyophilized foam and chitosan/alginate impregnated gauze. Both of the usable forms of the topical haemostatic agent, being the main part of the modified combat gauze, were fabricated using the chitosan/alginate complex. Risk analysis is helpful in developing an appropriate research programme, significantly reducing the risk to an acceptable level.

CelCelem pracy jest analiza konsultacji psychiatrycznych przeprowadzanych w szpitalu wielospecjalistycznym, ustalenie przyczyn konsultacji na podstawie analizy rozpoznań wg. ICD-10 oraz analiza konsultacji psychiatrycznych pod względem liczby na poszczególnych oddziałachMetodaW badaniu przeprowadzono retrospektywną analizę dokumentacji medycznej dotyczącej udzielonych konsultacji w ramach szpitala wielospecjalistycznego w Tarnowskich Górach w latach 2002-2010.W badaniach statystycznych wykorzystano m.in. : test Shapiro-Wilka, test Kruskala-Wllisa, test U Manna-Whitney’a, test niezależności CHI2WynikiW badanych latach odbyły się 3672 konsultacje, średnia wieku pacjentów konsultowanych wynosiła 46.9 lat. Wśród osób konsultowanych 41.99% stanowiły kobiety, 58.01% mężczyźni. Rozpoznania główne w ujęciu odsetkowym wszystkich konsultacji przedstawiały się następująco: F00-F09: 18,82%, F10-F19: 29,58%, F20-F29: 17,70%, F30-F39: 10,29%, F40-F48: 13,83%, F50-F59: 0,16%, F60-F69: 3,21%, F70-F79: 1,77%, F80-F89:0%, F90-F98: 1,01%,inne: 3,62%. Konsultacje odbywały się najczęściej na następujących oddziałach : Izba Przyjęc-13,21%,Szpitalny Oddział Ratunkowy-6,97%,Chirurgia-8,42%,Interna-6,51%,Neurologia-4,82%.WnioskiNajczęstszą przyczyną konsultacji były uzależnienia, następnie zaburzenia organiczne oraz zaburzenia psychotyczne, zaburzenia nerwicowe i afektywne. Konsultacje odbywały się najczęściej na Izbie Przyjęć /Szpitalnym Oddziale Ratunkowym, Chirurgii oraz Oddziale Wewnętrznym i Neurologii

The number of small embedded devices is constantly growing and it is expected that there will be 50 billion of Internet connected devices in the 2020. One of the open challenges is the way of powering these devices. At the beginning they were battery powered, but now the energy is usually harvested from the environment and then accumulated. At the same time various adaptation methods have been introduced to manage the power consumption and adaptation appropriately to the energy remaining in the batteries in order to extend battery lifetime. We think that in the future, the next generation of embedded devices will take advantage of the Internet connectivity and accessibility to the weather forecasting models in order to enhance adaptability methods by analyzing the forthcoming harvested power levels. Unfortunately, these devices will use low power and lossy network protocols which may influence the quality of adaptation. In the paper, we propose the concept of the two-stage predictive power adaptation method for embedded devices that uses the weather forecast services and is designed to handle unavailability of network connection.

In this paper we present a convenient technique for transferring small amounts of data to resource-constrained embedded devices. The concept is based on utilizing a mobile phone with a dedicated application to transfer data to one or more embedded devices by using solely the phone’s display and visible light as a medium. The presented solution requires very low computational power and its hardware cost is insignificant, thus can be utilized in very low power and resource-constrained devices. The described subsystem can be used to provide means of very convenient and relatively secure transfer of initial configuration for wireless sensor network motes, Internet of Things (IoT) entities, or smart home appliances.