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Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is considered as a valuable potential source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. A process of collecting and storing UCB in the immediate period after the birth is called UCB banking. The study was conducted in order to determine women's knowledge, awareness, preferences and attitude towards UCB banking in Poland, considering the sociodemographic and obstetric factors. A cross-sectional, self-administered, online questionnaire-based study including mostly multiple choice questions concerning attitude and awareness regarding UCB banking was conducted entirely online among Facebook female users in Poland. A total of 1077 participants correctly completed the survey. Most participants (n = 911, 84.6%) were aware of the possibility of UCB banking. Social media were considered as the main source of information (47.5%). However, the participants mostly indicated the doctor as their preferred source of reliable information (86.8%). The majority of women (61.8%) assessed their level of knowledge of UCB banking as still insufficient. Among the participants who supported UCB banking (70%), the following reasons were considered as the most vital: potential possibility of helping their child (93.9%) and helping other relatives (64.4%). More than half of the respondents (66.9%), who have not stored and are not willing to store their children's UCB, indicated the high cost of UCB banking as the main reason of this decision. The knowledge and awareness of UCB storage and banking possibilities amongst women in Poland could be improved. The professional medical personnel should be a source of reliable information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transsexual persons often undergo the process of transition, which is a long, multi-stage procedure. One of the stages, often final, is the lawful reassignment of sex, which is often perceived by transsexual individuals as more meaningful than the medical interventions. The aim of the study was to analyze the current legal situation of transsexual individuals in Poland. An in-depth review of legal documents and their association with current medical knowledge on transsexualism together with a presentation of solutions established worldwide were performed. Analyzed aspects include surgical interventions, sex assignment and correction of birth certificate. The current legal situation of lawful sex reassignment in Poland is complex and far from friendly towards transsexual people. Recent attempts to improve the situation were unsuccessful and current strategies to help transsexual people seem to be ineffective. Apart from the medico-legal problems, a number of issues connected with transgenderism depend on the socio-political views. The most notable drawback of the currently binding judicial procedure of legal sex change is the requirement of suing parents, spouse and children. This could be avoided if the change was performed in a non-litigious mode of proceedings, in which the medical criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO) and an opinion of a strictly regulated team of experts were central factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medical University of Warsaw is one of Poland's largest medical universities, currently enrolling nearly 10,000 students, including 608 international undergraduates.This manuscript aims to share our experience with a literature review on organizing and coordinating clinical classes for English Division undergraduate medical students at a single centre in a country where English is not an official language. We would like to highlight certain aspects that have proven highly beneficial in our educational efforts and offer universal advice applicable to clinical classes in any specialty.In this publication, we summarize and emphasize the critical aspects of creating conducive conditions for acquiring knowledge and practical skills by English Division students. We provide readers with good practices for tutor selection, organizational aspects, preparation of educational materials, presenting theoretical knowledge, teaching practical skills, medical simulations, doctor-patient communication, learning progress evaluation, comparison of diverse healthcare environments, students' feedback, and creating opportunities for further development after course completion., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Infectious diseases in pregnant women can cause birth defects. Implementing appropriate prevention methods while planning pregnancy can help avoid some of them., Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was performed. The questionnaire investigated attitudes towards vaccinations, as well as opinions on anti-vaccine movements and the so-called "chickenpox parties". The questionnaire was developed for the purpose of this study and the survey was conducted using the google form, which was posted on social media groups for women planning pregnancy, being pregnant or for mothers' groups from Poland., Results: The study group consisted of 2402 women; their median age was 31 years (range 16-54 years). Most women were from cities > 100,000 inhabitants (49.7%, 1194/2402) and had higher education (71.9%, 1726/2402). A positive attitude towards vaccinations was more common among younger, nulliparous women from big cities (p = 0.02, p = 0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively). 2068/2402 (86.1%) of respondents were not vaccinated before pregnancy and 1931/2402 (80.4%) of women were not vaccinated during pregnancy. While most women (1545/2402, 64.3%) considered vaccination safe, and effective (1904/2402, 79.3%) against infectious diseases, many (n = 296/2402 12.3%) have no opinion on the so-called chickenpox party., Conclusions: Most surveyed women had a positive attitude towards vaccinations and consider vaccines a safe and effective method of protection against infectious diseases. Since a significant proportion of women were not vaccinated before or during pregnancy and about 12% of women are undecided, the physician's role is crucial in educating and persuading the patient to be vaccinated.

Objectives: Antenatal classes are a common method of preparation for birth with proven efficiency in improving perinatal outcomes. Yet, their impact on fear perception during labour has not been identified. The aim of the study was to analyse whether preparation for labour by means of antenatal classes attendance could be associated with decrease in level of experienced fear and pain during birth., Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study of 147 women who had given vaginal births. Data was collected from mothers between 24 and 72 h postpartum. Patients answered self-reported questionnaires concerning subjective perception of birth including Delivery Fear Scale (DFS) and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for fear and pain assessment. The study group was divided into subgroups depending on parity and antenatal classes attendance., Results: Patients in the primiparas subgroup who attended antenatal classes scored lower in the DFS (48.7 ± 23.5 vs. 60.2 ± 16.5, p < .03). There was no difference in the DFS score in the multiparas subgroup (p < .90). No significant differences in the NRS score depending on antenatal classes attendance in any subgroup were observed., Conclusion: Participation in antenatal classes should be advised to every pregnant primiparous woman as this type of non-invasive preparation lowers level of fear experienced during childbirth., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)