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Introduction Marijuana is one of the most widely used psychoactive substance. There is evidence of genetic predisposition for addiction. Objective The aim of the study is to evaluate personality traits measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, combined with analysis of Tag1B rs1079597 and Tag1D rs1800498 located in the DRD2 gene. Material and methods The study group consisted of 214 rural cannabinoid users and 301 controls. The same psychometric test and real-time PCR genotyping were performed in both studied groups. Results The values of Anxiety state, Anxiety trait, NEO FFI: Neuroticism and Openness in the rural cannabis using group were significantly higher than in the control group. On the other hand, lower values were observed among rural people using cannabis compared to the control group for NEO FFI: Extraversion, Agreeability and Conscientiousness. In the Anxiety trait subscale, a 2% association with the polymorphism DRD2 Tag1B rs1079597 was detected in subjects using cannabis. However, for the DRD2 Tag1D rs1800498, there was no effect on the differences in personality traits between rural cannabis users and the control group. Conclusions The study shows differences in personality traits between the cannabis using group and controls. Interaction between genetic factors and personality traits was also detected. The association showing the combination of psychological characteristics and genetic variants can bring us closer to the overall picture of the issue of marijuana addiction.

Introduction and Objective Back pain affects specific occupational groups, among which healthcare workers are the most predisposed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the interdependences between subjective disability and their correlation with pain intensity and quality of life assessment among professionally active medical workers, taking into account working, socio-demographic and health conditions. Material and methods The cross-sectional study enrolled 110 professionally active medical workers (nurses, midwives, paramedics and physiotherapists). The study was conducted by a diagnostic survey method using 4 questionnaires: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQoL-BREF), and the authors’ questionnaire. Results Back pain was reported by 103 respondents (94%) with the lumbar area indicated the most frequently (72.81%). Severe pain every day was reported by 49.51% of respondents and was associated with longer working time. ODI questionnaire confirmed III and IV degrees of disability in paramedics and nurses, who additionally obtained the lowest results in the quality of life assessment. Correlations between age and VAS were demonstrated (p=0.002), and between VAS and ODI pain (p

Background: Insomnia is the most recognized sleep disorder. The time of the COVID-19 pandemic brings with it new challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining sleep hygiene is highly recommended as it helps to strengthen the immune system, and people infected with COVID-19 may be more prone to sleep problems.The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of insomnia among people aged 18-25 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study involved 302 individuals. It was conducted using Google Forms. The mean age of the respondents was 23 ± 1.84 years. The research instruments used in the study were the Athenian Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the author’s questionnaire concerning sociodemographic data. Results: Insomnia was found in 29.5% (n = 89) of the respondents. Higher mean values (8 ± 4.19) in the AIS were noted in the group of people with higher education and those currently studying. Moderate depression was demonstrated in 12.6% (n = 38) of the subjects. One third (30.1%; n = 91) of the respondents indicated greater sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. Conclusions: Insomnia and depression are significant problems in the study group of 18-25 year olds. Therefore, psychological and psychiatric care should be extended to this group of young people.

In the mammalian genome, DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism involving the transfer of a methyl group onto the C5 position of the cytosine to form 5-methylcytosine. DNA methylation regulates gene expression by recruiting proteins involved in gene repression or by inhibiting the binding of transcription factors (TFs) to DNA. As there are still many questions concerning the role of methylation in creating personality, we concentrated on searching for such associations. The research group was 100 sports male subjects (mean age = 22.88, SD = 6.35), whereas the control group included 239 healthy male volunteers matched for age (mean age = 21.69, SD = 3.39), both of European origin. The methods used in our research were as follows: DNA isolation, methylation-specific PCR, sequencing chromatophores, all conducted according to the manufacturer’s procedure. To evaluate personality traits, the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI) and STAI Inventory were used. We observed the existence of a statistically significant correlation for all the aspects of personality covered and CpG islands’ methylation. Nonetheless, we think that the tested group and the number of tested promotor islands in the DAT1 gene are still too small to make explicit conclusions, so it needs further profound analysis.

Background/Aim: The loss of teeth and its consequences for health, as well as the psychological discomfort it entails, have a negative impact on both self-reported health state and quality of life (QoL). Dental implantation aims to increase patients' health and satisfaction and to improve all aspects of QoL. The purpose of this cross-sectional correlational study was to compare the patients' QoL before and after dental implantation. Material and Methods : The study comprised 62 patients aged between 24 and 77, including 28 (45.16%) women and 34 (54.84%) men, who reported to a private dental clinic in Szczecin, Poland to replace missing teeth with implants. The survey was carried out twice: prior to the treatment, when the decision to use implants had been made, and three months after implantation, during the first check-up. QoL was measured using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and sociodemographic data were collected using a questionnaire of the author. Results: There were statistically significant differences between the assessment of health and QoL before and after implantation treatment. Both the patients' health and comfort of life improved after therapy. Conclusions: Replacement of missing teeth with dental implants brought overall improvement in patients' QoL, social comfort, and general health. Dental implantation should be recommended in the early phase of edentulism, after tooth loss.

Substance abuse significantly influences human health and may induce problems with social functioning worldwide. Numerous genetic and environmental risk factors, as well as their interactions, accelerate the development of drug addiction. Etiologically, the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic reward pathways are related to psychoactive substance addiction, and the reward properties of heroin are connected with changes in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system.The aim of this study is a haplotypic analysis of subjects addicted to polysubstance. However, with the knowledge that this is not a homogenous subgroup, it was decided to separate and analyze homogenous subgroups of subjects in order to find specific haplotypic variants among them. The subjects in the subgroups were addicted to heroin, and subjects with more than two relapses in the past two years.The study group comprised of 301 polysubstance addicted rural male subjects. From this group, 2 homogenous subgroups of subjects were isolated and additionally analyzed: (1) a group of heroin addicted subjects (n=61), and (2) a group of heroin-addicted subjects with at least two relapses in the last two years (n=21). The group consisting of all polysubstance addicted rural subjects and both homogenous subgroups were analyzed against a control group of non-addicted subjects (n=300), matching gender and age. Five polymorphisms in theA statistically significant haplotype association was found in analysis of the heroin addicted subjects, compared to controls, and two possible trends - when comparing the whole group of addicted subjects to controls, and in relapse subgroups, compared to the controls.The results obtained showed that haplotypes indicate a part of the biological component of addiction.

Introduction Risky alcohol consumption is one of the main threats to the health of both individuals and society as a whole. These threats affect, among others, health, safety and financial situation. Their scale and intensity cause the issue of alcohol consumption to become a significant challenge for public health. Objective The aim of the study was assessment of the occurrence of the problem of alcohol consumption among residents of rural areas in Western Pomerania and the Lubuskie Province of Western Poland. Material and methods The study was conducted on 350 residents of rural areas – 236 females (66.4%) and 114 males (32.6%), median age – 42 y. (range – 20–76 years). The tools used included MAST and AUDIT questionnaires, Health Behaviour Inventory (HBI), Social Activity Questionnaire (SA), and original questions. Results In the studied group the problem with proper alcohol consumption occurred. High convergence was observed between results obtained by individual respondents with both tools (r=0.868 with p

Background: The process of medicalization as a form of biopower is present in many aspects of human life, including vaccination. Aim of the study: The study aims to determine social attitudes towards medicalization in the context of vaccination, and to assess the relationship between children’s vaccinations and the knowledge and education of their parents. Material and methods: This survey-based study involved 180 subjects – 141 women and 39 men. The median of age was 28 years. 32.2% of the participants (58) had a medical education and 67.8% (122) non-medical education. 52.78% of people included in the study (95) had at least one child and 47.22% (85) were childless. The study was conducted using the authors’ questionnaire fallowed by the test of knowledge. Results: Respondents with a high level of knowledge are afraid of vaccination policy and believe that the fact that the state decides on these issues is a violation of human rights. The majority of them do not vaccinate their children. People with medical education vaccinate their children more often than those with non-medical education. Conclusions: In the context of vaccination, it is clear that the level of the knowledge and the number of vaccinated children are unsatisfactory. Repeated myths about harmfulness of vaccinations and fear of adverse postvaccination reactions are the reasons, why parents refuse to vaccinate their children. The control of biopolitics over vaccinations is a part of medicalization, which is strongly experienced by individuals with a high level of knowledge. Reliable information provided by a physician could increase the number of parents, who decide to vaccinate their children.

Background . Efficient functioning at work and in the environment depends on social and emotional competence, understood as complex skills that determine the effectiveness of behaviors in various professional and social situations. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the social competence of physicians and medical students with regard to the sociodemographic contributors which shape social competence. Material and methods . The study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 and it involved 90 physicians, including 25 GPs (27.8%) and 53 medical students of PMU in Szczecin. The median age of the physicians and the students was 32 and 25, respectively. The Social Competencies Questionnaire (SC Q) by Anna Matczak and a self-developed survey questionnaire were employed. Results. The ability of physicians to achieve medium and high levels of social competence increases by 8.5% with every year of seniority. Membership in scientific societies increases the odds of a high level of social competence fivefold in the ES scale and fourfold in the A scale. Physicians involved in the education of medical students were less likely to obtain medium and high scores (5 stens) in the A scale. An increase in seniority in the last workplace is accompanied by a 0.93 times lower probability of obtaining a high competence score in the A scale. Similarly, third cycle degree studies increase the odds of achieving high competence level by 7.48 times in the A scale. Conclusions . Low levels of competence can be expected from physicians with less seniority, not belonging to scientific societies, not involved in students’ education, working in only one place, and not participating in third cycle degree studies. This group should be provided with social competence training.

Background. Quality of life consists of many elements that affect the creation of the level of QoL. Women with postmenopausal may experience a phenomenon of loneliness. This phenomenon can be caused by the effects they had on menopausal symptoms and depression from private and professional life. Objectives. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of menopausal symptoms and depression on quality of life in postmenopausal women. Material and methods . The survey was performed among 128 women after menopause. The mean age was 64.20 ± 8.61, median 65 years. The study used a questionnaire consisting of the SF-36, Kupperman Index, Beck Depression Scale and the author’s questionnaire. Results . The sense of mental health – MH women found at most, which was equal to 69.47. Meanwhile, the general level of health – HP was rated the lowest of only 46.68. Of the 128 respondents revealed menopausal symptoms at 32.81% (n = 42) of surveyed women. It has been shown statistically significant relationship between the index of climacteric, and the assessment of QoL in the SF-36 domains: RL M (emotional role functioning) – (χ 2 = 24.33; p = 0.003), MH (mental health) – (χ 2 = 27.27; p = 0.001), EV (vitality) – (χ 2 = 24.28; p = 0.003), P (pain) – (χ 2 = 25.89; p = 0.002), and the Beck Depression Inventory, and the assessment of QoL by SF-36. Conclusions . Menopausal symptoms, the presence of depression and age have a significant impact on the quality of life of women in postmenopausal period.

Background . Insomnia means an absolute lack of sleep; however, in reality, it is a more complex phenomenon. Insomnia is characterized by an insufficient quantity or quality of sleep. For diagnosis of insomnia, it is crucial to find out about the patient’s subjective feelings. Loneliness is a phenomenon that people experience in an individual way – subjectively. The problems with sleep intensify with age, which can consequently cause depression. Depression is conducive to loneliness, both as a temporary feeling as well as a continual feeling of loneliness and exclusion. Objectives. The aim of this research was to the evaluation of frequency of insomnia among individuals over 60 years of age - students of the University of the Third Age in Stargard. Material and methods . The research was conducted among 131 individuals aged 60 years and over, including 72.51% (n = 95) females and 27.48% (n = 36) males. The mean age was 68.12 ± 6.63. The survey was used with elements of the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS ), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI ), Beck Depression Inventory and the author’s proprietary questionnaire with socio-economic data. Results . Insomnia was observed among 27.48% (n = 36) of the respondents surveyed with AIS . More than 25% (n = 33) of respondents scored on the borderline for diagnosis of insomnia. The results obtained by combining the Beck Depression Inventory with Athens Insomnia Scale show a statistically significant relationship between insomnia and depression (p = 0.0001). Conclusions . Insomnia is present in more than a quarter of respondents among persons above 60 years of age, being students of the University of the Third Age in Stargard.

T Wstęp: Zespoły bólowe kręgosłupa lędźwiowo-krzyżowego ze względu na powszechność zjawiska oraz coraz młodszy wiek pacjentów uznaje się za schorzenie cywilizacyjne. Celem artykułu była krytyczna analiza dostępnych wytycznych, raportów i dowodów dostarczających argumentów dotyczących postępowania diagnostyczno-terapeutycznego w bólach krzyża. W pracy przedstawiono epidemiologię, etiologię, diagnozę oraz wybrane metody leczenia i profilaktyki bólu krzyża. Materiały i metody: Dokonano przeglądu danych literaturowych w oparciu o bazę komputerową Polska Bibliografia Lekarska oraz anglojęzyczną bazę danych PubMed i Cochrane Library. Dodatkowo wykorzystano wyszukiwarkę Google Scholar. Prezentowane prace przeanalizowano pod względem ich referencyjności naukowej i zgodności z zasadami Evidence-Based Medicine. W celu uzyskania rekomendacji na najwyższym poziomie w przeglądzie zostały uwzględnione aktualne dowody naukowe oparte na recenzowanych publikacjach naukowych, przeglądach systematycznych, metaanalizach i przeprowadzonych randomizowanych badaniach kontrolnych. Wyniki: Według licznych badań leżenie w łóżku jest nieskuteczne i nie powinno być zalecane. Literatura w odniesieniu do wpływu akupunktury, TENS, terapii zimnem i trakcji (wyciąg) na leczenie bólu krzyża jest zbyt niejednorodna i potrzebne są dalsze wysokiej jakości badania, zanim jakikolwiek końcowy wniosek zostanie postawiony. Mocno rekomendowane w leczeniu objawów bólu krzyża są: ćwiczenia fizyczne, terapia manualna oraz edukacja. Wnioski: Konieczne są dalsze badania w celu zidentyfikowania skutecznych niefarmakologicznych metod leczenia bólu krzyża oraz zrozumienia dodatkowych korzyści wynikających z łączenia poszczególnych interwencji, a także tego, które kombinacje leczenia i sekwencje są najbardziej skuteczne.

Chronic respiratory diseases are determined by genetic predisposition, and environmental and socioeconomic variables. One genetic factor underlying susceptibility to such diseases can be the ABO blood group system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that there would be a relationship between the blood group and risk of developing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We reviewed medical history files of patients with the diagnosis of COPD or asthma, including those suffering from a cancerous disease accompanied by asthma or COPD, hospitalized from January 2016 to July 2017. The study involved 248 adult patients (85 women and 163 men; median age 65, range 20-95 years) with COPD (177; 71.4%) and asthma (71; 28.6%) with a known blood type. We found that the most frequent was blood type A (97; 39.1%) and the least blood type AB (26; 8.0%). The distribution of individual blood types in asthma was not different from that in COPD patients. Significant differences were found between the distribution of O and pooled non-O blood types (A, B, and AB); the pooled category was more frequent in both asthma and COPD patients. We conclude that the blood type is not a prognostic differentiating between the occurrence of asthma or COPD, although both are less common in people with blood type O. Further investigation is required to set the predisposing role of the ABO antigens for chronic respiratory diseases.

Coordinated healthcare paradigm addressing the biopsychosocial spheres of patients seems advantageous for the management of chronic diseases. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of unmet needs on pro-health behavior in chronic respiratory diseases and to recognize the factors that help identify the unmet needs. The patients were asked to complete the Camberwell Assessment of Needs Inventory and the Health Behavior Inventory. The study group consisted of 171 adult patients with chronic respiratory diseases. The study participants were recruited from among the patients of 130 general practitioners between July 2011 and March 2016. The findings of this study indicate that any prevention program should focus on increasing the level of satisfied needs in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. For the most effective treatment, fragmented and disease-focused processes should be replaced by integrated health and social care. We conclude that the treatment process that involves interdisciplinary clinical approach, which, aside from the physical treatment, could recognize and address the psychological aspects of unmet needs would be conducive to undertake pro-health behavior by pulmonary patients.