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The main objective of this pilot study was to learn about family relationships and parenting dynamics in blended families from the perspective of individual members. Previous research on blended families has typically focused on various aspects of their functioning from the viewpoint of selected family members. However, there is a lack of studies that cover all members of blended families and examine different issues from a systemic perspective. This study was carried out using a qualitative research strategy based on an interpretive paradigm, employing the case study method. Five blended families were included in the research, and methodological triangulation was applied. The study provides a detailed description of family relationships in the sampled blended families in terms of structure, bonds, and parenting dynamics, within the context of parental attitudes and competencies, as well as resources for coping with the challenges of family life. Blended families with a longer shared history demonstrate better functioning principles, more effective communication techniques, and greater balance in terms of cohesion and flexibility.

We describe the results of eculizumab treatment of a patient with pachymeningitis, inflammatory infiltration of the left frontal lobe, and cerebral hematoma, who presented with progressive vision loss, epileptic seizures, and abnormal pattern of the complement system parameters. A 30-year-old female patient, initially diagnosed with hypereosinophilia and a tumour of the left orbit, developed a significant visual impairment in the left eye, progressive vision loss in the right eye, and neurological symptoms in the form of epileptic seizures and behavioural changes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed thickening of the dura mater in the left frontal area, slight oedema of the cortex, and subcortical white matter. Orbit biopsy showed non-specific inflammatory infiltrates. Despite the initial good response, symptoms progressed during treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants. Increased activity of the alternative complement pathway accompanied by a low level of its main inhibitor, factor H (FH), and the presence of anti-FH autoantibodies, was found. Genetic analysis revealed several missense variants of complement proteins, including two disease-linked mutations in FH (p.H402Y) and FI (T300A). An attempt to apply a complement C5 blocker, eculizumab, has been made. Neurological symptoms subsided, vision loss was inhibited, laboratory parameters improved, and discontinuation of steroid therapy was possible. The case underlines the role of complement system dysregulation in neurological distress.

CEL NAUKOWY: W artykule uwagę skoncentrowałyśmy na dziecięcej percepcji obrazu złożonych systemów rodzinnych, jakimi są rodzinny patchworkowe. PROBLEM I METODY BADAWCZE: Problem badawczy stanowią wybrane aspekty relacji rodzinnych z perspektywy dzieci należących do rodzin patchworkowych. Badanie zostało wykonane w strategii badań jakościowych. Zastosowano test relacji rodzinnych oraz przeprowadzono wywiady pogłębione z dorosłymi członkami rodzin zrekonstruowanych. PROCES WYWODU: Kryzys w obrębie związków małżeńskich powoduje wzrost alternatywnych form życia rodzinnego. Coraz powszechniejsze stają się rodziny zrekonstruowane, określane także jako rodziny typu patchwork. Tworzy je para dorosłych, z których przynajmniej jedno lub też oboje mają dzieci z poprzednich związków. W skład tej złożonej rodzinnej struktury wchodzą także biologiczni rodzice dzieci, pozostający na co dzień poza systemem zasadniczym. Stworzenie nowej rodziny jest wymagającym zadaniem. WYNIKI ANALIZY NAUKOWEJ: Badane rodziny zrekonstruowane, bez względu na to, jak dobrze poradziły sobie z procesem integracji rodzinnej, musiały stawić czoła różnym wyzwaniom, między innymi przebudowie granic zewnętrznych i wewnętrznych swoich rodzin, stworzyć nową hierarchię rodzinną, ustalić role rodzicielskie rodziców przybranych, uporać się z konfliktami lojalności. Procesy te ukazane zostały z perspektywy dzieci należących do zrekonstruowanych systemów rodzinnych. WNIOSKI, REKOMENDACJE I APLIKACYJNE ZNACZENIE WPŁYWU BADAŃ: Dzięki badaniu przeprowadzonemu z użyciem testu relacji rodzinnych mogłyśmy określić formy relacji rodzinnych oraz stosunków uczuciowych panujących w badanych rodzinach patchworkowych w percepcji dzieci wychowywanych w tych systemach. Wyniki naszych analiz mogą posłużyć innym badaczom jako inspiracja do dalszych eksploracji w tym obszarze, a praktykom jako wskazówka w kształtowaniu optymalnych stosunków uczuciowych w rodzinach zrekonstruowanych.

The first records of Sticta andina and S. scabrosa subsp. scabrosa from Bolivia are presented. All records are confirmed by molecular data. Sticta andina has flattened, marginal isidia and phyllidia with abundant, submarginal apothecia, while tomentum is dark brown to black, whereas, S. scabrosa subsp. scabrosa has marginal and laminal phyllidia and pale to dark, grey tomentum. Two Bolivian specimens of the latter possess sparse, marginal to laminal apothecia, which previously have not been observed in this species. The haplotype network indicates that the S. andina specimens from Bolivia have three haplotypes, two of which are different from those previously reported. In the case of S. scabrosa subsp. scabrosa , two haplotypes were found, of which one is newly reported. A distribution map of Sticta species confirmed for Bolivia is presented.

Abstract The study aimed to determine whether four weeks of motor imagery training (MIT) of goal-directed reaching (reaching to grasp task) would affect the cortical activity during motor imagery of reaching (MIR) and grasping (MIG) in the same way. We examined cortical activity regarding event-related potentials (ERPs) in healthy young participants. Our study also evaluated the subjective vividness of the imagery. Furthermore, we aimed to determine the relationship between the subjective assessment of motor imagery (MI) ability to reach and grasp and the cortical activity during those tasks before and after training to understand the underlying neuroplasticity mechanisms. Twenty-seven volunteers participated in MIT of goal-directed reaching and two measurement sessions before and after MIT. During the sessions 128-channel electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during MIR and MIG. Also, participants assessed the vividness of the MI tasks using a visual analog scale (VAS). The vividness of imagination improved significantly (P

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to determine whether computer-aided training (CAT) of motor tasks would increase muscle activity and change its spatial distribution in a patient with a bilateral upper-limb congenital transverse deficiency. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it demonstrates the usefulness of CAT in promoting the neuromuscular adaptation in people with congenital limb deficiencies and altered body image. Case presentation The patient with bilateral upper-limb congenital transverse deficiency and the healthy control subject performed 12 weeks of the CAT. The subject’s task was to imagine reaching and grasping a book with the hand. Subjects were provided a visual animation of that movement and sensory feedback to facilitate the mental engagement to accomplish the task. High-density electromyography (HD-EMG; 64-electrode) were collected from the trapezius muscle during a shrug isometric contraction before and after 4, 8, 12 weeks of the training. After training, we observed in our patient changes in the spatial distribution of the activation, and the increased average intensity of the EMG maps and maximal force. Conclusions These results, although from only one patient, suggest that mental training supported by computer-generated visual and sensory stimuli leads to beneficial changes in muscle strength and activity. The increased muscle activation and changed spatial distribution of the EMG activity after mental training may indicate the training-induced functional plasticity of the motor activation strategy within the trapezius muscle in individual with bilateral upper-limb congenital transverse deficiency. Marked changes in spatial distribution during the submaximal contraction in the patient after training could be associated with changes of the neural drive to the muscle, which corresponds with specific (unfamiliar for patient) motor task. These findings are relevant to neuromuscular functional rehabilitation in patients with a bilateral upper-limb congenital transverse deficiency especially before and after upper limb transplantation and to development of the EMG based prostheses.

Background The aim of the study was to compare the mechanical properties of three human skeletal muscles: biceps brachii (BB), rectus femoris (RF), and tibialis anterior (TA) at rest measured by myoton device in males (n = 16, mean age 21.2 ± 0.6 years) and females (n = 16; 21.2 ± 0.9 years) and to investigate the influence of skin and subcutaneous tissue thickness (skinfold thickness, SFT) and gender on myometric parameters of the three skeletal muscles. Methods We measured the following mechanical and viscoelastic muscle properties using MyotonPRO®: frequency (F [Hz]), decrement (D [log]), stiffness (S [N/m]), relaxation time (R [ms]) and creepability (C [De]). The values of SFT for all selected muscles were assessed by caliper. A mixed-design analysis of variance with gender as between subject comparison was used for assessing the differences between gender and muscles in SFT and each of the myometric parameters separately (F, D, S, R and C). Pearson correlation coefficient or Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between SFT and myometric parameters was conducted for males, females and males and females together. The level of statistical significance was set at α ≤ 0.05 with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Results The SFT over the RF, TA, and BB muscles in women was statistically significantly larger compared with that of males. In females and males, the SFT over the RF was larger than over the TA and BB, and the SFT over the TA was larger compared with over the BB. The values of F and S recorded for the TA muscle were the highest among the three muscles, while D, C, and R were lowest in TA but highest in the RF muscle in men and women. The values of F and S were smaller in females than in males. Gender comparison of D, C, and R values showed that only D for the RF was significantly lower in females than in males, and C for the RF and TA was significantly larger in females than in males. Some correlation between SFT and myometric parameters were different between males and females. For example, there was a significant, negative correlation between SFT and F for all muscles in females, and a significant, positive correlation between these parameters for BB and TA (not for RF) in males. For pooled data (males and females together), a negative significant correlation between SFT and F was observed for RF and TA (not significant for BB muscle). Discussion It is concluded that the TA compared with the BB and RF has significantly greater F and S but the smallest D and C and the shortest R. Gender and muscle differences in the SFT may affect the measurements of muscle properties using MyotonPRO®. The relationship between SFT and myometric parameters is different in males and females in the RF, TA, and BB muscles. Therefore, the myometric data should be analyzed in males and females separately.

Copyright of Studia Paedagogica Ignatiana is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study explored the effect of kinesthetic motor imagery training on reaching-to-grasp movement supplemented by a virtual environment in a patient with congenital bilateral transverse upper-limb deficiency. Based on a theoretical assumption, it is possible to conduct such training in this patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cortical activity related to motor imagery of reaching and motor imagery of grasping of the right upper limb was changed by computer-aided imagery training (CAIT) in a patient who was born without upper limbs compared to a healthy control subject, as characterized by multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG) signals recorded before and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after CAIT. The main task during CAIT was to kinesthetically imagine the execution of reaching-to-grasp movements without any muscle activation, supplemented by computer visualization of movements provided by a special headset. Our experiment showed that CAIT can be conducted in the patient with higher vividness of imagery for reaching than grasping tasks. Our results confirm that CAIT can change brain activation patterns in areas related to motor planning and the execution of reaching and grasping movements, and that the effect was more pronounced in the patient than in the healthy control subject. The results show that CAIT has a different effect on the cortical activity related to the motor imagery of a reaching task than on the cortical activity related to the motor imagery of a grasping task. The change observed in the activation patterns could indicate CAIT-induced neuroplasticity, which could potentially be useful in rehabilitation or brain-computer interface purposes for such patients, especially before and after transplantation. This study was part of a registered experiment (ID: NCT04048083).

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully driven by efforts to ramp up access to vaccines. Pregnant or breastfeeding women and their children have not benefited from the vaccines despite their susceptibility to the virus. We investigated whether women who were offered vaccination after delivery passively transferred protective antibodies to their infants via breast milk. Serum was collected from breast feeding mother–infant pairs and analysed for levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein using the CLIA chemiluminescence technique. Data were analysed for the significance of the differences using the Mann–Whitney U test and the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to determine the strength of the correlation. A total of 13 mothers, mean age 34.86 (95%CI = 33.21–36.48) years and their infants, mean age 15.77 (95%CI = 11.24–20.29) months were enrolled. The mothers had completed their courses of the mRNA BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine during breastfeeding, 8.3 (95%CI = 7.24–9.36) months before the study. All 13 mothers had detectable antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, mean 1252, (95%CI = 736–1769) BAU/mL. Antibodies were detected in 3/13 (23%) breast-fed infants mean 322, (95%CI = 252–897) BAU/mL. There was no correlation between the maternal and infant IgG antibody titres. The time-lag since full vaccination did not correlate to the presence of antibodies in infant sera. Maternal or infant ages did not correlate to the presence of antibodies. Although some children (23%) had anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, there was no association between vaccine-induced COVID-19 spike protein specific maternal IgG antibody titres and the presence of antibodies in the breastfed infants. The data show that the transfer of passive immunity to infants following post-partum vaccination with the mRNA BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may be infrequent in this population.

Cel: Celem artykułu jest analiza i ocena roli sprawozdawczości zintegrowanej w podmiotach leczniczych realizujących politykę zrównoważonego rozwoju w świetle teorii interesariuszy. Metodyka badań: Wstępne badania literaturowe oparto na literaturze polskiej i anglojęzycznej. Analizą objęto głównych interesariuszy podmiotów leczniczych (pacjenci, obywatele, personel szpitala i rząd). Zbadano zastosowanie koncepcji sprawozdawczości zintegrowanej w wybranych krajach. Wyniki badań: Przeprowadzone badania wykazały, że raportowanie determinuje powiązania pomiędzy wzorcem biznesowym podmiotu gospodarczego, jego strategią a niezależną oceną wyników. Wnioski: Lepsze relacje podmiotów leczniczych z interesariuszami wpływają na większą świadomość i zaangażowanie menedżerów w raportowanie wyników w celu zaspokojenia potrzeb informacyjnych interesariuszy. Raportowanie zintegrowane jest głównym narzędziem wymiany informacji, przydatnym do wzmacniania relacji z interesariuszami, z tego względu konieczne jest uwzględnienie jak największej liczby grup interesariuszy w celu otrzymania oczekiwanych wyników. Wkład w rozwój dyscypliny: Próba nakreślenia zasadności stosowania raportowania zintegrowanego przez podmioty lecznicze, traktowanego jako innowacyjny instrument komunikacji podmiotu gospodarczego z interesariuszami.

Abstract Objectives Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune background with possible complications from peripheral (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and to describe the phenotype of peripheral neuropathies in patients with SS. Materials & Methods We studied fifty patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome for peripheral nervous system involvement. All patients underwent neurological and rheumatological examination followed by nerve conduction studies (NCS) of nine peripheral nerves. Results Thirty‐six patients (72%) fulfilled the criteria for the diagnosis of neuropathy. Carpal tunnel syndrome (54%) and axonal sensorimotor neuropathy (22%) were the most common. Neurological symptoms preceded the diagnosis of SS in eight patients. Conclusions Peripheral neuropathies are frequent in SS patients. Neurologists should be aware of possible autoimmune causes of neuropathies because clinical manifestations of neuropathy may precede the development of other symptoms of the autoimmune disease.

We describe the results of eculizumab treatment of a patient with pachymeningitis, inflammatory infiltration of the left frontal lobe, and cerebral hematoma, who presented with progressive vision loss, epileptic seizures, and abnormal pattern of the complement system parameters. A 30-year-old female patient, initially diagnosed with hypereosinophilia and a tumour of the left orbit, developed a significant visual impairment in the left eye, progressive vision loss in the right eye, and neurological symptoms in the form of epileptic seizures and behavioural changes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed thickening of the dura mater in the left frontal area, slight oedema of the cortex, and subcortical white matter. Orbit biopsy showed non-specific inflammatory infiltrates. Despite the initial good response, symptoms progressed during treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants. Increased activity of the alternative complement pathway accompanied by a low level of its main inhibitor, factor H (FH), and the presence of anti-FH autoantibodies, was found. Genetic analysis revealed several missense variants of complement proteins, including two disease-linked mutations in FH (p.H402Y) and FI (T300A). An attempt to apply a complement C5 blocker, eculizumab, has been made. Neurological symptoms subsided, vision loss was inhibited, laboratory parameters improved, and discontinuation of steroid therapy was possible. The case underlines the role of complement system dysregulation in neurological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Horyzonty Wychowania is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent years brought considerable attention to the connection between chronic stress and the development of autoimmune diseases. However, little is still known about the impact of prolonged stress reactions on the onset and course of primary Sjögren Syndrome (pSS). This study aimed to seek for associations between chronic stress, resulting from stressful life events, and pSS. In the study, 50 patients with diagnosed pSS, as well as 50 control patients with osteoarthritis underwent an assessment. Modified Holmes-Rahe (H-R) stress scale was used in order to evaluate the impact of stressful events within 12 months prior to the diagnosis. Patients with pSS had a significantly higher total score on H-R stress scale within one-year preceding the disease diagnosis (152 ± 66.3 vs 50 ± 54.6; p [Formula: see text] 0.001). Additionally, the pSS patients more commonly than the controls reported a subjectively perceived correlation between stressful events and the occurrence of disease symptoms (50% vs 12%; p [Formula: see text] 0.001). Moreover, the H-R score at the time of the assessment correlated with the disease activity. The results support the view that pSS belongs to the group of diseases which pathogenesis is closely related to stressful life events. The novelty of this work lies in focus on both the correlation of stress on the onset of autoimmune disease as well as the activity of previously diagnosed disorder. Our data contributes to finding evidence-based medicine (EBM) arguments to what has until recently been merely a thematic observation—the harmfulness of negative stress on individual’s health status.