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Introduction: Myocardial steatosis, a poorly documented pathology, is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal amounts of triglycerides in the cardiomyocytes. Myocardial steatosis is generally asymptomatic, but it can be the cause of heart failure. It is primarily of hypoxic or metabolic origin. Case Report: We report a case of postmortem diagnosis in a 53-year-old male patient, without known his pathological history, who was a victim of sudden death from abdominal pain. The autopsy revealed diffuse atheromatous cardiac, aortic, and hepatic lesions. Conclusion: It is very common for myocardial steatosis to be diagnosed postmortem due to its nonspecific symptomatology. The risk of mortality and morbidity could be reduced through a healthy lifestyle and regular biological examination to identify risk factors.

Cognitive changes following adjuvant treatment for breast cancer (BC) are well documented following chemotherapy. However, limited studies have examined cognitive and/or language functions in chemotherapy-naive women with BC taking tamoxifen (TAM). Using ambulatory cognitive assessment, we investigated the trajectory of cognitive and language changes during early period of adjuvant endocrine treatment (TAM) in women with BC at two time periods (pretreatment and 2 months after treatment began). Four women with BC and 18 cognitively healthy age-matched controls completed three cognitive tasks using smartphones, during a short time period (5 days) and repeated them at two time periods. To determine language ability, language samples were collected at two time periods, where the participants described two stories from two wordless picture books and samples were assessed using core lexicon analyses. Wilcoxon-signed rank tests were computed to identify differences in linguistic and cognitive performances of both the groups at two time periods. No significant within-group or between-group differences were seen on the cognitive and language tasks at the two time periods; however, women with BC performed more poorly compared to the control group. We did see decline in some women with BC and not in others, in cognition and language during initial course of TAM treatment. However, the approach we used to assess these changes is valuable and innovative. This approach will help refine current research paradigms for determining cognitive and linguistic changes and will help determine if women with BC might require language intervention in the future.

Most individuals with orofacial cleft require various healthcare services, including speech therapy. However, Filipino patients constantly face challenges in availing these services due to limitations in the healthcare system of the Philippines. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of patients with orofacial cleft on the factors that may serve as facilitators and barriers to speech intervention. A descriptive phenomenological approach to qualitative research was used to obtain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of these patients. Semistructured interviews were conducted through online video conferences or mobile phone calls. Twenty-one participants were interviewed, most of who were mothers (90%) of children with orofacial cleft. Ten themes were derived from the transcripts. Five were categorized as facilitators, while the rest were considered as barriers. Generally, the respondents showed positive attitudes toward orofacial cleft, were aware of the communication and swallowing issues of the patients, and actively sought services to address these issues. Most barriers to speech intervention resulted from limited access to quality healthcare services and information. These findings highlight the importance of considering patient perspectives in clinical care. Maximizing facilitators and addressing barriers may improve access to universal healthcare among Filipinos with orofacial cleft.

Many social media sites are dedicated for speech-language pathologists (SLPs); however, the extent to which SLPs utilize them in clinical decision making and evidence-based practice (EBP) is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to explore SLPs' use of traditional and modern resources, including social media, within clinical decision making for assessment and intervention practices. Using a stratified random sampling approach, we invited school-based SLPs in Florida and Ohio and on pediatric-focused, SLP Facebook sites to complete an online survey. The majority (N = 271) reported using social media for professional purposes at least once per week: most frequently Facebook (19–25% of SLPs) or Pinterest (15–18% of SLPs) to learn about new treatment ideas or resources for (12–18%) or read others' summaries of treatment-related research (8–11%), but rarely to pose or answer a clinical question (3–5%). The number of reasons for one's professional social media use was moderately correlated with frequency of social media use, traditional EBP training, and reading a greater number of articles from ASHA and other sources. The results warrant further consideration of how to leverage social media as a tool to increase SLPs' knowledge and implementation of EBP.

This pilot study examined the impact of feedback type on learning a novel speech task, as measured by listener ratings, and will inform procedures for future investigations within a larger sample size. Twenty-four native monolingual English-speaking college-aged adults participated in a single training session to learn novel Hindi phrases. Participants were randomly placed into one of three feedback groups: knowledge of performance (KP), knowledge of results (KR), or a combined KP + KR condition. Participant performance was assessed at 1 day and 1 week post-training. Participant responses were audio recorded and judged for intelligibility, precision, and naturalness by native Hindi speakers, blind to the feedback conditions, via rating scales. At 2 days post-training, participants in the KP and KP + KR feedback conditions were rated as performing better than participants in the KR condition on all three perceptual measures. At 1 week post-training, participants in the KP feedback condition were judged to be superior across all three perceptual measures. Preliminary findings suggest that augmented feedback enhances learning, especially when skills are considered novel and learners are unable to rely on their own internal feedback. These results may have implications for the application of motor learning principles into clinical practice for persons with motor speech disorders.

Essential voice tremor (EVT) is a voice disorder resulting from dyscoordination within the laryngeal musculature. A low-frequency fluctuations of fundamental voice frequency or the strength of excitation amplitude is the main consequence of the disorder. The automatic classification of healthy control and EVT is useful tool for the clinicians. A typical automatic EVT classification involves three steps. The first step is to compute the pitch contour from the speech. The second step is to compute the features from the pitch contour, and the final step is to use a classifier to classify the features into healthy or EVT. It is shown that a high-resolution pitch contour estimated from the glottal closure instants (GCIs) is useful for EVT classification. The HPRC estimation can be very poor in the presence of noise. Hence, a probabilistic source filter model based noise robust GCI detection is used for HPRC estimation. The Empirical mode decomposition based feature extraction is used followed by a support vector machine classifier. The EVT classification performance is evaluated using recordings from 45 subjects. The proposed method is found to perform better than the baseline techniques in eight different additive noise conditions with six SNR levels.

To determine the prevalence of abnormal laryngeal findings during videostroboscopy in performers presenting to clinic or when having an acute vocal emergency.Retrospective study of professional singers and actors who presented for a vocal evaluation.A chart review of singers or professional actors who presented in a private otorhinolaryngology clinic between 2014 and 2016. The prevalence of laryngeal lesions noted on stroboscopy were reviewed. The RFS (reflux finding score) was calculated and the exams that presented RFS greater than or equal to seven were considered suspicious of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).A total of 140 records of actors and singers were evaluated either for routine evaluation or for an acute emergency. Sulcus vocalis was the most prevalent lesion 36% (n = 33), followed by cyst 27% (n = 25) and acute laryngitis, 14% (n = 13). Thirty-seven (26.4%) performers were treated for emergence due to dysphonia, Emergency dysphonia, mostly due to viral infection, was treated with steroids and speech therapy, with improvement of symptoms after treatment. Of these professionals, 83.8% (31) presented with a structural lesion or infection in the vocal folds, while 16.2% presented with dysphonia, which required emergency care without a structural lesion in the vocal folds. (P0.05) Eighty-nine percent (33) of the professionals presenting with a voice emergency with dysphonia (37) were treated with corticosteroids. Thirty-three percent (n = 47) of the professionals presented with RFS scores ≥7. Nineteen professionals (40%) with signs of LPR were treated for emergency due to dysphonia. The professionals with signs of LPR had more emergency dysphonia than those who did not suspect LPR. (19.4%) (P = 0.008).Vocal emergencies in professionals are common in a private laryngology practice and require specialized assessment. The most prevalent lesions in the study were vocal sulcus. LPR is common in this group as noted both by findings with videostroboscopy and the RFS.

Summary Objectives A whole body vibration platform using vertical oscillation has been shown to be efficacious in reducing vocal fatigue in adults. This study aimed to investigate whether this platform-generated whole body vibration was unique in reducing vocal fatigue by comparing it with self-generated whole body vibration. Methods Twenty-four female adults (mean age = 23.96 years) were randomly assigned to one of the following three groups: a machine-generated whole body vibration group (N = 8), a self-generated whole body vibration group (N = 8), and a placebo vocal resting group (N = 8). All participants performed a karaoke singing task for at least 95 minutes. Each participant received 10 minutes of platform-generated vibration, self-vibration, or sham localised vibration (placebo group with basically voice rest only), according to their group allocation. Vocal function ability, measured by the highest fundamental frequency produced, and a self-reported vocal fatigue score were evaluated at three time points: baseline (prefatigue), after the singing task (post-fatigue) and post-vibration. Results The study revealed that machine-generated whole body vibration was significantly better at improving vocal fatigue than self-generated whole body vibration or voice rest. Conclusion The findings support previous research that machine-generated whole body vibration is effective in reducing vocal fatigue. The non-significant results of self-generated whole body vibration in terms of relieving vocal fatigue suggest that inadequate vibration frequency or amplitude together with leg muscle fatigue may have been the main factor of ineffectiveness.

Presbyphonia negatively impacts quality of life in patients with age-related voice changes. A proof-of-concept study showed promise for high vocal intensity exercise to treat presbyphonia, which became the basis for a novel intervention for age-related voice changes known as Phonation Resistance Training Exercises (PhoRTE). Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) has also been proposed as an additional intervention to target and strengthen the aging respiratory system; however, EMST has undergone limited evaluation as an adjunct treatment for elderly patients undergoing voice therapy for presbyphonia. This study determined if the addition of EMST to PhoRTE voice therapy (PhoRTE + EMST) is at least as effective at voice improvement as PhoRTE alone.Prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blinded, non-inferiority.Participants aged 55 years or older with a diagnosis of vocal fold atrophy were randomized to complete PhoRTE therapy or PhoRTE + EMST. The primary outcome was change in Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10). Secondary outcomes included the Aging Voice Index, maximum expiratory pressure, and acoustic and aerodynamic measures of voice. Repeated measures linear mixed models were constructed to analyze outcomes at a significance level of α = 0.10.Twenty-six participants were recruited for the study, and 24 participants were randomized to either treatment arm. Sixteen participants completed the entire study. Both treatment arms showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in VHI-10 (PhoRTE mean [M] = -8.20, P0.001; PhoRTE + EMST M = -9.58, P0.001), and PhoRTE + EMST was noninferior to PhoRTE alone (P = 0.069). Both groups experienced a statistically significant pre-post treatment decrease (improvement) in AVI scores (PhoRTE M = -18.40, P = 0.004; PhoRTE + EMST M = -16.28, P = 0.005). PhoRTE+EMST had statistically significantly greater changes in maximum expiratory pressure compared to PhoRTE alone (PhoRTE M = 8.24 cm HThis study demonstrates that voice therapy targeting high vocal intensity exercise (eg, PhoRTE) and EMST can play a role in improving voice outcomes for patients with presbyphonia.

SUMMARY Objective To determine if auditory-perceptual voice ratings performed using the GRBAS scale correlate with acoustic and aerodynamic measures of voice. A secondary aim was to examine the relationship between GRBAS ratings and patient-reported quality of life scales. Methods GRBAS ratings, acoustic, aerodynamic and patient-reported quality of life ratings were collected from the University of Wisconsin Madison Voice and Swallow Outcomes Database for 508 adults with voice disorders. Acoustic measures included noise to harmonic ratio, jitter%, shimmer%, highest fundamental frequency (F0) of vocal range, lowest F0 of vocal range, maximum phonation time and dysphonia severity index. Aerodynamic measures included phonation threshold pressure, subglottal pressure, mean transglottal airflow and laryngeal airway resistance. Patient-reported quality of life measures included the Vocal Handicap Index (VHI) and Glottal Function Index (GFI). Results GRBAS ratings were significantly correlated with several acoustic and aerodynamic measures, VHI and GFI. The strongest significant correlations for acoustic measures were observed between GRBAS ratings of overall voice quality and perturbation measures (jitter% r = 0.58, shimmer% r = 0.45, noise to harmonic ratio r = 0.36, Dysphonia Severity Index r = -0.56). The strongest significant correlation for aerodynamic voice measures was observed between GRBAS ratings of breathiness and transglottal airflow (r = 0.23), subglottal pressure (r = 0.49), and phonation threshold pressure (r = 0.26). GRBAS ratings were also significantly correlated with both VHI and the GFI scales. R values were higher for the VHI, but remained largely in low range for both scales. Conclusions Although GRBAS ratings were significantly correlated with multiple objective voice and patient related quality of life ratings, r values were low. These findings support the need for multiple voice measures when performing voice evaluations as no single voice measure was highly correlated with voice quality as measured by the GRBAS scale.

Summary Background Earlier studies have shown that nasalization affects the radiated spectrum by modifying the vocal tract transfer function in a complex manner. Methods Here we study this phenomenon by measuring sine-sweep response of 3-D models of the vowels /u, a, ᴂ, i/, derived from volumetric MR imaging, coupled by means of tubes of different lengths and diameters to a 3-D model of a nasal tract. Results The coupling introduced a dip into the vocal tract transfer function. The dip frequency was close to the main resonance of the nasal tract, a result in agreement with the Fujimura & Lindqvist in vivo sweep tone measurements [Fujimura & Lindqvist, 1972]. With increasing size of the coupling tube the depth of the dip increased and the first formant peak either changed in frequency or was split by the dip. Only marginal effects were observed of the paranasal sinuses. For certain coupling tube sizes, the spectrum balance was changed, boosting the formant peaks in the 2 – 4 kHz range. Conclusion A velopharyngeal opening introduces a dip in the transfer function at the main resonance of the nasal tract. Its depth increases with the area of the opening and its frequency rises in some vowels.

Summary Objectives The understanding of vocal fold hydration state, including dehydrated, euhydrated, rehydrated tissue, and how hydration affects vocal fold biomechanical properties is still evolving. Although clinical observations support the benefits of increasing vocal fold hydration after dehydrating events, more mechanistic information on the effects of vocal fold dehydration and the beneficial effects of rehydration are needed. Alterations to hyaluronic acid (HA), an important component of the vocal fold extracellular matrix, are likely to influence the biomechanical properties of vocal folds. In this study, we investigated the influence of hydration state and HA on vocal fold tissue stiffness via biomechanical testing. Study design Prospective, ex vivo study design. Methods Fresh porcine vocal folds (N = 18) were examined following sequential immersion in hypertonic (dehydration) and isotonic solutions (rehydration). In a separate experiment, vocal folds were incubated in hyaluronidase (Hyal) to remove HA. Control tissues were not exposed to any challenges. A custom micromechanical system with a microforce sensing probe was used to measure the force-displacement response. Optical strain was calculated, and ultrasound imaging was used to measure tissue cross-sectional area to obtain stress-strain curves. Results Significant increases (P ≤ 0.05) were found in tangent moduli between dehydrated and rehydrated vocal folds at strains of e = 0.15. The tangent moduli of Hyal-digested tissues significantly increased at both e = 0.15 and 0.3 (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion Vocal fold dehydration increased tissue stiffness and rehydration reduced the stiffness. Loss of HA increased vocal fold stiffness, suggesting a potential mechanical role for HA in euhydrated vocal folds.

Summary This study aims to detect voice disorders related to vocal fold nodule, Reinke’s edema and neurological pathologies through multiband cepstral features of the sustained vowel /a/. Detection is performed between pairs of study groups and multiband analysis is accomplished using the wavelet transform. For each pair of groups, a parameters selection is carried out. Time series of the selected parameters are used as input for four classifiers with leave-one-out cross validation. Classification accuracies of 100% are achieved for all pairs including the control group, surpassing the state-of-art methods based on cepstral features, while accuracies higher than 88.50% are obtained for the pathological pairs. The results indicated that the method may be adequate to assist in the diagnosis of the voice disorders addressed. The results must be updated in the future with a larger population to ensure generalization.

Taiwan's high-end medical equipment industry has been updated rapidly, especially the emphasis that medical institutions place on medical quality is reflected in the consumer demand market. In order to improve performance, in addition to promoting new equipment products, equipment manufacturers must pay more attention to customer feelings and sales satisfaction. This study aims at medical professional customers' satisfaction with the after-sales service customer service of medical equipment companies, using questionnaire surveys, and Use statistical analysis to detect the correlation and influence among variables, and make internal adjustments and service upgrades for the more influential variable groups to focus on projects, improve the overall after-sales service satisfaction, and then drive the growth of the company's performance and performance. According to the research results, the service items valued by the customer group can be significantly affected by the five dimensions in the conceptual model of service quality (PZB, 1988): 1. Reliability 2. Responsiveness 3. Assurance 4. Empathy 5. Tangible, so medical equipment manufacturers should continue to maintain good technical service quality, in order to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. These results can be used as a reference for enhancing the internal core value of the enterprise and planning marketing strategies. Keywords: Medical equipment, Service quality conceptualization model, After-sales service customer satisfaction.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by thunderclap headache and intracranial segmental vasoconstriction with or without signs of neurological deficit with a variable course that requires extensive study to prevent complications. The evidence shows RCVS is characterized by being multi-etiological; both the cause and the specific symptoms must be treated to reduce the chance of complications and recurrence. The timely identification of the RCVS and its etiology is the cornerstone of success in managing the disease. New data must be generated to have more efficient resources for the approach to this disease.

Malignant brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children and remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout all demographics. Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are classically treated with surgical resection and radiotherapy in addition to adjuvant chemotherapy. However, the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents is limited due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a new and promising intervention for CNS tumors, which has shown success in preclinical trials. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has the capacity to serve as a direct therapeutic agent in the form of thermoablation and mechanical destruction of the tumor. Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) has been shown to disrupt the BBB and enhance the uptake of therapeutic agents in the brain and CNS. The authors present a review of MRgFUS in the treatment of CNS tumors. This treatment method has shown promising results in preclinical trials including minimal adverse effects, increased infiltration of the therapeutic agents into the CNS, decreased tumor progression, and improved survival rates.

In recent times, as a result of the significant growth in population, the usage of energy consumptions is increasing rapidly. Analysis and design of the forecasting model for energy consumptions are challenging task because it is a complex and non-linear problem. Several methods have been proposed for forecasting the energy consumptions in smart grid, the non-linear relationship between the factors is not addressed. Therefore, there is a need for efficient, reliable and accurate forecasting methods to handle non-linearity for effective planning and management of energy consumption. In this paper, a novel hierarchical non-linear machine learning technique Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines with Genetic Algorithm is proposed to manage the energy consumption demand in smart grid. Experimental results show that the proposed hierarchical approach is much more accurate for the forecasting of energy consumption in smart grid than other approaches such as Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average, Complex Neural Network and a Simple Regression Models. The evaluation of forecast accuracy measurement gives the least error value based on the performance metrics of the Mean Absolute Percentage Error and Root Mean Square Error are 0.0651 and 201.2381 respectively.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a complex disease with multiple clinical manifestations and treatment challenges, and current standard-of-care therapies remain limited and unfavorable. Theranostics, the integration of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, has emerged as a promising strategy to address these challenges. The rapid development of nanomedicine has been a source of hope for the improvement of BC therapies and diagnostics by reducing side effects, enhancing tumor suppression, and overcoming drug resistance. Metal nanoparticles (NPs), inorganic NPs, polymer NPs, etc. have their respective advantages and show encouraging potential in the therapy of BC. In this review, we provide an overview on the state of the art in nanotechnology-based theranostics for BC, offering insights into the design and discovery of novel NPs for future BC management.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of memantine with that of valproate as a prophylactic treatment for episodic migraine within three months. The efficacy, safety, and response rate were evaluated. Methods: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial randomized participants were divided into two groups. The memantine group received memantine 10 mg twice daily, and the valproate group received valproate 500 mg twice daily. Results: Thirty-three patients participated in the study; 27 completed the treatment protocol, 14 in the memantine group, and 13 in the valproate group. The mean number of migraine attacks per month in the memantine group was 5.31 [standard deviation (SD) ± 1.54] initially and 0.93 (SD ± 1.49) at the end of treatment, noting a decrease of 4.21 (SD ± 1.76; P < 0.001). In the valproate group, the mean number of migraine attacks per month was 5.35 (SD ± 1.11) initially and 0.77 (SD ± 1.16) at the end of treatment, with a difference of 4.5 (SD ± 1.39; P < 0.001). All 27 patients had excellent response rates. Adverse effects were infrequent and mild in severity. Conclusions: A clinical trial compared the efficacy of memantine with that of valproate (first-line drug) as a prophylactic treatment. A significant reduction in attacks was noted in both drugs. Memantine could be a new preventive treatment option for migraine.

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend screening for post-stroke depression, which is particularly important for people with post-stroke aphasia, due to increased risk of depression and suicidality. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) suggests that behavioural intentions are influenced by three factors: attitudes, normative beliefs, and perceived behavioural control. It has been used to investigate staff intentions to perform post-stroke screening, but little is known about staff intentions to screen people with aphasia for depression or suicidality. Aims We examined how UK stroke professionals describe screening for depression and suicidality with people with aphasia and whether the TPB predicts intent to screen depression with this population. Methods & Procedures: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey and used multiple regression to test whether attitudes, normative beliefs, and perceived behavioural control predicted intent to screen people with aphasia for depression and suicidality. To assess response stability over time we asked respondents to repeat the survey over a fortnight later. Results: One hundred and eighteen UK stroke professionals completed the survey between May and September 2020. Intent to screen people with aphasia for depression was high (M = 71.6%, SD = 34.7) but much lower for suicidality (M = 42.4%, SD = 39). Approximately half the variance in intent to screen for depression was predicted by the TPB, R2 = .48, F (3,101) = 30.60, p < .001, with normative beliefs identified as a significant predictor, β = .62, p < .001. Responses were stable over time for those who repeated the survey (N = 13). Conclusions: More support is needed to help stroke professionals screen for depression and suicidality in people with post-stroke aphasia. Screening rates may be improved by communicating clear expectations that staff should screen all stroke survivors for depression and suicidality, developing aphasia-accessible screening tools and providing training to all stroke professionals.

The Act on the organization of agrarian system of 11 April 2003 introduced a special scheme for the purchase of agricultural land. The legislator’s initiative was designed to ensure that agricultural land would be extensively used for agriculture. The law has been amended several times since its entry into force. The most important changes were made in 2016, when the obligation of 10-year management and the prohibition on the sale and acquisition of agricultural property were introduced. Another amendment of 2019 shortened the above period to five years. The aim of this Act, containing some controversial provisions, is to lay down the basis of the agrarian system in Poland. In practice, it sets out a number of stringent requirements that the purchaser of agricultural property must comply with. As a result, trade in agricultural land is severely restricted.

Since its introduction in Poland in 1923, land consolidation has continuously been an instrument for improving the farmland planning, thus creating the best possible production conditions in agricultural areas. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the current regulations on land consolidation, in particular to answer the question whether and to what extent this solution serves the efficiency of land management in rural areas, and to what extent it fulfils the objectives set by the legislator in relation to: land management in rural areas, taking into account their production capacity for agriculture and other use; improvement of spatial organization; enabling sustainable development of rural areas and protection of natural resources. The study refers to the guides of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for national legislators designing legal solutions for land consolidation. In conclusion, the author calls for the work to be initiated on a new model of land consolidation or, more broadly, a regulation relating to the management of rural areas

The paper is devoted to the analysis of a phrase describing a ‘professional criminal’ in Article 65 § 1 of the Polish Criminal Code (CC). The meaning of the amendment of 2004, which changed the description of the professional criminal, is discussed in detail. While earlier such a criminal was defined as a person who ‘has made the commission of offences his or her regular source of income’, since 2004 it is sufficient if the regular income comes from the ‘commission of an offence’. It is argued that this change means that also cases in which the offender commits only one offence that can be the source of long-lasting income should be treated as offences committed by the professional criminal under Article 65 § 1 CC. Yet, there are no sound criminal policy reasons supporting such a broad application of the provision. Furthermore, the case law examined in the paper demonstrates that in practice the courts assume that a regular criminal activity is the prerequisite for applying Article 65 § 1 CC. Therefore, the following amendment to the discussed provision is suggested: either to restore the previous description of the professional criminal as a person whose income comes from the commission of offences (and not just one offence) or to indicate criminal activities as the source of such income.

This paper addresses the problem of organized crime using the example of the Sicilian Mafia. The main purpose of the argument is to present the Mafia’s activity as a pathology of the system, which has a negative effect on both the economy and the legal situation of southern Italy. The study is largely concerned with national and EU regulations related to organized crime. Attention is also devoted to the United Nations Convention on the subject in question. In addition, the paper discusses the impact of the Mafia on economic processes and society. In particular, the Mafia’s activities in the security industry are examined. The overall aim is to present the Mafia as a system error and to explore extensively the topic of the Mafia in Italian Sicily from a legal and economic viewpoint, with an emphasis placed on organized crime as a global problem.

The paper discusses the problem of reopening of proceedings ended in a judgment of the Supreme Court on extraordinary appeal. It examines the admissibility of reopening of proceedings ended in a judgment on extraordinary appeal, court jurisdiction, court panel and cases in which the Supreme Court decides on the admissibility of the reopening. The study also focuses on the appealability of particular judgments on extraordinary appeal and possible decisions on the admissibility of reopening of proceedings using this procedure. The issues of the Supreme Court’s examination of the findings of fact and the power to file a petition for bringing extraordinary appeal proceedings are also addressed. It is concluded that the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to reopen proceedings ended in a judgment of the Supreme Court on extraordinary appeal in three cases: (i) when only the Supreme Court has applied a provision declared to be non-compliant with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland; (ii) when the proceedings have been invalid only before the Supreme Court; (iii) with respect to the restitutionary ground – when, adjudicating the extraordinary appeal, the Court has ruled on the merits of the case.