Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “POLAND”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Classification of hand anomalies in Poland's syndrome.

Poland's syndrome classically consists of the combination of unilateral aplasia of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle and an ipsilateral hypoplastic hand with simple syndactyly and short fingers. However, patients with Poland's syndrome may have a broad range of hand anomalies. In this paper, the author reviews 20 cases of Poland's syndrome and offers a classification of the hand anomalies. The hand anomalies are divided into seven types according to the severity of the deformity. Clinical cases are presented along with similar cases from the literature. The aetiology of Poland's syndrome is discussed and the various malformations that may co-exist with this syndrome are reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Quality management--a challenge for the health care system in Poland.

The aim of this paper is to describe the origins, initial steps and strategy, current progress and main accomplishments of introducing a quality management culture within the healthcare system in Poland. The following main points will be discussed: A general overview of the national healthcare context with specific emphasis on major structural and functional problems of the system and on the main factors and forces influencing current changes in healthcare in Poland. Suggestion and explanation of why quality management philosophy, methods and tools introduced into the healthcare system may constitute part of a solution for the problem of how to improve healthcare in Poland. A summary of national activities, illustrating how an implementation strategy was put into action, what has happened so far, and the results and perspectives for the future. A conclusion that foreign aid and international collaboration, used in an appropriate and effective way, may constitute a crucial factor in promoting beneficial changes in countries which, like Poland, are currently undergoing dramatic political, economic and cultural transition.

Cost of Illness↗
PubMed2000

Illegality of international population movements in Poland.

Until the beginning of the 1990s Poland did not receive foreign migrants. Thereafter, the situation changed dramatically. A large part of the inflow proved to be illegal migrants, many of whom were in transit to Western Europe. Although these movements gradually declined in the second half of the decade, some became increasingly identified with relatively sophisticated smuggling of people. Foreigners smuggled from the South to the West, together with the international criminal networks assisting them, became typical of the migratory movements of people in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1990s. This article seeks to describe illegal migration from the perspective of Poland, a country often perceived as a major transit area in the smuggling of persons to Western Europe. The conclusions draw on the findings of several surveys recently carried out in Poland. Basic concepts related to illegal migration are defined and juxtaposed, and various myths and stereotypes concerning it that most often stem from the paucity of empirical evidence are examined. Finally, the trends observed in Poland are interpreted within the larger context of contemporary European migration.

Demography↗
PubMed1998

Strengthening emergency medicine in Poland: a training and partnership model.

OBJECTIVE: To report a qualitative evaluation of the Partnerships in Health Care/EMS Project between Poland and the United States. The goal of the partnership was to strengthen the emergency medical services (EMS) system in three Polish cities, Krakow, Bialystok, and Lodz. METHODS: The Polish participants were interviewed in Poland approximately eight months after a U.S.-based training program. They were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the partnership project and discuss their experiences incorporating U.S. emergency medicine (EM) knowledge and technology in the Polish EMS system. RESULTS: The Polish physicians identified three major factors that had the greatest impact on the implementation of U.S. EM knowledge in Poland. These factors were the substantive differences between Polish and U.S. EM knowledge and technology, staffing differences in Polish and U.S. ambulances, and the differing role the EMS system plays in the delivery of primary care in the two countries. CONCLUSIONS: The Polish physicians succeeded in training EM providers in the three cities, thus strengthening clinical skills of EMS providers. They also were able to adapt the principles of U.S. EM that they had learned to fit the specific circumstances that characterize Polish emergency care. As in the United States, the health care system in Poland is inseparable from the social, political, and economic realities of the nation.

Emergency Medical Services↗
PubMed2005

Characteristics of Haemophilus influenzae type b responsible for meningitis in Poland from 1997 to 2004.

Two hundred forty-five H. influenzae isolates responsible for meningitis in Poland from 1997 to 2004 were studied. Among these, 233 (95.1%) belonged to serotype b (Hib), 2 belonged to serotype f, and 10 were noncapsulated. The relatedness of all isolates was evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and selected representatives were evaluated by multilocus sequence typing. Resistance to ampicillin was identified in 34 (14.6%) of the Hib isolates and was associated with the production of beta-lactamase only. Except for four isolates nonsusceptible to chloramphenicol, all isolates were susceptible to cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, and rifampin. The PFGE analysis divided the Hib isolates into five PFGE types; however, all of them were possibly related. The most common PFGE type, with 25 subtypes, was characteristic for 97.4% of the isolates. The most prevalent PFGE subtype found in our study was also the most common among the Hib isolates responsible for invasive disease in Italy and the Czech Republic and was found among isolates causing lower respiratory tract infections in Poland. The most prevalent sequence types (STs) in the studied group were ST6 and ST92. Four new STs were found: ST188, ST189, ST190, and ST268. Results of this study support the evidence that the genetic structure of encapsulated H. influenzae is clonal. The continuing high number of meningitis cases due to Hib in Poland underlines the need for mass vaccination against Hib in Poland.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed2000

Changing mortality patterns in East and West Germany and Poland. I: long term trends (1960-1997)

OBJECTIVES: To examine the long term evolution of mortality in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the period from 1960 and its specific position in health terms compared with the Federal Republic (FRG) in the west and Poland in the east. METHODS: Decomposition of life expectancy by age and cause of death. Differences in life expectancy at birth between the former GDR and the old FRG were decomposed by age using data on all cause mortality for the period 1960 to 1997. Changes in life expectancy over time by cause of death were examined using data for 1974 and 1989 for both parts of Germany and for 1974 and 1988 for Poland. RESULTS: Male life expectancy in the two parts of Germany diverged twice, in the mid-1960s, favouring the GDR, and in the mid-1970s, giving increasing advantage to the FRG, while female life expectancy remained similar until the mid-1970s and began to diverge thereafter. The initial advantage of the GDR was mainly attributable to an improving mortality rate among children compared with that in the west in both sexes. During the 1980s, mortality among men over 15 and women over 40 steadily worsened relative to their western counterparts, although men were doing considerably better than those in Poland who actually experienced deterioration. In the FRG, falling death rates among adults of all ages have contributed substantially to the improvement in life expectancy between 1974 and 1989, largely attributable to falling deaths from cardiovascular disease and from injuries at younger adult ages. In Poland, death rates among male adults have risen at all ages over 35, mostly attributable to worsening death rates from cardiovascular disease and neoplasms while women experienced stagnation. The GDR showed a small worsening among men under 60, counterbalanced by improvements among those over 60, and some improvement in women, attributable to falling deaths from cardiovascular disease among the middle aged and elderly. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further evidence for the complexity of the east-west mortality differential emerging in the 1960s in Europe, highlighting the intermediate position in health terms the former GDR occupied during much of the communist period. Further research is required to assess the underlying causes for the specific position of the former GDR between east and west.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Self-reported health in Poland and the United States: a comparative analysis of demographic, family and socioeconomic influences.

This study compares the social determinants of individual health between the United States, a capitalist society, and Poland, a 'post-communist' society. The effects of demographic factors, family characteristics and socioeconomic status on self-reported health are estimated with OLS regression using data from the 1994 American and Polish General Social Surveys. The results show lower self-reported health and more rapid declines in health for people over 60 in Poland than in the United States. Also, in Poland, women report worse health than do men while the opposite is found for the United States. The relationships between education, income and health were stronger in the United States than in Poland. Age, gender and SES may operate differently in the two countries because of a gap in social development (e.g. varying living standards and styles, health care systems and cultural attitudes) between the West and the former Eastern Europe.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Depressive symptoms in urban population samples in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

BACKGROUND: Relatively little is known about depression in countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, especially Russia. AIMS: To investigate the rates and distribution of depressive symptoms in urban population samples in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in randomly selected men and women aged 45-64 years (n=2151 in total, response rate 69%) in Novosibirsk (Russia), Krakow (Poland) and Karvina (Czech Republic). The point prevalence of depressive symptoms in the past week was defined as a score of at least 16 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. RESULTS: In men the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 23% in Russia, 21% in Poland and 19% in the Czech Republic; in women the rates were 44%, 40% and 34% respectively. Depressive symptoms were positively associated with material deprivation, being unmarried and binge drinking. The association between education and depression was inverse in Poland and the Czech Republic but positive in Russia. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in these eastern European urban populations was relatively high; as in other countries, it was associated with alcohol and several sociodemographic factors.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1995

Social and environmental factors in lung cancer mortality in post-war Poland.

Poland and other Eastern European countries have undergone heavy industrial development with marked increases in air pollution and occupational exposure in the nearly 50 years since World War II. These countries have also experienced substantial increases in chronic disease mortality in the past three decades. While it is tempting to assume a direct association between these phenomena, more detailed analyses are called for. Poland offers a potentially rich opportunity for comparing geographical patterns of disease incidence and of industrial change. In this paper we 1) elucidate the prospects for attributing lung cancer mortality to industrial emissions in Poland, using an ecological approach based on the hitherto unaddressed geographic differences, and accounting for regional differences in cigarette consumption; 2) propose explanatory hypotheses for the observed geographic heterogeneity of lung cancer; 3) begin systematic testing of the widely accepted but not well-scrutinized notion that pollution in Poland is a major contributor to declining life expectancy. Regions with the highest fraction of cancer that cannot be explained by smoking appear to be highly urbanized, have high population exposure to occupational carcinogens, experience the highest rates of alcoholism and crime, and are associated with the post- World War II population resettlement. Although the analysis does not rule out pollution as a significant contributor to lung cancer mortality, it indicates that other factors such as occupational exposures and various social factors are of at least comparable importance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Hospital use by the elderly in Poland and the United States.

Hospital use by elderly patients in Poland and the United States was compared using data from the 1980 General Hospital Morbidity Study (Poland) and the National Hospital Discharge Survey (US). Discharge and days-of-care rates were higher in the US but average lengths of stay were longer in Poland. All three measures increased with advancing age in the US but remained relatively constant or decreased with age in Poland. Although the most frequent causes of hospitalization were similar in the two countries, the characteristic use patterns across age were evident for most frequently occurring disease conditions. The greater use of hospitals in the US is not associated with marked differences between the two countries in health status of the elderly.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

[Poland: cholera to typhus, 1831-1950].

In this article devoted to Poland's direct and indirect role in the elaboration of contemporary international health structures and to her reputation as an epidemic reservoir of Europe, we consider how Poland came to be perceived as the cordon sanitaire of the West. Traditionally seen as upholding Western values, in the 19th and 20th centuries the country became increasingly associated with "Eastern plagues"-cholera and then typhus-coming from Russia and which could spread to the rest of Europe if Poland did not manage to contain them. When Poland was reconstituted as a nation-state in 1918, the new country won international recognition through her successful attempts to contain a typhus epidemic sweeping westwards from Russia. The Polish government convened the first European, League sponsored, health conference following the First World War. A Polish doctor, L. RAJCHMAN, was chosen to head up the League of Nations Health Organisation (forerunner of the WHO) and later (1946) founded UNICEF. Finally, we examine the key issue of exanthematous typhus in both world wars, exemplifying how a disease can come to be "ideologized", in this case by Nazi Germany. Typhus was the pretext used- in the name of "public health"-for segregating Polish citizens of Jewish origin and even killing them. Paradoxically, typhus was in the process of being eradicated when the war began and German policy of mass resettlements, sequestration, and starvation only spurred the epidemic they supposedly wished to control.

Cholera↗
PubMed1999

[Pharmacotherapy of arterial hypertension and pharmacoeconomic aspects of hypotensive therapy in elderly patients in Poland].

The aim of our study was to examine the use of pharmacological therapy and to evaluate the economical aspects of treating hypertension (HT) in elderly patients in Poland. Two hundred and sixty eight elderly persons (147 females, 121 males; mean age: 72.2 +/- 6.0 years) were selected from Polish population by stratified and cluster random sampling with quotas. BP measurement was performed 3 times every 2 minutes at respondents home. In the questionnaire, awareness of HT was assessed. Prevalence of hypertension among subjects aged 65 years and over by JNC VI criteria (SAP > or = 140 mm Hg, DAP > or = 90 mm Hg or hypotensive therapy) was 74%. Awareness of HT was equal to 61%. Eleven percent of all hypertensives were well controlled. Among hypertensives, 71% took prescribed antihypertensive drugs on a regular basis. Patients with HT were taking the following antihypertensive drugs: diuretics 16%, diuretics and reserpine 20%, beta-blockers 19%, ACE inhibitors 53%, calcium antagonists 30%, and other 3%. Newer drugs were prescribed in 7%, and multi-source (generic) products in 93%. The average cost of treatment with one drug was 147 PLN (37.5 USD) per year (newer drugs: 413 PLN; multi-source product 126 PLN). Assuming those data and number of elderly people in Poland (4.335 mln), we estimated that 3.208 mln of subjects have had hypertension according to JNC VI criteria. Only 1.957 mln of patients with HT have been detected and only 0.353 mln of hypertensives have been well controlled. The approximate global cost of antihypertensive drugs per year in elderly patients in Poland has been equal to 285 mln PLN (72.8 mln USD). In hypothetical situation with optimal (100%) detection and control of HT the global cost by the actual rate of regularity in taking drugs would increase to 569 mln PLN (145.3 mln USD). The prevalence of HT in elderly people in Poland is very high. In elderly hypertensives ACE inhibitors are used most often. More than 90% of prescribed drugs are multi-source products. An optimal improvement of HT detection and control would cause a two-fold augmentation of the costs of pharmacological therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Is there a territorial differentiation in the prevalence of peptic ulcer among rural population in Poland?

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of peptic ulcer among rural population in various regions of Poland and to analyse the conditions influencing the prevalence of the disease. For organizational reasons, the division of the territory of Poland into eight regions was adopted for the study. The study covered a representative group of 6,512 rural inhabitants, comprising 3,107 males (47.7%) and 3405 women (52.3%), aged 20-64, selected by two-stage stratified sampling. At the first stage of the study all health centres (3,286) were classified into 150 groups and in each group two prevention-treatment regions were selected by means of stratified sampling. The second-stage samples were selected based on communes where the health centres classified for the study were located. People selected for the study were subject to examinations which covered: a specially designed questionnaire form, detailed physical examination, and the necessary specialist tests. The obtained results were recorded in a questionnaire form, which additionally contained questions concerning detailed demographic and social data, hazardous factors present in the working environment, as well as data pertaining to housing conditions, nutrition and habits. Among the rural population under study, peptic ulcer was found in 8.0% of males and 2.9% of females, gastric ulcer was observed in 1.2% of people under study, duodenal ulcer - in 3.2%, gastric and duodenal ulcer - in 0.2%, whereas patients who underwent surgical procedures due to peptic ulcer constituted 0.7% of respondents. Territorial differences were noted in the prevalence of peptic ulcer among Polish rural population. The highest peptic ulcer incidence rates were observed in Macroregion I (western Poland) - where the disease was diagnosed in 7.2% of people under study (Northern Region - 8.1%, Southern Region - 7.4%, and South-Western Region - 6.4%), while the lowest rates were noted in Macroregion II (central and eastern Poland), where peptic ulcer occurred among 4.7% of respondents (South-Eastern Region - 4.4%, North-Eastern Region - 4.5%, Middle-Eastern Region - 4.7%, Middle- Western Region - 4.8%, and Central Region - 5.1%). In regions where the highest incidence rates were noted, the greatest numbers of divorcees, widows and widowers were observed. An analysis by occupational groups showed that in these regions there were more unskilled and skilled workers, employees of services, and the largest number of people performed non-agricultural occupations. Cigarette smoking habit was also more prevalent in these regions.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[M. Bergonzoni's unknown Italian period and notable though forgotten work in Poland].

On the basis of Italian sources the author presents circumstances of Bergonzoni's arrival in Poland following a series of futile attempts to lecture at medical faculty in Bologna. With the aid of Cardinal Garatti he came to Poland. During his stay in Lublin he was involved in improvement of the city's sanitation. He continued this work in Warsaw becoming an initiator of social medicine in Poland. He also lectured at the Warsaw school of surgeons. His work as a protomedic in the Polish Army is already familiar. The author notes that Bergonzoni was recognized by Italian historians of medicine only at the time of the international congress of history of medicine in Poland in 1962.

Faculty, Medical↗
PubMed1999

[Professor Ireneusz Wierzejewski - his work in Konrad Biesalski's Orthopedic Institute, in the years 1910-1911 and its influence on the professional opinions of Poland's first professor in orthopedics].

Professor Ireneusz Wierzejewski was born in 1881. He completed his medical university training in 1908 in Munich. He obtained his doctor degree in 1909 in Lipsk, based on the work "Ueber den kongenitalen ulnadefekt" On the 01.07.1909, thanks to professor Lange's support, he got a permanent post in Berlin - Brandenburgische Kruppel - Heil und Erziehunganstalt, run by Konrad Biesalski. Here he performed the duties of the first assistant in the Institute and director of the orthopedic outpatient department until 15.09.1911. During this period I. Wierzejewski's professional personality formed: he had the chance to become acquainted with the specifics of his supervisors orthopedic thinking and he got to know basic surgical techniques in orthopedics. He was the first Polish professor in orthopedics to set up the first Polish Orthopedic Institute (in Poznan) modeled after Berlin Brandenburgische Kruppel - Heil und Erziehunganstalt. The organization and equipment was similar to K-H-E. This institution was later transformed into the first Polish orthopedic clinic. Just as in the German model, the Orthopedic Institute in Poznan had orthopedic workshops, which at the time was very unique in Poland. Indoctrinated with K. Biesalski idea of caring for the cripples in Germany, he strived to make it a reality in Poland. In his speeches during scientific congresses fought for an act analogous to the Prussian one from 06.05.1920. The time spent working in K. Biesalski's Institute formed the professional and scientific personality of Poland's first professor in orthopedics and indirectly but definitely influenced the creation of Poland's first Orthopedic Clinic.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed2002

[The elderly in Lublin Province and in Poland in the demographic prognoses].

The aim of the paper is presentation of the issue of increase in number of the elderly in Lublin province and in Poland in the next 30 years. There were analysed demographic prognoses concerning age structure of the population of Lublin province and Poland until the year 2030, elaborated by the Main Statistical Office (GUS). There were taken under account age groups over 65 years of age, men and women. It was concluded that the percentage of the elderly in the studied populations will increase considerably, which is especially evident in females--in 2030 almost every fourth women in Poland will be aged 65 or more. The increase in number of the elderly citizens will change structure of employment and will force adequate modifications in social and health policy in Poland in order to meet the requirements of this age group and allow its due status in the society.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Are they fellow countrymen or not? The migration of ethnic Poles from Kazakhstan to Poland.

"This article presents the process of migration of Kazakhs of Polish ancestry from Kazakhstan to Poland which has been taking place since the early 1990s. Poles deported in the past to Kazakhstan were mostly inhabitants of territories which did not belong to Poland; neither were they citizens of Poland. Therefore, the process of adaptation and integration was rather painful. The article points to factors that may simplify and those that may impede integration. The other problem...concerns the piecemeal policy towards Kazakhstan Poles, adopted by the Polish government, which seems risky if not dangerous. The author explains why it may cause a huge wave of illegal immigration to Poland."

Acculturation↗
PubMed2003

The impact of iodine prophylaxis on thyroid 131-iodine uptake in the region of Krakow, Poland.

Iodine prophylaxis was introduced in Poland in 1935. It was interrupted twice, the first time between 1939 and 1947 (due to the Second World War and its aftermath), and then between 1980 and 1986, due to the economical crisis in Poland at that time. A voluntary model of iodine prophylaxis (20 +/- 10 mg/kg of household salt) introduced in Poland in 1986, was followed by a mandatory model, implemented at the beginning of 1997, with 30 +/- 10 mg/kg of household salt. In the early sixties, in our Department of Endocrinology 24-hour iodine uptake test was introduced as a routine procedure for evaluating the thyroid gland. The reference value of this test increased in 1986 after discontinuation of iodine prophylaxis, and decreased in 1998, two years after re-implementation of the mandatory model of iodine prophylaxis. In 167 patients (147 with endemic goiter and 20 with no thyroid disturbances) examined between 1998 and 2000 the mean value of 24-hour iodine uptake was 27.3 +/- 10.4%, as compared to the mean value of 45,7 +/- 6.6 % in 1986. In patients with thyrotoxicosis the mean value of iodine uptake was 41.9% +/- 16.2 in 1999 (no.=614), 42.4% +/- 16.9 in 2000 (no.=644) and 37,7% +/- 17.2 at the beginning of 2001 (no.=328). The mean value of iodine uptake in patients with thyrotoxicosis before implementation of iodine prophylaxis was over 60%. The 24-hour thyroid radioiodine uptake test proved to be a useful indicator of changes of iodine intake in a iodine-deficient population. The data presented in this study confirm the importance and efficacy of the iodine prophylaxis introduced in Poland.

Adult↗