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The aim of this research was to explore whether and how various components of cross-border sociocultural competence were attended to in bilingual schools serving Polish minorities in the Zaolzie border region. Zaolzie is on the Czech side of the Polish-Czech border region, where the Polish minority play an important role in cross-border relations. Based on a review of the extant literature on the development of sociocultural competence among students enrolled in bilingual programs, researchers developed a 19-item survey capturing three distinct components of cross-border sociocultural competence: cognitive, social, and political. The survey was sent to teachers in the 14 Zaolzie region schools, with 123 teachers (44%) participating and asked participants to indicate the extent to which different facets of cross-border sociocultural competence were part of their school's instructional program. Most participants were female-identifying and had over 10 years of teaching experience, and most were born on the Czech side of the border but identified as Polish nationals. Results from an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed two unique factors representing different components of sociocultural competence included in bilingual programs in the Zaolzie region: (1) the development of students' intrapersonal skills, motivation, and cross-linguistic understanding, and (2) the development of students' capacity to engage interpersonally with and to understand others in the region. These findings suggest that schools in the Zaolzie region attend to cross-border sociocultural competence through both an intra- and interpersonal lens, emphasizing individual students' linguistic and cultural development as well as their ability to interact in their highly politicized cross-border context. Educators in the region can thus consider assessing students' progress in these two areas over time as measures of program effectiveness. Given that the researchers found that cognitive, social, and political aspects of sociocultural competence were integrated across intra- and interpersonal dimensions, more research is needed to understand if this integration is unique to the teaching of cross-border sociocultural competence in the Zaolzie region or is taught similarly in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissociative disorders (DD) are mental disorders that involve experiencing a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity. Transient dissociative episodes are a common phenomenon during childhood that generally decrease during adolescence to relatively low levels in adults. There is strong evidence that traumatic events play a key role in the development of dissociation, but non-abusive and genetic factors are also considered. In the article, we discuss a few complementary theoretical models of the origin of DD that view them from attachment theory, affect theory, or developmental perspectives. Diagnosing DD among children is especially hard because of their frequent co-occurrence with other disorders, their broad differential diagnosis spectrum, and the fact that symptoms may be unnoticed for a long time. Treatment guidelines are mainly based on experts' opinions, so appropriate studies on children are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Review of Medicine / Przeglad Lekarski is the property of Wydawnictwo Przegld Lekarski / Publisher Medicine Review 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.)

The article discusses the issue of Public Relations (PR) and its use in Polish social welfare institutions. At present, we can observe that Polish social welfare industry faces serious problems related to its public image. This is due to: insufficient experience in Public Relations, lack of systemic actions towards improving the prestige of social work as well as creating the image of social welfare. The text offers a comparison of beliefs and opinions expressed by the employees of the Polish public welfare institutions; these opinions and views are related to PR and communication practices applied by their organisations. The opinions were collected through a nationwide survey. The results include very interesting findings: for instance, they confirm the thesis about the lack of regular and constructive communication and image-related activities carried out on the institutional level and low evaluation of their effectiveness. The conclusions, however, also point out that the respondents revealed that they are highly aware of the importance of PR operations as well as of the correlations between these operations and how their institutions are seen by the general public and by the media. This may be interpreted as prospects and chances for further application of communication tools in social policy institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For today's pupils the Internet is something obvious, a natural environment and simultaneously one of the most typical tools for obtaining knowledge and information, communication with peers and the source of entertainment. Very different or even completely opposite are the attitudes towards the new media presented by teachers, pedagogues and managers of educational institutions. Due to the significant role of new technologies in the socialization of young people as well as in education and communication, it is noticeable that there is a barrier between the generations of pupils and pedagogues and it has a major impact on the quality of the education process. An important aspect is, in this context, the level of knowledge among educators on using the Internet by their pupils: so called models of "presence in the net" and, what in the perspective of the upbringing role of the schools is of special significance, the awareness of the real dangers connected with using computer and the Internet by young people, including netoholism. The article presents data and information regarding the level of knowledge among the management staff of educational institutions for children and youth in the Silesian voivodship, regarding the area of misuse of the new media by the pupils and the threat of Internet addiction. The information has been provided by the project study "Netoholism among children and youth" carried out since 2008 in cooperation of the Higher School of Administration in Bielsko-Biała with the Silesian Education Administrative Body in Katowice (Śląskie Kuratorium Oświaty w Katowicach). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Journal of Journalism & Communication / Revista Română de Jurnalism şi Comunicare- RRJC is the property of Romanian Journal of Journalism & Communication 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.)

Introduction: Adult and pediatric data suggest a positive relationship between the extent of subclinical inflammation, blood pressure, and hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) in primary hypertension (PH). 24-hour (24-h) ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM) and central blood pressure (CBP) are strong predictors of HMOD. Our study aimed to analyze the relationship between 24-h central ABPM, subclinical inflammation, and clinical data in adolescents with PH., Material and Methods: In 28 untreated adolescents with PH (14.50 ±2.27 years) and 25 healthy peers (14.76 ±2.83 years), we analyzed 24-h peripheral and central ABPM, markers of subclinical inflammation (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio - NLR, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio - PLR, mean platelet volume - MPV), and clinical and biochemical data., Results: Patients with PH had higher 24-h peripheral and central blood pressure than healthy peers. In all 53 patients, we found significant (p < 0.05) positive correlations between NLR, PLR and 24-h central systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure (24-h cSBP, 24-h cDBP, 24-h cMAP), between 24-h central augmentation index corrected for heart rate 75 (24-h cAIx75HR) and platelet count. In 28 patients with PH, 24-h cAIx75HR correlated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (R = 0.442), and ambulatory arterial stiffness index with body mass index (BMI) (R = 0.487), uric acid (R = 0.430), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (R = -0.428)., Conclusions: Increased central 24-h blood pressure may be associated with immune system activation in adolescents with primary hypertension. In adolescents with primary hypertension, dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia are risk factors for increased arterial stiffness. Further studies on central and peripheral blood pressure in terms of their relationship with inflammation in these patients are needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Termedia.)

Increased concentration of uric acid may play a role in the pathogenesis of primary hypertension (PH)., Aim: The aim of the study was to assess concentration of uric acid and to assess its correlation with selected clinical and biochemical parameters in children with PH., Materials and Methods: In a group of 57 untreated pharmacologically children with PH (44 boys, 13 girls, mean age 14.99±2.84 years) following parameters were assessed: serum uric acid concentration, blood pressure in office measurement and in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), and selected clinical and biochemical parameters. Control group consisted of 20 healthy children (mean 14.11±2.99 years)., Results: Serum uric acid concentration was significantly higher in children with PH compared to healthy children (5.72±1.38 vs. 4.55±1.07 mg/dL; p=0.001). In patients with PH, its concentration was significantly higher in boys compared to girls ((6.12±1.20 mg/dL vs. 4.35±1.13 mg/dL, p<0.001), no such difference was found in healthy children. In the PH group, uric acid concentration correlated positively with age (r=0.426, p=0.001), height (r=0.557, p<0.001), weight (r=0.518, p<0.001), weight Z- score (r=0.296, p=0.025), BMI (r=0.316, p=0.017), neutrophil count (r=0.280, p=0.035), systolic blood pressure (r=0.375, p=0.004) and pulse pressure (r=0.444, p=0.001) in ABPM and negatively with HDL cholesterol, heart rate (r=-0.310, p=0.02 (1=-0.309, p=0.020) and nighttime diastolic blood pressure dip (r=-0.268, p=0.044) in ABPM. In multivariate analysis, the determinants of uric acid concentration in children with PH were sex (Β = 0,367, 95%CI(0.122-0.611), p=0.004) and weight Z-score (Β= 0.254, 95%CI(0.005-0.504), p=0.046)., Conclusions: Children with PH have increased serum uric acid concentration compared to healthy children. The risk factors for hyperuricemia in pediatric patients with PH are male sex and high body weight., (© 2021 MEDPRESS.)

Introduction: The immune system can trigger an inflammatory process leading to blood pressure elevation and arterial damage. The aim of the study was to assess the relation between subclinical inflammation and arterial damage in pediatric patients with primary hypertension (PH) and to establish the usefulness of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratios, and mean platelet volume (MPV) as markers of arterial damage in these subjects., Material and Methods: In 119 children with PH (14.94 ±2.76 years) and 45 healthy children (14.91 ±2.69 years) we analyzed markers of subclinical inflammation (NLR, PLR, MPV), clinical and biochemical parameters, office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), central blood pressure, aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), augmentation index corrected for heart rates 75 (AIx75HR), carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), and common carotid artery stiffness (E-tracking)., Results: Children with PH were characterized by significantly higher neutrophil (3.9 ±1.7 vs. 3.0 ±1.0 [1000/µl], p < 0.001) and platelet counts (271.9 ±62.3 vs. 250.3 ±60.3 [1000/µl], p = 0.047), NLR (1.9 ±1.5 vs. 1.3 ±0.4, p = 0.010), PLR (131.4 ±41.9 vs. 114.7 ±37.6, p = 0.020), aPWV (5.36 ±0.88 vs. 4.88 ±0.92 m/s, p = 0.004), and cIMT (0.46 ±0.07 vs. 0.43 ±0.07 mm, p = 0.002) compared to healthy children. In PH children NLR correlated positively (p < 0.05) with: systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure in ABPM (r = 0.243, r = 0.216, r = 0.251), aPWV [m/s] (r = 0.241), aPWV Z-score (r = 0.204), and common carotid artery PWVbeta [m/s] (r = 0.202)., Conclusions: There is a link between arterial stiffness and subclinical inflammation in pediatric patients with primary hypertension. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may serve as a promising marker of arterial stiffness in pediatric patients affected by primary hypertension., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Termedia.)

Introduction: Adhesion molecules: E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) are well-established markers of endothelial injury. The aim of the study was to assess the relation between E-selectin and ICAM-1 and clinical and biochemical parameters in children and adolescents with primary hypertension (PH)., Material and Methods: In 77 patients with PH (15.04 ±2.62 years, 50 boys, 27 girls) we evaluated serum E-selectin, ICAM-1, and selected clinical and biochemical parameters including inflammatory indicators and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM)., Results: The E-selectin concentration was 55.63 ±26.49 ng/ml and the ICAM-1 concentration was 302.17 ±67.14 ng/ml. E-selectin and ICAM-1 correlated (p < 0.05) with BMI Z-score (r = 0.24, r = 0.29), ICAM-1 also with uric acid (r = 0.35), HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.28), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (r = 0.26), and systolic and mean blood pressure variability (r = 0.24, r = 0.24); in boys ICAM-1 correlated with mean platelet volume (r = 0.29). In multivariate analysis the only significant predictor of E-selectin was mean arterial pressure during 24 hours ( β = 0.329, 95% CI: 0.012-0.646) and of ICAM-1 - uric acid ( β = 0.430, 95% CI: 0.040-0.819). In 27 children with newly diagnosed PH E-selectin correlated negatively with diastolic blood pressure dipping (r = -0.54, p = 0.004) and positively with ambulatory arterial stiffness index (r = 0.51, p = 0.012)., Conclusions: Elevated mean arterial pressure and hyperuricemia are risk factors of endothelial damage in paediatric patients with primary hypertension. In children with untreated primary hypertension there may be a relation between endothelial damage and disturbed circadian blood pressure profile., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2019 Polish Society of Experimental and Clinical Immunology.)

Thromboembolic complications are found in 2-3% of children with nephrotic syndrome (NS); this increased risk is caused by hypovolemia, hemoconcentration, increased number and activity of platelets, hyperfibrinogenemia and loss of coagulation inhibitors. Risk is even higher in case of additional factors e.g. congenital thrombophilia., Case Report: Girl with NS aged 17 11/12 years was admitted to hospital due to respiratory tract infection with cough and back pain. NS started 9 months earlier and she had two bouts of disease, and was treated only with prednisone (current dose - 60 mg/48h). On admission she was without any abnormalities on auscultation, with BP 111/65 mmHg, HR 80 bpm, satO2 99%. Lab results showed the increase of WBC 18.3×103/μL, D-dimers 23038 μg/L and proteinuria 900 mg/dL. Other values of examined parameters were in normal limits. Chest X-ray and ECG were also normal. Presumptive diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was made and the patient was given 1000IU of antithrombin III and nadroparine (2x90IU/kg/24h s.c.). In ECHO the occlusion of left pulmonary artery and preserved blood flow in right were revealed. In angioCT clot nearly filling lumen of left pulmonary artery, clot in intermediate part of right pulmonary artery, and focus of pulmonary infarction in 10th segment of left lung were found. Doppler USG of lower limb veins did not reveal thrombi or perforator vein incompetence. Treatment with nadroparine was continued, and rapid improvement of clinical condition and disappearance of pain and cough were observed. Mycophenolate mofetil was added, which resulted in subsidence of proteinuria. Rivaroxaban was used in prophylaxis of recurrences of thromboembolism. Tests for thrombophilia revealed factor V Leiden in patient., (© 2018 MEDPRESS.)

Total hip arthroplasty is commonly used way for treatment of degenerative changes of a hip joint. Continuous progress of medicine enables use of more and more modern implants, that are supposed to provide to patients comfortable and painless motility. Nevertheless, with increasing number of implanted endoprostheses, rising numer of loosened impants is observed. Proper laboratory dignostics and postoperative proceedings as well as systematic follow up with standard X-ray scans allow for early recognition of loosened prostheses and implementation of surgical procedure. In the article two-stage method for treatment of septic loosened primary total hip arthroplasties applied in CMKP Orthopedic Clinic in Otwock, Poland as well as results of treatment of selected cases are presented.

The number of arthroplasty surgeries is growing globally, bringing about an increase in the absolute number of infected complications. No precise statistics of complications are available in Poland. The present paper discusses the main causes of infected complications of hip arthroplasty. The object is to present both pre-surgery prophylaxis and the treatment of an infected complication adjacent to the endoprosthesis. Infections are commonly divided after Coventry and Fitzgerald. The most common pathogens in infected endoprostheses include Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, while the treatment of infections with the Gram-negative flora poses many problems. Discussed within treatment of infected complications of hip arthroplasty has been one- and two-stage surgical treatment with temporary implants--"spacers"--combines with prolonged antibiotic therapy. Important within the post-surgery treatment is prolonged monitoring of the infective agents (CRP and SR).