Long-term space missions' effects on the human organism: what we do know and what requires further research.

Space has always fascinated people. Many years have passed since the first spaceflight, and in addition to the enormous technological progress, the level of understanding of human physiology in space is also increasing. The presented paper aims to summarize the recent research findings on the influence of the space environment (microgravity, pressure differences, cosmic radiation, etc.) on the human body systems during short-term and long-term space missions. The review also presents the biggest challenges and problems that must be solved in order to extend safely the time of human stay in space. In the era of increasing engineering capabilities, plans to colonize other planets, and the growing interest in commercial space flights, the most topical issues of modern medicine seems to be understanding the effects of long-term stay in space, and finding solutions to minimize the harmful effects of the space environment on the human body.

How Do Women React to the COVID-19 Pandemic Period? Relationship Between Ego-Resiliency, Anxiety, Alcohol Consumption and Aggression Among Polish Women.

Purpose: There are many reports in the literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, including the condition of women. Most of these studies refer to a single time point, while there is a lack of studies controlling for selected parameters during different periods of the pandemic. This work aimed to determine the role of ego-resiliency in women's adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: The survey was conducted in two stages - all via online forms. A total of 762 Polish women took part in the overall project. The scales used in the study were the Ego-resiliency scale (ER89-R12), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 Scale (GAD-7), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 13.3. Results: Women participating in the second study had significantly lower scores on ego-resilience and its components compared to the first study. In the first research, ego-resiliency and optimal regulation were statistically significantly correlated with anxiety, alcohol consumption, generalised aggression, verbal aggression and hostility, while openness to life experiences was correlated with alcohol consumption and hostility. The second part of the project highlighted new significant correlations between ego-resiliency and optimal regulation and physical aggression and anger, but a non-significant correlation of these variables with alcohol consumption. The effect of openness to life experiences on alcohol consumption and anxiety, evident in the first study, was no longer present in the second part of the study. Conclusion: The lack of a significant effect of openness to life experience on alcohol consumption, lower ego-resiliency and optimal regulation scores are observed in the second part of the research, which might be an expression of adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ego-resiliency is a protective factor against aggression, while optimal regulation against anxiety among Polish women.

How COVID-19 pandemic period influences on the selected mental health parameters of Polish respondents?

Introduction: There are many different articles about COVID-19 pandemic period and its influence on people and their behavior. Nevertheless, there is little research on the slightly later period of the pandemic, that is, the time when specific adaptation mechanisms in society should start to take place. Methods: Our research was conducted by means of an online survey. Four hundred and eighty five adults participated, including 349 (71.96%) women and 136 (28.04%) men. The Buss-Perry aggression scale, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 scale were used. The results were statistically processed using Statistica 13.3 software. Results: Within the study population, positive correlations were noted between anxiety and generalized aggression, anger, hostility, physical and psychological aggression. In the female group, anxiety correlates positively with generalized aggression, anger, hostility, verbal and physical aggression. Among male subjects, anxiety correlates positively with aggression, anger, and hostility. Alcohol consumption has a significant association with verbal aggression. Statistically, more women experience anxiety, more men have inflated scores on the AUDIT scale and on verbal and physical aggression. Younger people are more likely than older people to experience anxiety and have inflated scores on hostility. Those with secondary education scored significantly higher on the GAD-7 scale and the aggression scale (and all subscales except anger) compared to respondents with higher education. Discussion: As a result of adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety is no longer a factor in increased evels of alcohol consumption. The pandemic has not affected differences in alcohol consumption between men and women. The presence of a positive correlation between anxiety and aggression and the sociodemographic structure of those characterized by increased aggression are also unchanged. Anxiety directly influences aggressive behavior in a relatively strong way. Appropriate health-promoting measures should be implemented to protect the public from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catatonic syndrome during COVID-19 - a case study. / Zespól katatoniczny nalozony na COVID-19 - studium przypadku.

Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric condition involving qualitative psychomotor and volitional disorders. As a nosological unit, it is included in the international classifications of diseases - ICD-10 and DSM-5, but diagnostic criteria vary greatly between these classifications. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily affects the respiratory system, sometimes other organs as well. There are individual reports of COVID-19 coexisting with catatonia in the literature. This case involves a young man who has been hospitalized with symptoms of acute psychotic disorder. During diagnosis, SARS-CoV-2 was diagnosed and full-symptomatic catatonia developed. The aetiology of these disorders remains unclear to this day. The treatment, however, was highly complicated due to the need to administer benzodiazepines medicaments in large doses, which act depressingly on the respiratory system and thus may worsen the process of COVID-19. This case raises the inclusion of the catatonic syndrome in international classifications, the possible causes of its occurrence in this patient and the correct and safe treatment of catatonic disorders coexisting with COVID-19 infection.

The Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Symptoms of Anxiety, the Level of Aggression and Alcohol Consumption in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Polish Respondents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of most of the world's population. The authors of this study decided to identify differences in the intensity of anxiety, aggression and alcohol consumption within the study population. The study was conducted via an Internet survey. It uses Polish adaptations of international scales to assess anxiety (GAD-7), aggression (Buss and Perry Aggression Scale) and alcohol consumption (AUDIT test). A total of 538 people were examined. The surveyed group of respondents does not reflect the structure of Polish society. The group of surveyed women scored higher than men in terms of anxiety, as well as anger and hostility. The examined men were characterized by higher results of alcohol consumption and physical aggression. People between 18 and 49 years of age consumed significantly more alcohol than people aged 50 and over. People aged 18-29 obtained statistically significantly higher scores in generalized aggression and hostility. The relationships between the studied parameters do not differ significantly from those presented in other studies. People under the age of 50 are the group most exposed to the harmful effects of alcohol. Women between the ages of 30 and 49 are most vulnerable to the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for further research studies in which the studied group will obtain a greater degree of compliance with the structure of Polish society.

Uncompleted extended suicide - discussion on the boundaries of psychosis based on a case study. / Niedokonane samobójstwo rozszerzone ­ rozwazania na temat granic psychozy na podstawie opisu przypadku.

The article describes the case of a 40-year-old woman who attempted suicide and killed two of her own children and was examined by three teams of forensic psychiatrists and psychologists for the purpose of judiciary. This women was somatically healthy, did not use psychiatric or psychological help. The authors were the third team of experts and, after conducting double psychiatric and psychological examinations and analysis of documents from the case files, which include the course of forensic-psychiatric observation, recognized the symptoms of dependant personality disorders and acute stress reaction, which resulted in a complete loss of the ability to recognize the meaning of the act and to manage proceeding. The paper discusses the diagnostic process as well as the analysis of psychotic disorders in relation to specific clinical diagnoses in accordance with the current classification of mental illnesses and disorders. Attention was paid to the problem of differentiating individual disorders and the way of defining psychotic disorders. The existence of difficulties in drawing the line between psychotic and non-psychotic disorders in the context of forensic psychiatric evaluation is emphasized.

Relationship between the Severity of Anxiety Symptoms, Aggression and Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period.

Background and objectives: There have been many reports of mental health in the pandemic period. The research conducted so far has indicated an increase in the severity of anxiety and aggression and an escalation of alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the severity of anxiety, the amount of alcohol consumed and the severity of aggression. Materials and Methods: A total of 538 Polish residents-413 women (76.77%) and 125 men (23.23%)-participated in the study via an online survey. It included socio-demographic parameters and psychological scales: AUDIT-to determine the model of alcohol consumption, GAD-7-to measure the severity of anxiety and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Results: There was a correlation between the severity of anxiety and generalized aggression, and its two components-anger and hostility-in the entire study group. Moreover, relations were found between the intensity of alcohol consumption and generalized aggression and its components-anger and verbal and physical aggression. Those relationships turned out to be gender specific. The increased anxiety intensity affected the pattern of alcohol consumption and the severity of aggression. Conclusions: Psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational interactions and some elements of psychiatric treatment should aim at reducing the severity of anxiety in society, and thus minimizing the health and social consequences-aggressive behaviour and excessive alcohol consumption.

Is it good to be resilient during the COVID­19 period? The role of ego-resiliency in the intensity of symptoms of anxiety, alcohol use and aggression among Polish people.

OBJECTIVES: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected the development of negative phenomena such as anxiety symptoms, a tendency to use alcohol and aggressive behaviors. It is postulated to investigate the factors limiting the development of the indicated adverse effects. One of the psychological resources that may have a significant, pro-health character in relation to mental functioning is ego-resiliency (ER). It is described as a personality trait associated with a high ability to adequately regulate self-control, depending on the conditions. There are studies providing information about the prohealth, adaptive nature of ER during the COVID­19 period. The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between ER and anxiety, the tendency to use alcohol and aggression in the group of Polish people in the initial lockdown period in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Overall, 538 adult Polish people participated in the study. The Ego-Resiliency Scale referred to as ER89-R12, according to Block's concept, was used to measure ER. The other scales used were the General Anxiety Disorder Scale, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, the multiple regression procedure, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis rank ANOVA. Cronbach's α coefficients were also assessed. RESULTS: Statistically significant negative relationships between ER and the severity of anxiety symptoms and generalized aggression were found. There was a weak positive relationship between ER and the tendency to use alcohol. Among the surveyed Polish people, higher ER was characteristic of the older respondents (aged >29 years) and people with higher education. CONCLUSIONS: Ego-resiliency in the times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic can counteract the development of anxiety and aggression. Optimal regulation seems to play an important role in this relationship. The relationship between resiliency and the tendency to use alcohol requires further observation. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(2):289-300.

Small hiatal hernia as a risk factor of atrial fibrillation.

PURPOSE: Hiatal hernia (HH) is considered a risk factor of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to evaluate HH in computed tomography (CT) images in patients awaiting ablation due to atrial fibrillation, and to look for a correlation between HH in patients without AF and with AF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 441 patients divided in two groups: 207 patients subjected to computed tomography before ablation procedure due to atrial fibrillation and 234 patients as the control group, who underwent CT scans to rule out coronary disease (no AF in history). RESULTS: Small HH, e.g. under or equal to 2 cm, are associated with a higher risk of AF compared to the control group, which was not observed for bigger HH. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of small HH may be a risk factor of AF.

Does the nutritional status of acute stroke patients affect the neurological status in the early post-stroke period?

According to recent reports, malnutrition may be associated with a worse prognosis in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status of stroke patients and its impact on neurological and functional status of patients in the early post-stroke period. Our prospective study included a total of 128 patients admitted to the Stroke Unit. The assessment was made in the patients within the first week after the onset of stroke symptoms. Groups of patients with abnormal body mass index (BMI <20kg/m2 or >25kg/m2) were compared to the group of normal BMI, serum albumin, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels were determined in each patient within 24h following admission. The analysis showed that the patients with lower levels of serum albumin and triglycerides had higher scores in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission. Patients with a higher risk of malnutrition, confirmed by the Subjective Global Assessment scale, had higher NIHSS scores. The study showed a positive relationship between the nutritional status and worse neurological status of patients in the early post-stroke period.Abbreviation: NIHSS; Rankin scale.