Centre Of Warsaw Research Articles

Nonlinear dynamic properties of silty clay from Warsaw area

Abstract In this work, the small-strain and nonlinear dynamic properties of silty clay samples were studied by means of the low- and high-amplitude resonant column (RC) tests at various mean effective stresses (p’). The tested specimens were collected from the centre of Warsaw, district Śródmieście. Initially, the low-amplitude tests (below 0.001%) were conducted. Subsequently, the nonlinear testing was performed, at shearing strains greater than 0.001%. These tests were carried out in order to receive the dynamic properties of silty clay specimens in the nonlinear shear strain range. The small-strain material damping ratios (Dmin) of silty clay samples were also measured during the low-amplitude resonant column testing. The results show that increasing shear strain (γ) above the elastic threshold (γte) causes a decrease of the shear modulus (G) and normalized shear modulus (G/Gmax) of analyzed soil samples. Simultaneously, it is observed a increase of its damping ratio (D) and normalized damping (D/Dmin) with increasing shear strain (γ). Predictive equations for estimating normalized shear modulus and material damping of silty clay soils were presented here as well. The equations are based on a modified hyperbolic model and a statistical analysis of the RC tests results. The influence of unloading process on dynamic properties of the tested material was also discussed in the paper.

Assessment of the Quality of Life in Patients After Liver Transplantation as an Important Part of Treatment Results

IntroductionOrgan transplantation for many patients with end-stage liver disease is a life-saving operation. Progressing at a time and usually irreversible damage to the organ directly leads to many life-threatening complications as well as to progressive deterioration in health and the quality of life (QOL). On the other hand, the assessment of QOL after liver transplantation, apart from the survival analysis, should take into account general health perception, physical activity, a place in the family and in the environment, as well as the patient's social and professional activity. Material and MethodsThe study group included 238 patients (128 women and 110 men) who underwent transplantation in various transplantation centers in Warsaw due to chronic and acute liver failure. To measure the QOL the author's questionnaire was used, which was made especially for this study. ResultsThere were no significant correlations found between the subjective QOL of the examined patients and socio-demographic and clinical variables, such as age, gender, education, marital status, occupational status, and time from the organ transplantation. However, a significant correlation was found between the perceived QOL of patients and the following variables: physical activity, pain and other symptoms, social and family life, sex life, and psycho-emotional state. It was also proved that the problems with maintaining a normal body weight after liver transplantation significantly affected the overall health of patients. ConclusionsLiver transplantation in the vast majority of patients, despite numerous complaints, facilitates functioning in various fields of life. On the other hand, the indicated discomfort in the area of mental and emotional health requires easier access to a psychologist. At the same time, there is a justified requirement for education and nutritional counselling for patients after liver transplantation because of the proven risk of occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Physical Pain and History of Suicidal Behaviors in Alcohol-Dependent Patients Entering Treatment in Poland

ABSTRACTBackground: Individuals with alcohol use disorders have been shown to be at increased risk for suicidal behaviors and chronic pain. Objectives: The aim of this study was to conduct initial analyses of the association between current physical pain and the likelihood of suicidal behavior history in alcohol-dependent patients entering treatment in Poland. Methods: A sample of 366 (73.5% men and 26.5% women) participants were recruited from alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. Information was obtained about a history of lifetime suicidal behavior, past 4-week pain level, demographics, social functioning, childhood abuse, depressive symptoms, severity of alcohol and sleep problems. Results: A total of 118 individuals (32.2%) reported at least one suicidal behavior during their lifetime. In unadjusted analyses, there was a significant association between a history of lifetime suicidal behavior and a moderate or greater experience of physical pain during the last four weeks. Other variables that were significantly associated with suicidal behaviors were: younger age, history of childhood abuse, depressive symptoms, sleep problems, consequences of drinking, and lower social support. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, only experience of moderate or greater pain, age, and depressive symptoms remained significantly associated with a history of suicidal behavior. Conclusions: The experience of physical pain is significantly associated with a lifetime history of suicidal behavior in alcohol-dependent patients. Clinicians should be aware of these associations when conducting assessments and treating alcohol use disorders.

Reductions in physical pain predict lower risk of relapse following alcohol treatment

ObjectivePhysical pain is considered a potential predictor of relapse in alcohol-dependent individuals after treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether reductions in pain level during the follow-up period after treatment were associated with lower relapse risk. MethodA sample of 366 participants was recruited from alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. At baseline, information was obtained about pain level, demographics, childhood abuse, impulsivity, depressive symptoms, severity of alcohol and sleep problems. After finishing the alcohol treatment program, patients were followed for 12 months and alcohol drinking (relapse) as well as pain severity were evaluated. ResultsIn the followed-up group, 29.5% of patients confirmed that they drank any alcohol during past 4 weeks. Comparing follow-up to baseline pain, 48.6% of subjects reported an increased severity of pain, 28.8% reported the same level of pain, 22.6% reported decreased level of pain. There was a significant association between the decrease in level of pain and the lower risk of relapse. Other factors associated with relapse during 4 weeks prior to the follow-up were baseline severity of depressive symptoms, low baseline social support and number of drinking days during 4 weeks prior to entering treatment. In multivariate analysis, a decrease in pain level was associated with a lower likelihood of relapse (OR=0.159; 95%CI:0.04–0.62; p=0.008) even when controlled for other factors associated with relapse. ConclusionsDecreases in pain level following treatment for alcohol dependence are associated with, and may contribute to, a lower risk of alcohol relapse.

Physical Pain in Alcohol-Dependent Patients Entering Treatment in Poland—Prevalence and Correlates

Chronic pain and problematic alcohol use commonly co-exist, as the use of alcohol is commonly considered a useful pain self-management strategy. The purpose of this study was to characterize pain and pain-related problems in a group of primary alcohol-dependent individuals entering treatment facilities. A sample of 366 (73.5% men and 26.5% women) alcohol-dependent (according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria) subjects was recruited in alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. Information was obtained about demographics, social functioning, sexual and physical abuse during childhood, and severity of alcohol and sleep problems as well as level of impulsivity and general psychopathology. The study group was divided into a "mild or no pain" group and a "moderate or greater pain" group. Among the study group, 34.4% of individuals reported moderate or greater physical pain during the last 4 weeks. The statistical analysis revealed that the experience of physical pain was significantly associated with lower level of education, unemployment, experience of sexual abuse before 18 years of age, and severity of alcohol dependence as well as other potential predictors of relapse (impulsivity, sleep problems, general psychopathology). When entered into logistic regression analysis with other dependent variables, the level of general psychopathology, severity of sleep problems, age, and education were all significantly associated with pain severity. Physical pain is a prevalent and potentially impairing experience in adults seeking treatment for alcohol dependence. Therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing pain in alcohol-dependent individuals should be studied to evaluate their impact on improving overall treatment outcomes.

Physical Pain in Alcohol-dependent Patients Entering Treatment in Poland – Prevalence and Correlates

Objective Chronic pain and problematic alcohol use commonly co-exist, as the use of alcohol is commonly considered a useful pain self-management strategy. The purpose of this study was to characterize pain and pain-related problems in a group of primary alcohol-dependent individuals entering alcohol treatment facilities. Method A sample of 366 (73.5% men and 26.5% women) alcohol-dependent subjects was recruited in alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. Information was obtained about demographics, social functioning, sexual and physical abuse during childhood, severity of alcohol and sleep problems as well as level of impulsivity and general psychopathology. The study group was divided into a ‘mild or no pain” group and a ‘moderate or greater pain” group. Results Among the study group, 34.4% of individuals reported moderate or greater physical pain during last 4 weeks. The statistical analysis revealed that the experience of physical pain was significantly associated with lower level of education, unemployment, experience of sexual abuse before 18 years of age, and also with severity of alcohol dependence as well as other potential predictors of relapse (global impulsivity, sleep problems, general psychopathology). When entered into logistic regression analysis with other dependent variables the level of general psychopathology, severity of sleep problems, age and education were all significantly associated with pain severity. Conclusion Physical pain is a prevalent and potentially-impairing experience in adults seeking treatment for alcohol dependence. Therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing pain in alcohol-dependent individuals should be studied to evaluate their impact on improving overall treatment outcomes.

A Short Circular History of Vitamin D from its Discovery to its Effects

The discovery of vitamin D.It was as early as the mid-1600s that Whistler (1) and Glisson (2)independently published scientific descriptions (in Latin!) of rickets, caused, we now know, by a vitamin D deficiency. However neither treatise recognised the crucial role of diet or exposure to sunlight on the prevention of this disease. Around 200 years later, in 1840, a Polish physician called Sniadecki realised that cases of rickets occurred in children living in the industrial centre of Warsaw but did not occur in children living in the country outside Warsaw. He surmised that lack of exposure to sunlight in the narrow, crowded streets of the city where there was considerable pollution due to the burning of coal and wood, caused the disease. Such a view was poorly received at the time as it seemed inconceivable that the sun could have any useful benefit on the skeleton. The prevalence of rickets increased as industrial processes and labour expanded and, by the end of the nineteenth century, this bone disorder was estimated to affect more than 90% of children living in such urban polluted environments in Europe. Similarly, as Boston and New York City grew in the late 1800s, so did the number of cases until, in 1900, more than 80% of children in Boston were reported to suffer from rickets.

History of sexual abuse and suicide attempts in alcohol-dependent patients

History of child abuse is considered one of the important risk factors of suicide attempt in general population. At the same time it has been shown that suicide attempts appear significantly more frequently in alcoholics than in healthy individuals. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between history of childhood sexual abuse and suicide attempts in a sample of Polish alcohol dependent patients. A sample of 364 alcohol-dependent subjects was recruited in alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. Information was obtained about demographics, family history of psychiatric problems, history of suicide attempts, sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adulthood and severity of alcohol problems. When analyzed by gender, 7.4% of male and 39.2% of female patients had a lifetime history of sexual abuse; 31.9% of the study group reported at least one suicide attempt during their lifetime. Patients who reported suicide attempts were significantly younger (p=0.0008), had greater severity of alcohol dependence (p=0.0002), lower social support (p=0.003), and worse economic status (p=0.002). Moreover, there was a significant association between history of suicide attempts and family history of psychiatric problems (p=0.00025), suicide attempts in the family (p=0.0073), childhood history of sexual abuse (p=0.009) as well as childhood history of physical abuse (p=0.002). When entered into linear regression analysis with other dependent variables history of childhood sexual abuse remained a significant predictor of suicide attempt (OR=2.52; p=0.035). Lifetime experience of sexual abuse is a significant and independent risk factor of suicide attempts in alcohol-dependent individuals.

Reaction of street trees to adverse environmental conditions in the centre of Warsaw

The present study aimed atanalysing the trees growing along the four main streets of Warsaw - Marszałkowska, Świętokrzyska, Jana Pawła II and Solidarności Avenues - in order to evaluate the condition of each of them. The observations made in 1973 and in 2007 revealed that in this time the trees passed from 1631 to 1014, which stands for 40.3% of the original number. The biggest loss was noted for species: Sorbus aucuparia L. (94%), Acer pseudoplatanus L. (83%), Tilia cordata Mill. (65%) and Tilia ‘Euchlora’ (62%). None of the species, that were growing in 1973, could have been more tolerant to the specific environmental conditions in the vicinity of the road. The observations made in September had shown that the most frequent average value of the leaf damage index was above 3. The growing of this index showed that as vegetation period was passing by the condition of the trees was getting worse.The comparison of the leaf damage index carried out in September showed that in 2007 the health condition in 2007 was slightly better than in 1973.

S17 * ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR - AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

S17 * ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR - AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The CC genotype in the T102C HTR2A polymorphism predicts relapse in individuals after alcohol treatment

The serotonin system is hypothesized to contribute to predisposition and course of alcohol dependence. However, the potential association between the T102C polymorphism (rs6313) in the type 2A serotonin receptor (HTR2A) gene and treatment outcomes in alcohol dependence has not been investigated. The aim of the study was to assess the contribution of this genetic polymorphism as a predictor of relapse in relation to other previously identified predictors. A sample of 254 alcohol dependent subjects, were recruited in alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland and prospectively assessed at baseline and follow-up after 12 months. At baseline, information about demographics, psychopathological symptoms and alcohol problems was obtained. The stop-signal task was performed and blood samples for genetic analysis of HTR2A T102C (rs6313) were collected. Relapse was defined as any drinking during the follow-up period. The statistical analysis showed that the CC genotype was significantly associated with increased relapse. Other significant factors were baseline depressive symptoms, number of drinking days during the 3 months prior to the baseline assessment, severity of alcohol-related problems, and a lifetime history of impulsive suicide attempts. Logistic regression analysis with and without the genetic factor revealed that adding the genetic factor increased the R square value by about 4%, with the CC genotype in the T102C polymorphism being the strongest predictor of relapse (OR = 2.32). The significant influence on relapse of the CC genotype, which is associated with fewer 5-HT2A receptors in the central nervous system, suggests the possibility that this genetic polymorphism could influence response to serotonergic medications.

Rhombencephalosynapsis - isolated anomaly or complex malformation?

Rhombencephalosynapsis (RES) is a rare malformation of the posterior cranial fossa, characterized by fusion of the cerebellar hemispheres, medial cerebellar peduncles and dentate nuclei. Over the period of 7 years 8 cases of this anomaly have been diagnosed in two pediatric centers in Warsaw including one on the prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material consists of involves one fetus examined at the gestational age of 27 and 33 weeks and 7 children (5 girls and 2 boys) aged 8 months - 16 years. All of them underwent brain MRI with the use of 1.5T scanners. In 1 case RES was an isolated anomaly, in 1 case it was accompanied by hydrocephalus only, in the remaining 6 cases RES was an element of a complex malformation. The additional anomalies were as follows: callosal hypoplasia in 3 children, abnormalities of gyration in 2, brainstem hypoplasia in 2, isolated fourth ventricle in 1, abnormal white matter signal intensity in 4 (in 2 cases in supratentorial compartment, in 1 in the cerebellum and in 1 in the pons), abnormally dilated extraaxial fluid collections in 2, syringohydromyelia in 2. In 5 cases RES was total, in 3 - partial. Rhombencephalosynapsis has a very characteristic appearance on magnetic resonance imaging which allows diagnosis of this malformation at any age, including prenatal period.

Wyniki skojarzonego leczenia nerwiaka węchowego ( olfactory neuroblastoma) w materiale Centrum Onkologii w Warszawie

The results of combined treatment patients with olfactory neuroblastoma in material of Cancer Center in Warsaw The analysis of the results of combined treatment patients with olfactory neuroblastoma in material of Cancer Center in Warsaw. Authors present material of 27 cases olfactory neuroblastoma treated in Cancer Center of Warsaw from 1965 to 2008. The median age was 44 years (range 10-74). The median observation was 72 months (range 2-235).The tumors were seen in 15 women and 12 men. According to Kadish staging there were one A, eight B, and seventeen C stage tumor. The patients in stage A and B was treated by surgery and radiotherapy (mean dose in whole material was 57.15 Gy range 44-70). Five patients in stage C was treated by surgery, radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy. Five patients were treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Six patients underwent surgery and radiotherapy. One patient was died during adjuvant chemotherapy. One patient in stage B had local recurrence, one local recurrence and metastases and one had only metastases. In stage C 4 patients was died because of metastases, one had local recurrence and, 3 was died because of other reasons. Patients who was failed, underwent surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, it was dependent of clinical situation. A complete regression was seen in 100% patients in early stages (A and B) and 82% patients in stage C. The 5-year local progression-free survival rate was 91% in early stages and 60% in stage C. The LPFS in whole group was 66.7%. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 91% in early stages, 46% in stage C. The DSF rate in whole group was 44.4%. The 5-year overall survival rate was 80% in stages A and B, 41.2% in stage C. The OS in whole group was 55.6%. The 5-year survival rate was 20% for patients who had recurrence and/or metastases. A combination of surgery and radiotherapy appears to be adequate treatment for early stages (A and B) olfactory neuroblastoma. There are still no clear protocols of treatment patients in stage C.

Reaction of street trees to adverse environmental conditions in the centre of Warsaw

Reaction of street trees to adverse environmental conditions in the centre of Warsaw

The Plastic Palm and Memories in the Making: Conceptual Art Work on Warsaw's Jerusalem Avenue

In 2001, Joanna Rajkowska, a Polish contemporary artist, made a trip to Israel, after which she decided to make people aware of the significance of Warsaw’s Jerusalem Avenue [Aleje Jerozolimskie], one of the Polish capital’s main streets. She intended to point out the street’s history in a vacuum, as she claimed, caused by the absence of Jewish community after World War II. She “planted” an artificial palm tree—in her view a plant typical of Jerusalem streets—in the middle of a major traffic circle in the center of Warsaw. Even though Rajkowska made a project based on “just” one of the forgotten pasts, it revealed a whole new potential for “other” pasts in that particular space, which suddenly became impossible to be taken for granted as they had been before. Furthermore, the artist opened a new social space in which pasts were brought back to interact with the present. The palm quickly became the object and symbol of much more contemporary Polish struggles: for gay rights, for nurses’ wages, for liberal values, and the right to think differently. Rajkowska’s palm tree managed to bring these and many other issues to the general public, to make it aware of the everyday inhabited space, to make that space visible—with all its ambiguities, different layers of meanings, interpretations of the past, and visions of the future—while transforming that very public along the way.

Self-assessed health status in Poland: EQ-5D findings from the Polish valuation study

There are no population norms currently available in Poland for any generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire for adults. The aim of the study was to evaluate the health status of a representative sample of the general Polish population using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Adult subjects who were visiting patients in 8 medical centers in Warsaw, Skierniewice, and Puławy, were inter viewed during the Polish EQ-5D valuation study. Stratified quota sampling was used. The respondents completed the EQ-5D questionnaire and provided information on age, sex, marital status, education, employment, income, housing conditions, medical history, and smoking habits. The interviews were conducted between February and May 2008. The final sample (n = 317) was representative of the general Polish population with respect to age and sex. Moderate problems in at least 1 dimension of the HRQoL were reported by 57% of the respondents, while extreme problems by 4.7%. Pain or discomfort was reported by 40% of the respondents, anxiety or depression by 38%. Problems with mobility were reported by 16% of the respondents, with usual activities (work, school) by 13%, and with self-care by 3%. The mean state of health recorded on the visual analogue scale (VAS) was 81.6 +/-14.4 points. The mean VAS value decreased from 87 and 91 points in the youngest age group to 67 and 72 points in the oldest age group, in men and women, respectively. Pain and anxiety are commonly reported problems in the Polish population, especially by young women. EQ-5D is a valuable tool for studying health outcomes and differences in health status within the Polish population.

Valuation of EQ-5D Health States in Poland: First TTO-Based Social Value Set in Central and Eastern Europe

Currently, there is no EQ-5D value set for Poland. The primary objective of this study was to elicit EQ-5D Polish values using the time trade-off (TTO) method. Face-to-face interviews with visitors of inpatients in eight medical centers in Warsaw, Skierniewice, and Puławy were carried out by trained interviewers. Quota sampling was used to achieve a representative sample of the Polish population with regard to age and sex. Modified protocol from the Measurement and Value of Health study was used. Each respondent ranked 10 health states and valued 4 health states using the visual analog scale and 23 using the TTO. Mean and variance stability tests were performed to determine whether using a larger number of health states per respondent would yield credible results. Modeling included random effects and random parameters models. Between February and May 2008, 321 interviews were performed. Modeling based on 6777 valuations resulted in an additive model with all coefficients statistically significant, R(2) equal to 0.45, and value -0.523 for the worst possible health state. Means and variance did not differ significantly for states valued in the middle and at the end of the TTO exercise. This is the first EQ-5D value set based on TTO in Central and Eastern Europe so far. Because the values differ considerably from those elicited in Western European countries, its use should be recommended for studies in Poland. Increasing the number of health states that each respondent is asked to value using TTO seems feasible and justifiable.

Spatial context of urbanization: Landscape pattern and changes between 1950 and 1990 in the Warsaw metropolitan area, Poland

This paper reports on the changes in the spatial structure of landscape in the years 1950–1990 within the Warsaw metropolitan area. The analysis was aimed at identification of (a) the influence of the distance from the center of the city and from the transport routes on the values of landscape metrics, (b) changes in time of the landscape metrics of forests and built-up areas, (c) the influence of habitats, transportation network and the distance from the center on the directions and intensity of urban growth. Several landscape metrics were chosen to describe the landscape pattern (spatial share, mean patch size, patch size coefficient of variance, mean shape index, mean nearest neighbor distance, mean proximity index, and interspersion and juxtaposition index). The majority of changes in land cover took place in the years 1950–1970, but relations between landscape metrics and the distance from the center of Warsaw as well as from the transport routes, had a persistent character over the entire period studied. The influence of the habitat differentiation (expressed in categories of potential natural vegetation) in land cover is relatively unimportant in the vicinity of the city center and in the direct neighborhood of roads, while it would become the dominating factor in the periphery. The landscape metrics enable the description of the spatial regularities and trends, and constitute useful indirect indicators of the impact of urbanization on cultural (rural) landscape and of the general ecosystem disturbance.

Long-term changes in communities of Noctuidae, Pantheidae and Nolidae (Lepidoptera) of Warsaw city centre

In the centre of Warsaw 209 species of noctuid moths (Noctuidae, Pantheidaeand Nolidae) were recorded, accounting for about 69% of all species ever found in this agglomeration. Only 15 species were classified as very abundant or abundant while as many as 174 were few and single. The following species were the most abundant: Xestia c-nigrum, Autographa gamma, Discestra trifolii, Mythimnapallens, M. l-album, Agrotis exclamationis, A. segetum, Hoplodrina ambigua and Luperina testacea. These species occurred abundant-ly everywhere. They are chiefly associated with open-area habitats (including anthropogenic ones). Noctuid communities in the centre of Warsaw have changed considerably over the last 50 years. The most abundant species have remained a constant element but rare (few and single) species have begun to disappear from the city centre, probably as a result of unfavourable environmental changes due to intensive urbanization of this area.

PIXE and XRF analysis of honey samples

The systematic determination of trace-element concentrations in honey samples was done by the PIXE method using a 2 MeV proton beam and by the total reflection XRF method. The different kinds of honey samples were collected in the period of spring–summer in three places of Poland: in the centre of Warsaw (a highly polluted region) and about 100 km east of Warsaw and 70 km southwest of Warsaw (as regions free from industrial and transport pollution). The measured samples have shown that the concentrations of trace elements are similar in the honey samples from these places.