Medicina
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Comparative Study
Effects of the prolonged thoracic epidural analgesia on ventilation function and complication rate after the lung cancer surgery.
Thoracic epidural analgesia has been considered to have a good anesthetic efficacy and to decrease the postoperative complication rate, while its effect upon the ventilation function is still the topic of many clinical studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the course of early postoperative period using thoracic epidural analgesia. ⋯ We conclude that analgesia with intramuscularly administered opioids provides unsatisfactory analgesia, especially in the first days after the operation. Thoracic epidural analgesia is a safe method, which provides a better quality of life for the patient, decreases the postoperative complication rate, and improves the ventilation function after the lung operations.
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Evaluation of hemodynamics in patients with acute myocardial infarction is crucial. In clinical practice, the comparison of a new measurement technique with an established one is often needed to see whether they agree sufficiently for the new to replace the old. Such investigations are often analyzed inappropriately, notably by using correlation coefficients. Our objective is to present an alternative approach, suggested by D. G. Altman and J. M. Bland, based on graphical techniques and simple calculations, for evaluation of the agreement of two methods--intermittent thermodilution (recognized and accepted as a "gold standard" for hemodynamic monitoring) and impedance cardiography (newly introduced method). ⋯ Bland-Altman analysis is an alternative method for assessing the agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. According to our data, noninvasive technique--impedance cardiography--is a reliable method for hemodynamic monitoring in noncomplicated cases of acute myocardial infarction.
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The objective of this article was to establish the characteristics of depressiveness among adolescents with diabetes. Adolescents aged 14 and 16 years suffering from diabetes, healthy ones, and their parents were enrolled in the study. A total of 260 adolescents (100 adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 160 healthy ones) were interviewed. ⋯ Results of the study confirmed that depressiveness of 14- and 16-year-old girls with diabetes and that of their mothers were related. The relationship between the depressiveness of mothers of 14-year-old boys with diabetes mellitus and bad glycemic control of their sons was determined. The following peculiarities of depressiveness among adolescents with diabetes were found: 14-year-old girls had more negative attitude toward themselves; 16-year-old girls were very sensitive and had depressed mood; 16-year-old boys complained about lowered daily activity.
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Ventral hernia is a common problem in general surgery practice. Incisional hernia can develop in 15-25% of patients after abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to compare two different methods of incisional hernia surgery. ⋯ The rates of postoperative therapeutic complications and hernia recurrence are significantly lower after open mesh repair surgery. Return to normal physical activity after surgery is significantly longer after open suture repair surgery.
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Comparative Study
The approach of medical students towards studies of the humanities and social sciences.
To analyze the attitudes of the medical students from Kaunas University of Medicine, Krakow Jagiellonian University, and St. Petersburg State University towards the studies of the humanities and social sciences. ⋯ Having estimated the opinions of medical students' attitudes towards the importance of the humanities and social sciences, we may state that the students of Krakow and St. Petersburg universities more often agreed that ethics and philosophy were important for their studies. The importance of psychology science was emphasized by the students of all universities, and the students of Kaunas University of Medicine and St. Petersburg State University agreed more often that the discipline of sociology was important for the future studies.