Piotr Woźniak

Anti-phlogistic and Immunocompetent Effects of Acupuncture Treatment in Women Suffering from Chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases

Thirty-nine women of reproductive age suffering from chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) for at least two years, previously treated pharmacologically with no effect, were enrolled in a four-week therapeutic protocol consisting of 12 acupuncture treatments performed with the frequency of three per week. In each female patient at baseline and after the study, pain score and the following parameters in blood serum were evaluated: concentration of immunoglobulin M (IgM), albumins, alpha1-globulins, alpha2-globulins and gamma-globulins, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and white blood cell (WBC) count. During the study, we obtained a significant drop in ESR and IgM levels together with a rise in gamma-globulin concentrations. A significant decrease (from 4.89 +/- 0.82 to 0.63 +/- 1.05) in pain score was obtained. The other parameters remained unchanged. These results suggest that acupuncture treatment of PID exhibits a clear anti-inflammatory and immunocompetent effect.

Endometrial and cervical cancer: incidence and mortality among women in the Lodz region

Introduction By the early 21st century the most common cancer of female genitals in Poland was cervical cancer. Now endometrial cancer ranks first. The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence and mortality of endometrial and cervical cancer among women in the Lodz region. Material and methods Data on the incidence and mortality of endometrial and cervical cancer among inhabitants of the Lodz region were obtained from the National Cancer Registry and Bulletin of Cancer Cases in the Lodz region. The analysis covered ten consecutive years beginning in 2001. Results The number of new cases reported in 2010 exceeded that observed in 2001 by 181. The standardized incidence rate of endometrial cancer increased by 6.3, while the standardized incidence rate of cervical cancer decreased by 1.4. Conclusions In the years 2001-2010, the incidence of endometrial cancer increased by 88.3% and that of cervical cancer decreased by 6.5% among inhabitants of the Lodz region. In the years 2001-2010, mortality of endometrial cancer increased by 24.5% and that of cervical cancer decreased by 12.6%. In 2010, the highest crude incidence rates in the Lodz region of both endometrial and cervical cancer at 39.1 were recorded in the district town of Piotrków.

The toxic impact of local anaesthetics in menopausal women: causes, prevention and treatment after local anaesthetic overdose. Local anaesthetic systemic toxicity syndrome

Gynaecologists often use local anaesthetics in their medical practice. Some concomitant diseases during the menopausal period may cause problems during the qualification of postmenopausal women for general anaesthesia in gynaecological surgery. Many authors suggest the application of local analgesia for particular kinds of gynaecological surgery procedures performed on postmenopausal women, taking into consideration health determinants. While applying local anaesthetics, the possibility of their overdose has to be taken into account. Generalised toxic symptoms which appeared after the local anaesthesia are rare, but potentially are lethal complications. Toxic symptoms after local anaesthetic administration are manifested after accidental administration of a medicine into a blood vessel, when extravascular administration of a large volume of a local anaesthetic is absorbed into a bloodstream or with the reproducible doses of local anaesthetics which are administered when metabolism does not work sufficiently and cannot eliminate these substances. Clinical overdose of local anaesthetics is manifested by disorders in two systems. Firstly, the pathological symptoms come from the central nervous system (CNS). In the second phase, the pathological symptoms will additionally appear in the cardiovascular system. The aim of the present thesis is to remind clinical manifestations of the local anaesthetic overdose and suggest the management of patients with the aforementioned symptoms, especially in the case of intravenous lipid emulsions which have the status of an antidote in life-threatening conditions caused by cardiotoxic effects of local anaesthetics.

Incidence of and mortality from breast cancer among women in Poland in the years 2001-2010

Introduction Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumour among women. About 15,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed and more than 5,000 women die in Poland every year. The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer among women in Poland in the years 2001-2010. Material and methods Analysed data concerning the incidence of and mortality from cancer among women were obtained from the National Cancer Registry. Results The number of new cases reported in 2010 exceeded that reported in 2001 by 3,666. The mortality from breast cancer among women increased by 15.1% by 2009, to subsequently drop by 0.3% in 2010. The standardized incidence rate increased by 7.4 and the standardized mortality rate fell by 1.3 in 2001-2010. Conclusions In the years 2001-2010 the incidence of breast cancer in women in Poland rose by 30.3%, with an increase of 7.4 in the incidence rate. The highest rise in the incidence and mortality of women due to breast cancer in Poland is reported in the Lodz voivodeship. In the years 2001-2009 the number of womens deaths due to breast cancer increased slightly, while the mortality rate dropped.