Background: The safety profile of venom immunotherapy is a relevant issue. We evaluated the frequency of severe adverse events (SAE), associated risk factors, retrospective comparison of pretreatment protocols including solely H₁ receptor blockers and a combination of H₁ and H₂ receptor blockers during rush Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy. Methods: The study group comprised 118 patients. The treatment was initiated according to a 5-day rush protocol with the use of standardized venom allergens of either wasp or honeybee. Results: During the rush induction, side effects occurred in 18 patients (15.2%), whereas SAE were present in 7 patients (5.9%). Twelve out of 18 (66.6%) developed anaphylactic reactions on the fourth day of the rush protocol, with the majority of cases at a dose of 40 or 60 µg of the venom extract (p = 0.001). The frequency of SAE was also significantly higher on the fourth day than thereafter (p = 0.0001) as well as in patients allergic to bee venom (p = 0.049). All systemic side effects were more frequent in women (p = 0.0065). However, this relation was not true when SAE were consider (p = 0.11). A higher percentage of SAE was observed in the subjects pretreated with both H₁ and H₂ receptor antagonists than in those pretreated with H₁ blocker only (8.8 vs. 4.1%); however, the difference was not significant. Conclusions: Considerable severity of allergic adverse events requires particular attention to patients allergic to bee venom and during rush phase, especially when rapidly increasing doses are administered. Pretreatment with H₂ blockers is debatable and warrants further investigation.

Functional brain imaging (positron emission tomography – PET, functional magnetic resonance imaging – fMRI), allowing in vivo analysis of the brain-digestive tract interaction and the neurological mechanisms underlying visceral hypersensitivity, significantly advanced research and helped in the understanding of the interrelations in this field. Differences in this parameter can result from alterations in task-related cognitive states or from resting state processes. Nowadays, advanced imaging techniques such as fMRI are more frequently used and are acknowledged among both clinicians and radiologists in the diagnostic algorithm of digestive tract diseases. Functional dyspepsia is a condition in which neuroimaging allows for analysis of dysfunctions within the brain-gut axis (BGA) engaged in processing of visceral discomfort and pain. The results of studies in patient groups with irritable bowel syndrome prove that psychosocial factors significantly affect the mechanisms regulating visceral sensitivity within the brain. The BGA includes neuronal pathways (autonomic nervous system), neuroendocrine (hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis), and neuroimmunological ones. Psychological processes affect the functioning of the digestive system and can cause dyspeptic symptoms. A patient’s mental condition associated with stress can affect processes taking place in the central nervous system and trigger somatic reactions in the digestive tract through the autonomic visceral system.

Wstęp: Spośród chorób układu oddechowego przewlekła obturacyjna choroba płuc jest jedną z najczęstszych przyczyn zachorowalności, hospitalizacji i inwalidztwa. Jej przewlekły, postępujący charakter oraz okresowe zaostrzenia mają istotny niekorzystny wpływ na jakość życia chorych na POChP i na rokowanie. W ostatnich latach znacznie wzrosła rola rehabilitacji w leczeniu chorych na POChP. Stała się ona skutecznym i coraz bardziej rozpowszechnionym narzędziem w leczeniu zarówno choroby podstawowej, jak i jej powikłań. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono 3-tygodniowy program rehabilitacji chorych na POChP i jego wpływ na jakość życia tych pacjentów. Materiał i metody: Analizą objęto 132 chorych na POChP; do badania zakwalifikowano 70 osób (53%). Program rehabilitacji trwał 15 dni treningowych. Skuteczność rehabilitacji oceniano na podstawie kwestionariusza Szpitala Św. Jerzego, badania spirometrycznego i próby wysiłkowej. Wyniki: Stwierdzono znamienną poprawę jakości życia u chorych oraz wydłużenie czasu trwania testu wysiłkowego, zarówno bezpośrednio po zakończeniu rehabilitacji, jak i 3 miesiące później. Nie stwierdzono istotnej różnicy parametrów ocenianych na podstawie badania spirometrycznego. Wnioski: Trzytygodniowy program rehabilitacji chorych na POChP poprawił ich wydolność fizyczną i jakość życia, a poprawa ta utrzymywała się przynajmniej przez 3 miesiące.

Introduction: Screening for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure, coupled with engaged decision making to prioritize cancer treatment in parallel with reducing risk of exposure and infection, is crucial in the management of COVID-19 during cancer treatment. After two reported case studies of imaging findings during daily computed tomography (CT)-based image-guided radiotherapy (RT) scans, a call for submission of anonymized case reports was published with the objective of rapidly determining if there was a correlation between the onset of new pulmonary infiltrates found during RT and COVID-19. We hereby report the results of the aggregate analysis.Methods: Data of deidentified case reports for patients who developed biochemically confirmed COVID-19 during RT were submitted through an online portal. Information requested included a patient's sex, age, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and COVID-19 diagnosis and outcome. Coplanar CT-based imaging was requested to reveal the presence or absence of ground-glass opacities or infiltrates.Results: A total of seven reports were submitted from Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Egypt, and the United States.Results and imaging from the patients reported by Suppli et al. and McGinnis et al. were included for a total of nine patients for analysis. All patients were confirmed COVID-19 positive using polymerase chain reaction-based methods or nasopharyngeal swabs. Of the nine patients analyzed, abnormalities consistent with ground-glass opacities or infiltrates were observed in eight patients.Conclusions: This is the largest case series revealing the potential use of CT-based image guidance during RT as a tool for identifying patients who need further workup for COVID-19. Considerations for reviewing image guidance for new pulmonary infiltrates and immediate COVID-19 testing

S-100 protein expression is present in various malignant tissues, yet its prognostic relevance is debatable. The aim was to assess in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients' prognostic value of S-100 protein considered alone or in relation with other variables. Tumour samples taken from 86 NSCLC patients during resection were assayed for S-100 protein expression with the use of polyclonal DAKO ZO311 antibody. S-100 expression was found in 32 cases (37%). Positive staining was not correlated with clinical characteristics including age, sex, pathology type of tumour, stage and cigarette smoking. There was a tendency for simultaneous expression of S-100 and P53 protein (p=0.06). A median survival rate for the entire group was 2.3 years (95% CI, 0.9-3.6 years). The median and 5-year survival of patients with positive staining for S-100 protein was 1.5 years and 25%, respectively, compared with 3.0 years and 35%, respectively, in the S-100 negative group (p=0.17). In the final model of a multivariate analysis, S-100 protein expression in tumour cells was associated with significantly decreased survival (p=0.005). S-100 protein expression in tumour cells seems to be an independent predictor of poor prognosis in NSCLC patients.