Introduction. Various Acanthamoeba species are free-living organisms widely distributed in the human environment. Amphizoic amoebae as facultative parasites may cause vision-threatening eye disease-Acanthamoeba keratitis, mostly among contact lens wearers. As the number of cases is increasing, and applied therapy often unsuccessful, proper hygienic measures and effective contact lenses disinfection are crucial for the prevention of this disease. Available contact lens solutions are not fully effective against amphizoic amoebae; there is a need to enhance their disinfecting activity to prevent amoebic infections. The use of developing nanotechnology methods already applied with success in the prevention, diagnostic and therapy of other infectious diseases might be helpful regarding amoebic keratitis. This study assesses the in vitro effect of selected contact lens solutions conjugated with nanoparticles against Acanthamoeba trophozoites. Materials and method. Three selected contact lens solutions conjugated with silver and gold nanoparticles in concentration of 0.25-2.5 ppm were used in vitro against the axenically cultured ATCC 30010 type Acanthamoeba castellanii strain. The anti-amoebic efficacy was examined based on the oxido-reduction of AlamarBlue. The cytotoxicity tests based on the measurement of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were performed using a fibroblast HS-5 cell line. Results. Enhancement of the anti-amoebic activity of contact lens solutions conjugated with selected nanoparticles expressed in the dose dependent amoebic growth inhibition with a low cytotoxicity profile was observed. Conclusions. Results of the study showed that conjugation of selected contact lens solutions with silver nanoparticles might be a promising approach to prevent Acanthamoeba keratitis among contact lens users.

Background Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are cosmopolitan, widely distributed protozoans that cause a severe, vision-threatening corneal infection known as Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). The majority of the increasing number of AK cases are associated with contact lens use. Appropriate eye hygiene and effective contact lens disinfection are crucial in the prevention of AK because of the lack of effective therapies against it. Currently available multipurpose contact lens disinfection systems are not fully effective against Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts. There is an urgent need to increase the disinfecting activity of these systems to prevent AK infections. Synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) have been recently studied and proposed as a new generation of anti-microbial agents. It is also known that some plant metabolites, including tannins, have anti-parasitic activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-amoebic activity and cytotoxicity of tannic acid-modified silver NPs (AgTANPs) conjugated with selected multipurpose contact lens solutions. Methods The anti-amoebic activities of pure contact lens care solutions, and NPs conjugated with contact lens care solutions, were examined in vitro by a colorimetric assay based on the oxido-reduction of alamarBlue. The cytotoxicity assays were performed using a fibroblast HS-5 (ATCC CRL-11882) cell line. The results were statistically analysed by ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls test using P < 0.05 as the level of statistical significance. Results We show that the NPs enhance the anti-Acanthamoeba activities of the tested contact lens solutions without increasing their cytotoxicity profiles. The activities are enhanced within the minimal disinfection time recommended by the manufacturers. Conclusions The conjugation of the selected contact lens solutions with AgTANPs might be a novel and promising approach for the prevention of AK infections among contact lens users.

Objectives To conduct a pilot study to compare the upper limb disorder (ULD) risk associated with manual and automated cytotoxic compounding, and comment on the suitability of using the UK Health and Safety Executive Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) tool for this purpose. Methods The ART tool comprised 12 domains, each scored on an ordinal scale. An overall ULD exposure score was calculated and categorised using the tool as low, medium or high risk. 21 manual and four automated sessions were observed in a UK hospital pharmacy aseptic unit; a smaller sample of automated sessions were used as these showed little variation in exposure score. The following were compared: (1) median (IQR) overall exposure scores; (2) overall exposure level categories; and (3) median (IQR) risk scores for each of the 12 domains. Practicalities of using the ART tool were documented. Results Manual sessions were associated with a higher median ULD exposure score (9.8 (IQR 8.8 to 12.0)) than automation (1.0 (0.9 to 1.3)). 14 manual sessions were low risk and seven were medium risk. All automated sessions were low risk. Overall, eight domains scored higher in the manual sessions than automated session; four domains scored the same. The largest difference in median exposure score was for domains regarding ‘force’, ‘arm movement’ and ‘arm posture’. Conclusions Automated compounding was associated with a lower ULD exposure score than manual compounding in our aseptic unit. The ART tool was useful for comparing ULD risk of manual and automated cytotoxic compounding.

W pracy opisano Pozytywną Psychoterapię Psychoz (PPP) - nowe podejście w rehabilitacji pacjentów z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii. W przeciwieństwie do niektórych tradycyjnych metod psychoterapii, PPP koncentruje się na pozytywach, a nie na problemach. Ukazano ją w kontekście innych podejść terapeutycznych stosowanych w rehabilitacji psychiatrycznej, a także opisano mechanizm zmian w funkcjonowaniu i myśleniu pacjentów korzystających z tego podejścia. PPP wzmacnia zasoby pacjentów, w tym pozytywne emocje, mocne strony, poczucie sensu, relacje pozytywne i wewnętrzne motywacje. PPP nie sugeruje, że inne podejścia są niewłaściwe, ani nie ma na celu zastąpienia ugruntowanych już sposobów leczenia. Opisano także program 13-stu sesji PPP przystosowanych dla pacjentów ze schizofrenią podzielonych na 3 grypy tematyczne i pod względem stopnia trudności . Podzielono je na: "najłatwiejszy" (delektowanie się, pozytywne rzeczy, sesje 1-4), „średni” (mocne cechy charakteru, rozpoznanie mocnych stron u siebie, zauważanie mocnych stron u innych, pozytywna komunikacja, sesje 5-7) oraz „stanowiący największą trudność” (złe vs dobre wspomnienia, wdzięczność, wybaczanie, nadzieja, optymizm i wzrost posttraumatyczny, sesje 8-13). Po wprowadzeniu PPP w Oddziale Dziennym Rehabilitacji Psychiatrycznej Instytutu Psychiatrii i Neurologii w Warszawie, zebrano początkowe obserwacje. Wstępne obserwacje zebrane po 13-stu tygodniach trwania cyklu zajęć PPP wskazują, że terapia może być z powodzeniem stosowana w rehabilitacji psychiatrycznej.

Introduction: Worrying is a cognitive process observed both in healthy people and those who suffer from mental disorders. The analyses of its relevance to coping with difficult situations can be found in the literature but there is little information on its significance and extent in the lives of people who suffer from schizophrenia. Purpose: The aim of the study was to define the prevalence of worrying and its relationship to the social functioning of people suffering from schizophrenia, compared to the worrying experienced by healthy subjects. Methods: The study involved 37 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10), currently hospitalized in rehabilitation day wards, and 38 healthy subjects. The following research tools were used: the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Social Functioning Questionnaire, and the Global Assessment of Functioning and Socio-demographic Background Questionnaire. The control group comprised healthy subjects matched for age and sex with the clinical group of patients with schizophrenia. Results: The degree of worrying exhibited by people with schizophrenia differed from that obtained in the analysis of healthy subjects. The difference occurred at the level of statistical tendency. The worrying experienced by people in the clinical group was related to various areas of functioning: social functioning, communication, building interpersonal relationships or effective ways of spending leisure time. Conclusions: Our results show a statistical tendency towards people with schizophrenia worrying more often than people in the control group. A significant and negative covariance was noted in the clinical group between the tendency to worry, communication skills and building interpersonal relationships as well as effective leisure time management. StreszczenieWstęp: Martwienie się jest procesem poznawczym obserwowanym zarówno u osób zdrowych, jak u osób z zaburzeniami psychicznymi. W literaturze przedmiotu podkreśla się jego znaczenie w procesie radzenia sobie z sytuacjami trudnymi. Niewiele jest informacji o znaczeniu i rozmiarze tego zjawiska w życiu osób chorych na schizofrenię. Cel: Celem badania była próba określenia rozmiaru zjawiska martwienia się i jego związków z funkcjonowaniem społecznym osób chorych na schizofrenię, w porównaniu z martwieniem się osób zdrowych. Metody: W badaniu wzięło udział 37 pacjentów, aktualnie hospitalizowanych w oddziałach dziennych rehabilitacyjnych, z rozpoznaną schizofrenią (ICD-10) oraz 38 osób zdrowych. Zastosowano następujące narzędzia badawcze: Kwestionariusz Oceny Martwienia się (Penn State Worry Questionnaire -PSWQ), Skalę Funkcjonowania Społecznego (Global Assessment of Functioning -GAF), Kwestionariusz Danych Społeczno-Demograficznych. Osoby zdrowe stanowiły grupę kontrolną, zbliżoną wiekiem oraz podziałem ze względu na płeć do składu grupy klinicznej -chorych na schizofrenię. Wyniki: Wyniki osób chorych na schizofrenię różnią się od wyników osób zdrowych pod względem poziomu martwienia się i różnica ta występuje na poziomie tenden...