SummaryThere is a growing number of publications examining the influence of different forms of therapy on reducing the risk of job burnout affecting various social groups and there is a need to assess and systematise available knowledge. Three electronic databases were searched for the purpose of this review over the 2000-2015 search period. The inclusion criterion was the influence of the selected form of therapy on reducing the risk of job burnout. Of the 235 selected articles, 22 met the inclusion criterion. In 77.3% of publications job burnout syndrome was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Researchers also used the De Utrechtse Burnout Schaal (UBOS) questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory -Dutch Version (MBI-NL), and their own questionnaires. The most commonly applied therapies were mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Owing to significant differences in methodology between studies, it is difficult to attempt an objective comparison. In most studies (64.64%) authors managed to achieve the intended reduction of burnout. It is necessary that studies of burnout include research projects treating the study group in a multidimensional, biopsychosocial manner, taking into account biological and psychological factors with an accompanying social reflection. therapies for burnout, Maslach Burnout Inventory, occupational diseases, psychological stressThe burnout syndrome is a mental health disorder (the qualifications of ICD-10, Z73.0) which comprises three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. The first, emotional exhaustion, is a state of depletion of an individual's emotional resources, the second denotes a negative, cynical and dehumanized attitude towards people who are the recipients of the individual's services, and the third refers to a reduced sense of personal achievement and effectiveness as well as lower self-esteem [1]. With the ever-accelerating pace of life and ever-higher stress levels the prevention of job burnout is an important public health issue. It might have a beneficial effect on work absence caused by sick leave, which in turn translates into an important economic dimension [2]. The spread of this phenomenon cannot be clearly defined. The problem is its qualitative nature and the absence of clear differentiating criteria that would facilitate its diagnosis. It is highly probable, however, that the problem concerns the majority of contemporary society [3]. It seems that the knowledge regarding job burnout and the methods of its reduction is still unsystematized and insufficient. A growing number of authors are trying to achieve a better understanding of the problem, hoping that this will help in developing more efficient programs aimed at preventing

Purpose Depressive symptoms constitute an important group of mental problems that alter the course of post-stroke rehabilitation by reducing quality of life, physical activity, social functioning, and interpersonal relationships. Although several studies have shown the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) in the motor treatment of poststroke patients, there is a lack of studies that would also evaluate the impact of VR on psychological aspects. Thus, we investigated the effectiveness of immersive VR therapy on both functional activity and depressive symptoms in stroke survivors. Patients and Methods We conducted a single blind, randomized controlled trial comparing VR therapy with Schultz’s Autogenic Training (SAT). Patients randomized to the VR group received treatment in an immersive VR therapeutic garden with elements of psychotherapy and physical activity of the upper extremities, whereas patients in the control group received SAT. Additionally, patients in both groups received standard neurological rehabilitation. The full research cycle lasted six weeks. We used Geriatric Depression Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analogue Scale of pain, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Barthel Index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and Rivermead Motor Assessment for outcome assessment. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03830372). Results We assessed 60 patients and randomly assigned to the VR or control group. The VR group showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (ηp 2 = 0.13, p < 0.01) compared to SAT. The applied VR therapy significantly increased the sense of self-efficacy and the level of acceptance of the illness; however, this effect was similar to that obtained with the standard intervention. We did not observe statistically significant changes in the functional parameters of post-stroke patients. Conclusion The use of VR therapy combined with neurological rehabilitation had a positive effect on improving mood and reducing depressive symptoms in post-stroke patients.

The obtained results indicated that the cathepsin activity was higher by about 60% in the extract from thigh than from breast muscles. Freezing and defrosting (not stored) of chicken meat did not influence the breast muscle cathepsin activity while they caused a decrease of activity of about 20% in the case of thigh muscles. The increase in cathepsin activity was noticed in both kinds of muscles during storage at -20 degrees C up to 4 months (45.6% and 19.4% for thigh and breast muscles respectively). The activity of cathepsin in extract from 5 months stored meat reached 80% in case of breast muscles and 83% in case of thigh muscles in relation to control sample respectively. The cathepsin activity significantly increased during heating of breast muscles up to 60 degrees C, but in case of thigh muscles it was slightly higher than at 50 degrees C. The heating of cured chicken breast muscles up to 60 degrees C caused a non significant growth in cathepsin activity opposite to raw muscles. The cathepsin activity from all cured samples heated up to 70 degrees C were several times lower in relation to control samples. The cathepsin activity of both thigh and breast muscles were resistant to gamma radiation. The investigated factors caused changes in the activity of cathepsin but none of them caused its total inactivation. The changes of cathepsin activity depended on the kind of muscles and the kind and the value of acting factors.