Introduction The sedentary lifestyle is defined as prolonged sitting both at work and during leisure time, with energy expenditures of below 600 MET · min/week. The sedentary lifestyle is a well-known predictor of obesity and other components of the metabolic syndrome. The influence of the sedentary lifestyle and associated factors on nsLBP is still being discussed. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a sedentary lifestyle and its associated metabolic predictors on the prevalence of nsLBP in nurses and paramedics. Materials and Methods The study included 609 participants, aged 30-60 years, who were residents of north-east Poland. Data was collected using a questionnaire (based, in part, on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire), and included details of sociodemographic profile, chronic illnesses, and a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results Nearly half (49.59%) of the respondents reported decreased physical activity, and in the group with recurring nsLBP this figure was 67.59%. Univariate logistic regression modelling found that leading a sedentary lifestyle caused a 3.5-fold increase in the incidence of recurring nsLBP (p<0.001). Excessive coffee consumption significantly increased the likelihood of recurring LBP (OR=16.44, 95% CI: 8.55-31.61), and cigarette smoking increased the likelihood of both recurrent and chronic LBP. The likelihood of chronic low back pain was significantly increased by components of metabolic syndrome such as high blood pressure (over 9-fold), type 2 diabetes (over 3-fold), and hyperlipidemia (over 2-fold) (p<0.001, p<0.001, and p<0.01, respectively). Conclusions A sedentary lifestyle significantly increased the incidence of recurring low back pain, while increased physical activity had a significant effect on the presence of chronic low back pain. In the sedentary lifestyle group, conditions classified within metabolic syndrome were found to significantly increase the chances of developing nonspecific low back pain.

Purpose. Effectiveness of nonpharmacological multicomponent prevention delivered by trained volunteers (medical and psychology students), targeted at delirium risk factors in geriatric inpatients, was assessed at an internal medicine ward in Poland. Patients and Methods. Participants were recruited to intervention and control groups at the internal medicine ward (inclusion criteria: age ≥ 75, acute medical condition, basic orientation, and logical contact on admission; exclusion criteria: life expectancy < 24 hours, surgical hospitalization, isolation due to infectious disease, and discharge to other medical wards). Every day trained volunteers delivered a multicomponent standardized intervention targeted at risk factors of in-hospital complications to the intervention group. The control group, selected using a retrospective individual matching strategy (1 : 1 ratio, regarding age, gender, and time of hospitalization), received standard care. Outcome Measures. Hospitalization time, deaths, falls, delirium episodes, and antipsychotic prescriptions were assessed retrospectively from medical documentation. Results. 130 patients (38.4% males) participated in the study, with 65 in the intervention group. Antipsychotic medications were initiated less frequently in the intervention group compared to the control group. There was a trend towards a shorter hospitalization time and a not statistically significant decrease in deaths in the intervention group. Conclusion. Nonpharmacological multicomponent intervention targeted at delirium risk factors effectively reduced length of hospitalization and need for initiating antipsychotic treatment in elderly patients at the internal medicine ward.

Impairment of vascular endothelium plays a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases including juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that structural abnormalities of the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) might exist and reflect endothelial dysfunction in children with JIA. Microcirculation was studied, by means of nailfold videocapillaroscopy with computer-associated image analysis, in 43 patients with JIA and compared with 20 healthy children. Moreover, capillaroscopic findings were correlated with the activity of the disease and the levels of serum biomarkers of endothelial injury, namely soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We found that in JIA patients capillaries were significantly wider and longer than in healthy controls. Moreover, irregular capillaries and dilated subpapillary venous plexus were found significantly more frequently in JIA in comparison with the control group. Serum levels of sICAM and VEGF were significantly higher in JIA patients with capillary abnormalities than in JIA patients with normal capillaroscopy. Our study indicates that there are structural changes in the microcirculation of patients with JIA and that these changes might reflect endothelial injury. Whether capillaroscopy might have a role in early identification of JIA patients being at higher risk of atherosclerosis requires further studies.

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the qualitative abnormalities on nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC), and the concentrations of selected biomarkers (sE-selectin, endothelin-1, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP)) and lipid metabolism parameters in children and adolescents with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP). Raynaud’s phenomenon, to assess whether nailfold capillary changes may reflect the degree of systemic blood vessel abnormalities. The study group included 66 patients (34 undifferentiated—uRP and 32 secondary—sRP) aged 6–19 years and the control group. In both groups, NVC was performed and the selected biomarkers were measured (sE-selectin, endothelin-1, hsCRP) and lipid profile. Endothelin-1, sE-selectin and hsCRP concentrations in patients from both RP groups were significantly higher; concentration of HDL fraction was significantly lower compared with the control group. The analysis of multiple linear regression demonstrated that megacapillaries most strongly determine the sE-selectin value (p = 0.04) and hsCRP (p = 0.03). Both the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction concentrations were determined by the presence of avascular areas (p = 0.02). In conclusion, specific pathologic NVC changes were associated with higher endothelial damage biomarkers concentration and adverse changes in the lipid profile.

Background. non-specific low back pain (nSLBP) is one of the most frequent causes of medical consultations. the recurrence rate is high and estimated to be within the range from 25% to 70% in different populations. currently, the contribution of various predictive factors of nSLBP is being discussed. what seems to be interesting are studies on the impact of chronic diseases on the occurrence of nSLBP. Objectives. the purpose of this paper is to assess the frequency and analyse the risk factors of recurring nSLBP with a particular emphasis on "new" predictive factors. Material and methods. 609 people (medical staff) aged 30-55 participated in the study. the study was conducted by means of a random employee survey supervised by the authors of this paper. Results. 253 subjects (41.54%) complained of recurring nSLBP. recurrences of nSLBP occurred in 48.34% of the respondents aged between 30 and 40. in the multivariate logistic regression, the following factors had, inter alia, a significant influence on the occurrence of recurring nSLBP: excessive coffee consumption (≥ 6 cups a day), smoking, hyperlipidemia, occurrence of low back pain in the respondent's family (p < 0.001; p < 0.001; p < 0.01; p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusions. 1. Prevention measures aimed at prevention of nSLBP recurrences should include young adults. 2. an important element in the diagnostic and therapeutic process is a holistic approach of the family doctor to a patient with recurring nSLBP, taking into account not only the nature of the professional work connected with biomechanical load on the spine, but also the patient's lifestyle and their concurrent diseases. 3. it is necessary to conduct further research on the impact of chronic diseases on the occurrence of recurring nSLBP. Evidence showing the existence of new predictive factors may be a basis for the implementation of better prevention strategies aimed at the prevention of nSLBP recurrence. Key words: predictors, low back pain, recurring. Summary ISSN 1734-3402, eISSN 2449-8580this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the creative commons attribution-noncommercial-Sharealike 4.0 international (cc BY-nc-Sa 4.0). License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). citko a, Górski S, marcinowicz L, Górska a. analysis of risk factors of recurring non-specific low back pain with particular emphasis on "new" predictive factors.