Artificial intelligence (AI) as a branch of computer science, the purpose of which is to imitate thought processes, learning abilities and knowledge management, finds more and more applications in experimental and clinical medicine. In recent decades, there has been an expansion of AI applications in biomedical sciences. The possibilities of artificial intelligence in the field of medical diagnostics, risk prediction and support of therapeutic techniques are growing rapidly. The aim of the article is to analyze the current use of AI in nutrients science research. The literature review was conducted in PubMed. A total of 399 records published between 1987 and 2020 were obtained, of which, after analyzing the titles and abstracts, 261 were rejected. In the next stages, the remaining records were analyzed using the full-text versions and, finally, 55 papers were selected. These papers were divided into three areas: AI in biomedical nutrients research (20 studies), AI in clinical nutrients research (22 studies) and AI in nutritional epidemiology (13 studies). It was found that the artificial neural network (ANN) methodology was dominant in the group of research on food composition study and production of nutrients. However, machine learning (ML) algorithms were widely used in studies on the influence of nutrients on the functioning of the human body in health and disease and in studies on the gut microbiota. Deep learning (DL) algorithms prevailed in a group of research works on clinical nutrients intake. The development of dietary systems using AI technology may lead to the creation of a global network that will be able to both actively support and monitor the personalized supply of nutrients.

Background: The perception of one’s own illness by the elderly significantly affects the success of diagnostic and therapeutic processes. It depends on the patient’s existential situation, coping strategies, social support and the way the patient is treated by the medical personnel. The aim of this study was to investigate how the elderly perceive their own illness. Methods: The study covered 303 people over 60 years of age who were hospitalized in wards of Lublin hospitals. A diagnostic survey method was used in the study. The research tools were: the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief-IPQ), Imagination and Perception of Illness Scale (IPIS) and a questionnaire of own authorship. The place of residence in the study population significantly influenced the perception of own illness measured by the Brief-IPQ. Results: The elderly perceived their own illness through the prism of mental and physical destruction. Statistically significant correlations were observed between almost all components of the Brief-IPQ and self-assessed health status of the subjects. Conclusions: Older people’s perception of their own illness is very important in the success of the therapeutic process. The perception of disease is not statistical; it changes depending on the chronicity of the disease, its duration, cultural factors and the doctor–patient relationship. It is associated with biopsychosocial processes that affect the ability to perceive and understand the disease and to take appropriate actions to improve health.

Health Care Chaplains, whose primary role is to provide spiritual care to patients, their families, and medical staff, are sometimes asked for help in making difficult decisions and resolving confl...

Introduction and purpose: The worldwide prevalence of obesity increased threefold between 1975 and 2016. Obesity is a risk factor for gastrointestinal cancers, including the pancreas, liver, esophagus, colorectum, stomach cardia, and gallbladder. This work is an analysis of the available PubMed literature on relationship between obesity and gastrointestinal cancers and possible mechanisms linking them.Brief description of the state of knowledge: There is a number of mechanisms responsible for obesity associated gastrointestinal cancers. Excess adiposity leads to: metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, altered production of steroid hormones and adipokines as well as changes in insulin and IGF1 signaling. This study examines the processes leading to obesity-associated colorectal, esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers, which are known to be the most prevalent and lethal cancers worldwide. In this review, the mechanisms of gastrointestinal cancerogenesis such as changes in insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling pathways, chronic inflammation associated to obesity, altered adipokine and inflammatory factors levels, are being discussed.Conclusions: Thorough understanding of the biological processes connecting obesity, metabolic health and gastrointestinal cancers may help to discover new risk factors and biomarkers, improve preventive strategies and invent ground-breaking treatment.Key words: obesity; gastrointestinal cancers; mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

Introduction and purpose: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) is the third most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract in the Western population. Peritoneal metastases (PM) affect 5-10% patients with PAC at the moment of diagnosis and 50% of patients who experience a recurrence after a successful resection. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) in the treatment of PM from PAC based on the literature available on PubMed websiteBrief description of the state of knowledge: PIPAC is a relatively new method of treatment and the number of studies investigating its application in the treatment of PM from PAC is scarce. Nevertheless, initial findings suggest that PIPAC is linked to 15,6 months of the median overall survival, while standard intravenous chemotherapy reaches only 7,6 months . Furthermore, PIPAC seems to be a fairly safe method, as no grade 3 or grade 4 complications (according to CTCAE v4.0) occurred. However, all of the studies involved an unrepresentative number of patients and they were not free from a selection bias. Moreover, due to the novelty of the PIPAC procedure, it still needs to be properly standardised. Conclusions: Available data concerning the application of PIPAC in the treatment of PM from PDAC is limited. Large prospective studies consisting of control groups are still lacking. Nevertheless, the results of accessible studies displaying a median OS of participants reaching 14-16,8 months, with no G3 and G4 complications, are encouraging and justify further research.