Air pollution has a negative impact on one’s health and on the central nervous system. We decided to assess studies that evaluated the relationship between air pollution and cognitive functions in children and adolescents by reviewing studies that had been published between January 2009 and May 2019. We searched three major databases for original works (26 studies) and for studies using brain imaging methods based on MRI (six studies). Adverse effects of air pollutants on selected cognitive or psychomotor functions were found in all of the studies. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide, for example, was linked to impaired working memory, general cognitive functions, and psychomotor functions; particulate matter 2.5 was linked to difficulties in working memory, short-term memory, attention, processing speed, and fine motor function; black carbon was linked to poor verbal intelligence, nonverbal intelligence, and working memory; airborne copper was linked to impaired attentiveness and fine motor skills; isophorone was linked to lower mathematical skills; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fetal life were linked to lower intelligence scores. The studies using MRI showed that high concentrations of air pollutants were linked to changes in the brain’s white matter or lower functional integration and segregation in children’s brain networks. In view of the global increase in air pollution, there is a need for further research to elucidate the relationship between air pollution and cognitive and motor development in children. According to some studies, neuroinflammation, the e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene, and gutathione-S-transferase gene polymorphism processes may play a role.

This publication discusses two compounds belonging to the psychoactive substances group which are studied in the context of depression treatment—psilocybin and esketamine. The former is a naturally occurring psychedelic. The latter was invented in the laboratory exactly 60 years ago. Although the substances were controversial in the past, recent studies indicate the potential of those substances as novel antidepressant agents. The PubMed/MEDLINE database was used to identify articles for systematic review, using the following search terms: (depression) AND (psilocybin) OR (ketamine). From 617 items, only 12 articles were obtained in the final analyses. Three articles were devoted to psilocybin in depression treatment and nine to esketamine. In most studies, esketamine showed a significant reduction in both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation shortly after intake and after a month of treatment compared to baseline and to standard-of-care antidepressant agents. Psilocybin’s antidepressive effects occurred one day after intake and after 6–7 weeks of treatment and were maintained for up to 6 or 8 months of follow-up. One study indicated that psilocybin’s effects are comparable with and may be superior to escitalopram treatment. Both esketamine and psilocybin demonstrated rapid and long-term effects in reducing depression symptoms and, after overcoming some limitations, may be considered as novel antidepressant agents in future.

Due to an increasing number of depression diagnoses and limited effective treatments, researchers continue to explore novel therapeutic strategies for this disorder. Recently, interest has revolved around the use of serotonergic psychedelics to reduce the symptoms of depression. In this systematic review, we summarize the currently available knowledge on the safety and efficacy of psychedelic substances for the treatment of depression. A literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database identified 14 clinical trials from the last 10 years that examined the use of psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, or LSD for the treatment of depression symptoms. Some psychedelics, especially psilocybin, demonstrated an ability to reduce depressive symptoms as measured by several psychological scales, which was often sustained for months after the last psychedelic session. Moreover, one study revealed that psilocybin has comparable efficacy to escitalopram in the treatment of depression. None of the studies reported any serious adverse events associated with psychedelic administration. The reviewed studies suggest that psychedelics have great potential in depression therapy and, after addressing and overcoming the current study limitations, may be used as a novel method of treating depression in the future.

Introduction: In the 21^st century there is an increased prevalence of depression in the world. So far the mechanism of developing depression has not been exactly known. Risk factors of depression occurrence are complex and nowadays it has been emphasized that air pollution can affect the intensity of depressive symptoms. Objective: The analysis of the scientific works investigating the correlations between air pollution and depression. Material and method: The material consisted of the studies published between 2007 and 2017. A systematic review of Medline database (using PubMed search engine) was conducted by typing the English phrase (air pollution) and (depression), and 154 results were obtained. Those results which concerned nicotine addiction or dementia diseases were rejected. The inclusion criterion was the number of people tested, n>500 in case of adults, and n>200 in case of children (a small number of publications). All in all, 9 research in the population of adults and 1 research in the group of children were included to the final analysis. In the discussion part of this work some research carried out on animals and related to the subject matter of own analyses were also investigated. Results: As many as 8 out of 10 analyzed research demonstrated statistically significant correlation between long-term exposure to air pollution (mainly to fine particulate matter, PM) and depression. This correlation mainly concerned intensification of depressive symptoms during long exposure to air pollution. The exposure also resulted in changes in the neuro-transfer of serotonin and as well in neurodegenerative changes in children exposed to long-term pollution with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in prenatal life. Testing on animals indicates that air pollution affects the activation of proinflammatory processes in hippocampus, what may incidentally contribute to the formation of depressive and cognitive symptoms. Conclusions: In view of the increase of depression incidence and constantly sustained air pollution in the world, there is a need for further research on the correlation between air pollution and depression, taking into account the genetic, social and psychological factors.

Introduction: Academic burnout is emerging as an essential obstacle in education process. Students of the most challenging fields of study with high degrees of stress are thought to be at the highest risk. Medical studies are considered one of them. The aim of the study was to measure the levels of academic burnout, stress and gratitude among Polish medical students of Medical University of Lublin, and determine their styles of coping with stress. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire comprised of the following: Maslach Burnout Inventory – Student Survey (MBI-SS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), a Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and a Gratitude Questionnaire Six-Item form (GQ-6). The data was obtained from 773 medical students. Results: Total number of 169 students (21.86%) met criteria for academic burnout. When it comes to 354 participants, they displayed signs of low self-esteem (45.8%). The number of 18 students showed low level of gratitude, while gratitude level of the majority of them – 496 (64.17%) was high. The most common style of coping with stress was emotions-oriented style – 354 students (48.29%), followed by task-oriented style – 345 students (47.07%). Burnout subscales turned out to be associated with age, year of study, self-esteem, gratitude and different styles of coping with stress to the various extent. Conclusions: The prevalence of academic burnout among Polish medical students is high compared with general population across various occupations. Utilisation of protective characteristics of high self-esteem, gratitude and healthy coping methods can result in development of efficient anti-burnout prevention strategies and intervention tools.

Introduction and purpose: the Terminology Guidelines of the American Hippotherapy Association defines Equine Assisted Activities or Therapies (EAA/T) as a collection of different forms of contact between man and horse. EAA/T have become increasingly common interventions in the last decade, demonstrating therapeutic benefits in various areas of mental health. The aim of this report is to identify the forms and programmes of EAA/T that are used and to summarise and assess the latest available evidences of their clinical effectiveness in the treatment of symptoms of mental ilness and disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress syndrome or schizophrenia. In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives, a literature review has been conducted to summarise existing evidence relating to the subject matter of the study in a descriptive manner. Description of the state of knowledge: 13 findings were found in autism spectrum disorders (1 review paper and 5 research papers), post-traumatic stress syndrome (1 review paper and 4 research papers), schizophrenia (1 review paper), and children whose parents were addicted (1 research paper). Summary: the results of the research indicate that Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAA/T), including horse riding, may be beneficial for people with mental illnesses and disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress syndrome, schizophrenia, and for people whose parents were addicted.