Background and objectives: Working in a healthcare setting is associated with high levels of stress and burnout syndrome. Work-related quality of life (WRQoL) remains insufficiently evaluated among physicians. The aim of this study is to assess the WRQoL among physicians of interventional, non-interventional, and diagnostic specialties in Poland. Materials and Methods: Standardized and anonymous WRQoL questionnaires have been filled in by 257 physicians working in Silesia, Poland. After the removal of missing data, 246 individuals were stratified in terms of specialties into the appropriate categories, including interventional, non-interventional, and diagnostics. These categories were compared using the following subscales: general well-being (GWB), home–work interface (HWI), job and career satisfaction (JCS), control at work (CAW), working conditions (WCS), and stress at work (SAW). Results: Out of 246 individuals, 132 were women (53.7%) and 112 (45.5%) were men. There were no differences in terms of WRQoL scores (p = 0.220) and subscales GWB (p = 0.148), HWI (p = 0.368), JCS (p = 0.117), CAW (p = 0.224), WCS (p = 0.609), SAW (p = 0.472) between interventional, non-interventional, and diagnostic specialties. The group of young doctors (age ≤ 30 years) had higher JCS scores than the older ones (mean score [SD], 22.7 [3.98] vs. 21 [4.6]; p = 0.013). Physicians who were not working in hospital had higher WRQoL score than respondents working in hospital (p = 0.061), with significant differences in terms of GWB (mean score [SD], 20.3 [4.93] vs. 22.8 [3.2], p = 0.014), HWI (mean score [SD], 9.1 [=2.65] vs. 10.6 [2.73], p = 0.011), and WCS (mean score [SD], 9.5 [2.61] vs. 10.8 [2.54], p = 0.035). Conclusion: There were no differences considering overall WRQoL between analyzed groups stratified according to specialty. However, we disclosed a significant association between the respondent’s WRQoL and age as well as place of work.

Wprowadzenie: Kleszczowe zapalenie mózgu (tick-borne encephalitis – TBE) jest chorobą wywoływaną przez wirusa kleszczowego zapalenia mózgu, który jest przenoszony przez ukąszenia kleszczy. Rozpowszechnienie TBE ocenia się na 10,000–15,000 przypadków rocznie i jest porównywalne dla krajów europejskich i azjatyckich. Około 10–20% wszystkich zainfekowanych osób jest w wieku dziecięcym. Znaczna większość, bo aż 70–98% z nich, przechodzi tę chorobę bezobjawowo lub jest niezdiagnozowana. Do głównych objawów klinicznych zalicza się zapalenie opon mózgowo-rdzeniowych (obecne w 69% przypadków) i mózgu (30%) oraz rdzenia kręgowego (1%). U około 2,1% pacjentów rozwijają się długotrwałe następstwa neurologiczne.Metodyka: Artykuły do pracy zostały wybrane z trzech ogólnodostępnych baz danych. Wykorzystano w tym celu następujące hasła: „infection/epidemiology” + „tick bites/tick-borne encephalitis” + „clinical manifestation/pathogenesis/treatment” oraz „aseptic/viral/bacterial” + „encephalitis/meningitis”. Ostatecznie wybrano 71 prac naukowych i 8 witryn internetowych opublikowanych w latach 1995–2023.Stan wiedzy: TBE, ze względu na wektor kleszczowy, może być różnicowane z takimi jednostkami chorobowymi jak: babeszjoza, borelioza, południowa wysypka związana z kleszczami (southern tick-associated rash illness – STARI), chlamydioza, erlichioza, gorączka kleszczowa Kolorado (Colorado tick fever – CTF), wirus Heartland (HRTV), wirus Powassan (POWV), anaplazmoza granulocytarna, dur powrotny (tick-borne relapsing fever – TBRF), toksoplazmoza, tularemia, riketsjozy; lub z jednostkami o podobnej symptomatologii, takimi jak: udar mózgu, bruceloza, mononukleoza zakaźna (infectious mononucleosis – IM), żółta febra (yellow fever – YF), japońskie zapalenie mózgu (Japanese encephalitis – JE), inne wirusowe zapalenie opon mózgowo-rdzeniowych, mózgu, rdzenia kręgowego oraz aseptyczne zapalenie opon mózgowo-rdzeniowych.Wnioski: Diagnostyka różnicowa TBE jest obszerna i powinna obejmować szeroki zakres zakażeń ośrodkowego układu nerwowego wywołanych zarówno przez inne czynniki zakaźne, jak i choroby niezakaźne.

Background: The escalating global burden of Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and comorbid anxiety necessitates a fundamental shift in psychiatric therapeutic strategies. Traditional monoaminergic hypotheses often fail to account for the systemic inflammatory nature of affective disorders. Recent evidence identifies chronic, low-grade neuroinflammation - driven by the Microbiota-Gut-Brain (MGB) axis - as a primary mediator of treatment failure and neuronal atrophy. Postbiotics, specifically the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate, offer a stable, standardized, and bioavailable alternative to live probiotics.Aim of the study: This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the molecular mechanisms by which butyrate modulates neuroinflammatory pathways, stabilizes biological barriers, and acts as a potent epigenetic regulator to improve clinical outcomes in TRD.Material and methods: A comprehensive narrative review of 49 high-impact studies published between 2010 and 2025 was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.Results: Preclinical data demonstrate that butyrate serves as a potent Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, promoting the expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Furthermore, butyrate mitigates "leaky gut" by upregulating Tight Junction (TJ) proteins (ZO-1, occludin) via the AMPK/Akt pathways and shifts microglial polarization from a pro-inflammatory (M1) to a neuroprotective (M2) phenotype through FFAR2 signaling.Conclusions: Butyrate represents a cornerstone for the future of precision psychiatry. Integrating metabolic profiling (e.g., CRP, IL-6, and fecal SCFA levels) into clinical protocols may enable targeted postbiotic interventions in patients refractory to conventional pharmacotherapy.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that is marked by variable airflow limitation and hyperresponsiveness of the airways. Although pharmacologic management remains the mainstay of asthma therapy, physical exercise and other non-pharmacologic treatments are increasingly found to have an adjunctive function in the disease control. The present review collates available information on the role of physical training as an add-on therapy in the treatment of asthma. It focuses on how proper regular exercise can enhance pulmonary function, reduce symptom burden, and improve quality of life. Particular attention is given to the swimming environment and its multidirectional interaction with asthma, such that exposure to chlorinated by-products can enhance airway inflammation even as the activity has beneficial physiological effects. The article also addresses the physiological mechanisms of exercise-induced asthma (EIA), recommended exercise modalities and intensities, and assessment of physical activity in asthmatic patients. The overall results point to the necessity of individualized, multidisciplinary management encompassing both medical and lifestyle intervention in the treatment of asthma.

Introduction Laryngectomy is a surgical intervention that involves the partial or complete excision of the larynx, which is the primary organ responsible for phonation and airway protection. The most common indications for laryngectomy are malignancies of the larynx or severe trauma resulting in extensive damage to the larynx. The surgical procedure can be performed as a partial laryngectomy, which involves the removal of a portion of the larynx, or as a total laryngectomy, which requires the complete removal of the larynx, including the vocal folds, hyoid bone, epiglottis, thyroid and cricoid cartilage, and several rings of tracheal cartilage. This surgical intervention results in the separation of the upper airway from the oral cavity, nasopharynx, and esophagus, requiring the establishment of an alternative means for respiration and speech production. The management of patients who undergo laryngectomy requires a multidisciplinary approach, including the involvement of speech therapist and psychologists, among other healthcare professionals, to optimize the rehabilitation process and improve patient outcomes. Case presentation A 66-year-old male patient with a 30-year history of cigarette smoking was admitted to the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) clinic for complaints of hoarseness and dysphagia that had been present for several months. On examination, the patient's throat was unchanged, and there was no purulent discharge from the nose. The patient was diagnosed with laryngeal carcinoma, stage T3N1M0. Conclusions Total laryngectomy is a highly effective treatment option for advanced stage laryngeal cancer, with 5-year survival rates ranging from 53% to 86%. Patients who undergo total laryngectomy and receive a voice prosthesis and voice rehabilitation with a speech therapist report better voice quality and overall quality of life, which can help to reduce the risk of depression and anxiety following surgery.

The study analyzes the correlation between the indications and results of head CT examinations in search of evidence of the excessive use of this diagnostic method. In total, 1160 referrals for urgent head CT were analyzed retrospectively, including the following parameters: patients’ sex and age, type of scan (C−, C+, angio-CT), description of symptoms and presence of diagnostic target. Pathologies identified by the radiologist were assigned to four classes, regarding the severity of diagnosed conditions. The analysis of the CT results has shown that over half (55.22%) of the examinations revealed no deviations or showed chronic, asymptomatic lesions. As many as 73.71% referrals constituted group 0 in terms of the lack of a diagnostic target of a specific pathology. The presence of specific clinical targeting in a referral correlated significantly with a higher frequency of acute diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced follow-up examinations allowed the unequivocal classification of patients into extreme classes (I or IV) and accurate identification of patients requiring urgent or chronic treatment. Excessive use of diagnostic imaging is harmful, not only to patients, who often are unnecessarily exposed to radiation, but also to the quality of healthcare, since it increases the costs and radiologists’ workload.