The incidence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) amounts to 3.2% among adults. The annual risk of aneurysm rupture is 2–10% and it results in subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). The aim of this study is to assess changes in the incidence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms and subarachnoid haemorrhages in Poland between 2013 and 2021 and the cost associated with their in-hospital treatment in the acute phase. The analysis was based on the National Health Fund database. Patients diagnosed with UIA and SAH and hospitalised between 2013 and 2021 were chosen. The statistical analysis was performed with an assumed significance level of α = 0.05. The ratio between the prevalence of SAH and UIA diagnoses was 4:6. The proportion of women in relation to men was higher in both diagnoses. The highest proportions of patients with diagnoses SAH and UIA were found in highly urbanised provinces. The value of medical services in 2021 compared to 2013 increased by 81.8%. The highest values in this period were recorded in Mazowieckie province, and the lowest were recorded in Opolskie province. The overall number of patients hospitalised with diagnosis of UIA or SAH did not decrease, but the risk of aneurysm rupture probably decreased, which resulted in lower incidence of SAH in subsequent years of observation. The recorded changes in the dynamics of the value of medical services per patient or per hospitalisation largely coincided. However, it is difficult to speculate on expected value levels as not all provinces showed linear changes in the value of services provided.

Unsatisfactory eyebrow permanent make-up (PMU) may negatively affect the well-being of patients. The aim of this study was to objectively assess the effectiveness of removing eyebrow PMU using laser or laser combined with chemical remover. It also analysed colour-related predictors of effective removal of permanent make-up. The study involved 75 patients (mean age 42.8 ± 10 years) who underwent eyebrow PMU removal using laser or laser and chemical remover. Standardised photographs were taken before and after completion of the therapy. Quantitative digital image analysis (DIA) of colour changes within the RGB and HSV and L colour spaces was performed for pre- and postprocedural colour samples from eyebrows. The total change in all the parameters and the total colour distance (ΔD) were calculated. None of the colour parameters correlated with the number of laser sessions required to obtain a satisfactory effect of PMU removal. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the model estimating the probability of the need to use chemical remover (additionally to lasers) showed an acceptable value of area under the curve (AUC = 0.703) for H cut-off value of 15.3. The designed model based on digital image analysis (DIA) of eyebrow PMU colour may serve as a tool for planning a method of PMU removal. The H parameter over cut-off value indicates the need for application of additional chemical remover (laser therapy alone was not effective). However, more variables should be incorporated in the model to prove its clinical utility.

Problem ubóstwa, zarówno w teorii, jak i w praktyce, nabrał nowego znaczenia m.in. wraz z początkiem transformacji wybranych gospodarek europejskich z centralnie planowanej do gospodarki rynkowej. Transformacja systemowa i towarzyszące jej zmiany własnościowe wywołały zmiany w rozkładzie dochodów, co wpłynęło na wzrost rozwarstwienia społeczeństwa pod względem sytuacji materialnej i pogorszenie warunków życia niektórych grup społecznych. Projektowanie i ocenę programów walki z ubóstwem powinna poprzedzać identyfikacja, kto jest uważany za biednego bądź żyjącego w ubóstwie. Zdefiniowanie ubóstwa to zatem pierwszy i kluczowy krok w pomiarze jego cech, np. jego natężenia, stąd wybór konkretnej definicji zjawiska ma fundamentalne znaczenie dla uzyskanych wyników tego pomiaru. Celem artykułu jest ocena sytuacji materialnej społeczeństw europejskich w kontekście zmian ubóstwa w ujęciu holistycznym, z uwzględnieniem wszystkich informacji dostępnych w krajowych i międzynarodowych statystykach dotyczących tego problemu. Realizując cel badawczy dla poziomu danych regionalnych, poprzez zastosowanie miary dekompozycji zmian struktury (URi), oszacowano kierunki i natężenie zmian w strukturze ubóstwa rejestrowanego. W dalszej kolejności oceniono, czy przemiany w sferze analizowanego zjawiska pokrywają się czasowo i przestrzennie. Zastosowanie odległości Hellingera (HD) pozwoliło na określenie znaczenia trendów zmian w strukturze ubóstwa, szczególnie w latach pandemii COVID–19, kiedy to w analizowanych regionach NUTS–2 zidentyfikowano wzrost znaczenia poszczególnych składowych strukturalnych ubóstwa. Dla niektórych gospodarek procesy transformacji były także konsekwencją pojawiających się w Europie kryzysów gospodarczych lub ważnych wydarzeń o znaczeniu międzynarodowym, np. sportowych czy przystępowaniu krajów do struktur UE.

Purpose: The main goal of the paper is to investigate the association between poverty and health and to assess the Polish NUTS-2 level differentiation with time points of the analysis set for 2013 and 2018. Design/methodology/approach: In order to collate poverty and health state, two separate data sets have been created, consisting of determinants that describe the various aspects of combined phenomena, differentiated among Polish regions. We use data on poverty and health across Polish voivodships. Our data sets are obtained from Local Data Bank (LDB) of the Polish Central Statistical Office (CSO). On the basis of the proposed indicators, the multidimensional character of the phenomena is examined, and the degree of their intensity and changes in tendencies over time are assessed. Health State Index (HIS) and Poverty Index (PoI) individual measures were further compiled in the development matrix. Findings: The results indicate a link between health and poverty at the regional level, while the usage of the development matrix technique allows the assessment of opportunities and threats for selected spatial units. The results confirm both positive as well as negative changes in indices levels in the analysed period. Moreover, the strength of this relationship decreases slightly over the selected time points. The identified changes originate mainly in recorded levels of poverty, while the situation of spatial objects in 2018 (compared to 2013) deteriorates mainly due to reasons related to the state of health. Research limitations/implications: Because of the design of the development matrix, it is not advised to use the technique for a high number of objects/units. The proposed approach could give certain information on the rate of changes, indicating the increases/decreases in the combined indicator levels. Although the results are summarised by an image of coordinates in the development matrix space diagram, the identification of a unique object might be limited. Hence, only overall tendencies, like for the correlation scatterplot, could be illustrated by the graph. However, this does not diminish the importance of this technique, and by applying appropriate sampling, the in-depth study of both poverty and health state could be easily achieved. Originality/value: The research study assumed to use several groups of indicators for the construction of synthetic indices. The proposed measures highlight a multidimensional concept of the analysed phenomena. The research can be an example of a supportive tool for planning regional strategies that are aimed at improving the health condition or reducing poverty intensity.

The growing interest in the concept of using welfare categories as a measure of economic or social development results from the fact that dominant income categories have been replaced by solutions related to individuals’ basic, existential and higher-order needs being fulfilled. The transition from analysing the poverty rate category, through the various approaches to material deprivation, to the perception of welfare in economic, subjective, or hidden terms is visible. The main purpose of the study is to estimate the subjective level of welfare of households in Poland. The subjective level of various socio-economic phenomena is often difficult to estimate; therefore, the study uses the approach of structural modelling for the multiple indicators and multiple causes model (MIMIC), which assumes the presence of a latent variable. The research is based on data from the Social Diagnosis panel study for household level in Poland. Based on the construction and positive substantive and statistical verification of the model the results show that subjectively the best welfare situation was identified mainly for households located in countryside areas, where even the lowest estimated levels of welfare exceed the highest estimated levels for cities of various sizes. Investigating the spatial distribution, the highest levels of subjective welfare were recorded for the Lubelskie and Swietokrzyskie voivodeships, and thanks to moving to a higher spatial data aggregation level (to the sub-regional), a more detailed assessment of spatial units was possible. In further research, individualised voivodeship models will be estimated to capture a more accurate differentiation of the influence of MIMIC model variables. A similar direction of analysis is anticipated for sub-regional data.

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