The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Nordic walking on upper extremity strength and the level of lymphoedema in women following treatment for breast cancer (BC). A group of 38 women with treated BC were assigned to two groups: a study group of 23 women taking part in 8 weeks of Nordic walking and a control group of 15 women. Each participant was assessed for bilateral muscle strength using an upper limb push-pull attachment. Circumference measurement served for determination of the volume of the lymphoedema. In women after the surgical procedure on the right side statistically significant changes in the strength of pushing motion of both the right and the left were observed. In women after the surgical procedure on the left side these values were statistically significant only for the left extremity. No significant changes were demonstrated for the treated side; we did not record either the occurrence or the intensification of lymphoedema in women after BC treatment. So, Nordic walking can be considered as safe form of rehabilitation for this group of patients.

Lactase is an enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of lactose. Deficiency of the enzyme (hypolactasia) may be determined genetically or arise secondarily to disease of small intestine. Under this condition, lactose enters the colon where it is fermented by intestinal microflora and turns to gases and short-chain fatty acids, causing gastrointestinal symptoms known as lactose intolerance (LI). To investigate the incidence of lactose malabsorption (LM), LI and the coexistence of these two conditions in children with upper gastrointestinal tract diseases (UGTD), malabsorption syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). Hydrogen breath test (HBT) was conducted in 387 pediatric patients in years 2010-2013. Two hundred thirty two children with gastrointestinal tract diseases were selected and assigned to groups - UGTD, malabsorption syndrome, IBD or FGID. For each group the frequency of LM, frequency and severity of LI and the frequency of their co-occurrence were calculated. Lactose malabsorption was observed in 37.08% of patients with gastrointestinal diseases. Positive HBT result was the most common in children with malabsorption syndrome (52.50%) and less common in UGTD (30.85%), especially in ulcer disease (23.53%). Symptoms after lactose ingestion affected 36.64% of the subjects, and were more specific to lactose malabsorbers than to lactose absorbers (72.10% vs. 15.75%). The higher frequency of LI was noted in children with FGID, especially in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (65.22%). The lowest incidence of symptoms was obtained in children with UGTD, especially in those with ulcer disease (27.44%). The incidence of LM with LI was noted in 27.16% of all patients and was the highest in IBS (47.83%) and the lowest in ulcer disease (15.78%). Lactose malabsorption is a common problem in children with gastrointestinal diseases, especially in children with bowel diseases. Lactose intolerance is related to LM, but does not affect all malabsorbers.

Motility disturbances of the esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are observed frequently in children after repair of congenital esophageal atresia with distal tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF). Recently, in many pediatric surgical centers, thoracoscopic repair was introduced, which theoretically would change the postoperative course. The goal of the study was to assess physical development, disease symptoms, and GERD symptom frequency in children who underwent thoracoscopic surgery of congenital EA/TEF. The study comprised 22 children (14 boys and 8 girls), aged 16 to 79 months (average age 47.3 months) after surgery of EA/TEF. Clinical symptoms and physical development were analyzed. In 19 children, multichannel intraluminal esophageal impedance connected with pH-metry (MII/pH) was performed. In 11 patients, esophagogastroduodenoscopy with a histological study of mucosa samples was done. The most frequent symptoms were dysphagia, belching, cough and recurrent bronchitis. In 31.5% of the children, body mass deficiency was observed and in 28.6%, low body mass and short stature. Prematurity was present in half of the patients. Depending on the result of the MII/pH study, the children were divided into two groups: 10 children with GERD and 9 children without diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux. In the 10 with GERD, acid reflux was diagnosed in 9 and non-acid reflux was diagnosed in one. MII/pH demonstrated statistically significant differences in the number of reflux episodes, reflux index, bolus exposure index, mean time of esophageal exposure and acid exposure and mean acid clearance time in children with GERD in comparison to children without this disease. In 36.4% of children who underwent endoscopy, esophagitis was diagnosed, esophageal stricture in 18% and gastric metaplasia in 9.1%. In children who underwent corrective thoracoscopic surgery of EA/TEF, GERD caused by motility disorders of the esophagus was frequently observed. These children require constant monitoring and early treatment of the complication.

Several lines of evidence indicate that retinoids, derivates of vitamin A, affect reproductive function in birds, however, the mechanism of their action in the ovary is still unknown. Therefore, the present study was designed (i) to show whether in the domestic hen 9-cis retinoic acid (9-cis RA), one of the retinoids, influences steroid secretion in vitro by white and yellow chicken ovarian follicles, and (ii) to detect expression of retinoic acid RXR receptor mRNA in these follicles. The white follicles (small: 1-4 mm, medium: 4-6 mm and large 6-8 mm in diameter) and the three largest yellow preovulatory follicles (F3-F1; 25-37 mm) were isolated from the ovary 3 h before ovulation. The granulosa layer was separated from the theca layer in the preovulatory follicles, which were subsequently divided into 4 equal pieces. The isolated whole white follicles or parts of the granulosa or theca layers were incubated for 24 h at 38°C in Eagle's medium in the following 4 groups: control, ovine LH (oLH; 10 ng/ml), 9-cis RA (100 ng/ml) and 9-cis RA + oLH. After incubation, the medium was collected for estradiol (E₂) and progesterone (P₄) determination while tissues were saved for protein assay. It was found that 9-cis RA affects steroid secretion from chicken ovarian follicles. It decreased E₂ secretion from white follicles and from the theca layer of the two largest (F2 and F1) preovulatory follicles. 9-cis RA had no effect on oLH-stimulated E₂ secretion by the white follicles and yellow F2 and F1 follicles, but it diminished E₂ secretion by F3 follicles. As regards P₄, the effect of 9-cis RA was opposite; it increased P₄ secretion from the granulosa layer of all preovulatory follicles. 9-cis RA did not change oLH-stimulated P₄ secretion by granulosa layers of F3 and F2 follicles, however, it inhibited oLH-enhanced P₄ secretion from the F1 granulosa layer. In a separate experiment, the presence of mRNA encoding RXR was found in the stroma and all follicles of the chicken ovary by means of the RT-PCR technique. The results indicate that retinoids, acting by specific nuclear receptors, are modulators of follicular steroidogenesis in the chicken ovary.