Since the 1990s, there has been a significant increase in the number of imaging examinations as well as a related increase in the healthcare expenditure and the exposure of the population to X-rays. This study aimed to analyze the workload trends in radiology during the last decade, including the impact of COVID-19 in a single university hospital in Poland and to identify possible solutions to the challenges that radiology could face in the future. We compared the annual amount of computed tomography (CT), radiography (X-ray), and ultrasound (US) examinations performed between the years 2010 and 2020 and analyzed the changes in the number of practicing radiologists in Poland. The mean number of patients treated in our hospital was 60,727 per year. During the last decade, the number of CT and US examinations nearly doubled (from 87.4 to 155.7 and from 52.1 to 86.5 per 1000 patients in 2010 and 2020 respectively), while X-ray examinations decreased from 115.1 to 96.9 per 1000 patients. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic did not change the workload trends as more chest examinations were performed. AI, which contributed to the COVID-19 diagnosis, could aid radiologists in the future with the growing workload by increasing the efficiency of radiology departments as well as by potentially minimizing the related costs.

Iodine deficiency is an ongoing problem. The implementation of salt iodization has significantly reduced the effects of iodine deficiency worldwide in recent years, and the remaining iodine deficiency is mild to moderate. Iodine is an essential substrate for the synthesis of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland. It can also act as an antioxidant, as well as an anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic factor. Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children are particularly affected by iodine deficiency. It leads to thyroid diseases and metabolic and developmental disorders, as well as cancer. However, an excessive iodine intake may, similarly to iodine deficiency, lead to the development of goiter, and toxic amounts of iodine can lead to thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism, and even to the development of papillary thyroid cancer. Correcting iodine deficiency potentially reduces the chance of developing malignancies. Additional research is needed to better understand both the effect of iodine on carcinogenesis and the clinical outcome of iodine deficiency compensation on cancer patients’ prognosis. The upcoming public health challenge appears to be reducing salt consumption, which could result in a lower iodine intake. Thus, an iodine enrichment vehicle other than salt could be considered if salt iodine levels are not increased to compensate, and urine iodine levels should be monitored more frequently.

Background: Our study analyzes the frequency and risk factors of hyperuricemia and the use of allopurinol in a representative cohort of the older Polish adult population. Methods: The analysis was a part of a cross-sectional PolSenior study on aging in Poland. The complete medication data were available in 4873 out of 4979 community dwelling respondents aged 65 and over. Serum uric acid concentrations were evaluated in 4028 participants (80.9% of the cohort). Results: Hyperuricemia was observed in 28.2% of women and 24.7% of men. Ten risk factors of hyperuricemia were selected based on multivariable LASSO logistic regression analysis. Nine factors showed significant odds ratios: eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² (OR = 4.10), hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 1.88), obesity (OR = 1.75), heart failure (1.70), CRP > 3.0 mg/dL (OR = 1.64), coronary artery disease (OR = 1.30), use of loop-diuretics (OR = 4.20), hydrochlorothiazide (OR = 2.96), and thiazide-like diuretics (OR = 2.81). Allopurinol was used by 2.8% of men and 1.8% of women. The therapy was considered effective in 46.7% of men and 53.3% of women. Conclusions: Hyperuricemia was present in 23.1% (95% CI: 21.8–24.4) of the older Polish population. The frequency of hyperuricemia increases with age, reaching 30.5% in men and 33.7% in women aged 90 years or more. Chronic kidney disease, obesity, heart failure, hypertriglyceridemia, and the use of diuretics were the strongest risk factors for hyperuricemia in older adults. The treatment with allopurinol was ineffective in more than half of participants.

Cancer is one of the leading public health problems globally. Since time is of the essence in oncology, the sooner an accurate diagnosis is made, the better the prognosis for patients. There is a growing need to find a flawless and fast imaging method for cancer detection, but also for its evaluation during treatment. In this respect, the possibilities and novelties of magnetic resonance imaging are particularly promising. Abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging (AMRI) protocols have aroused universal interest as a compromise between scanning time reduction and preservation of image quality. Shorter protocols focused on the detection of suspicious lesions with the most sensitive sequences could provide a diagnostic performance similar to the one of the standard protocol. The purpose of this article is to review the ongoing accomplishments in the use of AMRI protocols in liver metastases and HCC detection.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy, affecting middle-age and older women frequently suffering from other chronic diseases, including chronic kidney disease. The risk of breast cancer development in women on renal replacement therapy (peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis) is higher than in the general population. Chronic kidney disease does not limit surgical treatment or radiotherapy; however, it affects the pharmacokinetics of drugs used in the systematic treatment to a different extent, increasing their toxicity and the risk of adverse drug reactions. This article summarizes the current knowledge (published studies accessed through PUBMED) on drugs used in chemotherapy, hormone therapy, anti-HER2 drugs, CDK4/6 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and immune therapy in breast cancer patients undergoing dialysis. We discuss the data, the optimal choice of the chemotherapeutic protocol, and the administration of drugs in a specific time relation to the haemodialysis session to ensure the most effective and safe treatment to breast cancer patients.

Substances available in nature with potential therapeutic effects are the subject of research that raises tremendous hopes for new challenges in medicine. Fungi are the most common organisms in the ecosystem and the most interesting in this respect. This review discusses two species of edible fungi, used for centuries in Eastern natural medicine, with the best-documented effect – Hericium erinaceus (He) and Trametes versicolor (Tv). The results of in vivo and in vitro studies conducted on mice and human cell lines demonstrate immunomodulatory, potentially, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and neuroregenerative effects of substances isolated from these fungi. The substances contained in the extracts of He and Tv seem to have immunomodulatory effects that may support chemotherapy. The use of these extracts is justified stronger than the other supportive treat ments based on supplements.