Volume 77 (2021): Edition 4 (December 2021)

Here we present a unique life path of Sergiy Gulyar, a world-known Ukrainian scientist who was overcoming extreme conditions studying them on himself. He has developed his determination and responsibility from his basic experiences as a surgeon and his desire to win from his involvement in sports. His research in underwater laboratories has shown a capacity to find untrodden pathways to understand and explain what others did not even suspect. His physiological studies on the role of sea depths, breathing mixtures, underwater exposures, and diving schemes marked the path to the aquanauts and undersea man. Reaching the hyper depths equivalent to 2,500 m revealed the physiological limits of human being and defined how to handle hyperbaric respiratory failure. Prof. S. Gulyar suggested a usage of natural physiological mechanisms to accelerate the re-adaptation process as a part of the high-mountain rehabilitation of hyperbaria-adapted people. Dissertations were defended, books and articles were written, a scientific school of followers was created. Unfortunately, during the Soviet period, Prof. S. Gulyar faced a set of organizational problems and obstacles from the Soviet regime. In particular, his works were classified or hushed up, his intellectual property was often used without mentioning the author and his scientific team was intimidated by criminal investigations. Main recognition during this period had come from professional societies in Europe and the United States. After the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Prof. S. Gulyar introduced a number of innovations and inventions in electromagnetic medicine and physiology. In particular, he has managed to account for main common features of physiological effects of light stimulation produced by Lasers, Light-Emitted Diodes and Bioptron light sources. By doing so, some mystical dogmas were filtered out and new paths to sensible light-induced treatments were developed. At the same time, Prof. S. Gulyar has preserved the legacy of many generations of medical professionals who used light in their treatments. He has shown in his physiological experiments that stimulation of biologically active zones including acupuncture points light stimulation has a wide spectrum of biological effects including alleviation of pain symptoms. Now mono- and polychromatic visual and transcutaneous light therapy of pain has been recognized scientifically and clinically, and its place in medicine has been firmly established. Prof. S. Gulyar described a new functional system of the organism that regulates the electromagnetic equilibrium. A step into the future was the first experimentally grounded technology for the use of fullerene-modified light. Positive changes have been proven with its percutaneous and ocular use. These first results open the door to complete analysis and future investigations. Prof. S. Gulyar has published 20 monographs, 470 papers and abstracts, and received 11 patents. Many of his inventions have been implemented, the others are still awaiting implementation. This article is based on the data obtained by the authors during many years of their personal cooperation, as well as from the memoirs of Prof. S. Gulyar and the materials he provided.

Attenuation of light in the ocean ranges widely depending on the environment and is especially significant in optical remote sensing. Absorption of light by ocean water limits the range light can travel before being extinguished. The complex interactions of scattering light and ocean water often lead to distortions of the signal as it propagates which degrades the quality and accuracy of underwater measurements. Consequently, underwater visibility (i.e. how well an object can be seen with definition at distance) can be less than 1 [m] in turbid and murky environments such as harbors. Advancements in laser imaging systems make highly accurate measurements at further ranges than has previously been possible through temporally filtering of a modulated laser signal at frequencies as high as 1 [GHz]. Here we overview the processes affecting underwater light propagation and visibility, laser imaging systems, recent advancements in the field of underwater optical imaging, and the application of such systems.

The article is the first in a series of articles on the research and implementation of saturation diving technology in our country which presents the specific Polish conditions and achievements against the background of economic and historical circumstances. In view of the fact that research and implementation has a history of more than half a century, selected key figures of this period are recalled, some of whom have disappeared in the fogs of history. In the specialized literature of the world, the Polish underwater habitats of Meduza are among top 6 countries that researched and implemented, this high technology of saturation diving. Regarded as the inspirer, pioneer and creator of the first saturation diving, he designed and developed the technique and decompression with the cooperation of a team of enthusiasts from clubs and professional divers, as well as engineering staff from the Tri-City enterprises. In the first part of the article the author characterizes the saturation dives in comparison with short dives with particular emphasis on decompression, which is the key to safe diving. The article also takes into account the technical conditions for the implementation of the first saturation dives. The author discusses the general methodology of validation and verification of the assumed decompression, referring to the Polish conditions. He describes how the medical, technical, and organizational problems of implementation of saturation diving were solved in the pioneering period against the background of world achievements. Furthermore, the author describes Polish habitat constructions of Meduza and Geonur types and their application to underwater work on the Polish shelf and coastal areas. Despite the great progress in the field of medicine and technology, as well as organization, the problems of saturation diving, despite the passage of time, remain relevant, as these are the most difficult dives from the point of view of organization, underwater physiology and safety technology.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a method supporting the treatment of many diseases. Oxygen therapy treatments are conducted in hyperbaric chambers, in which patients breathe pure, 100% oxygen with higher than atmospheric pressure. This allows to increase the amount of oxygen supplied to all cells of the body many times over. The treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy enables the patient to recover faster and be fully active, and also reduces the costs of standard treatment.

The aim of the study was to summarize the possible applications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The available literature in the PUBMED database was reviewed in September 2022 with the use of the phrases ‘hyperbaric oxygen therapy’, ‘therapeutic applications’. The indications for therapy in a hyperbaric chamber are all kinds of diseases, both acute and chronic. The method supports the nourishment and regeneration of cells and tissues of the organism, and also slows down the aging process. However, due to the possible side effects of such therapy, patients should be qualified for its use after a careful analysis of their clinical condition and coexisting diseases. To sum up: hyperbaric oxygen therapy is most often used in the treatment of skin diseases and injuries, burns, and peripheral vascular diseases.

The paper presents an accident of a diver in classic equipment. After several hours of hard work underwater, shortened instead of extended decompression was applied. The staff disregarded the symptoms of type I decompression sickness reported by the diver, and therefore the treatment was started with a significant delay. The use of recompression treatment - therapeutic decompression resulted in permanent and complete resolution of symptoms.

Disability is an interdisciplinary-medical, social and professional phenomenon. The goal of medical professionals is to treat a person and restore his or her fitness. The group of disabled people in Poland is characterized by a lower level of education than among non-disabled people and high unemployment. The purpose of vocational rehabilitation is to make it easier for a disabled person to obtain and maintain appropriate employment and career advancement. Social rehabilitation is defined as an activity aimed at enabling a disabled person to fully participate in social life. The tasks of the local government addressed to disabled people include conducting occupational therapy workshops (WTZ), occupational activity establishments (ZAZ), community self-help homes (ŚDS) and social welfare homes (DPS).

The aim of the study was to analyze the implementation of self-government tasks in the field of social and vocational rehabilitation of disabled people, with particular emphasis on ZAZ in the Lubelskie Voivodeship in 2008-2017.

The work uses data collected in 2008-2017 by the Regional Center for Social Policy (ROPS) in Lublin. In addition, in December 2017, they were sent by e-mail to ROPS and Marshal’s Offices in voivodship cities in Poland, inquiries about tasks and ways of implementing these tasks in the field of social and vocational rehabilitation of disabled people in 2008-2017. The available data on expenditure from the State Fund for Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRON) was collected. The research material was statistically developed using the IBM SPSS Statistics (v. 25) and Statistica (v. 13) statistical packages.

In the years 2008-2017 in the Lubelskie Voivodeship, PLN 75,529,959 was allocated for vocational and social rehabilitation of people with disabilities, the most (PLN 9,158,243) in 2016. In the same year, the largest number of people used the ZAZ. In 2008-2017, the average annual amount of expenditure on social and vocational rehabilitation of disabled people in all Polish provinces was PLN 7 576 718.9. In the discussed period, the highest amounts from PFRON were allocated to the rehabilitation of disabled people in the Śląskie Voivodeship, and the lowest in Lubuskie, while Lubelskie received average amounts.

In Poland, in the field of social and vocational rehabilitation and employment of disabled people, solutions similar to those already developed are applied in the countries of Western Europe. The costs of financing vocational rehabilitation, understood as financing the functioning of the ZAZ by voivodship self-governments, are constantly growing. The growing expenses incurred on the activities of the ZAZ do not significantly improve the situation related to vocational rehabilitation and employment of disabled people. Improving the operation of the system of vocational and social rehabilitation of people with disabilities should not only consist in increasing the funds spent under the current inefficient system, but should be preceded by a thorough analysis of the current state and the development of extensive organizational changes.