Volume 71 (2020): Edizione 2 (June 2020)

A safe transition from a higher-pressure atmosphere to a lower-pressure atmosphere is achieved by means of a planned decompression process, usually through changes in pressure and/or the composition of the breathing mix as a function of time. However, the decompression process is influenced by a greater number of inherent1 factors than merely changes in pressure and composition of the breathing mixture, the values of which should be maintained within certain ranges. However, there are instances where control over them cannot be maintained, leaving elements of residual risk2 to the decompression process. The safety of decompression should be assessed, inter alia, by analysing this risk for each implementation of the decompression process.

The research undertaken was a continuation of previous studies relating to professional divers. The bioelectrical activity of the brain with an electronic electroencephalograph (EEG) was studied in a group of 89 instructors for amateur diving between 21 and 50 years of age. Pathological patterns were found in 15.7% of the subjects. In comparison with professional divers, the disturbances were significantly less frequent, but considerably more frequent in comparison with the control group. There was no relationship between the occurrence of the disorders in relation to the age of the examined person, however, the occurrence of the disorders was more frequent in persons with the least experience. Moreover, a correlation was found in one age group between abnormalities of EEG recording and the occurrence of sterile bone necrosis.

The paper presents a case of pulmonary barotrauma in a scuba diver. Swallowing water and respiratory arrest during the ascent caused the trauma. Symptoms from the respiratory system (including the Behnke’s symptom) appeared several minutes after the completion of the dive and were not severe. However, symptoms from the peripheral nervous system, which appeared later, increased rapidly until the seizure episode and loss of consciousness. Hyperbaric treatment was applied in a decompression chamber on board the ship from which the dive was conducted. The treatment resulted in complete remission of symptoms without any consequences.

The article describes a diver performing a dive at small depths in a dry suit, breathing from a single-stage apparatus placed on his back. As a result of training deficiencies, the diver began breathing from inside the suit, which led to hypoxia and subsequent uncontrolled ascent. Upon returning to the surface, the diver developed neurological symptoms based on which a diagnosis of pulmonary barotrauma was made. The diver was successfully treated with therapeutic recompression-decompression.

The paper describes the case of a military diver who suffered from a complicated poisoning caused by hydrocarbons contained in his breathing air. The hydrocarbons came from a malfunctioning compressor which was used to fill the diving cylinders; the compressor sucked in the exhaust gases of its own motor. Exhaust gas poisoning was further complicated by hypoxia and hypercapnia as the diver spat out the mouthpiece and started to breathe from inside the suit. This resulted in a loss of consciousness. The diver was extracted to the surface and was given oxygen to breathe. The course of treatment was successful. On the same day, symptoms of exhaust gas poisoning occurred in several divers using cylinders filled with the same compressor.

Introduction. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant skin cancer. It is one of the so-called nonmelanoma skin cancers, the incidence of which has increased rapidly worldwide in recent years. Unfortunately, the National Cancer Registry in Poland does not classify basal cell skin cancer separately. Therefore, the precise data on the incidence in the population remain unknown.

Work objective. Retrospective analysis of the incidence of basal cell carcinoma in NZOZ Med-Laser in Lublin in the years 2005 – 2015 depending on gender, age group, place of residence (urban-rural) and clinical form of the disease.

Material and methodology. The data of NZOZ Med-Laser from the years 2005 - 2015 were used in the study. The data concern all patients with histopathologically diagnosed basal cell carcinoma, who during the period covered by the study were consulted either as outpatients or hospitalised in an institution providing dermatological services under contract with the National Health Fund (NFZ). Patients were divided into several groups depending on gender, age and place of residence. All groups were compared quantitatively and the results are shown in the figures below.

Results. The data collected indicate that between 2005 and 2015 a total of 922 patients with basal cell carcinoma received dermatological treatment. Over the years, there has been a clear increase in the number of patients with basal cell carcinoma. The disease occurred mainly in people over 59 years of age, with the majority of women living in cities. The most common locations of the cancer are nose, cheeks, forehead and temporal area. Histopathologically, solidum, superficiale, exulceratum and pseudoadenoides were the most frequently diagnosed forms.

Conclusions. Basal cell carcinoma of the skin is frequent in our society. Its incidence has been increasing in recent years. Therefore, action should be taken to create consistent international registries to gather reliable epidemiological data that would show the scale of the problem, which we are dealing with almost all over the world.

Objective. This research examines the emerging role of FMS™ in the context of predicting lower extremity injury in females University athletes. The secondary purpose of this study is to investigate the differences between FMS performance comparisons between three martial arts sports to establish baseline comparisons.

Method. Forty-seven university female athletes were recruited for this study, The data collected was separated into three groups based on their sports discipline (judo N=17 age: 19±4, wrestling N=15 age: 18±5, karate N=15 age: 19±3), Independent t-tests were performed on each group with significance being set at P<0.05 to determine difference in FMS™ scores between injured and non injured athletes during the successive competitive seasons. One-way analyses of variances were used to determine if there was a significant difference between sports, ‘body parts injured’ groups, and ‘mechanisms of injury’ groups.

Results. One-way analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant difference between the two (ankle, knee) injury groups, and non-injury group (F2,54= 2.34; p=0.106). There was no statistical difference between the pre-season FMS™ scores of the injured and non-injured groups (t47 = -1.68; P=.100; d=0.52; 95%CI: -0.11, 1.15). Finally, strong evidence of FMS score was found when comparing the three sports with one-way ANOVAs (F=5.83, df= 2, 54, p=0.005).

Conclusion. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that FMS™ has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying lower extremity injury in female athletes. Further investigation and experimentation into FMS™ are strongly recommended before implementing them into a pre-participation physical examination (PPE) for combat sports. What is now needed is a cross-national study involving other sports.