The objective of this research was to assess Internet addiction among students of the Faculty of Health Prevention at the Medical University of Białystok. The present study included 358 students-nursing (n = 232), midwifery (n = 71), and medical rescue (n = 55). The following instruments were administered to the participants:the Young test, a test of the intensity of the abstinence syndrome, and a test of "online" addiction. Students who did not have a computer at home spent 3 hours a day on the Internet; students who did have a computer at home spent 0.5 to 8hours. On average, all respondents spent 1.8 ± 1.3 hours daily online. Internet addiction was confirmed among 24 (10.3%) nursing, 7 (9.9%) midwifery, and 5(9.1%) medical rescue students. The abstinence syndrome was noted among 11 (4.7%) nursing, 7(9.9%) obstetrics, and 7 (12.7%) medical rescue students. Several students had both an Internet addiction and the abstinence syndrome.

Introduction: Religious orientation is associated with psychological well-being resulting from treating negative life events as opportunities for personal and spiritual development. Purpose: To assess the impact of religious beliefs on the evaluation of nurses' work in the perception of patients, nursing students, and nurses. Materials and methods: the study included 150 patients, 150 nurses, and 150 nursing students, using our questionnaire. Results: 56.7% of patients, 46.7% of students, and 47.7% of nurses assessed the religious sphere of life as very important. Respondents identified good family life as the most important value in life (82.7% of patients, 76% of students, and 92% of nurses). Emotional needs were the greatest motivation for students (70.7%) and nurses (72.7%) to increase religious activities; for patients, it was an illness in the family (42.7%). Patients (62.4%), students (48.7%), and nurses (61.1%) were of the opinion that religion could affect performing work-related tasks. Blood transfusion was the most likely procedure to be affected by patients’ religious beliefs (50% of patients, 44.7% of students, 58% of nurses) or nurses’ religious beliefs (29.3% of patients and 18.7% of nurses). Conclusions: Patients more often reported that religion may have some effects on choice of profession, and most respondents did not consider religious beliefs an obstacle in making new acquaintances or performing work-related tasks. In the case of a conflict between a nurse’s therapeutic activities and a patient’s or nurse’s religious beliefs, the nurse should assign the patient to another nurse.

<b>Introduction</b>: Nursing is one of those medical professions that are inseparably associated with being in continuous contact with other people, and it is worth noting that there are things that cannot be acquired in the course of an education. These include conscience and empathy as subjective and ultimate standards of morality, which help nurses make morally good decisions and that represent criteria for assessing their behavior. <b>Purpose</b>: To assess the effect of nurses' religious beliefs on their empathy and life satisfaction. <b>Materials and methods</b>: The study included 150 nurses and 150 nursing students, using our own questionnaire, the Empathy Understanding Questionnaire (KRE) by Węgliński and The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). <b>Results</b>: The mean level of KRE-based empathic understanding was 65.7  9.4 points, which indicates that it was relatively high. The lowest level was 39, and the highest was 92 points. Mean SWLS score was about 20 points, which indicates that the studied nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their life. Respondents with the highest level of empathy would discontinue treatment due to their beliefs or they would choose another unspecified solution. No significant correlations were found between the levels of empathy and life satisfaction and the opinion on the role of religious beliefs in the choice of nursing profession, and regarding religion as an obstacle in performing work-related tasks. <b>Conclusions</b>: Nurses showed relatively high levels of empathy and average levels of life satisfaction. The importance of nurses’ religiousness in making therapeutic decisions did not correspond with life satisfaction nor their level of empathy.

Osteoarthritis of the spine is a common disease and constitutes a significant problem in highly developed countries. Due to the aging of the population, the number of patients with advanced degenerative changes continues to grow. Trace elements and antioxidant status may play an active role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis of the spine. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between total antioxidant status (TAS), the concentration of selected elements (Zn, Cu, Se, Mn) in the serum, nutritional and environmental factors, the severity of pain, and images of degenerative changes in the spine demonstrated in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS). The study included 90 patients with degenerative spine disease and 40 healthy people. Serum Zn, Cu, Se, and Mn concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The Cu/Zn molar ratio was calculated. TAS was determined spectrophotometrically using a ready-made Randox kit. The severity of spine pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale VAS. In the 1H MRS study, the fat/water ratio was determined in L1 and L5 vertebral bodies and in the L4/5 intervertebral disc. In patients with osteoarthritis of the spine, there was a reduced concentration of Zn and Cu in the serum (0.77 ± 0.22 mg/L, 1.1 ± 0.35 mg/L) compared to the control group (0.83 ± 0.13 mg/L, 1.25 ± 0.41 mg/L, respectively). In the study group, we also observed a significantly lower Cu concentration in smokers (1.07 ± 0.35 mg/L) compared to non-smokers (1.17 ± 0.34 mg/L). A relationship between the female sex and a decreased concentration of TAS in the serum, both in people with degenerative spine disease and in healthy people, has been demonstrated. In patients with serum TAS levels below the reference values, the fat/water ratio was higher in the L5 spine shaft, while in those with elevated Mn levels, the value was higher in the L4/L5 intervertebral disc, which indicates a greater degree of degeneration in both cases. Patients with normal serum Cu concentration experienced lower pain intensity assessed in the VAS scale. The study showed some abnormalities in serum trace element levels and TAS in patients with osteoarthritis of the spine.

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Macronutrients and toxic elements may play an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis of the spine. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Pb, Cd and Hg in blood with the results of hydrogen magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the severity of pain. Patients with osteoarthritis of the spine (n = 90) and control subjects (n = 40) were studied. The concentrations of mineral components in blood were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (ASA). Spinal pain severity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Hydrogen magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to determine the fat/water ratio in the bodies of L1, L5 and the L4/5 intervertebral disc. The median concentration of Mg in the serum of subjects with spinal degenerative disease was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than that in healthy subjects. The median concentration of Cd in the blood of subjects with osteoarthritis of the spine was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in the control group. Significantly lower (p < 0.05) median molar ratios of Ca to Cd and Pb as well as Mg to Pb and Cd were observed among patients with osteoarthritis of the spine. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in the value of the fat/water ratio in selected spinal structures, depending on normal or abnormal serum Ca and Mg concentrations. The study showed some abnormal macronutrient concentrations, as well as disturbed ratios of beneficial elements to toxic elements in the blood of people with osteoarthritis of the spine.

A -koncepcja i projekt badania; B -gromadzenie i/lub zestawianie danych; C -analiza i interpretacja danych; D -napisanie artykułu; E -krytyczne zrecenzowanie artykułu; F -zatwierdzenie ostatecznej wersji artykułu StreszczenieWprowadzenie. Zachowania religijne mają związek z większym wsparciem społecznym oraz lepszym zdrowiem psychicznym. Cel pracy. Zbadanie opinii studentów pielęgniarstwa na temat wpływu przekonań religijnych pielęgniarek na sprawowanie funkcji zawodowych. Materiał i metody. Badaniem objęto 150 studentów pielęgniarstwa, a narzędziem badawczym był autorski kwestionariusz ankiety. Wyniki. Według 82,4% badanych osób wyznanie nie jest przeszkodą w nawiązywaniu kontaktów ani przy wyborze zawodu -57,3% i wykonywaniu zadań zawodowych -48,7%. Zdaniem 25,8% respondentów wyznanie pacjenta wpływa na decyzje terapeutyczne pielęgniarek. Przekonania religijne chorego mogą najczęściej stwarzać problemy w uzyskaniu zgody na przetaczanie krwi (44,7%). Aż 66% ankietowanych było zdania, że nie można jednoznacznie określić sytuacji odmowy przez pielęgniarkę wykonania konkretnego zabiegu, gdy ma na to wpływ jej przynależność religijna. Jeśli przekonania religijne pacjenta są sprzeczne z proponowaną terapią, pielęgniarka powinna odstąpić od leczenia chorego, informując go o tym (28,7%), a gdy sprzeczne z jej przekonaniami -przekazać pacjenta innej pielęgniarce (30%). Za autorytet dla pielęgniarek badani uznali: Jana Pawła II (35,3%) i Matkę Teresę z Kalkuty (17,3%). Wnioski. Studenci w zdecydowanej większości określali się jako osoby wierzące i praktykujące, a religia w ich życiu codziennym jest bardzo ważna. Potrzeby emocjonalne były najsilniejszą motywacją dla studentów do zwielokrotnienia praktyk religijnych. Studenci twierdzili, że światopogląd pielęgniarki nie powinien przeszkadzać jej w podejmowaniu decyzji terapeutycznych, ale mieli w większości problem ze wskazaniem działań, jakie powinna podjąć pielęgniarka, gdy przekonania religijne pacjenta lub jej są sprzeczne z proponowaną terapią (Piel. Zdr. Publ. 2016, 6, 3, 205-213).Słowa kluczowe: pielęgniarka, wyznanie, studenci pielęgniarstwa. AbstractBackground. Religious practices are associated with stronger social support and better mental health. Objectives. To assess the impact of religious beliefs on the performance of nurses from the perspective of nursing students. Material and Methods. The study included 150 nursing students. The author's questionnaire has been used.

Background. the number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children has been increasing year by year. Objectives. the aim of the study was to analyze child vaccination at the outpatient clinic of the Pro medica center in bialystok, Poland, in the years 2013-2016. Material and methods. a total of 10,150 histories of children and adolescents were analyzed. we analyzed the following data: number of children and adolescents vaccinated in 2013-2016; type of vaccination; reimbursed and polyvalent vaccines; vaccinations against tuberculosis; occurrence of contraindications to vaccination; number contraindications to vaccination, and number of vaccinations recommended in the particular years. Results. 48.8% of the children were vaccinated with refunded vaccines. 18.3% of children were not vaccinated in 2016. 60.3% were bcG-vaccinated. there was an increased number of contraindications for vaccination from 2013 to 2016, mainly in children aged 2, 6, 7, and 10 years. in 2016, the number of vaccinations against rotaviruses decreased, and the number of vaccinations increased against meningococcus and tick-borne inflammation. there was a statistically significant decrease in vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus from Haemophilus influenzae B, pertussis, poliomyelitis; and measles, mumps, and rubella, from 2013 to 2016. Conclusions. in the years 2013-2016, there was an increase in the incidence of contraindications for protective vaccinations, a decrease in the number of vaccinations against rotaviruses, and an increase in the number of vaccinations against meningococcal meningitis and tick-borne encephalitis.