IntroductionOverweight and obesity are ranked in the fifth place among the risk factors responsible for the greatest number of deaths in the world.AimTo assess the effects of treatment of patients with morbid obesity using endoscopic intragastric balloon (IGB) implantation.Material and methodsTwo hundred and seventy-two patients with obesity were treated using endoscopic intragastric balloon implantation. Upon analysis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the study covered a group of 63 patients with morbid obesity. The patients were implanted with the LexBal balloon. Reduction of excess body mass, changes to BMI values and ailments and complications divided into mild and severe were assessed.ResultsBefore intragastric balloon treatment, the average body mass index (BMI) value was 58.3 ±10.5 kg/m2, whereas after 6 months of treatment it decreased to 49.5 ±8.7 kg/m2. The patients with postoperative BMI equal to or greater than 50.0 kg/m2 reported nausea (69.7%), vomiting (51.5%), flatulence (45.5%), upper abdominal pain (36.4%) and general discomfort (424%) more frequently. Dehydration (9.1%) was also more frequent in this group, whereas frequency of occurrence of such ailments and complications as heartburn (23.3%) and oesophageal candidiasis (10.0%) was higher in the patients with postoperative BMI below 50.0 kg/m2.ConclusionsEndoscopic intragastric balloon implantation is an effective and safe method of excess body mass reduction in patients with morbid obesity before a planned bariatric surgical procedure. Pre-operative excess body mass and BMI value and post-operative excess weight loss in patients with morbid obesity have no impact on frequency of occurrence of ailments and complications in IGB treatment.

We investigate how the existence and behaviour of solutions ϕ with a constant sign of the equation ϕ(x) = S ϕ x + M(s) σ (ds) depends on the real roots λ of its characteristic equation S e λM(s) σ (ds) = 1.  2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

We deal with the functional equationand its characteristic equation S e λM (s) σ(ds) = 1 in the case where the functional equation has solutions comparable with exponential functions. As corollaries we obtain informations on the asymptotic behaviour of solutions to the functional equation. (2000). Primary 39B12, 39B22, 39B62; Secondary 26A12. Mathematics Subject Classification

in Opole 2 Kierownik: dr hab. K. Waśniowska Appendicitis inflicts diagnostic difficulties, particularly in ambiguous morbid symptoms defined in the scale ALVARDO in the section 4-6 pt. The aim of the study was the comparison of the diagnostic values of the classic method of recognizing appendicitis and those improved by ultrasonographic examination. Material and methods. Patients were classified in this investigation according to symptoms from the section compartment 4-6 pt of the ALVARADO scale. Qualification for the treatment was determined according to the medical investigation and laboratory examinations. Ultrasonography (US) was executed in all patients with the aim of the evaluation of the appendix. The percentage of correct recognitions by means of the classic diagnostics was compared to the percentage determined with the aid of US. Results. It was affirmed that in ambiguous clinical cases of appendicitis, the addition of US to the traditional investigational diagnostics improoves the percentage of correct recognitions of appendicitis from 62.8% to 86.2% (p<0.01). Conclusion. With the US supplementing the classic diagnostics, the percentage of correct recognitions of appendicitis enlarges in adult patients with the suspicion of appendicitis with so-called "grey zone" symptoms comprised in the scoring 4-6 pt of the ALVARADO scale.

We investigate the asymptotic behaviour at infinity of solutions of the equation \[\varphi (x) = \int_S \varphi (x+M(s))\sigma(d s).\] We show among others that, under some assumptions, any positive solution of the equation which is integrable on a vicinity of infinity or vanishes at \(+\infty\) tends on some sequence to zero faster than some exponential function, but it does not vanish faster than another such function