Poor postural balance is one of the major risk factors for falling in normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Postural instability in the clinic is commonly assessed based upon force platform posturography. In this study we focused on the identification of changes in sway characteristics while standing quiet in patients with NPH before and after shunt implantation. Postural sway area and sway radius were analyzed in a group of 9 patients and 46 controls of both genders. Subject's spontaneous sway was recorded while standing quiet on a force platform for 30-60 s, with eyes open and then closed. Both analyzed sway descriptors identified between-group differences and also an effect of shunt implantation in the NPH group. Sway radius and sway area in patients exhibited very high values compared with those in the control group. Importantly, the effect of eyesight in patients was not observed before shunt implantation and reappeared after the surgical treatment. The study documents that static force platform posturography may be a reliable measure of postural control improvement due to shunt surgery.

S u m m a r y B a c k g r o u n d .Postural stability is widely recognized as one of the main determinants of the functional efficiency of a person's capability. It changes during ontogenesis and undergoes deterioration with age. Posturographic techniques enable the analysis of body sway and are used to obtain objective and quantitative data about postural equilibrium. Posturographic test results carried out in healthy subjects allow the analysis of the postural stability results obtained in institutions that do not have the possibility of testing healthy people as controls. M a t e r i a l s a n d m e t h o d s . This study was conducted among 126 subjects aged between 50 and 97, each of which devoid of neurological, motor and metabolic diseases.Postural balance was evaluated using a static force platform (PROMED -Legionowo) which measures degree of sway, total path length, path length in the antero-posterior plane, path length in medio-lateral plane and the "coordination" parameter. Each subject was tested in three different test conditions: eyes open, eyes closed and biofeedback. The Kruskall -Wallis tests were used to investigate the effect of age on values from force platform balance tests.R e s u l t s . An age related increase in sway area, total path length, path length in antero-posterior plane, path length in medio-lateral plane was observed in the eyes open test, eyes closed test and in the biofeedback test. The "Coordination" parameter from the biofeedback test decreased with age, achieving the lowest value at ages 60 and above. Kruskall -Wallis test indicated a significant effect of age on posturographic parameters.C o n c l u s i o n s . The results of the study provide normative values for the force platform balance tests at ages 50 and above. Significantly higher values in sway area, total path length, path length in the antero-posterior plane, path length in medio-lateral plane and the worsening of visualmotor coordination in subjects of ages 60 years and above were observed. It suggests that there is a deterioration of the postural control mechanisms during the aging process. Therefore, force platform balance tests are relevant to assess the systematic weakening of the postural control mechanism from age 60 onwards.S t r e s z c z e n i e Stabilność posturalna oceniana była przy użyciu zestawu posturograficznego (PROMED -Legionowo), który wyznacza wielkość pola statokinezjogramu, długość statokinezjogramów, amplitudy jednokierunkowych wychyleń w płasz-czyźnie strzałkowej i płaszczyźnie czołowej oraz parametru "koordynacja". U każdej osoby przeprowadzono standardowy zestaw testów składający się z badania przy oczach otwartych, przy oczach zamkniętych oraz badania kordynacji wzrokowo-ruchowej w teście sprzężenia zwrotnego. Przeprowadzony został test ANOVA Kruskala-Wallisa mający na celu określenie wpływu wieku na wartości parametrów posturograficznych. W y n i k i . W badaniu przy oczach otwartych, zamkniętych i w sprzężeniu zwrotnym zaobserwowano wzrost wartości pola statokinezjogramu, długości ...

S u m m a r yObesity is a problem which is more and more common in Polish population. The reason for that is excessive energy delivery from food against the quantity used by organism, as well as too small physical activity. These factors lead to excessive increase of body fat quantity which has a detrimental impact on the health condition.The purpose of the study is a body composition assessment in women aged 50-80 living in KujawskoPomorskie Voivodeship.1902 female inhabitants of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship participated in the study which was divided into six age groups. The fat mass level and the fat free mass level of the body was evaluated with the assistance of electrical bioimpedance method. The content of water in the organism and, indirectly, the basic metabolism level were also determined.With age women exhibit the decrease of fat free body mass and water level in the organism; whereas the body mass and, at the same time, the body fat content are observed to increase for women between 50 and 70 years of age. Above the age of 70 this tendency is reversed and the body mass and the body fat level decline. It was also observed that with age the basic metabolism level systematically diminishes within the population. S t r e s z c z e n i eOtyłość to problem coraz częściej występujący w polskiej populacji. Przyczyną jest nadmierne dostarczanie energii z pokarmów w stosunku do ilości zużywanych przez organizm, a także zbyt mała aktywność fizyczna. Czynniki te prowadzą do nadmiernego zwiększenia ilości tkanki tłuszczowej, niekorzystnie wpływającej na stan zdrowia.Celem badania jest ocena składu ciała kobiet między 50 a 80 rokiem życia zamieszkujących województwo kujawskopomorskie.W badaniu uczestniczyły 1902 mieszkanki województwa kujawsko-pomorskiego, które podzielono na sześć grup wiekowych. Oceniono u nich za pomocą metody bioimpedancji elektrycznej poziom masy tłuszczowej i beztłuszczowej ciała. Określono również zawartość wody w organizmie i pośrednio poziom podstawowej przemiany materii.Wraz z wiekiem u kobiet następuje obniżenie beztłusz-czowej masy ciała i poziomu wody w organizmie. Obserwuje się natomiast wzrost masy ciała i jednocześnie zawartości tkanki tłuszczowej u kobiet między 50 a 70 rokiem życia.