Małgorzata Pikala

Background: Cervical spine disorders (CSDs) are a common cause of neck pain. Proper diagnosis is of great importance in planning the management of a patient with neck pain. Hence, the aim of this study is to provide an overview of the clinical pattern of early-stage functional disorders affecting the cervical and cervico-thoracic regions of the spine, considering the age and sex of the subjects. Methods: Two hundred adult volunteers were included in the study. Manual examination of segments C0/C1-Th3/Th4 was performed according to the methodology of the Katenborn–Evjenth manual therapy concept and the spine curvatures were assessed (cervical lordosis and thoracic kyphosis). Results: The most common restricted movement was lateral flexion to the left, and the least disturbed movement were observed in the sagittal plane (flexion and extension). The most affected segment was C7/Th1 (71.5% participants had problems in this segment), and the least affected segment was Th3/Th4 (69.5% participants had no mobility disorders in this segment). The number of disturbed segments did not differ between men and women (p > 0.05), but increased with age (r = 0.14, p = 0.04). Conclusions: Cervical mobility in adult population is frequently restricted. The number of affected segments increased with age and was not sex-dependent.

The aim of this study is to assess mortality trends due to malignant neoplasms of female genital organs (MNFGOs) in Poland between 2000 and 2021. For the purpose of the study, the authors used data on all deaths of Polish female inhabitants due to MNFGO between 2000 and 2021, obtained from the Statistics Poland database. The standardised death rates (SDR), potential years of life lost (PYLL), annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were calculated. Between the years 2000 and 2021, 138,000 women died due to MNFGOs in Poland. Of this number, 54,975 (39.8%) deaths were caused by ovarian cancer, 37,487 (27.2%) by cervix uteri cancer, and 26,231 (19.0%) by corpus uteri cancer. A decrease in mortality due to cervix uteri cancer (APC = −2.4%, p < 0.05) was the most favourable change that occurred in the period 2000–2021, while the least favourable change was an increase in mortality due to corpus uteri cancer for the period 2005–2019 (APC = 5.0%, p < 0.05). SDRs due to ovarian cancer showed a decreasing trend between 2007 and 2021 (APC = −0.5%, p < 0.05). The standardised PYLL index due to cervical cancer was 167.7 per 100,000 women in 2000 and decreased to 75.0 in 2021 (AAPC = −3.7, p < 0.05). The number of lost years of life due to ovarian cancer decreased from 143.8 in 2000 to 109.5 in 2021 (AAPC = −1.3, p < 0.05). High values of death rates due to MNFGO in Poland, compared to other European countries, show that there is a need to promote preventive programmes and continue to monitor changes in mortality.

Objectives The main goal of this paper is to assess the health behaviors of primary school teachers from the Kalisz county in the context of selected sociodemographic determinants. Material and methods The study was carried out between September and December 2021 among 500 primary school teachers in the Kalisz county in Poland. The selection of schools for the study was purposive sampling; 22 schools were randomly selected from primary schools in the Kalisz county. Ultimately, 315 correctly completed questionnaires were qualified for the study. The study employed the Authors’ Questionnaire Survey and the following standardized questionnaire: Inventory of Health-Related Behavior (IHB). Calculations were performed using STATISTICA 13.3 PL (TIBCO Software). Results The intensity of health behaviors was described as ‘average’ by 61.90% of the respondents. Based on the IHB questionnaire, it was found that the ‘preventive behaviors’ of the respondents had the strongest impact on their behavior and health. In the analyzed group, incorrect health behaviors (low physical activity or sedentary forms of leisure) prevailed. Conclusions The study discovered the prevalence of anti-health behaviors, which were dependent on sociodemographic factors. It is necessary to introduce corrective actions aimed at raising teachers’ health awareness and eliminating anti-health behaviors among this professional group.