Background: Pet therapy could help individuals improve their emotions; and physical and mental health. It also could be effective in the treatment of pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pet therapy, concurrent with common medication on positive, negative, cognitive and motor symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: This was a randomized control trial. Statistical population of the current study included all patients who were admitted to the Razi Psychiatric Center of Tehran and received a diagnosis of schizophrenia based on a clinical interview and DSM criteria by a psychiatrist. Thirty six patients were recruited using snowball sampling. Members of the experimental group were transported by a bus to that spot at 9 a.m on the planned days, in the company of the researcher and a nurse. Patients gave care of the rabbits (including feeding, tidying their cages, moving their cages) for 24 sessions of 90 minutes, three days per week during autumn 2016. The One-way covariance test was also used to evaluate effects of Pet therapy on positive, negative, cognitive and motor symptoms of schizophrenia. Results: finding indicated that considering scores of pre-test for positive, negative and cognitive symptoms, there is a significant difference between the two controls and experimental groups, respectively, (F = 17.04, p < 0.05), (F = 17.39, p < 0.05), (F = 152.12, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Pet therapy could be successfully applied by parents, psychologists and care givers of these patients. We suggest using pet therapy for treatment of other psychiatric disorders as well and preferably like dogs and cats.

B a c k g r o u n d: Heart failure (HF) is a life-threatening condition which aff ects up to 2% of contemporary populations. Generally, it is a chronic and progressive disease, however in many cases it can be prevented or treated. Nevertheless, effective control of this disease requires awareness of symptoms in the society.

A i m s: The aim of the study was to assess the level of HF knowledge in the Polish population.

M e t h o d s: The questionnaire concerning knowledge about HF prepared by the Competence Network HF under the patronage of the European Heart Failure Association of the ESC, was used. The survey included 534 contributors who formed three groups: medical students — in vast majority at fi rst half of the study course (MS) — 198 (37.1%), HF Awareness Day participants (HFDP) — 134 (25.1%) and other (OP) — 202 (37.8%).

R e s u l t s: Study groups diff ered in terms of gender, age and level of education. As predicted, MS achieved the highest score (22.5 [20.0–24.0]), compared to HFDP (20.0 [17.0–22.0], P <0.001) and OP (19.0 [16.0– 21.0], P <0.001). Knowledge on typical HF symptoms was alarmingly low in the analyzed groups — dyspnea (MS — 96.0%, HFDP — 78.4%, OP — 74.6%), ankle edema (MS — 79.8%, HFDP — 50.6%, OP — 32.2%), body weight gain (MS — 14.1%, HFDP — 17.2%, OP — 4.5%). By multivariate model medical education (β 3.372, 95% CI 2.738–4.005) and own illness or having relatives or friends with HF (β 0.654, 95% CI 0.066–1.242) independently aff ected the score of awareness questionnaire.

C on c l u s i o n s: The basic knowledge on HF in Poland is not sufficient. It is moderately better among MS. Further campaigns improving HF awareness are necessary.

The article discusses the issue of proper names defined as symptoms of culture. The first part is of a theoretical character and develops the theory of symptomatology of culture in the context of semiotics (Ch. Peirce), psychology and psychoanalysis (S. Freud and J. Lacan), and onomastics. Symptomatology of culture is a practice of interpreting a certain group of texts of culture and extracting common qualitative traits within them. This is especially in the case of those traits specific to them and often encountered, which could testify to particular serious and deeply-rooted social phenomena leading to their appearance. In the empirical part the author presents a way of using (onymic) symptomatology in practice to research modern culture. She uses the examples of popular psychological and auto-therapeutic guidebooks and treats them as linguistic symptomatic forms of the most significant linguistic and cultural phenomena along with their social causes and functions which are often dysfunctional or abnormal in character. The analysis comprises the most typical conceptual and syntactic constructions encountered in the group.

From Hedera helix and Epipremnum aureum showing necrosis of shoot base spread upwards and on leaves Phytophthora tropicalil was isolated. The species was obtained from ⅞of Hedera and ¾ of Epipremnum diseased shoot and root parts. Additionally, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium avenaceum and Rhizoctonia solani was recovered from some of affected plants. The chosen 2 isolates colonised petioles and leaf blades of both host plants. P. tropicalis caused necrosis of leaves of 11 tested cultivars of H. helix and 13 other pot plant species and seedlings of tomato. The fastest spread of necrosis was observed on leaves of Peperomia magnoliaefolia, Pelargonium zonale and Phalaenopsis x hybridum. The development of disease was observed at temperatures ranged from 10 to 32.5°C with optimum 30°C.

Isolated internal iliac artery aneurysms are rarely described in the available literature. The paper presents a case of a 70-year-old female with idiopathic thrombocytopenia, squamous cell cervical carci-noma, and saccular aneurysm of the left internal iliac artery, detected in magnetic resonance. The review of aneurysm of the common, external and internal iliac arteries is added.

Pain in the masticatory muscles or temporomandibular joints may in some cases be a symptom of other afflictions occurring in this region. The aim of the study was to present the differential diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and other diseases in the craniofacial area, based on review of the literature. Using the key words: “differential diagnosis of TMD”, “pain of non-dental origin” and “chronic orofacial pain”, PUBMED and Scopus databases were systematically searched for articles in English from 2005 to 2020. Additionally, the PUBMED database was supplementarily reviewed using the keywords “Lyme disease orofacial symptoms” for the English-language articles published in the years 1996–2020. Out of 445 publications from PUBMED and Scopus databases as well as other sources, 57 articles describ-ing the pathogenesis and characteristic symptoms of diseases that may cause pain similar to that occurring in TMD as well as diagnostic methods used in differential diagnosis of TMD were selected for analysis. Dental and jawbones-related conditions, ear and maxillary sinus diseases, as well as ailments of neuro-pathic and vascular origin, were taken into account. Neoplastic processes taking place in this region and less often occurring diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites were also described. Conclusions. Correct diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders is based on medical history and thorough physical examination, as well as results of additional tests. Pain localized in the head and neck structures may have diverse, sometimes complex aetiology, and may require multidisciplinary treatment. Observation of the patient’s behaviour and — in selected cases — the results of additional laboratory tests, also play a sig-nificant role.

A comprehensive characterization of four selected fault distinguishability methods is presented herein. All considered methods are derived from structural residual approaches referring to model-based diagnostics. In particular, these methods are based on a binary diagnostic matrix, fault isolation system, sequences of symptoms, and their combinations. Fault distinguishability issues are discussed based on an example of four pressure vessel system. Substantial benefits are shown in fault distinguishability figures obtained by utilising extended knowledge regarding fault-symptom relation. Finally, the values of three fault distinguishability metrics are calculated for each method. For the case study, the highest score is achieved using the multivalued fault isolation method combined with a diagnosis utilising information regarding the antecedence of symptoms.