War-related stress scale.

BACKGROUND: The current war in Ukraine has affected the well-being of people worldwide. In order to understand how difficult the situation is, specific stressors associated with war need to be measured. In response, an inventory of war-related stressors including its short form, has been developed. METHODS: A list of potential war-related stressors was created, and the content validity of each item assessed. The list, along with other validated scales, was administered to a representative sample of the Slovak population (effective N = 1851). Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity analysis and network analysis were carried out to determine the optimal scale (long and short form) focused on war-related stressors. RESULTS: The full version of the scale consists of 21 items, further divided into three factors: society-related stressors, person-related stressors, and security-related stressors. The short version of the scale comprises nine items loaded onto one factor. These items cover concerns for one's safety and future, access to necessities, potential worsening of the economic situation, and the risk of conflict escalation, including a nuclear threat. The results of the network analysis indicate that concern about escalation and fear of an economic crisis play a central role. CONCLUSIONS: The scale attempts to encompass a wide spectrum of areas that are affected by war and its potential consequences on individuals who reside outside the conflict zone. Given the complexity of the issue, researchers are invited to modify the scale, tailoring it to specific cultural, geographical, and temporal contexts.

Measuring various aspects of coronavirus anxiety: a psychometric evaluation of Pandemic anxiety and Coronophobia scales from the latent and network perspective.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, understanding and describing the changes in experiences related to the pandemic and its correlates have become crucial. The current study aims to provide a psychometric evaluation and examination of the relationship of two COVID-related anxiety scales through the latent and network approach. The data was collected from the same participants at two time points (Nwave 1 = 1283; Nwave 2 = 1326). The study examined the psychometric properties of the Pandemic Anxiety Scale and Coronaphobia scale. It also examined the factor structure, invariance and relationship with selected variables through both the latent and network approach. The results revealed that both scales provided good fit and psychometric properties-PAS (wave1: CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.05 [0.04, 0.07], SRMR = 0.048; wave2: CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.05 [0.04, 0.07], SRMR = 0.049), and Coronaphobia scale (wave1: CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.05 [0.03, 0.07], SRMR = 0.027; wave2: CFI ~ 1, TLI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.03 [0.002, 0.06], SRMR = 0.015). The results also indicated that distinguishing between them is crucial as they were related differently to various variables. The global network models provided a more complex insight in their connections with the set of selected variables. The PAS and Coronaphobia scales are brief and valid measures that can be used in research looking at mental health issues related to the pandemic. The present study shows a unique pattern of relationships of these scales with other variables, extending previous studies into the topic of COVID-related anxiety.

Manifestation of infantile scurvy in a skeleton from the high medieval village of Trutmanice (South Moravia, Czech Republic).

The study describes the pathological findings recorded on the human remains of a 3 to 4-year-old child found in the burial site of Trutmanice (Czech Republic), dated to the 13th-15th century. The human remains were examined using standard macroscopic osteological and paleopathological methods, supplemented by radiographic examination. Although the preservation of the bones limited the analysis, multiple pathological changes were observed mainly on the skull: cribra orbitalia, small pores and fine deposits of newly formed bone tissue, hypertrophic diploë, grooves indicating rich branching of meningeal arteries on the intracranial surface of the cranial vault. A very fine periostotic deposition of newly formed bone tissue was also observed at the distal end of the diaphysis of the right tibia and both distal ends of the femora. The radiographs of the femora showed white lines of Frankel, scurvy lines, and Wimberger's rings. The observed pathological changes were possibly consistent with scurvy based on differential diagnosis. Reports about cases of juvenile scurvy from rural areas within the context of landlocked countries of Central Europe are rare. While scurvy is now more frequently reported in the paleopathological literature, evidence for scurvy within one of the most natural agricultural areas in the Czech lands remains rare. We recommend using radiographic examination to complement the diagnosis of scurvy in future paleopathological and epidemiological studies of past populations.

A case of congenital multiple epiphyseal dysplasia from the Late Migration Period graveyard in Drnholec (Czech Republic).

OBJECTIVE: To contribute to differential diagnosis of multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) in archeological and clinical contexts. MATERIALS: A skeleton of a 30- to 45-year-old male (grave no. 806) from the Late Migration Period graveyard in Drnholec-Pod sýpkou (Czech Republic), radio-carbon dated to AD 492-530. METHODS: Morphological and metric analyses. RESULTS: Significant pathological changes were noted on ossa coxae and proximal ends of the femora, which appear similar to changes associated with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. X-ray examination made it possible to rule out pseudoachondroplasia, rickets and metabolic bone diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The finding was evaluated as a probable case of congenital multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. SIGNIFICANCE: This case will contribute to the construction of estimates of the occurrence of this disease in historical populations and can be instructive for diagnostics in current medical practice. LIMITATIONS: The final diagnosis is limited by the lack of genetic analysis. SUGGESTION FOR THE FUTURE RESEARCH: Further clarification leading to diagnosis will benefit from genetic analysis and evaluation of skeletal remains throughout Europe.

Risk and protective factors for (internet) gaming disorder: A meta-analysis of pre-COVID studies.

This large-scale meta-analysis aimed to provide the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the available evidence from the pre-COVID period on risk and protective factors for (internet) gaming disorder (as defined in the DSM-5 or ICD-11) across all studied populations. The risk/protective factors included demographic characteristics, psychological, psychopathological, social, and gaming-related factors. In total, we have included 1,586 effects from 253 different studies, summarizing data from 210,557 participants. Apart from estimating these predictive associations and relevant moderating effects, we implemented state-of-the-art adjustments for publication bias, psychometric artifacts, and other forms of bias arising from the publication process. Additionally, we carried out an in-depth assessment of the quality of underlying evidence by examining indications of selective reporting, statistical inconsistencies, the typical power of utilized study designs to detect theoretically relevant effects, and performed various sensitivity analyses. The available evidence suggests the existence of numerous moderately strong and highly heterogeneous risk factors (e.g., male gender, depression, impulsivity, anxiety, stress, gaming time, escape motivation, or excessive use of social networks) but only a few empirically robust protective factors (self-esteem, intelligence, life satisfaction, and education; all having markedly smaller effect sizes). We discuss the theoretical implications of our results for prominent theoretical models of gaming disorder and for the existing and future prevention strategies. The impact of various examined biasing factors on the available evidence seemed to be modest, yet we identified shortcomings in the measurement and reporting practices.

Coping with cancer: the role of different sources of psychosocial support and the personality of patients with cancer in (mal)adaptive coping strategies.

OBJECTIVES: Cancer is a serious event in a person's life. However, certain coping strategies in relation to selected social, emotional, and personality factors appear to manage the disease. METHODS: Sources of social support were tested in cancer survivors (N = 696) using hierarchical linear regression. Selected personality variables in terms of sociodemographic, clinical, and emotional factors were used as predictors of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. RESULTS: It was found that adaptive coping strategies were more frequent in younger patients, in patients who attended cancer support groups and those with a greater level of optimism. Maladaptive coping was related to the higher level of experience of pain and sadness, neuroticism, and pessimism. The absence of a relapse and the time since the disease had been diagnosed were also important factors in coping with cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The results point to the importance of considering various individual factors in the process of intervention to facilitate adaptive coping and to reduce maladaptive coping.

Slovak parents' mental health and socioeconomic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changes in people's mental health have become one of the hot topics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents have been said to be among the most vulnerable groups in terms of the imposed anti-pandemic measures. The present paper analyzes the trends in mental health indicators in a sample of Slovak parents (N = 363) who participated in four waves of data collection over a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health indicators were represented by general levels of depression and anxiety as well as COVID-related stress and anxiety. While there were only minor changes in depression and anxiety, the dynamic in COVID-related stress and especially anxiety was more noteworthy. Besides some exceptions, the results hold even after controlling for the socioeconomic situation. The gender differences in the mental health trends were found to be negligible. Overall, we observed no substantial deterioration in the mental health indicators across the four waves of the study.

Cancer-related posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress: how are they connected and what are their correlates?

PURPOSE: Cancer is a stressful life event that can lead to specific posttraumatic reactions. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) are two main posttraumatic reactions that are related to each other, and both have different correlates. METHODS: The linearity of the relationship between PTG and PTSS and the different socio-demographic, cancer-related, emotional, and psychological correlates were analyzed in patients with cancer (N = 126). RESULTS: The relationship between PTG and PTSS was found to be more curvilinear than linear. PTSS was more strongly related to psychological factors (e.g., anxious preoccupation, hope-helplessness, and resilience) while PTG was strongly related to existential factors (e.g., self-transcendence and religiosity). CONCLUSION: The results show that cancer-related PTSS and PTG are specifically related constructs which are related differently to particular correlates. Specifically, the greatest differences were observed in the psychological variables. In the early phases, therapeutic interventions focused on variables related to PTSS can lead to the reduction of PTSS. In follow-up phases, the therapeutic intervention focused on the increase of the level of variables related to PTG can help the development of PTG.

Occurrence of calcaneal spurs on skeletal remains of historical populations in the context of footwear development.

This communication is focused on monitoring the occurrence of plantar and dorsal exostoses (spurs) on the calcanei of skeletons from various dated historical periods. A total of 361 calcanei from 268 individuals were evaluated (prehistoric sites - Podivín, Modrice, Mikulovice; mediaeval sites - Olomouc-Nemilany, Trutmanice; modern age sites - the former Municipal Cemetery in Brno in Malá Nová Street, collections of the Department of Anatomy, Masaryk University, Brno). Differences in period footwear for individual population samples were taken into account when interpreting the findings. Health defects were sought for individual types of historical footwear, which could have a causal connection with the occurrence of exostoses on the calcanei. Plantar calcaneal spur occurred most frequently in the mediaeval population (23.5 %; N = 51), less frequently in prehistory (14.1 %; N = 85) and least in modern times (9.8%; N = 132). Similar results were observed for dorsal calcaneal spur in the attachment of the Achilles tendon, but with higher values. In the Middle Ages, its incidence was highest (47.0 %; N = 51), followed by prehistoric times (32.9 %; N = 85), with the least found from the modern age (19.9 %; N = 132). However, the results obtained correspond only to a certain extent to the defects in footwear in the relevant historical period.

A very rare case of possible actinomycosis of the mandible from the Middle Ages.

OBJECTIVE: Documented cases of actinomycosis in archaeological skeletons are very rare, especially from Central Europe. Our contribution will help facilitate the differential diagnosis of this disease for other paleopathologists. MATERIAL: This paper describes a pathological finding of the skeleton of a 40-year-old male from a burial ground in Sady-Spitálky (Czech Republic) dated to the 10th-12th century. METHODS: The affected skeleton was evaluated as a probable case of actinomycosis on the basis of a detailed macroscopic, X-ray and histological examination. The osteolytic foci examined were compared with similar changes caused by tuberculosis, syphilis and mycoses. RESULTS: The character and location of the defect on the mandible is indicative of organ actinomycosis and is also reflected by the lytic lesion observed on a lumbar vertebra. CONCLUSIONS: The described case can be considered one of the very rare paleopathological findings of possible actinomycosis in humans in Central Europe. SIGNIFICANCE: Good evidence of bone actinomycosis findings may be beneficial for further paleopathological and epidemiological studies, especially for research focused on the diachronic development of actinomycosis in Europe. In doing so, all available factors, such as hygiene habits, nutrition, social structure and overall health of the population that could be causally related to its origin, course and treatment, can be taken into account. LIMITATIONS: The mandible of the studied individual was damaged, especially in the area affected by the lesion, so the paleopathological analysis was difficult to perform. SUGGESTION FOR THE FUTURE RESEARCH: In future, actinomycosis in this skeleton may be confirmed by bio-molecular analysis.

A brief history of tuberculosis in the Czech Lands.

Tuberculosis currently remains a serious medical problem, therefore increased attention is being paid to this disease. Paleopathological studies focused on the monitoring of morbid changes in skeletal remains of historical populations facilitate a detailed study of the development of this disease. They provide direct evidence of the existence of tuberculosis and its past forms. In addition to literary and iconographic sources, the present study is focused on recording the findings of bone tuberculosis in historical osteological sets from the Czech Lands and is the starting point for their detailed review. Approximately 76 cases of bone tuberculosis from the Czech Lands have been published and more or less reliably documented from 20 archeological sites dated back from the Eneolithic to the modern period.

18F-FDG PET/CT in polymyalgia rheumatica-a pictorial review.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is one of the inflammatory rheumatic diseases that can potentially be detected by positron emission tomography/CT. High fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) accumulation around the shoulders, sternoclavicular and hip joints are the most common pre-treatment features of patients with PMR. Another common sign is increased 18F-FDG uptake in extra-articular regions between columnal spinous processes, near ischial tuberosities and in the praepubic area. Some patients also present with high 18F-FDG uptake in main arteries, corresponding to the characteristics of giant cell arteritis. It is possible to observe a decrease or even a disappearance of 18F-FDG uptake after effective therapy, an event which may be useful for the monitoring of treatment as well as for detection of PMR relapse.

The possibilities of studying human embryos and foetuses using micro-CT: a technical note.

The purpose of the study was to discover a way to study the internal structure and evolution of human embryos noninvasively. The human embryo was stained with phosphotungstic acid solution (PTA) in ethanol (EPTA) and scanned using a micro computed tomography (micro-CT) scanner. Using appropriate software, a three-dimensional image of the embryo was created, which could be further exploited. The methodology described could be used for the non-destructive examination of the internal structure of the human embryo, and the resulting data can be used as a resource for medical students, gynaecologists, and paediatricians.

Identifying Effective Enzyme Activity Targets for Recombinant Class I and Class II Collagenase for Successful Human Islet Isolation.

UNLABELLED: Isolation following a good manufacturing practice-compliant, human islet product requires development of a robust islet isolation procedure where effective limits of key reagents are known. The enzymes used for islet isolation are critical but little is known about the doses of class I and class II collagenase required for successful islet isolation. METHODS: We used a factorial approach to evaluate the effect of high and low target activities of recombinant class I (rC1) and class II (rC2) collagenase on human islet yield. Consequently, 4 different enzyme formulations with divergent C1:C2 collagenase mass ratios were assessed, each supplemented with the same dose of neutral protease. Both split pancreas and whole pancreas models were used to test enzyme targets (n = 20). Islet yield/g pancreas was compared with historical enzymes (n = 42). RESULTS: Varying the Wunsch (rC2) and collagen degradation activity (CDA, rC1) target dose, and consequently the C1:C2 mass ratio, had no significant effect on tissue digestion. Digestions using higher doses of Wunsch and CDA resulted in comparable islet yields to those obtained with 60% and 50% of those activities, respectively. Factorial analysis revealed no significant main effect of Wunsch activity or CDA for any parameter measured. Aggregate results from 4 different collagenase formulations gave 44% higher islet yield (>5000 islet equivalents/g) in the body/tail of the pancreas (n = 12) when compared with those from the same segment using a standard natural collagenase/protease mixture (n = 6). Additionally, islet yields greater than 5000 islet equivalents/g pancreas were also obtained in whole human pancreas. CONCLUSIONS: A broader C1:C2 ratio can be used for human islet isolation than has been used in the past. Recombinant collagenase is an effective replacement for the natural enzyme and we have determined that high islet yield can be obtained even with low doses of rC1:rC2, which is beneficial for the survival of islets.

Variability of the pronator teres muscle and its clinical significance.

While investigating the cause of entrapment syndrome of the peripheral nerves in the elbow region, we observed variability of the pronator teres muscle and the relationship of this muscle to the median nerve and the surrounding vessels. Attention was also paid to the occurrence of the supracondylar process of the humerus and Struthers' ligament with regard to their ontogenetic and phylogenetic development. For this purpose, a classical anatomical dissection of the upper limbs of 68 adults, three fetuses and a phylogenetic assessment of five mammalian species was performed. In terms of variability in the anatomical structures of the elbow region, we found the most serious clinical condition to be where the median nerve ran through the pronator canal together with the ulnar vessels (1.5%), or when it passed through the ulnar head of the pronator teres (5.9%). The pronator teres examined by us in fetuses showed the same arrangement as in adult individuals, including the created ulnar head. The occurrence of a supracondylar process and Struthers' ligament was not observed in our collection. The presence of these structures was not confirmed during the fetal period, either. The phylogenetic part of the study re-opened the question of the meaning and function of the entepicondylar foramen, because we noted differences in the occurrence of this structure in two related genera with a very similar way of life (Djungarian hamster and golden hamster).

Tumors in the 18th and 19th centuries at Brno, Czech Republic.

Symptoms signs of benign and malignant tumors were observed during paleopathological analysis of skeletal remains from the city of Brno in the Czech Republic. Approximately 1,200 skeletons were examined from two Modern era archaeology sites: the Malá Nová ulice (Little New Street) cemetery and the cemetery of the Nemocnice Milosrdných bratrí (Merciful Brothers' Hospital). Osteomas, usually located on the flat bones of the cranial vault, were the most frequent skeletal pathology. Symptoms signs of malignant tumors were observed in three cases. In one case lytic foci caused by the metastases of a malignant tumor in the soft tissue was observed. Traces of myeloma multiplex were found in two individuals. Living conditions in that period, and possible carcinogenic environmental influences were assessed for the general population of Brno. This report contributes to a better understanding of the historical development of cancers and the clarification of possible causes for their modern increase of incidence.