Predictors Related to Quality of Life in Pregnant Women.

Background: Assessment of quality of life (QoL) during pregnancy can be a starting point for streamlining and promoting the humanization of evidence-based healthcare. We aimed to determine the life quality in pregnant women and its predictors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women from Slovakia from March 2020 to January 2021. A method of purposive sampling was used. The research sample consisted of 393 women (age 29.11±4.65) with physiological pregnancy. Questionnaire method was used. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of a set of questions focused on identification items, which also represented the investigated predictors. The second part was the standardized questionnaire "Quality Of Life-Gravidity Questionnaire"(QOLGRAV), with Cronbach's alpha value of 0.74. The received data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The average life quality score was 18.79±5.04, which oscillates at the level of very good life quality. The lower life quality was recorded in connection with physical changes, satisfaction with social life, concerns about childbirth management failure and a need for physical activity reduction. Education (P=0.008), course of pregnancy (P=0.001), support from healthcare professionals (P=0.003) and concerns about COVID-19 (P=0.001) were the predictors of life quality. Conclusion: The proven significant predictors of life quality of pregnant women have shown that healthcare professionals should pay increased attention to the pregnant women with higher education and with problematic pregnancy, positively support and motivate pregnant women and be even more attentivedue to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of Rhus coriaria L. (sumac) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum L. bark on serum cytokine levels in rat mammary carcinogenesis.

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential effects of Rhus coriaria L. (sumac) and of Cinnamomum zeylanicum L. bark on the selected serum cytokines as possible serum tumor markers - interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the rat model of mammary carcinogenesis. R. coriaria and C. zeylanicum bark were used as the chemopreventive-therapeutic agents taken by rats in the powder form in the diet at two different concentrations during the entire period of two experiments carried out separately: lower concentration 1 g/kg - 0.1% and higher concentration 10 g/kg - 1%. The serum levels of cytokines of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In the first experiment treated with R. coriaria, a significant decrease in serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α was present at higher concentrations compared to the chemoprevention-free control group. R. coriaria at lower concentrations non-significantly reduced the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α when compared to controls. A significant decrease in serum levels of TNF-α was present at higher concentrations compared to lower concentrations. The significant effect of R. coriaria on the serum levels of IL-10 was not observed. In the second experiment treated with C. zeylanicum bark, a significant decrease in serum levels of IL-6 was observed in lower and higher concentrations compared to the chemoprevention-free control group. C. zeylanicum bark non-significantly reduced the serum levels of TNF-α and had no effect on the serum levels of IL-10. In conclusion, R. coriaria and C. zeylanicum bark demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects by analyzing the selected serum cytokine levels in the rat breast carcinoma model. Observed anti-inflammatory effects of both plant-natural substances were associated with their anticancer activities in rats.

TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS IN THE 17th CENTURY BASED ON THE ORIGINAL WORK DE PHTHISI (ON TUBERCULOSIS) FROM 1679

Galen was the first who defined phthisis as lung ulceration, accompanied by coughing, persistent low-grade fevers, and body wasting. Attempts to define tuberculosis and find the cause of the disease belong to significant errors in the period of medical theories about tuberculosis (TB). Even in the 17th century, the most common causes of this disease were pulmonary ulcers, incorrect shape and position of the lungs, or menstruation. This article endeavors to elucidate the history of TB and its therapy in the 17th century on the basis of the Latin inaugural academic disputation De phthisi (On Tuberculosis) from 1679, which was first translated into Slovak in 2021. It was written by Matthaeus Palumbini, a Hungarian physician of Slovak origin born in Turiec County (Comitatus Thurociensis) in the Kingdom of Hungary. Although this dissertation is due to the anatomical, physiological, and clinical views of the Early Modern period, the ideas about the disease inhalation route as well as the fact that the disease transmission happens indirectly through the air, are close to existing knowledge. Similarly, the TB classification, the description of indications, climatic treatment, or principles of healthy lifestyle surprisingly correlate with the current medical practice. The article is supplemented by examples of the period of drug prescriptions that constituted a part of the therapy. The archival source of the original text comes from the Digitale Sammlungen der Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Evaluation of hand hygiene: Is university medical education effective in prevention of hospital-acquired infections?

OBJECTIVE: Hand hygiene (HH) compliance is associated with effective prevention of health care-associated infections (HAI), the topic being very important due to current COVID-19 pandemic. There is a growing debate about the role of educational institutions in the low HH compliance of health workers. This study aimed to assess HH knowledge, self-assessment and attitudes of medical students in relation to provided educational background. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey (mixed methods-approach) combined with the curriculum analysis and questionnaires. Quantitative method: a questionnaire of knowledge of HH issues (QK), and a questionnaire of self-assessment and attitudes (SAQ) towards HH. Qualitative method focused on an analysis of content of the curriculum documents. RESULTS: 250 (KQ) and 238 (SAQ) questionnaires were analysed from students of general medicine (n = 262; average age 22.5 years). Below-average knowledge of HH and a high self-assessment of knowledge and compliance with HH was reported by 72.2% and 76.0% of students, respectively. Significant differences in knowledge and self-assessment of HH were found among study years and gender. The content analysis has revealed gaps in HH-related information in general medicine educational programme. CONCLUSIONS: It is highly expected that there might be some association between low HH knowledge level, false self-assessment and educational programme in medical students.

Pharmaceutical Art and Peculiarities in the Latin Dissertation De phthisi (On Tuberculosis) from 1679 by Slovak Physician Matúš Palumbini.

The objective of the article is to present and analyse one part of the printed dissertation De phthisi (On Tuberculosis) by Matúš Palumbini, namely chapter VIII, Curatio perfecta (Perfect Treatment). Treatment of diseases in the 17th century was solely dependent on and linked to the medicinal products, many a time of exotic origin, prepared by pharmacists. In this regard our main research contribution is that it provides the then description of tuberculosis and elucidates the use and pecularities in its treatment. Simultaneously, we also present the authors view over the treatment methods, which he identified as the most effective in tuberculosis. As follows from the text, all conceivable treatments and medications to treat tuberculosis in the 17th century were widely used and prescribed. Many abbreviations and alchemical symbols were mentioned in the dissertation, especially in the prescriptions. Each prescription contains drug components, their amount expressed in apothecary measures and weights, and finally instructions for drug preparation and use, including designation of the prepared drug and dosage instructions. The combinations of drug components in prescriptions (from herbal to animal and mineral ones) might currently seem bizarre, e.g. looh de pulmone vulpis - thick syrup from fox lungs, or lapides cancrorum - crayfish stones.

Measles Outbreak in a Roma Community in the Eastern Region of Slovakia, May to October 2018.

BACKGROUND: Despite the effective National Immunization Programme of Slovakia, some population groups are incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated. We aimed to describe the measles outbreak spread in Eastern Slovakia between May and October 2018, affecting the Roma communities in relation to the existing immunity gaps. METHODS: We defined a group of persons living in socially closed communities with low vaccination coverage. RESULTS: Of 439 measles cases (median age: 10 years), 264 (60.1%) were vaccinated, 137 (31.2%) received two doses and 127 (28.9%) one dose of measles vaccines, 155 (35.3%) were unvaccinated and 20 (4.6%) had an unknown vaccination status. Samples from 102 patients (with two-dose vaccination status) were additionally tested for antibodies against rubella and mumps. Of 102 cases, 68 (66.7%) cases had a positive IgM and 23 (22.5 %) IgG antibodies against measles. For rubella, only 20 (19.6%) cases had seropositive IgG levels, for mumps higher positivity was detected in 60 persons (58.8%). We could detect only a small percentage with positive serology results of rubella IgG antibodies across all age groups. We have assumed that rubella antibodies had to be produced following the vaccination. Their absence in the cases with two doses of MMR suggests that these vaccines could not have been administrated despite the fact that this data was included in the medical records. Sequential analysis of two samples showed measles genotype B3. CONCLUSION: This outbreak can outline the existence of a vulnerable group of the Roma. Low vaccinate coverage represents a serious public health threat.

Satisfaction of Slovak women with psychosocial aspects of care during childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to find out and assess satisfaction of Slovak women with psychosocial aspects of perinatal care. DESIGN AND SETTING: The research was designed as a quantitative cross-sectional study. The research data were collected in five pediatric outpatient clinics in Slovakia. PARTICIPANTS: The research sample consisted of 360 women within 0-1 year after natural delivery (average time in months from childbirth: 6.22 ± 3.64) who visited the selected pediatric outpatient clinic in the period from October 2016 to January 2018. METHODS: To collect the relevant data, the original Czech questionnaire measuring psychosocial climate in maternity hospitals - KLI-P (Cronbach α = 0.95) was used to investigate the satisfaction of women with care during labor and delivery as well as with psychosocial aspects. The following six factors were assessed: (1) helpfulness and empathy of midwives and (2) of physicians, (3) superiority and lack of interest, (4) physical comfort and services, (5) control of a woman in labor and her participation in decision-making, (6) providing information. The received data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, robust ANOVA, Post-hoc test, the Wilcoxon two-sample test, a G-test of independence and the Cochran-Armitage test of trend. FINDINGS: We found that most women (83.1%) were generally satisfied with their care during labor and delivery as well as with psychosocial support. In terms of psychosocial aspects, the highest level of satisfaction was attributed to the approach of the health professionals and the lowest one (61.5%) to the control and participation of delivering woman in decision-making. Both perception of the course of labor and delivery and skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth were shown to be statistically significant predictors of women's satisfaction. The aspect of age was found to be statistically significant in relation to the factor of control of a woman in labor and her participation in decision-making. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: It can be concluded that it is necessary to pay attention to the psychosocial aspects of health care during labor and delivery, with the emphasis on strengthening interventions in the field of participation of women in decision-making. Simultaneously, it is beneficial to emphasize and support the naturalness of childbirth so that women would associate childbirth with a positive experience. Finally, it is important to promote skin-to-skin contact right after birth.

Impact of hand hygiene knowledge on the hand hygiene compliance.

Aim Hand hygiene practice is still burdened by inadequate compliance, whether in the professional sphere by health professionals or in the non-professional sphere by lay population. Aim of this study was to map the hand hygiene knowledge and its compliance in the monitored group of people. Methods The research was conducted at the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin of Comenius University in Bratislava (JFM CU) among seventy 3rd year students of General Medicine (medical study program), and Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health (non-medical study programs). Knowledge of hygienic hand washing according to the WHO guidelines from 2009 was investigated, as well as differences in the level of microbial contamination of hands after routine hand washing between the group that had been acquainted with hand hygiene protocols and the group that had not sufficiently. Results The results have shown that 32.9% of the students did not perform hygienic hand washing properly. The differences between the groups of students with and without the proper hand hygiene compliance in routine hand washing were not statistically significant. Conclusion The results of our survey have suggested that the reasons for decreased compliance with hand washing protocols may be related to forgetting to wash the hands or not being acquainted with hand washing protocols at all. The strategies focused only on one aspect of hand hygiene are, according to scientific literature, ineffective in the long term.