Epidemiological Analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains Isolated from Patients of Small Communities Living in the South-East of Poland.

The diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates, collected from a single hospital, was analyzed by ligation-mediated PCR techniques: FLiP and FLAP, and hybridization technique, IS6110-RFLP. The isolated strains were divided in terms of location (3 towns of Podkarpackie voivodeship differing in population size) and relationship (8 members of 4 families, each represented by 2 patients). Within each family identical DNA profiles, as well as drug resistance patterns were identified indicating a great chance of transmission of strains within the same family. Identical, or very similar patterns were also shared by strains isolated from unrelated patients living in a very small town (1 200 inhabitants) or hospitalized in the same place and time.

Diet's influence on climate and health.

Climate, diet and health are closely connected. The food system is one of the largest contributors to climate change, making it crucial to address dietary choices. This review summarises the current dietary state in Denmark with emphasis on climate and health. Adhering to Danish dietary guidelines or the EAT-Lancet diet not only reduces carbon footprint significantly, but also minimises the burden of disease and pressure on the public health sector. To achieve public health improvements and meet climate targets, it is essential to implement these diet guidelines through comprehensive structural and political measures.

Diversity of Binge-Eating Disorder Symptoms Is Associated with Anxiety about Getting Fat Rather Than Body Image: A Clinical Study of Women in Poland.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety about gaining weight is strongly related to body image. Evidence indicates that body dissatisfaction is a strong predictor of eating disorder development. Although not included in DSM-V diagnostic criteria, body image dissatisfaction, and concern are clearly relevant also for individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED). Weight gain anxiety is associated with psychopathological behaviors, but existing research in this area is primarily focused on bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. The goal of this present study was to investigate body image and body mass anxiety in people with BED. METHODS: Women diagnosed with BED (n = 105) aged 18 to 66 were surveyed using the questionnaire developed by the authors evaluating the presence of BED symptoms based on DSM-V criteria, and two other instruments: the Body Esteem Scale (BES), and the Body Mass Anxiety Scale (BMAS-20). Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the correlations of BED with body image and body mass anxiety (Pearson's r), to test differences between groups with greater and lesser BED symptom diversity (Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test), and to assess differences among mild-, moderate- and severe-BED groups (ANOVA with a post-hoc test). RESULTS: A medium positive relationship was found between anxiety about getting fat (AGF) and the diversity of BED, measured as the number of BED symptoms. A larger number of BED symptoms was shown to be associated with a higher level of AGF. However, no significant differences in AGF levels were observed among BED-severity groups, specified with the frequency of binge eating episodes. No correlations were found between BED and body image. There were also no significant differences in body image between groups with a larger and a smaller number of BED symptoms. The only significant difference in body image observed among BED-severity groups was the level of weight concern. People with mild BED displayed a higher level of weight concern than those with severe BED. CONCLUSIONS: Women who binge eat experience high levels of AGF. In the present study, AGF was primarily associated with the number of BED symptoms and not the rate of recurrence of binge-eating episodes. The frequency of BED episodes, however, was linked with weight concern. On the other hand, the hypothesized relationship between disturbed body image and BED was not confirmed. The findings indicate that anxiety about getting fat should be viewed as one of the psychological costs incurred by women experiencing BED symptoms, and it should be mentioned in the next DSM version.

Frequency of use, moral incongruence and religiosity and their relationships with self-perceived addiction to pornography, internet use, social networking and online gaming.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Moral incongruence involves disapproval of a behavior in which people engage despite their moral beliefs. Although considerable research has been conducted on how moral incongruence relates to pornography use, potential roles for moral incongruence in other putative behavioral addictions have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of moral incongruence in self-perceived addiction to: (i) pornography; (ii) internet addiction; (iii) social networking; and (iv) online gaming. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, preregistered, online survey using multivariable regression. SETTING: Online study conducted in Poland. PARTICIPANTS: 1036 Polish adults aged between 18 and 69 years. MEASUREMENTS: Measures included self-perceived behavioral addiction to pornography, internet use, social networking and online gaming and their hypothesized determinants (moral incongruence, frequency of use, time of use, religiosity, age and gender). FINDINGS: Higher moral incongruence (ß = 0.20, P < 0.001) and higher religiosity (ß = 0.08, P < 0.05) were independently associated with higher self-perceived addiction to pornography. Additionally, frequency of pornography use was the strongest of the analyzed predictors (ß = 0.43, P < 0.001). A similar, positive relationship between high moral incongruence and self-perceived addiction was also present for internet (ß = 0.16, P < 0.001), social networking (ß = 0.18, P < 0.001) and gaming addictions (ß = 0.16, P < 0.001). Religiosity was uniquely, although weakly, connected to pornography addiction, but not to other types of addictive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Moral incongruence may be positively associated with self-perception of behavioral addictions including not only pornography viewing, but also internet use, social networking and online gaming.

Why do Danish junior doctors choose general practice as their future specialty? Results of a mixed-methods survey.

Background: A well-staffed and an efficient primary healthcare sector is beneficial for a healthcare system but some countries experience problems in recruitment to general practice. Objectives: This study explored factors influencing Danish junior doctors' choice of general practice as their specialty. Methods: This study is based on an online questionnaire collecting quantitative and qualitative data. Two focus-group interviews were conducted to inform the construction of the questionnaire to ensure high content validity. All Danish junior doctors participating in general practice specialist training in 2015 were invited to participate in the survey, from which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The data was analysed using systematic text condensation and descriptive statistics. Results: Of 1099 invited, 670 (61%) junior doctors completed the questionnaire. Qualitative data: junior doctors found educational environments and a feasible work-life balance were important. They valued patient-centred healthcare, doctor-patient relationships based on continuity, and the possibility of organizing their work in smaller, manageable units. Quantitative data: 90.8% stated that the set-up of Danish specialist-training programme positively influenced their choice of general practice as their specialty. Junior doctors (80.4%) found that their university curriculum had too little emphasis on general practice, 64.5% agreed that early basic postgraduate training in general practice had a high impact on their choice of general practice as their specialty. Conclusion: Several factors that might positively affect the choice of general practice were identified. These factors may hold the potential to guide recruitment strategies for general practice.