Italian midwives in Europe: a qualitative study on the experiences of professional migration.

Aim: To explore the reasons for Italian midwives' decision to migrate, and their lived professional and emotional experiences. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted recruiting Italian midwives who were working abroad in European countries. We offered a telephone or web interview. Two researchers conducted, audio-recorded, and fully transcribed the interviews and other two researchers, independently, performed a content analysis. Results: Thirty-two midwives having professional experiences in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain were interviewed. Five themes emerged: 1) Education, 2) Migration decision-making, 3) Professional experience abroad, 4) Midwives' perceptions of their role, 5) Satisfaction versus desire to return. Our findings show a general dissatisfaction with Italian job opportunities in terms both of access to employment and work conditions. This scenario is complicated by the status of the professional midwifery in Italy. Conclusion: Stakeholders should ensure that the migration of Italian midwives is not synonymous with dispersion but is a channel of professional growth and mutual exchange.

Valor pronóstico de la Escala de Glasgow en pacientes neuroquirúrgicos / Prognostic value of the Glasgow coma scale on neurosurgical patients

Se analizó el valor pronóstico de la Escala de Glasgow (EG) en 62 pacientes sometidos a neurocirugía intracraneana, correlacionando la EG en distintos tiempos (prequirúrgico, postoperatorio inmediato, mediato y tardío) con la Escala de Glasgow Evolutiva (EGE), representando ésta el valor de la evolución final obtenida en el momento del alta. Existiría una correlación inversa significativa entre EG y EGE, resultando la EG de las primeras 72 hs. del postoperatorio y del postoperatorio mediato como los valores mejor correlacionados con el escor evolutivo al alta. La escor en las primeras 72 hs. podría ser un predictor confiable de la evolución neuroquirúrgica

Valor pronóstico de la Escala de Glasgow en pacientes neuroquirúrgicos / Prognostic value of the Glasgow coma scale on neurosurgical patients

Se analizó el valor pronóstico de la Escala de Glasgow (EG) en 62 pacientes sometidos a neurocirugía intracraneana, correlacionando la EG en distintos tiempos (prequirúrgico, postoperatorio inmediato, mediato y tardío) con la Escala de Glasgow Evolutiva (EGE), representando ésta el valor de la evolución final obtenida en el momento del alta. Existiría una correlación inversa significativa entre EG y EGE, resultando la EG de las primeras 72 hs. del postoperatorio y del postoperatorio mediato como los valores mejor correlacionados con el escor evolutivo al alta. La escor en las primeras 72 hs. podría ser un predictor confiable de la evolución neuroquirúrgica (AU)

Immunoactivity of pidotimod against episodes of recurrent tonsillitis in childhood.

The therapeutic efficacy of the synthetic immunostimulant pidotimod ((R)-3-[(S)-(5-oxo-2-pyrrolidinyl) carbonyl]-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid, PGT/1A, CAS 121808-62-6) was evaluated in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in parallel groups in the management of recurrences in 235 children with recurrent tonsillitis. The ambulant study provided for 15 days of treatment with two oral vials of pidotimod 400 mg or placebo daily, in accordance with a randomisation list, 60 days of treatment with one oral vial of pidotimod 400 mg or placebo daily, and a 90-day follow-up period. The total trial period was 165 days. In addition to evaluating the number of tonsillitis recurrences which occurred during the 75 days of treatment and the 90-day follow-up period, the number of days on which the principal symptoms of the illness were present and on which drugs such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatory agents were used concomitantly, as well as the number of days' absence from school, were analyzed. The findings showed that, taking the treatment phase and the three-month follow-up period together, pidotimod significantly reduces the incidence of inflammatory upper airways episodes. The very low incidence of adverse effects, which was the same as that in the placebo group, confirmed the excellent safety of the product.