Comparison of perception of stress and consumption of anxiolytics in hospital and out-hospital conditions: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The workplace is a place where medical workers are exposed to extreme stress, particularly during medical emergencies or events of epidemic or pandemic proportions. Anxiolytic therapy is often used to overcome professional challenges. Deepening knowledge about the prevalence of the use of anxiolytics and the perception of stress among medical workers enables the timely recognition of problems and the preparation of measures to improve the working conditions and quality of life of medical workers. The study's primary objective was to investigate whether there were differences in the usage of anxiolytics among healthcare professionals in and out of the hospital. In addition to the main objective, there are other objectives that have been established: To examine whether there are statistically justified differences in stress perceptions between hospital and outpatient healthcare professionals; 2. To examine the stress factors in the workplace in both hospital and outpatient settings. To compare the frequency of taking anxiolytics with respect to various variables (age, seniority, occupation and level of education); 4. determines the impact of working conditions on stress perception and life satisfaction in healthcare professionals. The design of research: Cross-sectional research. Materials and methods: The research involved 159 healthcare professionals in Slavonski Brod: 96 employees of the General Hospital "Dr. Josip Bencevic" and 63 employees of the Health Center and the Institute for Emergency Medicine of Brodsko-Posavina County. Respondents were able to participate in the study by filling out questionnaires online. The questionnaire was designed to be voluntary and anonymous and contained 53 questions. Results: Statistically significant differences were shown in the perception of stress, which is greater in hospital staff, than in the difference between stressors in the workplace, where hospital staff showed higher values in all categories, but three factors are more significant differences: "Organization of the workplace and financial issues," "Conflicts and communication at work" and "Professional and intellectual requirements." There are significant differences in the frequency of using anxiolytics with the assistance of a psychiatrist. Working conditions have a much greater impact on the perception of stress and life satisfaction in hospital staff, while in hospital staff only a weak link between the perception of stress and life satisfaction is expressed. Anxiolytics are consumed by 27.10% of hospital workers and 23.80% of outside-the-hospital workers. Conclusion: The consumption of anxiolytic drugs by healthcare professionals in hospital and outpatient conditions does not make a significant difference, but they do have statistically significant differences in their perception of stress.

Comfort level classification during patients transport.

BACKGROUND: Passenger comfort is affected by many factors. Patient comfort is even more specific due to its mental and physical health condition. OBJECTIVE: Developing a system for monitoring patient transport conditions with the comfort level classification, which is affected by the patient parameters. METHODS: Smartphone with the developed Android application was installed in an EMS to monitor patient transport between medical institutions. As a result, 10 calculated parameters are generated in addition to the GPS data and the subjective comfort level. Three classifiers are used to classify the transportation. At the end, the adjustment of classified comfort levels is performed based on the patient's medical condition, age and gender. RESULTS: Modified SVM classifier provided the best overall classification results with the precision of 90.8%. Furthermore, a model that represents patient sensitivity to transport vibration, based on the patient's medical condition, is proposed and the final classification results are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The Android application is mobile, simple to install and use. According to the obtained results, SVM and Naive Bayes classifier gave satisfying results while KNN should be avoided. The developed model takes transport comfort and the patient's medical condition into consideration, so it is suitable for the patient transport comfort classification.

A comparison of methods for three-class mammograms classification.

BACKGROUND: Mammography is considered the gold standard for early breast cancer detection but it is very difficult to interpret mammograms for many reason. Computer aided diagnosis (CAD) is an important development that may help to improve the performance in breast cancer detection. OBJECTIVE: We present a CAD system based on feature extraction techniques for detecting abnormal patterns in digital mammograms. METHODS: Computed features based on gray-level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM) are used to evaluate the effectiveness of textural information possessed by mass regions. A total of 20 texture features are extracted from each mammogram. The ability of feature set in differentiating normal, benign and malign tissue is investigated using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier, Naive Bayes classifier and K-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) classifier. The efficiency of classification is provided using cross-validation technique. Support Vector Machine was originally designed for binary classification. We constructed a three-class SVM classifier by combining two binary classifiers and then compared his performance with classifiers intended for multi-class classification. To evaluate the classification performance, confusion matrix and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed. RESULTS: Obtained results indicate that SVM classification results are better than the k-NN and Naive Bayes classification results, with accuracy ratio of 65% according to 51.6% and 38.1%, respectively.The unbalanced classification that occurs in all three classification tests is reason for unsatisfactory accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Obtained experimental results indicate that the proposed three-class SVM classifier is more suitable for practical use than the other two methods.

A retrospective, case-control study on traditional environmental risk factors in inflammatory bowel disease in Vukovar-Srijem County, north-eastern Croatia, 2010.

BACKGROUND: Traditional environmental risk factors in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), were examined as part of the retrospective epidemiologic study conducted in Vukovar-Srijem County, north-eastern Croatia in 2010. The geographical variations in the frequency of IBD in Croatia have been observed, which is also the trend in the Central Eastern European region and Europe as a whole, indicating the influence of environmental and lifestyle factors. However, the data on the spread of environmental IBD risk factors are still limited. The purpose of this study was to analyse the traditional environmental risk factors in IBD on our cohort sample, including measles virus infection and vaccination (MMR vaccine-Mumps, Measles, Rubella), tonsillectomy, appendectomy, current and former cigarette smoking and use of oral contraceptives in women. METHODS: This retrospective, case-control study was performed as a part of a wider epidemiologic study aimed at assessing the incidence, prevalence and clinical expression of IBD, in Vukovar-Srijem County (population: 204,768; 2001), which is a lesser developed part of the continental Croatia that experienced deep demographic changes in the recent past. IBD patients were identified according to the hospital's patient records. There were 119 UC patients and 31 CD patients of a total of 150 patients in the cohort. A total of 150 individuals, volunteers, not having a diagnosis of IBD, age- and sex-matched, were used as the control group. Information on examined risk factors were obtained from all subjects in a previously conducted interview. Patients were contacted personally or by phone and interviewed by a gastroenterologist. RESULTS: There were no differences in the number of smokers, former smokers and non-smokers, between UC and CD patients and the controls, nor in the duration of smoking (years), in current smokers and ex-smokers. Only marginally significant longer time of non-smoking, in ex-smokers was found in IBD patients, compared to the controls, more pronounced in CD patients (p = 0.05). No difference was found in relation to tonsillectomy and risk of IBD. There was no difference in the number of female IBD patients and women from the controls using oral contraceptives. Duration (years) of oral contraceptives use was longer in women from the controls than in female IBD patients (p < 0.001). Frequency of appendectomy was the lowest in UC patients, compared to the controls and CD patients (3.4, 12.0 and 38.7%, respectively) (p < 0.001). No difference was found in relation to measles virus infection and risk of IBD. MMR vaccination rates were higher in CD patients (90.3%), compared to UC patients and the controls (74.8 and 67.3%, respectively) (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: No association was found between smoking and tonsillectomy and risk of IBD. Our results do not support the idea of oral contraceptives use as a risk factor for IBD. Frequency of appendectomy was the lowest in UC patients, suggesting that appendectomy decreases the risk of UC, contributing the earlier results. MMR vaccination seemed to be associated with Crohn's disease. These results can add value to our understanding of the increasing incidence of IBD in Croatia and other Central Eastern European countries and can be introductory to future large-scale research.

Characteristics of NRS-2002 Nutritional Risk Screening in patients hospitalized for secondary cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of nutritional risk in patients scheduled for cardiovascular rehabilitation. BACKGROUND: Knowledge concerning nutritional aspects of cardiovascular diseases is contemporary limited. METHODS: Nutritional risk screening using a standardized Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) questionnaire was performed on a cohort of consecutive patients scheduled for rehabilitation 1-6 months after treatment for ischemic, valvular, or combined causes of heart diseases. Baseline weight was available for more than 80% of patients. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 317 patients, aged 23-85 years, with a mean age of 62.5 ± 11.3 years. Male to female share was 253 (79.8%) and 64 (20.2%), respectively. Twenty-eight (8.8%) were treated for myocardial infarction conservatively, 151 (47.6%) by percutaneous coronary interventions, and 145 (45.7%) by surgery. NRS-2002 was 3.56 ± 1.54 in range 0-6. A high correlation was found between the NRS-2002 and percentage weight loss history (rho = 0.813; p <0.001). Significant differences according to increased nutritional risk (NRS-2002 ≥ 3) were found within age groups (p < 0.001), disease etiology (p = 0.002), cardiovascular treatments (p < 0.001), and grades of renal function (p < 0.001). Odds for developing increased nutritional risk (NRS-2002 ≥ 3) were significant for cardiovascular treatments (odds ratio [OR] = 4.35, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.28-8.30, p < 0.001), age (OR = 3.19, 95% CI, 2.00-5.09, p < 0.001), grade of renal function (OR = 1.91, 95% CI, 1.17-3.09, p = 0.009), diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.37, 95% CI, 1.09-5.16, p = 0.029), and any psychological disturbance (OR = 2.04, 95% CI, 1.06-3.90, p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Pronounced nutritional risk frequently existed among patients at stationary cardiovascular rehabilitation. Nutritional risk was connected with preceding cardiovascular treatments, patient age, and renal function. Further studies concerning nutritional risk and its connections with clinical outcomes might serve as a resourceful perspective to improve outcomes or quality of care for the entities from the cardiovascular diseases continuum.

Clinical and seasonal variations of nutritional risk screening in patients scheduled for rehabilitation after heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: Current knowledge on the pervasiveness of increased nutritional risk in cardiovascular diseases is limited. Our aim was to analyze the characteristics of nutritional risk screening in patients scheduled for rehabilitation after heart surgery. Prevalence and extent of nutritional risk were studied in connection with patients' characteristics and seasonal climate effects on weight loss dynamics. METHODS: The cohort included 65 consecutive patients with an age range of 25-84 years, 2-6 months after surgical treatment for ischemic or valvular heart disease. Nutritional risk screening was appraised using a standardized NRS-2002 questionnaire. Groups were analyzed according to a timeline of rehabilitation according to the "cold" and "warm" seasons of the moderate Mediterranean climate in Opatija, Croatia. RESULTS: Increased nutritional risk scores (NRS-2002) of >3 were found in 96% of studied patients. Mean NRS-2002 of patients was 5.0 ± 1.0, with a percentage weight loss history of 11.7% ± 2.2% (4.6-19.0). Risk was found to be more pronounced during the warmer season, with NRS-2002 scores of 5.3 ± 0.7 versus 4.8 ± 1.1 (P = 0.136) and greater loss of weight of 13.0% ± 3.2% versus 10.6% ± 3% (P = 0.005), respectively. Increased nutritional risk correlated significantly with creatinine concentrations (rho = 0.359; P = 0.034 versus 0.584; P = 0.001, respectively). Significant discordance in correlations was found between NRS-2002 and the decrease in left ventricle systolic function (rho correlation coefficient [rho-cc] = -0.428; P = 0.009), the increase in glucose concentrations (cc = 0.600; P < 0.001), and the decrease in erythrocyte counts (cc = -0.520; P = 0.001) during the colder season. CONCLUSION: Increased nutritional risk was found to be frequently expressed in the course of rehabilitation after heart surgery. Although seasonal climate effects influenced the weight loss dynamics, the impact on reproducibility of NRS-2002 was clinically less important. Further studies on the connection of nutritional risk with composited end points might offer improvements in overall quality of treatment.

Challenging the evidence based medicine principles among clinical obesity treatments.

Obesity is among the greatest health problems worldwide. However, there is a certain lack in regard to objective evidence-based clinical therapeutic algorithms. The conservative therapy (lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy) often fails to attain clinically significant weight lost. For this reason, more effective forms of treatment were developed (for example bariatric surgery or newly emerging field of endoscopic gastroenterological devices). The implementation of surgical therapy is marked with relatively narrowly stated indication parameters. The endoscopic methods showed promising results in weight loss, within satisfying safety profiles, although there are no clear defined positions of endoscopic devices in the treatment of obesity. Endoscopic treatment seems to be especially interesting as an alternative to surgery, because of significant surgical risk reduction. This review presents an analysis of the position of invasive treatments of obesity.

Epidemiology and clinical presentation of inflammatory bowel disease in Zadar County, Croatia.

Results of the retrospective, population-based study, 2000-2010, on inflammatory bowel disease, ulceratice colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), from Zadar County, have been presented and compared with world experience and comparative data from Primorsko-Goranska and Vukovarsko-Srijemska Counties. The average incidence rates (per 100 000) were 8.2 and 8.4, for UC and CD, respectively. Prevalence rates, at the end of the follow up, were 133.9 for UC and 111 for CD. Constant increase in the incidence rates for both, UC and CD, have been recorded, for CD more prominently in the second part of the follow up, 2006-2010. Prevalence rates have being continuosly rased for both diseases, data for UC exceeding that for CD. Results of data comparison among the counties contribute in favour to the hypothesis of Zadar County as a rapidly developing area and strongly argue against the existence of the North-South gradient between Vukovarsko-Srijemska and Zadar Counties.

Effects of obesity reduction on cardiovascular risk factors: comparison of individual and group treatment--substudy of the Croatian Healthy Weight Loss Programme.

Prevention of obesity may help reduce the morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. In Croatia, over half of adult population is overweight. Aldo the basic medical principles of healthy weight-loss programmes are well known, it is believed that mainly because of the leak of successful therapeutic approach obesity remains the most challenging changeable cardiovascular risk factor in nowadays clinical practice. Objective of this Croatian Healthy Weight Loss Programme substudy was to determine effects and differences between the intensive group and intensive individual weight-loss program on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor. A clinical trial included 476 adults whose body mass index (BMI) was > 30 or > 28 accompanied by increased blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. The study participants completed either a group (n = 243) or individually-based (n = 233) 6-month weight-loss program consisting of education, low-fat diet, pharmacological treatment with orlistat, psychological counselling, and exercise. Body weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol were measured in all participants after 3 and 6 months. The average weight loss was 12.2 (13%) kg and 7.6 (9%) kg in the group and individual program, respectively. Beside the weight reduction, the levels of blood cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure were also significantly reduced in comparison with baseline, decreasing to normal values in all participants (P < 0.001 for all). Decrease in the monitored parameters was greater in participants in the group program. The weight loss program provided a healthy loss of extra weight in the period of 6 months. The group program produced greater decrease in body weight, body mass index, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol than the individual program.

Efficacy of healthy weight loss program in obesity treatment: Croatian experience.

We evaluated the efficiency of a six-month outpatient weight loss treatment program combining healthy diet, fat reduction, psychological counseling, exercise, and orlistat treatment, by measuring body weight and levels of cardiovascular risk factors in 476 subjects with BMI over 30 or 28 with increased blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar at the baseline and at the end of program. After four weeks of adjustment to a mild low-calorie diet (1600 kcal/day) and counseling, subjects started receiving orlistat (120 mg TID). The mean weight loss after 6 months was 10.9%. Systolic pressure dropped by 6.7%, diastolic by 4.2%, fasting blood glucose by 10.1%, and total cholesterol by 9.8%. Only 9 subjects (7.8%) poorly tolerated the treatment. More men than women were able to maintain the achieved weight loss six months after the program (70.6% vs. 58.3%, respectively). The healthy weight loss program was an efficient approach to obesity treatment.

Left ventricle diastolic dysfunction in obese patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: The frequent coexistence of obesity and arterial hypertension is well known. Although both conditions have been identified as independent risk factors for impaired left ventricular diastolic function, there is a paucity of data on the dysfunction among obese patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension. The study was performed to determine the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in obese individuals with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension and to compare it with the prevalence in normotensive obese persons. METHODS: We enrolled 125 obese patients: 65 with newly diagnosed hypertension and 60 normotensive patients matched for age, sex and body mass index. Left ventricular diastolic function was assessed from the following Doppler-echocardiographic measurements: mitral inflow velocities (E and A wave), E wave deceleration time, isovolumetric relaxation time, left atrial and left ventricular diameters, left ventricular wall thickness and left ventricular heart mass index. Diastolic dysfunction was considered when the E/A ratio was <1. RESULTS: We found significantly higher A wave, lower E/A ratio, longer E deceleration time and a bigger left atrium in obese patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension. We did not find significant differences in E wave peak velocities between the two groups. Although there was no difference in left ventricle heart mass or the prevalence of left ventricle hypertrophy, the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction was higher in the group with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that newly diagnosed arterial hypertension significantly contributes to impairment of left ventricular diastolic function in obese patients before development of structural aberrations detectable on echocardiography.