Attitude of medical students towards occupational safety and health: a multi-national study.

BACKGROUND: Work-related diseases contribute immensely to the global burden of diseases. Better understanding of attitudes of health care workers towards occupational safety and health (OSH) is important for planning. OBJECTIVE: To assess the attitude of medical students towards OSH around the globe. METHODS: A questionnaire assessing the attitude towards OSH was administered to medical and paramedical students of 21 Medical Universities across the globe. In the current study 1895 students, aged 18-36 years, from 17 countries were included. After having performed a principal components analysis, the associations of interest between the identified components and other socio demographic characteristics were assessed by multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Principal component analysis revealed 3 components. Students from lower and lower-middle-income countries had a more positive attitude towards OSH, but the importance of OSH was still rated higher by students from upper-income countries. Although students from Asian and African continents showed high interest for OSH, European and South-Central American students comparatively rated importance of OSH to be higher. Paramedical students had more positive attitude towards OSH than medical students. CONCLUSION: The attitude of students from lower-income and lower-middle-income towards importance of OSH is negative. This attitude could be changed by recommending modifications to OSH courses that reflect the importance of OSH. Since paramedical students showed more interest in OSH than medical students, modifications in existing health care system with major role of paramedics in OSH service delivery is recommended.

A chimeric anti-TNFalpha monoclonal antibody (cA2) in vivo removes TNFalpha-producing cells in Crohn's disease.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) has been described as a citokine involved in gastrointestinal mucosal inflammation in Crohn's disease. A single infusion of the chimeric mouse/human monoclonal antibody cA2 anti-TNFalpha has been established as a new therapeutical procedure. The aim of these study was to determine the effect of the monoclonal antibody cA2 on lymphocyte and monocyte TNFalpha-producing cells. Initially the patient, with severe Crohn's disease (Crohn's disease activity index CDAI > 350), presented a higher number of peripheral blood TNFalpha-producing cells than healthy controls. The patient received two cA2 treatments throughout one year due the severe activity of the disease. Before treatment the patient had a large number of TNFalpha producer cells. A dramatic reduction in lymphocyte and monocyte TNFalpha producing cells, together a clinical remission (CDAI < 150), was shown after the treatments. Four months after the first cA2 treatment, the patient had a clinical response associated with an important increment of TNFalpha-producing cells that extended increasing until the second cA2 treatment was averaged. These results suggest that the clinical activity of the Crohn's disease correlates with peripheral TNFalpha-expressing cells. The cA2 antibody, as well as of neutralize soluble TNFalpha, also removes TNFalpha-producer cells, which may collaborate with the anti-TNFalpha activity of the antibody treatment.

[Prophylaxis of postoperative endophthalmitis with intracameral cefuroxime: a five years' experience]. / Profilaxis de la endoftalmitis postquirúrgica con cefuroxima intracamerular: experiencia de cinco años.

PURPOSE: To present the outcomes of prophylaxis of postoperative endophthalmitis following cataract surgery with intracameral Cefuroxime. METHOD: A retrospective study was done on 4281 eyes that underwent cataract surgery from October 2003 to September 2008. All patients underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery. All cases received an injection of 0.1 ml intracameral Cefuroxime (1 mg) at the end of surgery except those patients allergic to penicillin and cephalosporin until September 2007 and thereafter only those with demonstrated allergy to cefuroxime. RESULTS: The rate of postoperative endophthalmitis was 0.11% (5 cases). Four of them had a positive culture. We found no evidence of clinical ocular toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Intracameral cefuroxime works very well for reducing the incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis. It appears safe to use and is easy to prepare.

Profilaxis de la endoftalmitis postquirúrgica con cefuroxima intracamerular: experiencia de cinco años / Prophylaxis of postoperative endophthalmitis whit intracameral cefuroxime: A five years' Experience

Propósito: Mostrar los resultados de la profilaxis de endoftalmitis postquirúrgica (EPQ) tras cirugía de catarata con Cefuroxima intracamerular. Método: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo con4.281 ojos intervenidos de catarata de octubre de2003 a septiembre de 2008. Todos los pacientes fueron intervenidos con técnica de facoemulsificación. Todos los casos recibieron una inyección de Cefuroxima: 0,1 ml (1 mg) en cámara anterior al finalizar la cirugía, a excepción de los pacientes con alergia a penicilinas y cefalosporinas hasta septiembre de 2007 y después de esta fecha solo aquellos con alergia demostrada a cefuroxima. Resultados: La incidencia de EPQ fue de 0,11% (5casos). Cuatro de ellos fueron cultivo positivo. No se detectó ningún signo clínico de toxicidad ocular. Conclusiones: La profilaxis de EPQ con Cefuroxima intracamerular es muy eficaz para reducir la incidencia de endoftalmitis postoperatoria, parece segura y es fácil de preparar (AU)

Purpose: To present the outcomes of prophylaxisof postoperative endophthalmitis following cataractsurgery with intracameral Cefuroxime.Method: A retrospective study was done on 4281eyes that underwent cataract surgery from October2003 to September 2008. All patients underwentphacoemulsification cataract surgery. All casesreceived an injection of 0.1 ml intracameral Cefuroxime(1 mg) at the end of surgery except thosepatients allergic to penicillin and cephalosporinuntil September 2007 and thereafter only those withdemonstrated allergy to cefuroxime.Results: The rate of postoperative endophthalmitiswas 0.11% (5 cases). Four of them had a positiveculture. We found no evidence of clinical oculartoxicity.Conclusions: Intracameral cefuroxime works verywell for reducing the incidence of postoperativeendophthalmitis. It appears safe to use and is easy toprepare(AU)

[Health education in school]. / La educación sanitaria en la escuela.

OBJECTIVES: To discover the contents of health education taught at present in the EGB (basic) schools of Castelldefels, the opinions of teachers on health education in schools, and to stimulate reflection among teachers and health-workers on health education at school. DESIGN: A crossover study using a self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: EGB schools in the town of Castelldefels. PARTICIPANTS: All the EGB teachers in Castelldefels (n = 261). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 148 teachers (57%) replied to the survey. Health education was considered necessary by 56.8% and essential by 33.1%. They needed technical support and adequate material to carry it through. Integration of health education into the teaching programmes of the school syllabus's different subjects was the best way of carrying it out, in the view of the majority. The advantage of different subjects coincided with those described in the "Health Plan for Catalonia". CONCLUSIONS: Given that we consider teachers to be the professionals best-placed to carry out health education at school, it is useful to confirm their awareness of its importance. As health education is also an objective of the primary care teams, these should be the reference and support point for teachers' demands for technical help.