Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of tuberculosis prophylaxis in patients with HIV/AIDS treated with isoniazid

Introduction. The epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus has had a tremendous effect on the epidemic of tuberculosis. Together with the spread of HIV, a great increase has been observed in morbidity due to tuberculosis, both in endemic countries and in those where earlier, as a result of treatment, the frequency of occurrence of tuberculosis had decreased. In 2018, the WHO data demonstrated that the EECA region was the only region worldwide where the epidemics of HIV was still rapidly increasing. The EECA region still struggles with a serious epidemic of tuberculosis. Materials and method. The research method applied was comparative analysis of the results of own study and studies by other researchers, concerning the effectiveness of tuberculosis prophylaxis in patients with HIV/AIDS when treated with isoniazid. Results. In own study, it was found that primary morbidity among patients administered isoniazid significantly decreased within 5 years. Incidence rates of primary morbidity were significantly lower than among patients who had not received isoniazid. Relevant studies conducted worldwide, in many cases differed from own study with respect to both the results and approach to the problem, by country or selection of the type of patients participating in the study. However, in all studies, isoniazid was generally a safe and well-tolerated drug, without special side-effects. Conclusions. All studies analyzed concerning the effectiveness of tuberculosis prophylaxis in patients with HIV/AIDS treated with isoniazid, confirmed the effectiveness of this drug. In the compared studies, applied isoniazid preventive therapy showed no difference in effectiveness according to its duration. Analyzed studies showed similar effectiveness also with respect to a decrease in mortality among patients with TB/HIV/AIDS

Does Emotions Communication Ability Affect Psychological Well-Being? A Study with the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) v2.0

The main aim of the current study was to provide evidence regarding the relationship between emotions communication ability—in terms of emotional intelligence (EI)—and psychological well-being. Additionally, the study explored the moderating effect of sex on this relationship. Participants filled in the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, General Health Questionnaire, Psychological General Well-Being Index, and Depression Questionnaire. Results showed the moderating role of sex in the relationship between EI ability and psychological well-being. Furthermore, the associations between EI and psychological well-being measures were generally higher for men than for women, supporting the idea that sex needs to be taken into account when considering EI measures. The potential helpfulness of EI and emotions communications ability in promoting mental health is discussed

Graduating Physiotherapy Students’ Conceptions of their own Competence

A competence-oriented approach has recently emerged in higher education and thus far, not much attention has been paid to how “competence” itself is understood in education. The purpose of this study was to examine how graduating physiotherapy students perceive their competence at the end of their studies. The data comprised interviews with 33 graduating physiotherapy students. The data were analysed with the phenomenographic approach. The findings indicated that graduating students had different and wide-ranging conceptions of what competence in physiotherapy entails and what their own competence covers. The descriptive categories – mastering core skills, understanding the theoretical basis of physiotherapy, having a holistic view of physiotherapy, engaging in and developing multi-professional collaboration – varied hierarchically on the basis of seven themes. From a pedagogical point of view, four critical aspects were identified: focus of reflection, professional agency, cultural awareness and communication.peerReviewe