ANXIETY OF PATIENTS AT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCREENING

Introduction: Anxiety is a state of feeling helpless and insecure, a state of anticipation and concern that something bad will happen. Fear of pain and the unknown, as well as fear of screening results can increase anxiety. Severe anxiety during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)can cause patient\u27s movement, leading to poorer imaging and reduction in the quality of the diagnostic test. To determine the anxiety of patients before and after magnetic resonance imaging and to investigate the relationship between the tested anxiety and the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients. Methods: The study was conducted at the Department of Radiology of the University Clinical Hospital Mostar in the period from February 1st 2020 to March 31st 2020. The study included 100 subjects who were prescribed an MRI screening at the time of the study. A socio-demographic questionnaire specifically designed for this study was used to obtain data on subjects such as gender, age, place of residence, smoking, drinking alcohol, economic status, religiosity. The Anxiety Questionnaire as a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to examine anxiety. Results: A statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety was determined after MRI screening (p<0.001). Male subjects achieved a statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety before (p=0.019) and after (p=0.034) MRI screening. There were no statistically significant correlations between the age of the subjects and the results achieved on the anxiety tests before and after the MRI screening. Conclusion: Subjects who were prescribed an MRI screening have a statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety after the screening. Male subjects had a statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety on MRI screening

Systemic inflammatory indexes (NLR, DNLR, PLR and SII) role in predicting COVID-19 progression

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a worldwide emergency. The disease is characterized primarily by symptoms of the respiratory system, but also by systemic inflammation. Since the onset of the disease, there has been a need for biomarkers to predict the severity of the clinical picture and the outcome of the disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate systemic inflammatory markers for predicting severity of COVID-19. Methods: The study was conducted at the Sarajevo Canton Health Center on a total of 170 adults suffering from COVID-19. 70 subjects had mild clinical picture, while the control group consisted of 100 subjects with moderate clinical picture. The results of complete and differential blood counts, C-reactive protein (CRP), and systemic inflammatory indexes (SII) (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio [NLR], derived NLR [dNLR], platelet/lymphocyte ratio [PLR], and SII) were used to compare the groups. IBM SPSS Ver. 23 was used for statistical analysis and data processing. Results: The proportion of male patients in the group with a milder clinical picture was higher than the proportion of male patients with a moderate clinical picture, p = 0.016. The values of leukocytes and neutrophils were higher in patients with a moderate clinical picture (p = 0.006 and p &lt; 0.001, respectively). The values of all inflammatory indexes (NLR, dNLR, PLR and SII) were higher in patients with a moderate clinical picture of COVID-19 than in patients with a mild clinical picture (p &lt; 0.001 for NLR, dNLR, and SII; p = 0.023 for PLR). In the research, patient age showed no correlation and CRP showed no correlation with SII. Conclusion: SII show higher values in patients with a moderate compared with a mild clinical picture of COVID-19. These parameters can be cost-effective and useful indicators in patient classification, diagnosis, and probably in monitoring patients with COVID-19

Risk assessment in biomedical laboratories – occupational safety and health aspects

Introduction: Laboratory personnel (LP) represent a high-risk group of healthcare workers for whom the primary laboratory environment and specific work activities are a major source of potential exposure to health hazards. This study aimed to evaluate the developed matrix and assess risk based on self-assessment. Methods: This multicenter, qualitative, and cross-sectional study was conducted on LP employed in biomedical laboratories. The respondents were divided into groups according to their territorial affiliation. The data collection tool used was a six-area questionnaire distributed online through a network of professional associations. For the risk assessment, a matrix was developed with scores ranging from 0 to 650, dividing the risk level into four categories. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for the statistical analysis. Results: The developed model combined the classification of risk and risk factors with a certainty of p < 0.001. The regression analysis showed that working conditions had the greatest influence on overall risk, followed by physical, biological, and chemical hazards. Of the 640 respondents, the medium risk category was the highest in European Union (EU) countries (81.2%). Comparing the values in the high-risk category between the Bosnians and Herzegovinians (BiH) group and the Republic of Serbia, Republic of Northern Macedonia, and Montenegro (SCM) group with the EU group, a doubling (16.6%: 36.7%) and tripling (16.6%: 52.1%) of the proportion was found, respectively (p < 0.001). Overall, 1.7% of the LPs from BiH fell into the high-risk category. Conclusions: The designed matrix provides a reliable basis for identifying risk predictors in the study population and can serve as a useful tool for conducting risk assessments in biomedical laboratories. The results of the risk assessment indicate significant differences between the studied groups and highlight the need for increased control of BiH workplaces through new regulatory requirements

ANXIETY OF PATIENTS AT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCREENING

Introduction: Anxiety is a state of feeling helpless and insecure, a state of anticipation and concern that something bad will happen. Fear of pain and the unknown, as well as fear of screening results can increase anxiety. Severe anxiety during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)can cause patient\u27s movement, leading to poorer imaging and reduction in the quality of the diagnostic test. To determine the anxiety of patients before and after magnetic resonance imaging and to investigate the relationship between the tested anxiety and the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients. Methods: The study was conducted at the Department of Radiology of the University Clinical Hospital Mostar in the period from February 1st 2020 to March 31st 2020. The study included 100 subjects who were prescribed an MRI screening at the time of the study. A socio-demographic questionnaire specifically designed for this study was used to obtain data on subjects such as gender, age, place of residence, smoking, drinking alcohol, economic status, religiosity. The Anxiety Questionnaire as a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to examine anxiety. Results: A statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety was determined after MRI screening (p<0.001). Male subjects achieved a statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety before (p=0.019) and after (p=0.034) MRI screening. There were no statistically significant correlations between the age of the subjects and the results achieved on the anxiety tests before and after the MRI screening. Conclusion: Subjects who were prescribed an MRI screening have a statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety after the screening. Male subjects had a statistically significantly higher degree of anxiety on MRI screening

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES AND RESILIENCE

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprising ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn disease (CD), affects >1 million individuals in the United States and 2.5 million inEurope. IBD is an immune-mediated chronic condition for which currently no definitive cure is available. The current study utilizes apositive psychology framework to understand the role of stress in IBD, seeks a proof ofconcept that stress resilience could be a protective factor in patients with IBD. Resilienceis defined as the inherent and modifiable capacity of an individual to cope or recover from adversity. OBJECTIVE: On the basis of previous knowledge, we want explain and bring closer the understanding of the resilience of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. METHODS: The PubMed database, and the Google scholar database were searched. The search was performed using keywords. This paper includes research dealing with resilience in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases within the last ten years. RESULTS: Although IBD imposes a mental and physical toll on individuals, someindividuals do report feeling stronger due to having IBD. Most studies included in this review investigated psychological resilience and trait resilience that promoted the ability to bounce back from IBD-related adversity. Conversely, higher levels of resilience were found to predict better quality of life among IBD patients. Higher levels of resilience predicted higher levels of adaptation to the ostomy; notably, perseverance—defined as a trait of resilience was the most reliable predictor. Resilience was not significantly affected by clinical characteristics in UC patients. CONCLUSION: Many unmet needs still exist in the IBD research agenda, including a better understanding of its physiopathology, reduction of diagnostic delays, discovery of more effective and safer drugs, optimisation of existing therapies, improving patients’ adherence to the treatment plan, improving patient’s quality of life, management of extraintestinal manifestations, and prevention of complications. A multidimensional approach is necessary for delivering high-quality healthcare for IBD patients