СОЦІАЛЬНИЙ ЗАХИСТ МЕДИЧНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ

Summary. Social protection of medical workers is aimed at establishing a system of legal and social guarantees that ensure the satisfaction of the professional and material needs of medical workers in accordance with their special type of professional activity and outstanding role in society. Proper regulation of the formation of a positive image of the medical profession, promotion of its values will provide professionals in the medical field with ample opportunities that affect the level of motivation and the quality of medical care for patients. The aim of the study – to identify the priority needs and bottom-up requests of healthcare providers for social protection, and to propose ways to strengthen the capa­city to improve the quality of health care. Materials and Methods. We conducted an anonymous survey of 100 nurses of the District hospital of the communal non-profit enterprise of the Konotop city council “Konotop Central District Hospital named after Academician M. Davydov” on the moral awareness of patients, the administration of a medical institution and the state in relation to respect for medical workers, which in turn forms motivation in work, self-esteem, readiness for altruism in work and empathy in conditions of social protection. Results. The management system of the health care system of Ukraine in the process of deepening integration into the world economic community is experiencing many significant changes based on the idea of unity efficiency as a result of the effectiveness of social compromise and qualified medical care. So, the invention of effective mechanisms and effective methods for the functioning of the social protection system of health workers is an urgent direction of research and an urgent task, which should be based on bottom-up initiatives, taking into account the needs of medical professionals. Conclusions. High-quality social protection will allow highly qualified medical workers to focus on more important tasks that involve direct professional development and communication with the patient; indicators of the effectiveness of medical personnel need to be improved and remain in public information; the formation of a personnel reserve in accordance with qualification requests and educational opportunities will provide a resource when revising the functions of medical workers in the direction of the latest trends in digitalization and related changes in medical care. It is necessary to investigate the national possibilities for the implementation of international requirements for the social protection of medical workers, given the high demands of modern health care regarding the quality of medical care.Резюме. Соціальний захист медичних працівників спрямований на встановлення системи правових і соціальних гарантій, що забезпечує задоволення професійних та матеріальних потреб медиків відповідно до особливого виду їх професійної діяльності, визначної ролі в суспільстві. Належне регулювання питань формування позитивного іміджу медичної професії, просування її цінностей надасть професіоналам у медичній сфері широкі можливості, які впливають на рівень мотивації та якість надання медичної допомоги пацієнтам. Мета дослідження – визначити пріоритетні потреби та висхідні запити медиків щодо соціального захисту, а також запропонувати шляхи зміцнення потенціалу підвищення якості медичного обслуговування. Матеріали і методи. Ми провели анонімне анкетування 100 медичних сестер районної лікарні Комунального некомерційного підприємства Конотопської міської ради «Конотопська центральна районна лікарня ім. академіка М. Давидова» щодо моральної свідомості пацієнтів, адміністрації лікувального закладу та держави стосовно поваги до медиків, що, у свою чергу, формує вмотивованість у роботі, самооцінку, готовність до альтруїзму в роботі та емпатії в умовах соціального захисту. Результати. Cистема управління системою охорони здоров’я України в процесі поглиблення інтеграції в світове економічне співтовариство зазнає багато істотних змін на основі ідеї єднання ефективності як результату дієвості соціального компромісу та кваліфікованої медичної допомоги. Отже, винайдення ефективних механізмів та дієвих методів функціонування системи соціального захисту медичних працівників є нагальним напрямком досліджень та актуальним завданням, що повинно ґрунтуватись на висхідних ініціативах з урахуванням потреб медиків. Висновки. Якісний соціальний захист дасть змогу висококваліфікованим медичним працівникам зосередитися на більш важливих завданнях, що передбачають безпосереднє професійне удосконалення та спілкування з пацієнтом; ключові показники ефективності медичного персоналу, зокрема щодо якості медичних послуг і задоволення пацієнтів потребують удосконалення й упровадження їх у якості публічної інформації; необхідно сформувати кадровий резерв відповідно до кваліфікаційних запитів й освітніх можливостей, який забезпечуватиме ресурс у разі перегляду функцій медичних працівників у напрямку новітніх тенденцій дигіталізації й пов’язаних з цим змін у медичному обслуговуванні. Необхідно досліджувати національні можливості для імплементації міжнародних вимог до соціального захисту медиків, з огляду на високі запити сучасної охорони здоров’я щодо якості медичної допомоги

The impact of migration of highly skilled workers on the country's competitiveness and economic growth

The links between the migration of highly skilled workers and economic growth (in terms of GNI per capita) and the competitiveness of countries have been studied. The study is based on statistics from developed countries and using correlation-regression analysis and modelling, as well as cluster analysis using the package of processing and analysis of statistical information STATISTICA. The analysis found that the immigration of workers with higher education has a significant impact on strengthening the competitiveness and economic development of countries - this is confirmed by the impact of talent migration, which is assessed by the values of case studies ('The Human Flight and Brain Drain' sub-index Fragile States Index and 'Brain gain' sub-index' in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index and 'Highly educated workers' sub-index in the OECD indicators of talent attractiveness). Their impact on macroeconomic indicators is higher compared to the links with social development indicators. Of course, this does not mean that such links should not be seen as important in public economic development management, as they illustrate the level of efficiency achieved in creating favourable conditions for realizing the potential of highly skilled workers, including pull-factors for their immigration. But in the macroeconomic management of a competitive economy, according to our research, actions aimed at attracting highly skilled migrants have the most significant and obvious impact. Other links can be taken into account and used in modelling for the development of institutional support for proactive migration policy for highly qualified workers

Red fluorescent genetically encoded indicator for intracellular hydrogen peroxide

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are conserved regulators of numerous cellular functions, and overproduction of ROS is a hallmark of various pathological processes. Genetically encoded fluorescent probes are unique tools to study ROS production in living systems of different scale and complexity. However, the currently available recombinant redox sensors have green emission, which overlaps with the spectra of many other probes. Expanding the spectral range of recombinant in vivo ROS probes would enable multiparametric in vivo ROS detection. Here we present the first genetically encoded red fluorescent sensor for hydrogen peroxide detection, HyPerRed. The performance of this sensor is similar to its green analogues. We demonstrate the utility of the sensor by tracing low concentrations of H2O2 produced in the cytoplasm of cultured cells upon growth factor stimulation. Moreover, using HyPerRed we detect local and transient H2O2 production in the mitochondrial matrix upon inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) uptake

Fucans, but Not Fucomannoglucuronans, Determine the Biological Activities of Sulfated Polysaccharides from Laminaria saccharina Brown Seaweed

Sulfated polysaccharides from Laminaria saccharina (new name: Saccharina latissima) brown seaweed show promising activity for the treatment of inflammation, thrombosis, and cancer; yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these properties remain poorly understood. The aim of this work was to characterize, using in vitro and in vivo strategies, the anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulant, anti-angiogenic, and anti-tumor activities of two main sulfated polysaccharide fractions obtained from L. saccharina: a) L.s.-1.0 fraction mainly consisting of O-sulfated mannoglucuronofucans and b) L.s.-1.25 fraction mainly composed of sulfated fucans. Both fractions inhibited leukocyte recruitment in a model of inflammation in rats, although L.s.-1.25 appeared to be more active than L.s.-1.0. Also, these fractions inhibited neutrophil adhesion to platelets under flow. Only fraction L.s.-1.25, but not L.s.-1.0, displayed anticoagulant activity as measured by the activated partial thromboplastin time. Investigation of these fractions in angiogenesis settings revealed that only L.s.-1.25 strongly inhibited fetal bovine serum (FBS) induced in vitro tubulogenesis. This effect correlated with a reduction in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels in L.s.-1.25-treated endothelial cells. Furthermore, only parent sulfated polysaccharides from L. saccharina (L.s.-P) and its fraction L.s.-1.25 were powerful inhibitors of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) induced pathways. Consistently, the L.s.-1.25 fraction as well as L.s.-P successfully interfered with fibroblast binding to human bFGF. The incorporation of L.s.-P or L.s.-1.25, but not L.s.-1.0 into Matrigel plugs containing melanoma cells induced a significant reduction in hemoglobin content as well in the frequency of tumor-associated blood vessels. Moreover, i.p. administrations of L.s.-1.25, as well as L.s.-P, but not L.s.-1.0, resulted in a significant reduction of tumor growth when inoculated into syngeneic mice. Finally, L.s.-1.25 markedly inhibited breast cancer cell adhesion to human platelet-coated surfaces. Thus, sulfated fucans are mainly responsible for the anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antiangiogenic, and antitumor activities of sulfated polysaccharides from L. saccharina brown seaweed

Vulnerable marine ecosystems and biological features of Gazul mud volcano (Gulf of Cádiz): A contribution towards a potential "Gulf of Cádiz" EBSA

The Gulf of Cádiz (GoC) represents an area of socioeconomic and scientific importance for oceanographic, geological and biological processes. An interesting feature of the GoC is the presence of a large amount of mud volcanoes (MVs) and diapirs that display different seepage, seabed types, oceanographic settings and biological communities. Detailed exploration of some MVs is still needed for detecting Vulnerable Marine ecosystems (VMEs) that seem to be rare in other areas of the GoC, improving the current knowledge on its biodiversity and ecological attributes. During different expeditions (MEDWAVES-ATLAS, INDEMARES-CHICA 0610 & 0412 and ISUNEPCA 0616) carried out in different years, biological samples and videos were obtained in Gazul MV (Spanish Margin of the GoC). The study of those samples and videos has revealed the presence of several ecologically important VMEs (e.g. 3 species of reef framework-forming corals, coral gardens including solitary scleractinians, gorgonians and antipatharians, as well as deep-sea sponge aggregations and chemosynthesis-related structures) and a large number of species occurring in this MV, including new records for the European margin, threatened species and non-previously described species. The combination of different environmental and anthropogenic factors allowed the present-day persistence of these VMEs in the GoC. Some of Gazul MV biological and ecological attributes fit several criteria of the Convention on Biological Diversity for EBSA description (e.g. 1,3,4,6) that, together with those of other areas of the GoC, may contribute to the future potential nomination of an EBSA in this area of the NE Atlantic

Calcified Algae for Tissue Engineering.

This book presents the latest advances in marine structures and related biomaterials for applications in both soft- and hard-tissue engineering, as well as controlled drug delivery

Integrated high-content quantification of intracellular ROS levels and mitochondrial morphofunction

Oxidative stress arises from an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their removal by cellular antioxidant systems. Especially under pathological conditions, mitochondria constitute a relevant source of cellular ROS. These organelles harbor the electron transport chain, bringing electrons in close vicinity to molecular oxygen. Although a full understanding is still lacking, intracellular ROS generation and mitochondrial function are also linked to changes in mitochondrial morphology. To study the intricate relationships between the different factors that govern cellular redox balance in living cells, we have developed a high-contentmicroscopy-based strategy for simultaneous quantification of intracellular ROS levels and mitochondrial morphofunction. Here, we summarize the principles of intracellular ROS generation and removal, and we explain the major considerations for performing quantitative microscopy analyses of ROS and mitochondrial morphofunction in living cells. Next, we describe our workflow, and finally, we illustrate that a multiparametric readout enables the unambiguous classification of chemically perturbed cells as well as laminopathy patient cells

Practical guidelines for rigor and reproducibility in preclinical and clinical studies on cardioprotection

The potential for ischemic preconditioning to reduce infarct size was first recognized more than 30 years ago. Despite extension of the concept to ischemic postconditioning and remote ischemic conditioning and literally thousands of experimental studies in various species and models which identified a multitude of signaling steps, so far there is only a single and very recent study, which has unequivocally translated cardioprotection to improved clinical outcome as the primary endpoint in patients. Many potential reasons for this disappointing lack of clinical translation of cardioprotection have been proposed, including lack of rigor and reproducibility in preclinical studies, and poor design and conduct of clinical trials. There is, however, universal agreement that robust preclinical data are a mandatory prerequisite to initiate a meaningful clinical trial. In this context, it is disconcerting that the CAESAR consortium (Consortium for preclinicAl assESsment of cARdioprotective therapies) in a highly standardized multi-center approach of preclinical studies identified only ischemic preconditioning, but not nitrite or sildenafil, when given as adjunct to reperfusion, to reduce infarct size. However, ischemic preconditioning—due to its very nature—can only be used in elective interventions, and not in acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, better strategies to identify robust and reproducible strategies of cardioprotection, which can subsequently be tested in clinical trials must be developed. We refer to the recent guidelines for experimental models of myocardial ischemia and infarction, and aim to provide now practical guidelines to ensure rigor and reproducibility in preclinical and clinical studies on cardioprotection. In line with the above guideline, we define rigor as standardized state-of-the-art design, conduct and reporting of a study, which is then a prerequisite for reproducibility, i.e. replication of results by another laboratory when performing exactly the same experiment

Chromosomal contacts connect loci associated with autism, BMI and head circumference phenotypes

Copy number variants (CNVs) are major contributors to genomic imbalance disorders. Phenotyping of 137 unrelated deletion and reciprocal duplication carriers of the distal 16p11.2 220 kb BP2-BP3 interval showed that these rearrangements are associated with autism spectrum disorders and mirror phenotypes of obesity/underweight and macrocephaly/microcephaly. Such phenotypes were previously associated with rearrangements of the non-overlapping proximal 16p11.2 600 kb BP4-BP5 interval. These two CNV-prone regions at 16p11.2 are reciprocally engaged in complex chromatin looping, as successfully confirmed by 4C-seq, fluorescence in situ hybridization and Hi-C, as well as coordinated expression and regulation of encompassed genes. We observed that genes differentially expressed in 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 CNV carriers are concomitantly modified in their chromatin interactions, suggesting that disruption of chromatin interplays could participate in the observed phenotypes. We also identified cis- and trans-acting chromatin contacts to other genomic regions previously associated with analogous phenotypes. For example, we uncovered that individuals with reciprocal rearrangements of the trans-contacted 2p15 locus similarly display mirror phenotypes on head circumference and weight. Our results indicate that chromosomal contacts’ maps could uncover functionally and clinically related genes.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 31 May 2016; doi:10.1038/mp.2016.84