Prevalence of Nonspecific Low Back Pain in Schoolchildren in North-Eastern Slovenia

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of the nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in a population of schoolchildren in Maribor, north-eastern Slovenia.100 children from an elementary school (age 11–15 y) and 90 children from a secondary school (age 17–18 y) were included in the study and investigated with a structured Watson questionnaire to assess low back pain prevalence, symptom characteristics, psychosocial factors, demographic, and anthropometric items. The data was statistically analysed using the SPSS software. 43% of children from elementary schools and 44% of children from secondary schools experienced back pain which lasted more than one day. No correlations between LBP and anthropometric items were found. Schoolchildren spend approximately 2 hours for learning, 2–3 hours for watching TV and approximately 2 hours for playing or working with the computer. Among important reasons for LBP, 44% of children mentioned carrying a school bag, 28% sitting on school chairs, and 18% intensive sport activity. Clinical examination of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine has shown that 12% of primary children and 12% of secondary children have increased cervical lordosis and 15% of primary schoolchildren have increased lumbar lordosis. In 5% of schoolchildren we found mild spinal scoliotic changes. Among our schoolchildren sedentary behaviour and low physical activity dominate. LBP may have an impact on their daily life, therefore it is important to recognise and treat it as soon as possible

ŽIVOTNE I AKADEMSKE AKTIVNOSTI ZASLUŽNIH I UMIROVLJENIH PROFESORA SVEUČILIŠTA U MARIBORU

Higher education lecturers go through a long developmental path from graduate students to academic title of professor. On this path, the most delicate period is the retirement. The age of 60 or 65, which is approximately the same as the retirement age in most developed countries, is supposed to be the onset of old age. Today, when we live longer and healthier, irreparable damage would occur if society and the state didn’t take advantage of the knowledge, wisdom and skills that senior professors have accumulated throughout their careers. The vast majority of senior professors could still contribute and participate in the development of society. In our article, we presented the results of a survey regarding the academic and life activities of senior professors, members of the Center for Retired and Distinguished higher education teachers of the University of Maribor. The results showed that the vast majority of retired and professors emeriti were still active in academic life and contributed to the development and functioning of the University.Visokoškolski učitelji prolaze dugi razvojni put od diplomanta do profesora. Na tom putu je jedno od najdelikatnijih razdoblja odlazak u mirovinu. Starost od 60 ili 65 godina, otprilike ista kao i starost za umirovljenje u većini razvijenih zemalja, označava početak starosti. Danas, kada živimo duže i zdravije, događa se nepopravljiva šteta ako društvo i država ne iskoriste znanje, mudrost i vještine koje je starija generacija akademika akumulirala tijekom svoje karijere. Velika većina starijih profesora može doprinijeti i sudjelovati u razvoju društva. U ovom članku prikazujemo rezultate istraživanja o akademskim i životnim aktivnostima članova Centra za umirovljene i zaslužne profesore Sveučilišta u Mariboru. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da je velika većina umirovljenih i zaslužnih profesora aktivna u akademskom životu i konstruktivno doprinosi razvoju i djelovanju Sveučilišta

Recent advances in the etiology of the chronic inflammatory bowel disease

V prispevku so prikazana novejša spoznanja o etiologiji kronične vnetne črevesne bolezni, ki ostaja nejasna, kljub intenzivnim raziskavam. Vloga sluzničnega imunskega sistema je v zadnjih letih nesporno dokazana v mehanizmukronične vnetne črevesne bolezni, čeprav efektorni mehanizmi bolezni,kot tudi ciljne celice še niso popolnoma prepoznani. Raziskave so v zadnjem desetletju usmerjene predvsem na imunologijo, genetiko in infektologijo. Kot možne povzročitelje navajajo številne mikrobe, med katerimi so najpogostejši Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, virus ošpic in Listeria monocytogenes. Vse te raziskave lahko bistveno vplivajo na diagnostiko in zdravljenje klasičnih oblik kroničnih vnetnih črevesnih bolezni in njihovih različic.In the article recent advances in the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease, which remain unknown despite intensive research effort, are presented. The role of the mucosal immune system in the mechanismus of inflammatory bowel disease, have been proven although the effector mechanism as well as target cells have not been precisely identifed. In the past decade, research was directed particulary toward immunology , genetics and infectology. Numerous microbes are mentioned as possible agents, most frequently Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, measles virus and Listeria monocytogenes. All these studies may have a sifgnificant impact on diagnosis and treatment of classical forms of chronic intestinal diseases and their variants

Prehranski vnos odraslih bolnic s celiakijo v Sloveniji

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess dietary intake of coeliac disease (CD) patients and to determine if they are meeting the dietary reference values for a balanced diet. Subjects/Methods: 40 women with CD, aged from 23 to 76 participated in our study. Total daily intake was assessed by a three-day food diary. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) was calculated using Harris-Benedict equation. Considering physical activity level (PAL) 1.4, the recommended total energy expenditure (TEE) value was determined. The data was evaluated with professional evaluation software Prodi and statistically analysed. Results: 40 participants returned the food diary. The average energy intake was significantly too low to ensure the meeting of all-day energy needs (p<0.05). The meals contained a recommended proportion of protein, but a statistically significantly higher proportion of fat (p<0.05), lower proportion of carbohydrates and a significantly lower intake of dietary fibre (p<0.05). Regarding macro-, micro- elements and vitamins, there was a significant lack in the intake of calcium and iodine, folic acid, vitamin D and vitamin A (p<0.05), meanwhile iron intake was at the lower limit of the recommended intake, whereas zinc, potassium and vitamin K intake were significantly higher according to the recommended values, but were comparable with the intake of the general population in the Central European area. Conclusion: Even in subjects with adequate or low daily energy intake, their meals contained too much fat, too few carbohydrates and dietary fibre as well as inorganic substances. The patients with CD should get regular nutritional monitoring and education on the quality and balance of a gluten-free dietIzhodišča: Celiakija je sistemska imunsko pogojena bolezen, ki nastane kot posledica uživanja glutena pri genetsko disponiranih osebah. Bolnik s celiakijo mora iz prehrane izključiti vsa živila, ki vsebujejo gluten. Za zagotavljanje dnevnih potreb vseh pomembnih hranil ter vitaminov je pomembna prehranska kakovost brezglutenske diete. Namen: Z raziskavo smo želeli ugotoviti, kakšen je prehranski vnos odraslih bolnic s celiakijo v Sloveniji glede na veljavna priporočila za uravnoteženo prehrano in glede na Prehrambene navade odraslih prebivalcev Slovenije z vidika varovanja zdravja. Metode: V raziskavo smo vključili 40 žensk s celiakijo, ki so uživale brezglutensko dieto in bile stare od 23 do 76 let. Za zbiranje podatkov o prehranskih navadah smo uporabili metodo prehranskega dnevnika, v katerega so preiskovanke tri poljubne dneve v tednu dosledno zapisovale vse, kar so zaužile tisti dan. Metabolizem v mirovanju (RMR) smo izračunali po Harris-Benedictovi enačbi. Za določitev celodnevnih energetskih potreb (CEP) smo glede na poročanje o dnevnih aktivnostih RMR pomnožili z ustreznim faktorjem za fizično aktivnost (PAL). Podatke smo ovrednotili z računalniškim programom za strokovno načrtovanje prehrane Prodi 5.9, ki upošteva Referenčne vrednosti za vnos hranil D-A-CH. Dobljene podatke smo statistično obdelali. Rezultati: Prehranski dnevnik je vrnilo 40 udeleženk. Ovrednoteni prehranski dnevniki kažejo, da je bil povprečen energetski vnos hranil statistično pomembno (p<0,05) prenizek za zagotavljanje priporočenih celodnevnih energetskih potreb preiskovank. Bolnice s celiakijo so zaužile primeren delež beljakovin (14,2%), vendar statistično pomembno (p<0,05) prevelik delež maščob (36,4%) ter premajhen delež ogljikovih hidratov (48,2 %) in prehranskih vlaknin (18,9 g/dan). Med makro-, mikroelementi in vitamini so preiskovanke v povprečju zaužile statistično pomembno (p<0,05) premalo kalcija in joda, folne kisline, vitamina D in vitamina A. Vnos železa je bil na spodnji meji priporočil, vrednosti cinka in kalija pa sta presegli priporočene vrednosti, vendar sta bili primerljivi z vnosom splošne populacije v srednjeevropskem okolju. Zaključek: Rezultati kažejo, da brezglutenska prehrana bolnic s celiakijo v Sloveniji ne ustreza smernicam zdrave in uravnotežene prehrane glede na Referenčne vrednosti za vnos hranil D-A-CH. Ugotovili smo, da je tudi pri preiskovankah, pri katerih je bil dnevni energetski vnos hranil primeren ali celo prenizek, prehrana vsebovala prevelik delež maščob, premalo ogljikovih hidratov in prehranskih vlaknin ter anorganskih snovi. V prihodnosti bo treba narediti več na področju kvalitete prehrane in rednega prehranskega spremljanja bolnikov s celiakijo. Izobraževanja o brezglutenski prehrani bodo morala vključevati tudi nasvete, kako doseči priporočene dnevne vnose vseh pomembnih hranil in vitaminov

Pomen vitamina D za zdravje ljudi

Vitamin D označuje skupino kemično sorodnih spojin z antirahitičnim delovanjem. Trenutno definiranje optimalnega statusa temelji na določanju serumskih koncentracijah 25%hidroksi vitamina D [25(OH) D]. V organizem se lahko vnese s hrano (predvsem mastno ribo, mlekom, z obogatitvenimi živili ter s prehranskimi dodatki), ali pa se sintetizira v koži po izpostavitvi kože soncu. Vlogo in pomen vitamina D so podrobneje preučili pri rahitisu, ki so ga skoraj izkoreninili s dodajanjem vitamina D prehrani. V zadnjem času je prišlo do ponovnega velika zanimanja za vitamin D, ker so številne opazovalne študije dokazale pomembnost vitamina D, ne samo pri zdravi kostni gostoti, temveč tudi pri kardiovaskularnih, nalezljivih, imunskih, metaboličnih, degenerativnih boleznih in raku. Kljub temu imajo številni zdravi otroci in odrasli pomanjkanje, kar je še bolj izraženo pri posameznikih s kroničnimi boleznimi, predvsem pri boleznih gastrointestinalnega trakta. V prihodnosti bo opredelitev različnih funkcionalnih učinkov vitamina D omogočila individualiziran pristop k dodajanju vitamina D glede na zdravstveno stanje in tveganje posameznika za določene bolezni ter njegov odgovor na dodajanje vitamina D

Dojenje skozi zgodovino v Sloveniji

Dojenje je optimalna prehrana, ki omogoča zdravo rast in razvoj dojenčkov. Obstajajo številni kazalniki, ki govorijo o pozitivnem vplivu dojenja na zdravje otrok, kot tudi pozneje v življenju. Čeprav je dojenje zelo priporočljivo s strani Evropskega Združenja za pediatrično gastroenterologijo, hepatologijo in prehrano (ESPGHAN), Ameriške Akademije za pediatrijo (AAP), Svetovne Zdravstvene Organizacije (SZO), Sklada Združenih narodov za otroke (UNICEF) in številnih drugih, ni vedno izvedljivo, primerno ali ustrezno (npr. pri nekaterih presnovnih motnjah). Materino mleko je bilo in je še vedno najboljša hrana za skoraj vse dojenčke. Skozi zgodovino so dojilje bile najvarnejša in najpogostejša alternativa za materino mleko pred izumom steklenic, dudic ter mlečnih pripravkov za dojenčke. Čeprav so starši odgovorni za izbiro dojiti ali ne, je vloga zdravstvenih delavcev, vključno s pediatri, spodbujanje in podpiranje dojenja. V članku je podan zgodovinski pregled dojenja v Sloveniji ter predstavljen opis socio-ekonomskih razmer v preteklosti

Knowledge of fermentation and health benefits among general population in North-eastern Slovenia

Background: Fermented foods are staples of the human diet and fermentation process has been used by humans for thousands of years. The preparation of fermented foods was performed in the past without knowledge of the role of microorganisms involved. Nowadays, fermented foods, due to their proclaimed health benefits for consumers, are becoming increasingly popular. Our study was constructed to provide data on awareness and use of fermented foods among people in North-eastern Slovenia. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 349 individuals (16–89 years of age). An online survey was designed to assess the participants\u27 knowledge of fermentation, fermented foods, the consumption of fermented foods and awareness of the health benefits. Data were collected from March to June 2021 and analyzed using IBM SPSS 27.0. Results: Compared with the youngest participants (< 21 years) knowledge of fermentation was higher in older individuals (p < 0.001). More than a half of the participants recognized the role of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in fermentation process, however, only 18.3% of participants were aware of the role of the molds. Only 25.9% of the participants have become acquainted with fermented foods at home and 62.2% of them were aware of health benefits of fermented foods, but mostly on gastrointestinal health and the immune system. Conclusions: As people today live predominantly in urban areas and incline towards westernized foods, they often lack the knowledge of fermentation and awareness regarding the nutritional value of fermented foods and their preparation. Steps should be taken to educate younger generations regarding the health benefits of fermented foods especially considering that most of them expressed their interest in learning more about the process

History of infant milk formula in Slovenia

Abstract   Optimal nutrition is one of the most important aspects in the care of infants, especially for the preterm infants and neonates. Until the 1900s, an infant’s survival and health were closly related to the availability of breastmilk.  Human milk was and still is the best food for nearly all infants. Besides physical growth, human milk offers a variety of other benefits, including modulation of postnatal intestinal function, maturation of immune system, and has positive effect on brain development. Even though breastfeeding is highly recommended, it may not always be possible, suitable or adequate. Through history, the evolution of infant feeding included wet nursing, bottle feeding, and formula use. Wet nursing was the safest and most common alternative to the breastmilk before bottles and infant milk formula were invented. However, society's negative view of wet nursing together with the invention and improvements of the feeding bottle, the availability of animal’s milk, and advances in milk formula development, gradually led to replacing wet nursing with bottle feeding. Such evolution of infant feeding methods was similar throughout the world and Slovenia followed the trend. In this article, we review the history of different methods of infant feeding, other than breastfeeding, all of which presented an alternative to breastfeeding

The Efficacy of Probiotics as Antiviral Agents for the Treatment of Rotavirus Gastrointestinal Infections in Children: An Updated Overview of Literature

Enteric viruses, including the rotavirus, norovirus, and adenoviruses, are the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis. The rotavirus disease is especially prevalent among children, and studies over the past decade have revealed complex interactions between rotaviruses and the gut microbiota. One way to treat and prevent dysbiosis is the use of probiotics as an antiviral agent. This review focuses on the latest scientific evidence on the antiviral properties of probiotics against rotavirus gastroenteric infections in children. A total of 19 studies exhibited a statistically significant antiviral effect of probiotics. The main probiotics that were effective were Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG, and various multi-strain probiotics. The underlying mechanism of the probiotics against rotavirus gastroenteric infections in children included immune enhancement and modulation of intestinal microbiota leading to shortening of diarrhoea. However, several clinical studies also found no significant difference in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group even though well-known strains were used, thus showing the importance of correct dosage, duration of treatment, quality of probiotics and the possible influence of other factors, such as the production process of probiotics and the influence of immunisation on the effect of probiotics. Therefore, more robust, well-designed clinical studies addressing all factors are warranted