Prevention measures and suppression of coxsackie virus infection in health institutions

Hospital (nosocomial, intrahospital) infections have become a significant indicator of the global quality of healthcare services in terms of frequency and influence on the increase of morbidity and mortality of the infected and in terms of overall treatment expenses. An increase in the rate of viral hospital infections is evident in last few decades as a consequence of the changes in the epidemic characteristics of the causer and of resistance to antiviral drugs. Coxsackie virus, among other existing human pathogens, has been detected as a significant causative agent for a series of diseases. The work presents the basic epidemiological characteristics and manifestations of Coxsackie virus infections; also it represents general and specific measures of prevention and suppression of the infection in hospital environment and a special role of the nurses in the process. Occurrence and widespread of the Coxsackie virus infections imposes the need for corrections and amendments of existing preventive and treatment solutions in hospital praxis, also it demands an integrated approach based on enhanced measures of epidemic surveillance, education of the staff and programs of promotion of a quality healthcare service. Since the suppressing of hospital infections lies in legal obligation of all the participants in a healthcare service, conscientious and professional attitude of the nurses can be of great significance in the reduction of the patients and staffs’ exposure to the infective agents

Nursing practice research: A necessary factor in establishing and maintaining high nursing standards

INTRODUCTION: Research in nursing today has a major impact on current and future nursing practice, forming an essential component of the educational process. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the workplace and position in which nurses are engaged after completing the specialization in clinical care, what is their level of motivation for further education in the profession and whether they follow the results of research on nursing practice by reading professional journals. To examine whether there is a difference in attitudes towards nursing research in relation to the age of the respondents. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The research involved (N 86) nurses, clinical care specialists who completed specialist studies at the study program Clinical Care at Higher Education School of Professional Health Studies in Belgrade, until 2019. A questionnaire designed for the purposes of this research was used as an instrument. and a modified version of the Boot scale of nurses' attitudes toward research, which consists of subscales: Environmental Interest and Support, Cost-effectiveness and Benefits, and Barriers (Difficulties). RESULTS: At the level of the whole sample, the age of the respondents ranged from 24 to 59 years, on average 42 years 3 months (SD = 9 years 4 months). The largest number of respondents, 40 of them (46.5%) stated that the hospital ward was their workplace, 38 (44.2%) stated that they read only one nursing journal, 33 (38.4%) that they were quite motivated to continue education in the profession. As the age of the respondents increased, a more positive attitude towards research was recorded. CONCLUSION: Every nurse must be aware of the importance of professional development and work responsibly. The results indicate, that with the increase in the age of the respondents, a more positive attitude towards research in the domains of environmental support they have in the implementation of nursing research and the cost-effectiveness and benefits of nursing research

Practical application of health literacy tests at the primary level of health care

According to the World Health Organization, quality communication is one of the five skills that individuals need for a healthy and happy life, and the knowledge and skills of quality communication are a prerequisite for quality action for many professions. In order for healthcare professionals to tailor health communication to each patient individually and to provide high quality healthcare, it is essential that they have an insight into the health literacy status of their users. Given the large percentage of the illiterate population around the world, it is necessary to conduct health literacy research in some of our adapted measuring instruments in our country as well

Appropriateness of therapeutic and informative communication to the health literacy level of health service users

Health literacy implies the knowledge, motivation, and competence of an individual to find, understand, evaluate and apply health information for the purpose of judging and making decisions about health. In the field of health literacy three levels of functionality are distinguished: functional (basic), interactive and critical health literacy. The assessment of the health literacy level is carried out by standardized instruments such as: REALM (Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine), WRAT (Wide Range Achievement Test), CLOZE test, TOFHLA (Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults) and NVS test (The Newest Vital Sign). The contemporary concept of health places health literacy in health resources as a factor that contributes to increasing health potential, and therefore quality of life as well. The importance of the appropriateness of therapeutic and informative communication in the daily work of health workers is reflected in the assessment of the level of health literacy of the users and the application of adequate methods and techniques of communication in the provision of health services, especially in dealing with vulnerable groups and groups at risk

Public health significance of pronunciation of voices in pre-school children

A survey conducted in the pre-school "Čika Jova Zmaj" in Belgrade between February and April 2016 in the pre-school age population showed significant representation of articulation disorders. In relation to the total number of children surveyed (427), the correct pronunciation was registered in 259 children (60.65%), while the dyslalia was registered with 168 children (39.34%). The reality that about 40% of preschool children today have a distortion of excuses, imposes the need to correct these disorders and highlights their public health significance from the perspective of potential problems in social integration and psychosocial development of these children. The results of our research on articulation disorders in pre-school children, depending on gender, were: in the pre-school age, 53% of speech disorders were recorded. Voice disorders of fricative, africat and lateral were present in over 80%, with prevalence from the group frikative. They dominated the distortion of the pronunciation of the following voices: L, Č, Š, Ž, S and Z, with the presence of distortion in over onethird of boys. In the population of pre-school age, speech disorders are represented by 46%. The voice disorders of fricative and africat are dominant. Distortion of pronunciation of voices CH, Š, S, C, Z and L, with prevalence of distortion, is singled out. The reality that articulation disorders are the most common speech disorders, imposes the need for systematic monitoring of articulation development at the earliest age. The first step towards the prevention of speech disorders is team work carried out in the framework of primary health care

Satisfaction with the work of nurses

Introduction. Satisfaction with work and experiencing positive emotions at work is considered to be an important part of nursing professional life, and has a significant impact on patient safety, the quality of services provided, commitment and stay in the organization and profession. The aim of this paper was to examine the level of satisfaction with the work of nurses. Material and methods. The research is designed according to the type of cross section study. The research sample consisted of 200 nurses working at the University Hospital Foča, the Health Center Zvornik and the Health Center Istočno Sarajevo. The instruments used in this in research are: sociodemographic questionnaire and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS). Statistical analysis of data was made using the SPSS software statistical package. Of the statistical tests was used χ2-square test. As a level of statistical significance, the difference was taken as the usual value of p <0.05. Results. Statistically significant negative correlation was established between satisfaction with the work and socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents (r = -0,252; p = 0,017). The prospects for improvement are satisfied with 25% of the respondents, 37% had an ambivalent attitude, while 38% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction. Twenty-three percent of respondents are satisfied with communication in the organization of work, 35% are ambivalent, while 42% of respondents are dissatisfied. 21% of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the benefits and on the rewards for a well-done job, 45% were ambivalent, while 34% of the respondents were dissatisfied. Conclusion. The lowest ratings of our respondents in wage domains, rewards for well-designed work and working conditions are probably the result of the economic climate in which lives and works, fixed and inadequate wages and minimum benefits combined with the nature of the work

Lajm neuroborelioza

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystemic zoonotic disease which in humans can involve the skin, joints, heart and/or nervous system. In this study a total of 11 patients with clinical manifestations have been assessed at the Institute for Occupational Health. Evaluation of the patients was done in order to determine their working capability and further professional orientation. Patients were of different gender, age, education and profession. They fulfilled at least two of the three criteria: tick infestation data (epidemiological criteria), central and/or peripheral neurological symptoms (clinical criteria) and a positive serological finding. Diagnosis was done upon classical clinical criteria: electromyeloneurography (EMNG) analysis, neurological impairments, electroencephalography (EEG), computer tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). IgM and IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi were determined by commercial ELISA kits. IgM antibodies were recorded in the serum of 4 (44.4%) and IgG in 6 (66.7%) patients. Electro-myeloneurography findings of the upper and lower limbs were positive in 5 (83.3%), electroencephalography in 4 (66.6%) of the 6 observed patients and CT was positive in 4 (36.4%) of the 5 observed patients. The study has established that in patients with neuroborreliosis (NB) the capability to carry out intellectual tasks, as well as responsible duties is impaired due to poor memory. Patients suffering from peripheral neuropathies are not fit to withstand longterm walks, weight lifting and carrying or any other form of physical stress.Lajm borelioza je multisistemsko oboljenje, iz grupe zoonoza koje kod ljudi može zahvatiti kožu, zglobove, srce i/ili nervni sistem. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 11 bolesnika sa kliničkim manifestacijama neuroborelioze koji su ispitivani u Institutu za medicinu rada Srbije u cilju ocene radne sposobnosti i dalje profesionalne orijentacije. Ispitani su bolesnici različite starosti, pola, nivoa obrazovanja i različitih zanimanja koji su ispunili minimalno dva od tri kriterijuma i to: podatak o ubodu krpelja (epidemiološki kriterijum), ispoljavanje centralnih i/ili, perifernih neuroloških simptoma (klinički kriterijum) i pozitivan serološki nalaz. Dijagnoza neuroborelioze je postavljena na osnovu klasičnih kliničkih kriterijuma: neurološ kih ispada, analize elektro-mioneurografije (EMNG), elektroencefalografije (EEG), kompjuterske tomografije (CT) i/ili magnetne rezonance (MRI). Ispitivanje prisustva antitela IgM i IgG klase u krvnom serumu prema B. burgdorferi vršeno je komercijalnim ELISA testom. Antitela IgM klase registrovana su u serumu četiri (44,4%), dok su IgG antitela registrovana kod 6 (66,7%) ispitanih pacijenata. Nalaz elektro-mioneurografije gornjih i donjih ekstremiteta je bio pozitivan kod pet (83,3%), nalaz elektroencefalografije kod četiri (66,6%) od šest ispitanih pacijenata, dok je nalaz CT bio pozitivan kod 4 (36,4%) od pet ispitanih pacijenata. Sprovedenim ispitivanjem je utvrđeno da je kod bolesnika sa razvijenom neuroboreliozom smanjena sposobnost za bilo koju vrstu intelektualnog rada, kao i za poslove koji su povezani sa moralnom i materijalnom odgovornošću zbog problema sa pamćenjem. Kod bolesnika sa perifernim neuropatijama postoji nesposobnost za poslove koji uključuju dugotrajno stajanje i hodanje, dizanje i nošenje tereta, kao i bilo koju vrstu fizičkog rada

Metabolism of biogenic amines in acute cerebral ischemia: Influence of systemic hyperglycemia

Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin are biogenic amines which are transmitters of the central nervous system. The effects of ischemia on the brain parenchyma depends on many factors, such is the mechanism of blood flow interruption, velocity of the occurring blood flow interruption, duration of an ischemic episode, organization of anatomical structures of the brain blood vessels etc., which all influence the final outcome. During interruption of the brain circulation in experimental or clinical conditions, neurotransmitter metabolism, primarily of biogenic amines, is disturbed. Many researches with various experimental models of complete ischemia reported a decrease in the content of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin in the CNS tissue. It was proven that hyperglycemia can drastically increase cerebral injury followed by short-term cerebral ischemia. Considering the fact that biogenic amines (dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin) influence the size of neurologic damage, as well as the fact that in hyperglycemic conditions infarct size (from the morphological aspect) is larger relative to normoglycemic status, the intention was to evaluate the role of biogenic amines in occurrence of damage in conditions of hyperglycemia, i.e. in the case of brain apoplexia in diabetics. Analysis of biogenic amines metabolism in states of acute hyperglycemia, as well as analysis of the effects of reversible and irreversible brain ischemia on metabolism of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, showed that acute hyperglycemia slows down serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine metabolism in the cerebral cortex and n. caudatus. Brain ischemia in normoglycemic animals by itself has no influence on biogenic amines metabolism, but the effect of ischemia becomes apparent during reperfusion. In recirculation, which corresponds to the occurrences in penumbra, release of biogenic amines is uncontrolled and increased. Brain ischemia in acute hyperglycemic animals increases the release of biogenic amines regardless of ischemia duration (5 or 15 minutes). This effect is more apparent during recirculation. Acute hyperglycemia makes brain tissue more sensitive even to ischemia which last shorter, i.e. reversible ischemia