Cor triatriatum presenting as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a case report

Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital cardiac malformation and it usually refers to the left atrium. We report an unusual case of cor triatriatum in a 33 - year old woman presented with congestive heart failure caused by left ventricular systolic dysfunction

Investigating perceptions and beliefs of roma about healthcare services in a provincial general hospital

Introduction: According to estimates, about 7 to 9 million Roma live in Europe, nowadays, out of whom two thirds are living in Central and Eastern Europe. Available studies in various countries show that Roma are experiencing racist behavior by representatives of health system because of their cultural diversity. Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore perceptions, feelings and beliefs of Greek Roma about public health structures and their satisfaction with health care services. Material and Μethod: The study sample consisted of 80 Greek Roma hospitalized in the General Hospital of Larisa. The present study was a cross sectional one and data was collected by the completion of the “Scale of attitudes, emotions and satisfaction of Roma health services”. Data analysis was conducted by the Statistical Package fSPSS-22 while Pearson correlation, t-test and anova were used. Results: 31.3% of Roma were men and 68.8% women with a mean age 46.23 years. Moreover, 71.3% reported to be dissatisfied (mostly by doctors and nurses), 67.5% claimed to receive discrimination in hospital, and 60% reported that none of health care services do really care about them. Low total score in the scale of attitudes and satisfaction of Roma about health services, had participants using health services (p=0.040), those having a family member with health problem (p=0.022) as well as their hospitalization (p=0.004). Furthermore, more positive scored in the scale of attitudes, feelings, and satisfaction with health services, participants whose income come from their own work (p=0.004), who had health insurance, (p=0.008) and their monthly income was over than 200€. Conclusions: Roma in the present sample expressed openly negative feelings about public health services and care provided by healthcare professionals. Their attitude depends on several social factors while also is noticed a lack of knowledge about access to health services and how it can be provided appropriately. Continuous education of health professionals regarding provided care to individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds, is essential. © 2019, Hellenic Nurses Association. All rights reserved

Smoking in health science students with asthma

It is expected that asthmatic students in a health science department would avoid the hazards of cigarette smoking due to the knowledge they gain through their studies. Surprisingly, health science students with asthma had a higher prevalence of smoking than their healthy colleagues. © 2004 Pulsus Group Inc. All rights reserved

Diabetic patient assessment of chronic illness care using PACIC+

Background: The Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care plus is used in order to assess whether provided care is congruent with the Chronic Care Model, according to patients. The purpose of this study was to correlate PACIC+ and the revised 5As "ask, advise, agree, assist and arrange"scoring of a sample of DM patients, with their QoL, depressive symptomatology, demographic and disease characteristics, self-management behaviours of healthy eating and physical activity. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study where data were collected between January and April 2018 by using three questionnaires (PACIC+, SF-36, CES-D) from a sample of 90 DM patients treated at a Public General Hospital of Central Greece. Anonymous self-completed questionnaires were used to collect the data. Data was processed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The mean age of the participants with DM was 52.8 years (SD = 21.2 years), with cardiovascular disease and arterial hypertension scoring as the most frequently reporting chronic comorbidities. The healthcare received by DM patients has been correlated with their QoL. More specifically SF - 36 and PACIC+ scale scores showed a positive and low correlation in several subscales. The total score of PACIC+ scale as well as the Patient activation score were increased in higher scores of vitality (p = 0.034 &p = 0.028 respectively), hence both scores correlate significantly with latter. In addition, Delivery System / Practice Design score was increased in higher scores of mental health (p = 0.01) and MCS (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The shift from hospital care focusing on the disease to a more patient-oriented approach puts forward a dynamic holistic approach to chronic diseases and the reduction of their impact. Finding evidence-based and effective strategies to promote health, prevent and manage chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus is deemed to be crucial and necessary. PACIC+, which is a tool of a patient-level assessment of CCM implementation, can be used by countries which intend to apply changes in the way their health systems provide chronic care and specifically wish to improve the quality of chronic disease care and the QoL of their patients. © 2020 The Author(s)

Fetal sensitivity to testosterone, left-handedness and development of bronchial asthma: a new approach

In contrast to Geschwind, Behan and Galaburda (GBG) theory, there is strong evidence that inheritance through maternal line is responsible for the coexistence of asthma and left-handedness early in childhood. A new model that incorporates GBG's theory and maternal inheritance is proposed. This hypothesis suggests that maternal atopy is the most important factor in the evolution of asthma and that GBG's theory applies mainly in childhood. An inherited enhanced sensitivity of fetus to testosterone may be the underlying mechanism that leads to the development of bronchial asthma. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Factors underlying denial of and disbelief in COVID-19 [Fatores subjacentes à negação e descrença em relação à COVID-19]

Objective: To investigate factors that influence or promote disbelief and negative attitudes toward COVID-19. Methods: This was cross-sectional study involving 544 males and females ≥ 18 years of age in Greece between December of 2020 and January of 2021. All participants were informed about the purpose of the study, protection of anonymity, and volunteer participation. Participants completed an online anonymous 40-item questionnaire. Analysis of data included the identification of correlations and use of t-tests and ANOVA. Results: The level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 transmission routes, manifestations, and prevention was high in our sample. Women appeared to have a more positive attitude toward COVID-19 prevention and management than did men (p = 0.032 and p = 0.018, respectively). Younger people (18-30 years of age) seemed to deny the validity of scientific data and mass media reports about ways to deal with the pandemic more commonly than did those > 30 years of age (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001, respectively). People who resided in cities more commonly believed in scientific announcements than did those living in villages (p = 0.029). Conclusions: In order to minimize cases of denial of and disbelief in COVID-19 and to promote vaccination, a series of actions are required. Governments should implement a series of measures to contain the disease, taking into consideration the psychological and social aspects of those policies. © 2022 Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia