Trends In The Development Of The Competencies Of The Modern X-Ray Laboratory Assistant According To The European Practice

Advances in technology and the requirements for continuous professional development have an impact on the education of X-ray technicians and the competencies they must acquire to practice the profession successfully. The trends in the development of competencies are in the following directions: continuous improvement of the quality of X-ray education in accordance with the needs of the society, bringing the training and the certification of specialists in line with European and world healthcare standards, priority development of competencies related to the specific workplace, and meeting the growing needs for personal and professional development. The professional competencies of X-ray technicians in Bulgaria are developed in accordance with the European Qualifications Framework and are aimed at acquiring professional knowledge, skills and competencies that are appropriate for the achievements of modern medical science and practice, mastering organizational and managerial culture in accordance with ethical and legal norms, building skills for independent decision-making in the interest of the patient, and developing teamwork skills, high-level digital skills and foreign language competences. For a competent, highly skilled X-ray technician today, it is no longer enough to have the knowledge and skills directly and specifically related to the profession. It requires a wide range of knowledge in other areas, such as ethics, psychology, law, economics, and IT. Therefore, the application of the multidisciplinary approach in the education of future X-ray technician has an important role in the development of highly competent healthcare professionals

Alien hand syndrome (AHS)

„Синдром на извънземната ръка` е феномен, при който едната ръка не е под контрол на ума. Лицето губи контрол върху ръката си. Етиологията включва неврохирургия, тумор, аневризми и рядко инсулт. В повечето случаи класическите признаци за „извънземна ръка` произлизат от увреждане на средния фронтален кортекс, което може да е придружено с увреждането на корпус калозум. Невроизображенията и патологичните изследвания показват, че фронталният лоб и corpus callosum са най-честите анатомични лезии, отговорни за синдрома на извънземната ръка. Няма лек за този синдром. Въпреки това симптомите могат да бъдат намалени и управлявани до известна степен, като се държи извънземната ръка заета, като например й се даде обект, който да държи.Alien hand syndrome is a phenomenon in which one hand is not under the control of the brain. The person loses control of the hand. The etiology includes neurosurgery, tumor, aneurysms, and rarely stroke. In most cases, classic alien-hand signs derive from damage to the medial frontal cortex, accompanying damage to the corpus callosum. Neuroimaging and pathological research show that the frontal lobe (in the frontal variant) and corpus callosum (in the callosal variant) are the most common anatomical lesions responsible for the alien hand syndrome.There is no cure for alien hand syndrome. However, the symptoms can be reduced and managed to some degree by keeping the alien hand occupied and involved in a task, for example by giving it an object to hold in its grasp

Paget`s disease

Болестта на Пейджет (деформиращ остеоартрит, osteitis deformans, остеодистрофия) е хронично доброкачествено заболяване. В резултат на това нарушение костите стават чупливи и придобиват неправилна форма. Най-често биват засегнати костите на таза, черепа, гръбначния стълб и краката. Клиничната картина варира от безсимптомно протичане до тежки скелетни деформации. По-голямата част от пациентите са асимптомни и често заболяването се открива с рентгенография или компютърна томография (СТ) на костите по друг повод. БП засяга по-често мъжете. При повечето пациенти с активна БП или с риск за фрактури се препоръчва терапия с бисфосфонати. Ако нямате оплаквания в началото, може да не се нуждаете от лечение. При по-напреднали случаи се налага медикаментозно лечение.Paget‘s disease (deforming osteoarthritis, osteitis deformans, osteodystrophy) is a chronic benign disease. As a result of this disorder, bones become brittle and irregular in shape. The bones of the pelvis, the skull, the spine and the legs are most frequently affected. The majority of patients are asymptomatic and often the disease is detected by X-ray or computed tomography (CT) of bones on another occasion. Paget‘s disease (PD) affects men more often. Bisphosphonate therapy is recommended in most patients with active PD or at risk of fracture. If the patient has no complaints at the beginning, he may not need treatment. More advanced cases require medical treatment

Tetralogy of Fallot

Тетралогия на Фало е комбинация от 4 аномалии на сърдечно-съдовата система: междукамерен дефект; „яздеща` аорта; обструкция в изходния тракт на дясна камера (клапна, подклапна или комбинирана); компенсаторна деснокамерна хипертрофия. Около 3.5% от всички новородени с вродени сърдечни малформации са с тетралогия на Фало. Най-характерният симптом при това заболяване е цианозата (посиня-ването), обикновено пристъпно, при физическо усилие, хранене, висока температура на околната среда). Диагнозата се поставя на базата на симптомите, ЕКГ, ЕхоКГ, сърдечна катетеризация, по-рядко КАТ или ЯМР. Най-общо оперативните корекции се делят на палиативни и радикални.Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a combination of 4 cardiovascular anomalies: a ventricular septal defect, a hole between the two ventricles; pulmonary stenosis, narrowing of the exit from the right ventricle; right ventricular hypertrophy, enlargement of the right ventricle; an overriding aorta, which allows blood from both ventricles to enter the aorta. About 3.5% of all newborns with congenital heart malformations are with TOF. The most common symptom of this disease is cyanosis, usually with bouts in physical effort, with food intake, in high temperatures. Diagnosis is based on symptoms, ECG, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, rarely CT or MRI. In general, operative interventions are divided into palliative and radical

Awareness of people and priority about the choice of bathing zones at the Black Sea seaside of Varna region

Introduction: Providing information about the quality of the seawater in bathing zones is in accordance with the European and Bulgarian legislation. Testing and controlling seawater purity is extremely important for preventing illnesses.Aim: The aim of this article is to study the awareness of people about the quality of seawater in the Varna region; to study the factors that define people`s choice of bathing zones and evaluate it according to the classification of European Commission.Results: The development and improvement of European and national standards of treating seawater have significant importance for the constant bathing water quality improvement through the years. There are the following priorities in people`s choice of bathing zones: `good infrastructure`, `easy access` - 48.3% followed by bathing water quality - 43.3% of participants. Better educated people choose more often according to the water quality - 53% of participants with higher education compared to 31.5% of people with secondary education, p<0.05 at χ2 5,616.The information submitted according to European and Bulgarian legislation is not sufficient - 91.7% of the participants need more information about the quality of seawater in a bathing zone they would visit and only 8.3% do not need any. It has been noticed that 27.7%, or 1/4, of participants have pointed out that they would not visit a `poor` quality zone, while in fact they normally do visit such type of zones.Conclusion: The existing standard for bathing water quality monitoring is well organized and absolutely in accordance with international and European trends in the field. The participants in the survey do not know the health risks of bathing in polluted water. Better educated people consider water quality a factor defining their choice of bathing places

Laboratory and imaging methods for tuberculosis diagnostics

Туберкулозата е хронично инфекциозно заболяване, най-често засягащо белите дробове и по-рядко други органи и системи. За разлика от миналото, когато заболяването е засягало предимно бедни хора, сега то се среща все по-често и в развитите страни.Причинителят е Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Отличава се с голямата си устойчивост на физични и химични фактори. Източници на инфекцията са болните хора и рядко животните - едър рогат добитък. Не всички хора, които се заразяват с болестта, боледуват от нея. Инфекцията се предава по въздушно-капков път и прониква в организма през горните дихателни пътища. Туберкулозните бактерии остават жизнеспособни дълго време в храчки и прах от улицата или помещения. Възможно е и заразяване по алиментарен път. При някои хора възможността за заразяване е по-голяма. Например при хора с професии, имащи контакти с животни, с болни от туберкулоза, СПИН и други. Немалко са и случаите на безсимптомно протичане на болестта или диференциалната диагноза да бъде друго инфекциозно заболяване. Симптомите основно са грипоподобни - кашлица, задух, безапетитие, повишена температура, отпадналост. При извънбелодробните форми на туберкулоза се засягат други органи и системи: органи в коремната кухина, лимфните възли, централната нервна система, сърдечно-съдовата система и други.Най-важно значение за диагностика на туберкулозата са рентгеновото изследване, кръвната картина и микробиологичната диагностика. Също за поставяне на точна диагноза се изследват промивни води от белите дробове или стомаха.Заболяването рядко протича с усложнения и в повечето случаи завършва с оздравяване. За предпазване от туберкулоза се прилага ваксина, която е задължителна в България и се поставя на 48-ия час от раждането с последващи реимунизации. Добрата лична хигиена също е от съществено значение за превенция от туберкулозата.Tuberculosis is chronic infectious disease which often affects the lungs and rarely other organs and systems. In the past, the disease usually affected poor people but now it can be found in well-developed countries.The agent is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is very resistant to physical and chemical factors. The source are sick people and rarely - animals. Not all people who are infected get sick.The infection can be transmitted by air and penetrates the body through the upper respiratory tract.Mycobacterium tuberculosis can live long in sputum and dust from streets and rooms. People can also be infected by consuming infected food like milk and etc. For some people the possibility of becoming infected is higher - people who are often in contact with animals, other infected people, or are HIV positive.Sometimes the disease can be asymptomatic and confused with another infection. The symptoms are flu-like - cough, suffocation, fever, and weakness. The extrapulmonary forms of tuberculosis can affect other organs and systems - abdominal cavity, lymph nodes, central nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Radiology and microbiology methods were used for establishing a diagnosis.The disease is often cured without complications. The prevention consists of vaccination which is obligatory in Bulgaria and is done on the 48th hour from the birth of the baby and repeated in a few years. High personal hygiene is an important method of prevention of disease

Application of materials used in everyday life to create radiological models of human tissues

Radiological physical models (phantoms) are used for quality control, for evaluation and analysis of a given X-ray device. They are easily available, providing the X-ray technicians with consistent results and safety compared to using a live subject. Phantoms must respond in the same or similar way to human tissues and organs when exposed to radiation, and therefore must be manufactured from materials with the same or similar X-ray properties. The purpose of this report is to study materials from everyday life as suitable substitutes for human tissues in quality control tasks. In daily life, everything we come in contact with could be used as a material for a physical phantom: plastic, wood, glass, water, salt, sugar, gelatin, paraffin, and others. Due to the advantages of plastic—cheap, flexible, waterproof, and easy to manufacture, it becomes a reliable material in many fields, including 3D printing. After the physical model is printed, it should be checked whether or not it is the same or similar to the real human tissues. All results are processed by using the DICOM processing program (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) by comparing the density using the Hounsfield units scal

Practical Training: One Important Step for X-Ray Laboratory Assistants’ Professionalization

The profession of 'X-ray laboratory assistant' emerged shortly after the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895. This groundbreaking discovery permanently transformed the face of medicine. The profession has undergone a lot of changes due to the dynamic development of medical equipment and technologies. The profession was regulated in the second half of the 20th century. The profession has a practical orientation, and therefore, the practical training of students has great importance for their professional realization.Two characteristics stand out, supporting the prioritization of practical training for the X-ray laboratory assistants. These are the roles of the mentor and the patient in the learning process. Clinical practice and pre-graduate internships constitute about 50% of the total classes for students. Only during practical training will future medical specialists have the opportunity to draw from the experience and knowledge of their mentors, receiving support and motivation from them.Working with real patients, on the other hand, allows X-ray laboratory assistants to develop skills and master qualities that enable them to gain the trust and cooperation of patients, which can improve the diagnostic and therapeutic processes. During practical training, students acquire fundamental skills such as teamwork, the ability to solve problems and conflicts, social skills, and qualities such as compassion, humanism, empathy, responsibility, and others

Saliva application in oral and systemic diseases

Saliva is a noninvasive and accessible biofluid that permits early detection of oral and systemic diseases. Changes in saliva reflect the alterations in the blood and thus making saliva a suitable diagnostic tool. The use of saliva has many advantages, including simple and non-invasive sampling and easy, low-cost storage.Today salivary diagnostics is a promising tool for diagnostic processes and clinical monitoring. Saliva is used to detect illicit drugs, alcohol, to measure hormone levels, and in the diagnosis of wide range systemic diseases such as cardiovascular, infectious, renal, endocrine diseases, some types of cancer as well as nonsystemic oral diseases.The current review presents a critical overview of saliva as a promising tool for the development of valuable salivary biomarkers, their relevance to the prognosis, diagnosis and management of systemic and oral diseases. Development of point-of-care testing based on saliva samples as a screening tool will also support the diagnostic process in near future

Automated Breast Ultrasound (Abus) – A Contemporary Overview

Ракът на гърдата е заболяване с особено голямо социално значение. Поради високата му честота и потенциала за радикално излекуване при откриване в ранен стадий се отделя огромен ресурс за усъвършенстването на ранното му диагностициране. В последните години в чужбина започва да навлиза автоматизираната ехоскопия на гърда (automated breast ultrasound, ABUS, също така познато под наименованието сономамотомография) – модификация на стандартната мануална ехоскопия, целяща създаване на стандартизирано, възпроизводимо скринингово и диагностично изследване, което също така да позволява анализ на млечни жлези с висока рентгенова плътност – едновременно рисков контингент за развитие на мамерен карцином и диагностично предизвикателство пред конвенционалната рентгенова мамография. Базиран на механичните звукови вълни и пиезоелектричния ефект, методът е лишен от йонизираща радиация. ABUS използва автоматично придвижващ се трансдюсер, монтиран в конформиращ се към гърдата апликатор, за да сканира цялата млечна жлеза неколкократно в различни проекции. Изображенията се обработват от компютър, подобно на тези, добити от рентгеновата компютърна томография, позволявайки мултипланарен анализ на всяка една потенциална лезия. Понастоящем сономамотомографията в България е в зората на своето развитие – методът бива въведен в единични лечебни заведения, като УМБАЛ „Света Марина“ във Варна е сред първите успешно интегрирали го в диагностичния си и скринингов алгоритъм.Breast cancer is a disease of exceptional social significance. Because of its high incidence and its potential for radical treatment in the early stages, a substantial amount of resources is being dedicated yearly to improve early detection. In recent years Western countries have begun implementing automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) machines – a modification of the standard manual ultrasonography device, aimed at creating a standardized, reproducible examination for screening and diagnosis, which would also allow for characterization of radiographically dense breasts – simultaneously a risk contingent for mammary cancer and a diagnostic challenge for standard x-ray mammography. Based on mechanical sound waves and the piezoelectric effect, the method is devoid of ionizing radiation. ABUS uses a transducer that automatically moves along an applicator, which is made to conform to the shape of the breast – scanning it in several planes. The images are processed by a computer, similarly to x-ray computed tomography, allowing for multiplanar analysis of each potential lesion. Currently ABUS is at its initial stages of development in Bulgaria – one of the very few hospitals to implement it successfully is St. Marina University Hospital in Varna, having successfully incorporated it into its diagnostic and screening algorithm