Analysis of specialist medical rescue team interventions in Sokołów county in 2016

INTRODUCTION: One of the main aims of the Polish Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is to rescue and protect human health and life. The aim of the study is to analyze specialist medical rescue team (S MRT) interventions in the county of Sokołów in 2016. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 1361 ambulance call reports from the period January 1st to December 31st 2016 of rescue activities performed during interventions by S MRTs in Sokołów county. RESULTS: The mean time of arrival of S MRTs to the patient was 9.42 ± 7.5 min (max time is 49 min, min time is 1 minute). Average departure time was 51.8 ± 23.5 min (max 218 min, min 23.5 min). The highest incidence of S MRTs operations was observed in July (n = 134, 10%) and lowest in February (n = 95, 7%). CONCLUSIONS: Emergency Medical System reaction time for patients in our region does not differ from other data available in the literature

Wykorzystanie danych administracyjnych Zakładu Ubezpieczeń Społecznych i uczelni do monitorowania losów absolwentów uczelni wyższych

Using Social Insurance Institution and university’s administrative data to monitor the fate of university graduates Until now there have been two types of analysis used in monitoring graduates’ situation on labour market. The fi rst type of analysis used surveys among graduates and / or employers. The second was based on public statistics. These analyses usually were not combined and did not provide the possibility to identify the links between education path and the success in the labour market. This paper presents a project that is carried out by the Quality Evaluation Unit of the University of Warsaw. The main goal of the project is to create a methodology of evaluation research that is capable of describing relation between success in studying and labour market success. In the project we will use multiple sources of information, which are administrative data collected continuously by various institutions independently from any researchers activities. The register of Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) contains a wealth of information on the professional activity of Poles while institutions of higher education have collected data on the history of students’ educational careers in their electronic registers. Data gathered by University of Warsaw on the educational path of students have been used in the project so far. Combining information from these two sources creates great opportunities for systematic evaluation of learning processes and outcomes in institutions of higher education. The project implemented by Quality Evaluation Unit of UW aims at something seemingly impossible – a systematic study enabling in-depth analysis that is not expensive

EMPATHY AND BURNOUT SYNDROME IN THE PRACTICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES — PILOT STUDY

  INTRODUCTION: The burnout syndrome is a result of stress on the work situation and most often concerns pro­fessions requiring emotional and direct contact with another human being. The level of empathy is closely related to the phenomenon of occupational burnout. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of socio-demo­graphic factors of emergency services employees on the level of empathy. METHOD: In the period January–March 2018, a survey was conducted using a questionnaire — Emphatic Sensi­tiveness Scale (ESC) and an anonymous author’s questionnaire containing questions regarding sex, age, length of employment, occupation, marital status and number of hours worked per month. The survey was addressed to 81 employees of emergency services: paramedics (n = 17) and firefighters (n = 23). The control group consisted of 16 nurses and 25 people performing non–medical professions. RESULTS: The average number of hours worked per month by the respondents was 189 ± 49. There were 50 fe­males (62%) and 31 males (38%). The questionnaire showed statistically significant differences in perspective taking domain between the control group composed of people working in non-medical professions (25.6 ± 4.3) and emergency services professionals: firefighter (28.7 ± 3.6) vs. paramedic (29.9 ± 3.5) vs. nurse (31.2 ± 3.0), p < 0.001. It has been shown a statistically significant effect of sex on personal distress domain: male (21.4 ± 4.2) vs. female (24.3 ± 4.7), p = 0.005. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our data indicates that: (1) Nurses were characterised by the highest level of empathy amongst the surveyed professional groups; (2) Females were characterised by a higher level of personal distress; (3) Variables such as sex, age, and length of employment did not affect the level of empathy

Characterization of two new CTX-M-25-group extended-spectrum β-lactamase variants identified in Escherichia coli isolates from Israel.

OBJECTIVES: We characterized two new CTX-M-type extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) variants in Escherichia coli isolates from stool samples of two elderly patients admitted at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel. Both patients underwent treatment with cephalosporins prior to isolation of the E. coli strains. METHODS: ESBLs were detected by the double-disk synergy test and PCR-sequencing of β-lactamase genes. The bla(CTX-M) genes were cloned into the pCR-BluntII-TOPO vector in E. coli TOP10. The role of amino-acid substitutions V77A and D240G was analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis of the bla(CTX-M-94) and bla(CTX-M-100) genes and comparative characterization of the resulting E. coli recombinants. MICs of β-lactams were determined by Etest. Plasmid profiling, mating experiments, replicon typing and sequencing of bla(CTX-M) flanking regions were performed to identify the genetic background of the new CTX-M variants. RESULTS: The novel CTX-M β-lactamases, CTX-M-94 and -100, belonged to the CTX-M-25-group. Both variants differed from CTX-M-25 by the substitution V77A, and from CTX-M-39 by D240G. CTX-M-94 differed from all CTX-M-25-group enzymes by the substitution F119L. Glycine-240 was associated with reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime and leucine-119 with increased resistance to ceftriaxone. bla(CTX-M-94) and bla(CTX-M-100) were located within ISEcp1 transposition units inserted into ∼93 kb non-conjugative IncFI and ∼130 kb conjugative IncA/C plasmids, respectively. The plasmids carried also different class 1 integrons. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on CTX-M-94 and -100 ESBLs, novel members of the CTX-M-25-group

Dissemination of extensively drug-resistant NDM-producing Providencia stuartii in Europe linked to patients transferred from Ukraine, March 2022 to March 2023

BackgroundThe war in Ukraine led to migration of Ukrainian people. Early 2022, several European national surveillance systems detected multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria related to Ukrainian patients.AimTo investigate the genomic epidemiology of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Providencia stuartii from Ukrainian patients among European countries.MethodsWhole-genome sequencing of 66 isolates sampled in 2022-2023 in 10 European countries enabled whole-genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST), identification of resistance genes, replicons, and plasmid reconstructions. Five blaNDM-1-carrying-P. stuartii isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Transferability to Escherichia coli of a blaNDM-1-carrying plasmid from a patient strain was assessed. Epidemiological characteristics of patients with NDM-producing P. stuartii were gathered by questionnaire.ResultswgMLST of the 66 isolates revealed two genetic clusters unrelated to Ukraine and three linked to Ukrainian patients. Of these three, two comprised blaNDM-1-carrying-P. stuartii and the third blaNDM-5-carrying-P. stuartii. The blaNDM-1 clusters (PstCluster-001, n = 22 isolates; PstCluster-002, n = 8 isolates) comprised strains from seven and four countries, respectively. The blaNDM-5 cluster (PstCluster-003) included 13 isolates from six countries. PstCluster-001 and PstCluster-002 isolates carried an MDR plasmid harbouring blaNDM-1,blaOXA-10, blaCMY-16, rmtC and armA, which was transferrable in vitro and, for some Ukrainian patients, shared by other Enterobacterales. AST revealed PstCluster-001 isolates to be extensively drug-resistant (XDR), but susceptible to cefiderocol and aztreonam-avibactam. Patients with data on age (n = 41) were 19-74 years old; of 49 with information on sex, 38 were male.ConclusionXDR P. stuartii were introduced into European countries, requiring increased awareness and precautions when treating patients from conflict-affected areas.</p

Dissemination of extensively drug-resistant NDM-producing Providencia stuartii in Europe linked to patients transferred from Ukraine, March 2022 to March 2023

BackgroundThe war in Ukraine led to migration of Ukrainian people. Early 2022, several European national surveillance systems detected multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria related to Ukrainian patients.AimTo investigate the genomic epidemiology of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Providencia stuartii from Ukrainian patients among European countries.MethodsWhole-genome sequencing of 66 isolates sampled in 2022-2023 in 10 European countries enabled whole-genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST), identification of resistance genes, replicons, and plasmid reconstructions. Five blaNDM-1-carrying-P. stuartii isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Transferability to Escherichia coli of a blaNDM-1-carrying plasmid from a patient strain was assessed. Epidemiological characteristics of patients with NDM-producing P. stuartii were gathered by questionnaire.ResultswgMLST of the 66 isolates revealed two genetic clusters unrelated to Ukraine and three linked to Ukrainian patients. Of these three, two comprised blaNDM-1-carrying-P. stuartii and the third blaNDM-5-carrying-P. stuartii. The blaNDM-1 clusters (PstCluster-001, n = 22 isolates; PstCluster-002, n = 8 isolates) comprised strains from seven and four countries, respectively. The blaNDM-5 cluster (PstCluster-003) included 13 isolates from six countries. PstCluster-001 and PstCluster-002 isolates carried an MDR plasmid harbouring blaNDM-1,blaOXA-10, blaCMY-16, rmtC and armA, which was transferrable in vitro and, for some Ukrainian patients, shared by other Enterobacterales. AST revealed PstCluster-001 isolates to be extensively drug-resistant (XDR), but susceptible to cefiderocol and aztreonam-avibactam. Patients with data on age (n = 41) were 19-74 years old; of 49 with information on sex, 38 were male.ConclusionXDR P. stuartii were introduced into European countries, requiring increased awareness and precautions when treating patients from conflict-affected areas.</p

Modyfikacja przybliżenia Bragga-Williamsa w modelu Jacksona wzrostu kryształów

Results of Monte Carlo simulations for single-layer solid-fluid interface were compared with Bragg-Williams approximation, which describes the number of bonds between solid and fluid cells in Jackson's crystal growth model. The comparison shows that Bragg-Williams approximation produces much higher values than those resulting from simulations. The use of better approximations based on the results of the simulation does not lead directly to improvement of predictions given by Jackson's model, but rather reveals further problems. In particular, the estimation of entropy seems to be also very overvalued. Monte Carlo simulations were used also to investigate the number of stable states of a single boundary layer for various crystal growth conditions. The results obtained differ significantly from those resulting from the analysis of free energy minima in Jackson's model, but are in good agreement with the results of multi-layer simulations.Wyniki symulacji Monte Carlo dla jednowarstwowej granicy faz porównano z przybliżeniem Bragga-Williamsa, które w modelu Jacksona wzrostu kryształów opisuje liczbę wiązań między blokami stałymi i ciekłymi. Porównanie to pokazało, ze przybliżenie Bragga-Williamsa daje znacznie większe wartości od tych otrzymanych na podstawie symulacji. Zastosowanie lepszego przybliżenia opartego na wynikach symulacji nie prowadzi wprost do poprawy przewidywań modelu Jacksona, lecz raczej ujawnia kolejne problemy. W szczególności oszacowanie entropii wydaje się także bardzo zawyżone. Symulacje Monte Carlo zastosowano także do zbadania liczby stanów stabilnych pojedynczej warstwy granicznej w zależności od warunków wzrostu kryształu. Uzyskane wyniki różnią się znacznie od tych wynikających z analizy liczby minimów energii swobodnej w modelu Jacksona, natomiast pozostają w dobrej zgodności z wynikami symulacji wielowarstwowych

Elektrooptyczna modulacja wiązek światła odchylonych znacznie od normalnej do płaszczyzny padania

It is shown that the electrooptic modulation of the phase difference for the light beams propagating oblique through the crystalline plane-parallel plate appears not only as the direct result of the field-induced changes in the refractive indices of refracted waves but also the modulation is due to the changes in the directions and paths lengths of the waves in the crystal. This indirect modulation may become important for light beams deviated significantly from the normal to the entrance and emergence crystal faces. Configurations with the light beams passing oblique through the plane normal to the optic axis are interesting in measurements of the linear electrooptic coefficients r41 and r42 in uniaxial crystals. Although in some crystals symmetries the coefficients r11 or r22 may contribute to phase difference, it is shown that the results obtained for different signs of the incidence angle allow to separate such contribution from that caused by r41 or r42.Pokazano, że elektrooptyczna modulacja różnicy faz dla wiązek światła przechodzących ukośnie przez płasko równoległą płytkę krystaliczną jest nie tylko bezpośrednim rezultatem zmian współczynników załamania fal w funkcji przyłożonego pola, lecz wynika również ze zmian kierunków i długości dróg fal w krysztale. Ten pośredni mechanizm modulacji może być znaczący dla wiązek światła odchylonych znacznie od normalnej do wejściowej i wyjściowej ściany kryształu. Konfiguracje z wiązką światła padającą ukośnie na ścianę normalną do osi optycznej są interesujące w pomiarach liniowych współczynników elektrooptycznych r41 i r42 w kryształach jednoosiowych. W przypadku niektórych symetrii kryształów mierzony efektywny współczynnik elektrooptyczny może zawierać wkład współczynnika r11 albo r22. Pokazano, że wkład ten można oddzielić od wkładu współczynnika r41 lub r42 na podstawie pomiarów wykonanych przy różnych znakach kąta padania

Precise Measurements of the Quadratic Electro-Optic Effect in KH2PO4 Crystals Using a Sénarmont-Type System

This paper presents precise measurements of the temperature dependencies of the quadratic electro-optic coefficients g1111−g1122 and ne3g3333−no3g1133 in KH2PO4 crystals. In addition to traditional electro-optic coefficients describing changes in the function of an applied electric field, intrinsic coefficients, defined in terms of induced polarization, are also considered. Both intrinsic coefficients decrease with increases in temperature, but the relative temperature changes are of different orders of magnitude: 10−4 and 10−3 K−1. A Sénarmont-type setup was used for the electro-optic measurements. To achieve the best accuracy, a new approach was developed, in which, instead of using only one specific point on the modulator’s transmission characteristic, the operating point is changed during the measurements