OBJECTIVES: Medical students experience worse psychological well-being than the general population. Social determinants of health (SDOH) relate to conditions in which people live, work, and age and significantly influence mental health. This study examines the association between depressive symptoms and SDOH in medical students from four countries: Czechia, Iran, Kenya, and Venezuela. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in the spring of 2022. The questionnaire focused on depressive symptoms (using a validated psychiatric scale DASS-21 to assess mental health) and various SDOHs. RESULTS: A total of 2,033 medical students participated in the survey, with a median age of 23.0 years; 64.8% were females; 60.8% of respondents had some degree of depressive symptoms (mild-to-moderate 32.5%, severe-to-extremely severe 28.3%). Several SDOHs, such as low engagement in social life, low personal funds, and low social class, were strongly associated with severe-to-extremely severe depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), and the associations differed among countries. The prevalence of severe-to-extremely severe depressive symptoms varied significantly across the four countries, with Iran having the highest prevalence (OR = 2.1 compared to Czechia), followed by Czechia (OR = 1, reference value), Kenya (OR = 0.9), and Venezuela (OR = 0.6). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the high prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical students from four global regions and the significant association with specific SDOH. Notably, the variation in prevalence across countries and differential relationships with SDOH underscore the importance of considering transcultural factors in research and management to improve mental health among medical students.
- MeSH
- Depression * epidemiology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Prevalence MeSH
- Cross-Sectional Studies MeSH
- Surveys and Questionnaires MeSH
- Social Determinants of Health * statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Students, Medical * psychology statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
- Iran MeSH
- Kenya MeSH
- Venezuela MeSH
- MeSH
- Medical Missions * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Primary Health Care MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Personal Narrative MeSH
- Geographicals
- Kenya MeSH
- MeSH
- Dysentery, Amebic diagnosis drug therapy complications MeSH
- Ceftriaxone administration & dosage therapeutic use MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Entamoeba histolytica MeSH
- Epiglottitis diagnosis therapy MeSH
- Communicable Diseases * diagnosis epidemiology drug therapy MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Metronidazole administration & dosage therapeutic use MeSH
- Praziquantel administration & dosage therapeutic use MeSH
- Schistosoma MeSH
- Schistosomiasis mansoni diagnosis epidemiology drug therapy MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
- Geographicals
- Kenya MeSH
In the family of fruit bats, Pteropodidae Gray, 1821, as in the third most diverse group of bats (Chiroptera), the bacterium of the genus Bartonella was detected in several species as well as in a few species of their insect ectoparasites in some tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Old World. The Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy, 1810), is one of the most widespread fruit bats, occurring between South Africa, Senegal, and Pakistan. In this bat species, Candidatus Bartonella rousetti has been detected in three African populations in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia. This fruit bat, however, also occurs in the Palaearctic, an area isolating the species geographically and phylogenetically from the Afrotropical part of its distribution range. We screened the blood-sucking bat flies (family Nycteribiidae) from R. aegyptiacus for the presence of the Bartonella bacteria. A rich material of bat fly Eucampsipoda aegyptia (Macquart, 1850), a monoxenous ectoparasite of the Egyptian fruit bats, was collected at 26 localities in seven countries (Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) of the Middle East in 2007-2013. The DNA isolates from the bat flies were subjected to a three-marker (gltA, ssrA, and intergenic spacer region, ITS) multilocus sequence analysis. Based on the amplification of the fragment of ssrA gene by a real-time PCR, 65 E. aegyptia samples from 19 localities in all seven countries were positive for the bacteria. One to five Bartonella-positive individuals of E. aegyptia were collected per one individual of R. aegyptiacus. An analysis of the ITS and gltA genes indicated the presence of an uncultured Bartonella sp., belonging to the Cand. B. rousetti genogroup, identified from populations of the Egyptian fruit bat in Africa. These results support the hypothesis that Bartonella's diversity corresponds to its host's diversity (and phylogenetic structure). Specific lineages of pathogens are present in specific phylogenetic groups of bats.
- MeSH
- Bartonella * genetics MeSH
- Chiroptera * MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- DNA, Intergenic MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Kenya MeSH
- Middle East MeSH
Projekt humanitární pomoci Itibo Mission Hospital již téměř 17 let zajišťuje péči o pacienty v jihozápadní Keni. Od svého založení českým zdravotníkem Alešem Bártou se neustále rozvíjí a kromě zdravotní péče pomáhá také v osvětové činnosti a edukaci místních zdravotníků. Preventivní i léčebná péče o dětské pacienty zde má velmi dobrou úroveň, i když podmínky mnohdy nejsou jednoduché. K nejčastějším diagnózám patří infekce, od kosmopolitních nákaz (respirační a gastrointestinální infekce) po tropické choroby (malárie, břišní tyfus). Přibývají ale také neinfekční nemoci (astma, diabetes mellitus a další). Sdělení přináší pohled lékařů z České republiky na pediatrickou péči v Itibu, která se v některých aspektech podobá práci praktického nebo nemocničního pediatra v České republice a v jiných se od ní zas diametrálně liší.
The humanitarian aid project Itibo Mission Hospital has been providing care for patients in southwest Kenya for almost 17 years. Since its establishment by Czech paramedic Aleš Bárta, it has been continuously developing and, in addition to medical care, it also helps in educational activities. Preventive and curative care for paediatric patients here is of a very good standard, although conditions are often difficult. The most common diagnoses include infections, ranging from cosmopolitan (respiratory and gastrointestinal infections) to tropical diseases (malaria, typhoid fever). However, non-infectious diseases (asthma, diabetes mellitus and others) are also increasing. The article brings the experience of a Czech doctors with the paediatric care in Itibo, which in some aspects is similar and in others diametrically different from the work of a general practitioner or hospital paediatrician in the Czech Republic.
- MeSH
- Health Services Accessibility MeSH
- Medical Missions MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Fetal Monitoring methods MeSH
- Personal Narratives as Topic MeSH
- Parturition ethnology MeSH
- Hospitals, Maternity organization & administration MeSH
- Obstetrics * methods organization & administration statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Essay MeSH
- Geographicals
- Kenya MeSH
S rozvolněním protiepidemických opatření, která lze očekávat v jarních a letních měsících, a předpokládaným opětovným nárůstem cestování považujeme za přínosné shrnout aktuální informace o současné situaci výskytu cholery ve světě. Cholera je endemická v řadě zemí světa, zejména v Asii a Africe. V souvislosti s pandemií covid-19 a zhoršující se socioekonomickou situací se její výskyt v některých oblastech významně zvýšil. V zemích Evropské Unie a Evropského hospodářského prostoru se vyskytují jen ojedinělé případy onemocnění cholerou, jedná se především o importy ze zemí s výskytem cholery.
With the relaxation of anti-epidemic measures expected in the spring and summer months and the anticipated resurgence of travel, we find it useful to summarize the current situation of cholera. Cholera is endemic in many countries of the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worsening socioeconomic situation, its incidence has increased significantly in some areas. Only sporadic cases of cholera have been reported in the European Union and European Economic Area countries, which are mainly imports from endemic countries.
- MeSH
- Cholera * history epidemiology transmission MeSH
- Cholera Vaccines therapeutic use MeSH
- Gastroenteritis microbiology MeSH
- Disease Notification MeSH
- Risk Assessment MeSH
- Communicable Disease Control MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Disease Transmission, Infectious MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Geographicals
- Afghanistan MeSH
- Bangladesh MeSH
- Benin MeSH
- Haiti MeSH
- India MeSH
- Yemen MeSH
- Cameroon MeSH
- Kenya MeSH
- Mali MeSH
- Mozambique MeSH
- Nepal MeSH
- Niger MeSH
- Nigeria MeSH
- Tanzania MeSH
