BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease with prevalence increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate satisfaction with the current method of insulin delivery (INS) amongst patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using multiple daily injection (MDI) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII). Furthermore, a sub-aim was to test the effect of selected variables on patient satisfaction with MDI or CSII using regression analysis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study carried out in the territory of Moravia in the Czech Republic. A quantitative approach using the Insulin Delivery System Rating Questionnaire (IDSRQ) among 197 respondents with T1DM with INS delivery with MDI or CSII for at least 1 year. Statistical methods used were descriptive statistics, Student's t-tests and regression analysis. RESULTS: Highly significant differences were found between CSII and MDI patients in satisfaction with the current method of INS delivery (p < 0.001), in how the current method of delivery helps patients maintain stable blood glucose values, prevent high blood glucose (p < 0.001), and in overall satisfaction with the current method of INS delivery (p < 0.001). The average overall satisfaction score was 56.19 points for MDI and 62.08 points for CSII. Regression analysis revealed predictors of overall satisfaction on the mean score on how the current method of INS delivery helps MDI patients (p < 0.01). The effect of other selected variables was not confirmed. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed higher overall satisfaction with the method of INS delivery in CSII patients. The current method of INS delivery does not interfere with daily life and activities in most patients.
- MeSH
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 * drug therapy blood psychology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Hypoglycemic Agents * administration & dosage therapeutic use MeSH
- Injections, Subcutaneous MeSH
- Insulin * administration & dosage therapeutic use MeSH
- Insulin Infusion Systems * MeSH
- Blood Glucose MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Cross-Sectional Studies MeSH
- Surveys and Questionnaires MeSH
- Patient Satisfaction * MeSH
- Infusions, Subcutaneous MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
BACKGROUND: Using the perspective of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which represents a public health challenge that also affects education and the psychological well-being of students, this paper aims to assess the vulnerability to anxiety and stress of the Romanian students from the Faculty of Administration and Business of the University of Bucharest pursuing their degrees in administration and business. METHODS: Our study is based on the results of the survey that was administered to a sample of 422 students (39.6% females and 60.4% males) selected from the pool of 2000 recruited respondents. We employed the ANOVA/linear Dependent Dirichlet Process mixture model to explain the causes of stress and anxiety after various grouping variables represented by gender, specialisation, as well as labour market status. RESULTS: Our results revealed that more than 80% of the students in the sample yielded medium and high vulnerability to stress, while 64% of the respondents were affected by severe anxiety (high frequency of psychological, social, and physical problems that were difficult for them to control). The most important stressors were the fear of getting infected and social distancing, while self-control was considered the most effective coping strategy by 62.6% of employed students. CONCLUSIONS: These results allow us to provide practical recommendations for effectively coping with stress and anxiety among students in Romania and beyond and to help stakeholders and policymakers design strategies for strengthening students' resilience, mental health, and well-being in case of future pandemics or other extreme contexts.
- MeSH
- Adaptation, Psychological * MeSH
- Coping Skills MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiology psychology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Pandemics MeSH
- Surveys and Questionnaires MeSH
- Stress, Psychological * epidemiology psychology MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- Students * psychology statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Universities MeSH
- Anxiety * epidemiology psychology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Romania MeSH
The genomic signature of an organism captures the characteristics of repeated oligonucleotide patterns in its genome 1, such as oligomer frequencies, GC content, and differences in codon usage. Viruses, however, are obligate intracellular parasites that are dependent on their host cells for replication, and information about genomic signatures in viruses has hitherto been sparse.Here, we investigate the presence and specificity of genomic signatures in 2,768 eukaryotic viral species from 105 viral families, aiming to illuminate dependencies and selective pressures in viral genome evolution. We demonstrate that most viruses have highly specific genomic signatures that often also differ significantly between species within the same family. The species-specificity is most prominent among dsDNA viruses and viruses with large genomes. We also reveal consistent dissimilarities between viral genomic signatures and those of their host cells, although some viruses present slight similarities, which may be explained by genetic adaptation to their native hosts. Our results suggest that significant evolutionary selection pressures act upon viral genomes to shape and preserve their genomic signatures, which may have implications for the field of synthetic biology in the construction of live attenuated vaccines and viral vectors.
It has long been known that environmental conditions, particularly during development, affect morphological and functional properties of the brain including sensory systems; manipulating the environment thus represents a viable way to explore experience-dependent plasticity of the brain as well as of sensory systems. In this review, we summarize our experience with the effects of acoustically enriched environment (AEE) consisting of spectrally and temporally modulated complex sounds applied during first weeks of the postnatal development in rats and compare it with the related knowledge from the literature. Compared to controls, rats exposed to AEE showed in neurons of several parts of the auditory system differences in the dendritic length and in number of spines and spine density. The AEE exposure permanently influenced neuronal representation of the sound frequency and intensity resulting in lower excitatory thresholds, increased frequency selectivity and steeper rate-intensity functions. These changes were present both in the neurons of the inferior colliculus and the auditory cortex (AC). In addition, the AEE changed the responsiveness of AC neurons to frequency modulated, and also to a lesser extent, amplitude-modulated stimuli. Rearing rat pups in AEE leads to an increased reliability of acoustical responses of AC neurons, affecting both the rate and the temporal codes. At the level of individual spikes, the discharge patterns of individual neurons show a higher degree of similarity across stimulus repetitions. Behaviorally, rearing pups in AEE resulted in an improvement in the frequency resolution and gap detection ability under conditions with a worsened stimulus clarity. Altogether, the results of experiments show that the exposure to AEE during the critical developmental period influences the frequency and temporal processing in the auditory system, and these changes persist until adulthood. The results may serve for interpretation of the effects of the application of enriched acoustical environment in human neonatal medicine, especially in the case of care for preterm born children.
- MeSH
- Acoustic Stimulation * MeSH
- Acoustics MeSH
- Inferior Colliculi growth & development physiology MeSH
- Rats MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Neurons physiology MeSH
- Neuronal Plasticity * physiology MeSH
- Animals, Newborn MeSH
- Auditory Pathways * growth & development physiology MeSH
- Auditory Perception MeSH
- Auditory Cortex * growth & development physiology MeSH
- Age Factors MeSH
- Environment MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Rats MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
BACKGROUND: This 20-year retrospective study aimed to evaluate the treatment methods used in patients with impacted maxillary permanent canines and to determine the occurrence of ankylotic and resorptive processes and their association with potential risk factors. METHODS: The cohort consisted of 351 consecutive Caucasian patients (120 males and 231 females, mean age 18.4 and 19.9 years, respectively) with 420 impacted maxillary permanent canines. CT and CBCT findings were subsequently confirmed during surgery. Statistical analyses were performed by the generalized linear models, Pearson x2 and Fisher exact tests using the statistical programs R and Statistica v. 14. RESULTS: A total of 273 (65.0%) impacted canines were aligned in the dental arch by orthodontic traction after surgical exposure, this treatment was predominant in patients under 20 years of age. Surgical extraction was performed in 115 (27.2%) impacted canines and was more common in older patients. Ankylotic changes were recorded in 61 (14.5%) impacted canines. The probability of ankylosis increased with age, particularly after the patient's 20th year of life (p < 0.001). Patients were 1.2% likely to develop ankylosis at age 15 years, 4.3% at age 20 years, 14.1% at age 25 years, and 96.8% at age 45 years. Invasive cervical root resorption (ICRR) was found in 8 (1.9%) canines. In 4 canines (1.0%), root ankylosis in addition to ICRR was observed. In contrast to ankylosis, whose frequency of occurrence increased with age, the occurrence of ICRR resulting from PDL damage during surgery was more typical in younger patients. Canines in a high position above the root apices of the adjacent teeth, with a horizontal inclination of the longitudinal axis, with the crown located deep in the center of the alveolar bone and with labiopalatal position, should be considered critically impacted canines with a high risk to failure of orthodontic traction. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the treatment of impacted canines depends mainly on the age of the patient, and the position and inclination of the longitudinal axis of the impacted tooth. To select an adequate treatment method, we recommend CBCT examination, which allows a precise analysis of the position of impacted canines.
- MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Tooth Extraction MeSH
- Cohort Studies MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Maxilla * surgery MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Orthodontic Extrusion methods MeSH
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed MeSH
- Cone-Beam Computed Tomography * MeSH
- Root Resorption diagnostic imaging etiology MeSH
- Retrospective Studies MeSH
- Risk Factors MeSH
- Cuspid * diagnostic imaging MeSH
- Age Factors MeSH
- Tooth, Impacted * surgery diagnostic imaging MeSH
- Tooth Ankylosis * diagnostic imaging MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Background: Psoriasis is a common, T-cell-mediated inflammatory and immune-mediated skin disease. Numerous studies confirmed that patients with psoriasis have a significant frequency of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and CV diseases (CVDs). Risk stratification is helpful in light of the elevated risk of CVD in psoriasis patients. SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP, a new algorithm derived, calibrated and validated to predict the 10-year risk of first-onset CVD in European populations, enhances the identification of individuals at higher risk of developing CVD across Europe. Objective: Using the SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP scoring systems, the current study objective was to evaluate CV risk in Slovak psoriasis patients and the relationship between CV risk and psoriasis features in a real-world setting. Results: A case-control study was conducted involving 115 outpatients with plaque psoriasis and 66 age- and gender-matched controls with skin conditions other than psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis had significantly higher mean SCORE2 values. In the age group up to 50 years, more psoriasis patients were classified as moderate risk than controls (33.8% vs. 13.6%, p = 0.010); the high-risk category was dominated by psoriasis patients. Analysing the relationship between CV risk and selected variables, we determined, using linear regression, the dependence of the SCORE2 risk score on gender in the age group up to 50 years, on age in both age groups, on waist circumference (WC) in the category up to 50 years and on the duration and severity of psoriasis in both age groups using linear regression. For individuals older than 70, we estimated the SCORE2-OP risk score, with the average risk score being 19.5 ± 4.95. We did not observe controls with a high risk score. Psoriasis patients were more likely to be smokers and had significantly higher mean values for body mass index (BMI), WC, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and systolic blood pressure (BP). Conclusions: Because CV risk factors and psoriasis are strongly related, the importance of CV risk stratification is growing, and initiating preventive lifestyle changes or therapeutic interventions in patients with psoriasis is warranted.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
OBJECTIVES: Pediculosis humanus capitis is a worldwide public health concern that affects mostly school-aged children. The aim of this study is to determine the rate of pediculosis and to determine possible risk factors in a group of primary school children in Valencia, Spain; 227 children, 6-7 years old, were selected from 7 schools. METHODS: A self-reported questionnaire completed by the parents/guardians about the presence of pediculosis in their children and their knowledge about pediculosis. The results recorded in the questionnaire were analysed by SPSS® software. RESULTS: 30.4% of the children had pediculosis. The results showed significant variation (p < 0.05) in prevalence depending on the following factors: sex, hair length, level of parental education, family size, presence of affected family member in the home, and frequency of hair washing. Less than half of parents/guardians showed an appropriate level of knowledge on pediculosis. Pediculosis remains a health problem in Valencian schoolchildren. The family size and existence of another member with pediculosis were shown to be the main potentiating factors. CONCLUSIONS: Parents are not sufficiently informed about pediculosis and adopt inappropriate practices. There is a need to promote studies with the objective of determining risk factors for pediculosis as well as the need for actions to increase the knowledge of parents and healthcare professionals on this parasitosis to prevent outbreaks in the community, assure correct treatment and maintain effective epidemiological surveillance.
- MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Pediculus * MeSH
- Prevalence MeSH
- Family MeSH
- Educational Status MeSH
- Lice Infestations * epidemiology etiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Spain MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Psilocybin is one of the most extensively studied psychedelic drugs with a broad therapeutic potential. Despite the fact that its psychoactivity is mainly attributed to the agonism at 5-HT2A receptors, it has high binding affinity also to 5-HT2C and 5-HT1A receptors and indirectly modulates the dopaminergic system. Psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin, as well as other serotonergic psychedelics, induce broadband desynchronization and disconnection in EEG in humans as well as in animals. The contribution of serotonergic and dopaminergic mechanisms underlying these changes is not clear. The present study thus aims to elucidate the pharmacological mechanisms underlying psilocin-induced broadband desynchronization and disconnection in an animal model. METHODS: Selective antagonists of serotonin receptors (5-HT1A WAY100635, 5-HT2A MDL100907, 5-HT2C SB242084) and antipsychotics haloperidol, a D2 antagonist, and clozapine, a mixed D2 and 5-HT receptor antagonist, were used in order to clarify the underlying pharmacology. RESULTS: Psilocin-induced broadband decrease in the mean absolute EEG power was normalized by all antagonists and antipsychotics used within the frequency range 1-25 Hz; however, decreases in 25-40 Hz were influenced only by clozapine. Psilocin-induced decrease in global functional connectivity and, specifically, fronto-temporal disconnection were reversed by the 5-HT2A antagonist while other drugs had no effect. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest the involvement of all three serotonergic receptors studied as well as the role of dopaminergic mechanisms in power spectra/current density with only the 5-HT2A receptor being effective in both studied metrics. This opens an important discussion on the role of other than 5-HT2A-dependent mechanisms underlying the neurobiology of psychedelics.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Chronická obstrukční plicní nemoc (CHOPN) postihuje především chronické kuřáky a vyskytuje se přibližně u 7–8 % obyvatel České republiky. Charakteristická je nevratná obstrukční ventilační porucha, jejímž podkladem je neutrofilní zánět dýchacích cest a plicního parenchymu vedoucí až ke strukturálním změnám plicní architektoniky. Typickými symptomy jsou námahová dušnost, chronický kašel, snížení fyzické výkonnosti a únava s dopadem na klesající kvalitu života. Tyto obtíže se zhoršují při exacerbacích CHOPN, které jsou obvykle vyvolané infekcí dýchacího ústrojí. Méně závažné exacerbace lze zvládnout ambulantně, při těžkém průběhu je však nutná hospitalizace, intenzivní léčba včetně oxygenoterapie, v krajních případech s nutností umělé plicní ventilace. Základem léčby CHOPN je dlouhodobě působící bronchodilatační terapie, kterou lze dle závažnosti onemocnění aplikovat v monoterapii, v duální kombinaci či fixní trojkombinaci. Kombinační bronchodilatační léčba se doporučuje podávat již v časných stadiích CHOPN, aby se zpomalil rychlý pokles ventilačních hodnot v úvodu onemocnění. Pro výběr optimální terapie CHOPN je důležité určení charakteru, závažnosti a frekvence obtíží každého pacienta. Podstatné je i zvládnutí inhalační techniky. Všechny tyto postupy vedou k zajištění stability CHOPN, zpomalení průběhu onemocnění, prevenci závažných exacerbací a ke zlepšení kvality života pacientů.1
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects particularly chronic smokers and occurs in approximately 7–8% of the Czech population. It is characterised by an irreversible obstructive ventilatory disorder, which is caused by neutrophilic inflammation of the airways and lung parenchyma leading to structural changes in lung architecture. Typical symptoms include exertional dyspnoea, chronic cough, decreased physical performance and fatigue with an impact on decreasing quality of life. These symptoms worsen during COPD exacerbations, which are usually triggered by respiratory tract infections. Mild exacerbations can be managed on an outpatient basis, however, severe exacerbations require hospitalisation and intensive treatment, including oxygen therapy and sometimes even mechanical ventilation. The mainstay of COPD treatment is long-acting bronchodilator therapy, which can be administered in monotherapy, dual combination or fixed triple combination depending on the severity of the disease. Combination bronchodilator therapy is recommended already in early stages of COPD to slow down the rapid initial decline in ventilatory values. Determining the nature, severity and frequency of each patient's symptoms is important for selecting the optimal COPD therapy. Mastery of inhalation technique is also essential. All these procedures lead to ensuring the stability of COPD, slowing down the course of the disease, preventing severe exacerbations and improving the quality of life of patients.1
- MeSH
- Bronchodilator Agents pharmacology therapeutic use MeSH
- Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive * drug therapy MeSH
- Adrenal Cortex Hormones therapeutic use MeSH
- Drug Therapy, Combination MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Airway Obstruction drug therapy classification MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Review MeSH
Modeling central auditory neurons in response to complex sounds not only helps understanding neural processing of speech signals but can also provide insights for biomimetics in neuro-engineering. While modeling responses of midbrain auditory neurons to synthetic tones is rather good, modeling those to environmental sounds is less satisfactory. Environmental sounds typically contain a wide range of frequency components, often with strong and transient energy. These stimulus features have not been examined in the conventional approach of auditory modeling centered on spectral selectivity. To this end, we firstly compared responses to an environmental sound of auditory midbrain neurons across 3 subpopulations of neurons with frequency selectivity in the low, middle and high ranges; secondly, we manipulated the sound energy, both in power and in spectrum, and compared across these subpopulations how their modeled responses were affected. The environmental sound was recorded when a rat was drinking from a feeding bottle (called the 'drinking sound'). The sound spectrum was divided into 20 non-overlapping frequency bands (from 0 to 20 kHz, at 1 kHz width) and presented to an artificial neural model built on a committee machine with parallel spectral inputs to simulate the known tonotopic organization of the auditory system. The model was trained to predict empirical response probability profiles of neurons to the repeated sounds. Results showed that model performance depended more on the strong energy components than on the spectral selectivity. Findings were interpreted to reflect general sensitivity to rapidly changing sound intensities at the auditory midbrain and in the cortex.
- MeSH
- Acoustic Stimulation methods MeSH
- Rats MeSH
- Mesencephalon * physiology MeSH
- Neurons physiology MeSH
- Speech MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Sound * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Rats MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
