scholarly journals Shared Odds of Borrelia and Rabies Virus Exposure in Serbia

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 399
Author(s):  
Pavle Banović ◽  
Adrian Alberto Díaz-Sánchez ◽  
Dragana Mijatović ◽  
Dragana Vujin ◽  
Zsolt Horváth ◽  
...  

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in Serbia and other European countries. Rabies is a fatal zoonosis distributed worldwide and is caused by the rabies virus. Professionals at risk of rabies—including veterinarians, hunters, communal service workers, and forestry workers—overlap with some professions at a higher risk of exposure to tick bites and tick-borne pathogen infections. We hypothesized that individuals identified by the public health system as at risk of rabies virus infection, and consequently vaccinated against rabies virus, also share a higher likelihood of Borrelia exposure. To test our hypothesis, a case-control study was carried out during 2019 in Serbia to determine the seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia antibodies in two case groups (individuals at risk and vaccinated against rabies virus) and a control group (individuals without risk of rabies). Individuals vaccinated against rabies following either “pre-exposure protocol” (PrEP, n = 58) or “post-exposure protocol” (PEP, n = 42) were considered as rabies risk groups and healthy blood donors (n = 30) as the control group. The results showed higher Borrelia seroprevalence in PrEP (17.2%; 10/58) and PEP (19.0%; 8/42) groups compared with the control group (6.67%; 2/30). Furthermore, odds ratio (OR) analysis showed that risk of rabies (in either the PrEP (OR = 2.91) or PEP (OR = 3.29) groups) is associated with increased odds of being seropositive to Borrelia. However, the difference in Borrelia seroprevalence between groups was not statistically significant (Chi-square (χ²) test p > 0.05). The shared odds of LB and rabies exposure found in this study suggest that, in countries where both diseases occur, the common citizen can be at risk of both diseases when in a risky habitat. These findings are important to guide physicians in targeting high-risk groups, and diagnose LB, and to guide decision-makers in targeting control and prevention measures for both infections in risk areas.

Author(s):  
Suzana Pustivšek ◽  
Vedran Hadžić ◽  
Edvin Dervišević ◽  
Jamie Carruthers

AbstractPurposeThe objective of this research was to investigate the risk for eating disorders (EDs) and compare body composition in participants with and without risk in adolescent Slovenian athletes and aged matched controls.MethodsA total of 583 randomly selected adolescents, aged from 15 to 17 years, completed a sick, control, one stone, fat, food (SCOFF) questionnaire for detecting risk for EDs. Weight and body composition were measured using a bioelectrical impedance machine. Based on the data body mass index (BMI), percentiles were calculated.ResultsOverall, 37.7% of athletes and 39.8% of controls were classified as at risk for EDs. Girls showed a significantly higher frequency of risk than boys, 1:3.5. A higher percentage of underweight boys was found in control group compared to the athletes, but the difference was not significant in the subsample of girls. Differences in body composition show that the at-risk group had significantly higher values in BMI percentiles (p < 0.001) and percentages of fat mass (p < 0.001) and lower values in percentage of muscle mass (p < 0.01) and fat-free mass.ConclusionsThese finding demonstrate that the gap in risk for EDs between males and females is becoming smaller and stresses to consider specific parameters of body composition as being important when identifying at-risk groups for EDs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 245-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coruh Turksel Dulgergil ◽  
Ertugrul Ercan ◽  
Hakan Colak

ABSTRACT Objective: In this paper, cavity experiences of children with different levels of eruption and cavity activities that are enrolled at an elementary school with semi-rural characteristics in Kırıkkale Provincial center were monitored for 2 years after a variety of protective applications. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and twenty-two children at the age of 7–11 were included in this study. Children were grouped as follows according to their cavity experiences and applications done: Group 1 - control group (with or without cavities) – was given hygiene training only; Group 2 - with medium level cavity activity (2–4 cavities in average) – oral hygiene training + surface restoration applied; Group 3 - children with 2–4 cavities on average – oral hygiene training + professional flour gel applied; Group 4 - children with 2–4 cavities in average – oral hygiene training + flour gel applied with brush; Group 5 - children with extreme cavity activity (children with 5 or more cavities) – oral hygiene training + surface restoration + professional flour gel combination applied. Results: At the end of the 2nd year, 277 children were reached. The increase of number of cavities in permanent teeth was determined as 35%, 0%, 1%, 0%, and 7% in groups 1–5, respectively. The difference between groups was found to be significant (Chi-square analysis, Pearson Chi-square = 27.002, P < 0.01). Conclusion: These findings have showed that, in Kırıkkale Provincial center, some cavity-preventive measures such as surface restoration and gel applications, along with hygiene training, could provide optimum protection for school-age children.


2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
İ Aladag ◽  
Y Bulut ◽  
M Guven ◽  
A Eyibilen ◽  
K Yelken

AbstractBackground and objectives:Chronic nonspecific pharyngitis is a chronic inflammation of the pharynx. It is found worldwide, and treatment is difficult. The underlying aetiopathogenesis is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in chronic nonspecific pharyngitis patients without other possible causative factors for chronic pharyngeal irritation and without H pylori gastric mucosal infection.Materials and methods:Forty-one patients with symptoms of chronic nonspecific pharyngitis and 30 healthy control subjects were enrolled in this prospective, controlled, clinical study. In both study and control groups, selected patients were shown to have gastric mucosa uninfected by H pylori, as demonstrated by the 14C-urea breath test. Comprehensive otorhinolaryngological examination did not elicit any factor contributing to the chronic pharyngeal complaint. Serum H pylori immunoglobulin G antibody titres were assayed using serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The difference between the study and control groups was analysed by the chi-square test (the likelihood ratio was used).Results:Thirty-two of the 41 patients (78 per cent) and 14 of the 30 control subjects (46.7 per cent) were found to be H pylori positive. Patients with chronic nonspecific pharyngitis were found to have a significantly higher rate of H pylori seropositivity than the control group (p = 0.016).Conclusion:These data may be important in developing future treatment strategies for chronic nonspecific pharyngitis.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Burns

Objective. To test the hypothesis that the use of the HEM-AVERT Perianal Stabilizer will result in a reduction of cesarean births and shorter duration of second-stage labor. Study Design. In a prospective controlled trial, 102 women scheduled for vaginal delivery were randomized to either the HEM-AVERT investigational device or control group. Ninety eight (98) patients completed the study. A chi-square test was used to evaluate the difference in the number of cesarean deliveries between the investigational and control groups. Duration of second-stage labor was assessed as a secondary outcome. Results. Six (6) of the 50 patients in the investigational group (12%) failed to deliver vaginally and required cesarean delivery. Comparatively, 19 of the 48 control patients (39.6%) required cesarean delivery. Duration of second-stage labor was shorter in the investigational group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Results from 4 patients were excluded due to protocol violations. Conclusion. The HEM-AVERT device effectively reduced the incidence rate of cesarean deliveries in the investigational group when compared to women who delivered without use of the device. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01739543.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Hidayatul Hasni ◽  
Mayetti Mayetti ◽  
Dwi Novrianda

Background: Mucositis is one of the side effects of chemotherapy, which can be a severe problem for children with cancer. Cryotherapy can cause vasoconstriction and decrease blood flow to the oral mucosa, resulting in lower concentrations of chemotherapy agents to prevent mucositis. This study aims at determining the effectiveness of oral cryotherapy as prophylaxis mucositis in children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.Methods: This quasi-experiment study with a pretest-posttest control-group design involved 45 respondents (22 in the intervention group and 23 in the control group) selected using consecutive sampling. The data collection instrument was the WHO mucositis scale. Results: Of the 45 children undergoing chemotherapy, 24 (53.3%) were of school age, 25 (55.6%) were male, 33 (73.3%) had good nutritional status, and 17 (37.8%) had mild neutropenia before undergoing chemotherapy. All respondents (100%) did not experience mucositis, but after chemotherapy, 9 children (40.9%) in the intervention group had mucositis, and 19 children (82.6%) experienced mucositis in the control group. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test to see the difference between the intervention group and the control group and the Chi-Square test with Yates’s correction to see the effect of cryotherapy on the prevention of mucositis. The results showed that there was a difference in the incidence of mucositis between before and after intervention in the intervention group (p = 0.003) and the control group (p = 0.000), and cryotherapy was effective in preventing mucositis (p = 0.01).Conclusions: Cryotherapy is effective against the prevention of mucositis. Nurses and families need to be able to apply oral cryotherapy and other evidence-based treatment as a method to prevent mucositis 


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aparna Khan ◽  
Susil Kumar Mandal ◽  
Amitava Pal

Objectives: To assess the effect of supplementation of high dose of calcium(2gm) in prevention of preeclampsia.Materials & Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial on 272 healthy nulliparous woman were randomly allocated into two groups by means of a computer generation randomization list. From 20 weeks of gestation until delivery who received 2gm of oral elemental calcium per day (n=127 )were assigned to high dose calcium group or the study group and 145 women were assigned to low dose calcium or control group , receiving 500 mg of calcium per day. Ten women (3.67%) were lost to follow up after randomization (4 in the study group and 6 in the control group) . Thus a total of 123 woman in the study group and 139 in the control group were included in the final analysis. Data was collected by standard questionnaire, clinical examination and investigations and statistical analysis was performed by student’s t-test, chi square tests. P<0.05 was statistically significant.Results: Preeclampsia developed in Study Group were 5.7% and Control Group 13.7% and the difference was statistically significant (Chi-squares - 4.65, df =1, p = 0.031). There were 2.43% (3 of 123 women) preterm delivery in the study group and 7.91% (11 of 39 women) in the control group. So, there was a significantly lower risk of preterm delivery in the study group ( p = 0.049). Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) was found in 3.25% and 9.35% of women in the study and the control groups respectively. The incidence is higher in the control group when compared to the study group (p = 0.045).Conclusion: Calcium intake is beneficial for both pregnant women and her unborn child. Daily supplementation with 2 grams of calcium during pregnancy significantly reduced the risk of preeclampsia, preterm labor and IUGR. So, high dose calcium should be supplemented to all women during pregnancy in developing countries where preeclampsia and preeclampsia related morbidities and mortality are quite high.Bangladesh J Obstet Gynaecol, 2013; Vol. 28(2) : 66-70


2004 ◽  
Vol 57 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 18-21
Author(s):  
Dejan Cvjetkovic ◽  
Jovana Jovanovic ◽  
Ivana Hrnjakovic-Cvjetkovic ◽  
Mirjana Djordjevic-Aleksic ◽  
Aleksandra Radojcic ◽  
...  

Introduction Lack of exact clinical studies on effects of corticosteroids in therapy and prevention of herpes zoster-related pain, elicited many controversies in the past. The aim of our study was to estimate effects of prednisone on frequency, intensity and duration of postherpetic neuralgia. Material and methods 68 immunocompetent herpes zoster patients, 8-90 years of age (37 females and 31 males, mean age 55,7 years) were enrolled for study; 30 patients were treated with acyclovir (5x800 mg daily for a 7-day period) and prednisone (initial daily dose 60 mg, tapering over 14 days), and the control group of 38 patients with acyclovir only. Patients were clinically followed up for 3 months after complete resolution of skin lesions. Chi-square test was used in statistical data analysis. Results The difference regarding incidence of postherpetic neuralgia in acyclovir/prednisone group and acyclovir group (although slightly less in the former one) was not significant. Duration of postherpetic neuralgia over 3 months was similar in both groups. Mild postherpetic pain was more common in the acyclovir/prednisone group (44.4%) than in the acyclovir group (28.6%); however, statistical validation requires more patients to be studied. Discussion Results of our study didn?t confirm efficiency of prednisone regarding occurrence and characteristics of postherpetic neuralgia. Failure of prednisone therapy may be partly contributed to advanced age of patients and delayed onset of therapy. Conclusion Use of corticosteroids in zoster patients gives neither reliable protection from appearance of postherpetic neuralgia, nor shortens its duration. Further investigations are necessary to estimate their effects on postherpetic pain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (Suppl-3) ◽  
pp. S432-36
Author(s):  
Sohail Aslam ◽  
Syed Muhammad Asad Shabbir Bukhari ◽  
Adnan Asghar ◽  
Naeem Riaz ◽  
Iftekhar Yousaf ◽  
...  

Objective: To comparison was made between standard (control group) nasopharyngeal sample collection technique for RTPCR and modified technique and the outcome was compared in terms of the proportion of positive results of Rt-PCR tests. Study Design: Double blinded randomized clinical trial. Place and Duration of Study: Pakistan Naval Ship Shifa Hospital Karachi Pakistan, from June and July 2020. Methodology: This study was a newly developed modified technique for nasopharyngeal sampling for RT-PCR tests of COVID-19 suspects. Target population included all patients who developed COVID-19 related symptoms and/or also had history of recent travel or closed contact with Covid-19 patients. Total 1500 nasopharyngeal PCR tests were done by a team of trained technicians. Systemetic probability sampling technique was utilized. Subjects were divided into two groups by using even and odd serial numbers. Proportion of positive test results were compared between two groups by using chi square test. Results: Results were collected for 3000 nasopharyngeal swab sample for RT-PCR testing. Mean age was 31.68 ± 11.89 years. In study group with modified technique, 470 tests were found positive for a total of 1500 samples while only 297 out of 1500 samples were detected positive in control group with standard technique. Chi square test applied to assess the difference between this proportion and it proved that the difference was highly statistically significant (p-value <0.00). Conclusion: we interpret that modified samples collection technique is relatively safe for sample collector of Covid-19 PCR which has got potential benefits to get more genuine results of these......


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donglie Zhu ◽  
Hang Fu ◽  
Zelong Yang ◽  
Mingzuo Jiang ◽  
Yanjie Ren ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims: The present study aimed to explore the correlation between cholecystectomy and cholangiocarcinoma, and to provide preliminary clinical basis for precise cholecystectomy in China.Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 9744 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, femoral fracture, and hepatic hemangioma diagnosed in Xijing hospital from August 2008 to August 2018. They were divided into three groups: case group (1749 cases of cholangiocarcinoma), positive control group (3137 cases of colon cancer and 1950 cases of pancreatic cancer), negative control group (1794 cases of femoral fracture and 1114 cases of hepatic hemangioma). We collected the general information (gender, age), past medical history, cholecystectomy history from the patients, and these data were analyzed by chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: The cholecystectomy rate of the case group was significantly higher than that of the positive control group and the negative control group by chi-square test (p<0.025). The cholecystectomy rate and the history of cholecystolithiasis were analyzed by logistic multivariate regression analysis. The OR values of cholecystectomy rate were 1.553 (95%CI: 1.311-1.840) and 3.181 (95%CI: 2.561-3.951), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.000). The OR values of the history of cholecystolithiasis were 2.460 (95%CI: 2.093-2.890) and 5.426 (95%CI: 4.325-6.809), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.000). In case group, the difference between cholecystectomy and cholecystolithiasis was statistically significant (p<0.000) by chi-square test. Conclusions: In conclusion, cholecystectomy is one of the risk factors of cholangiocarcinoma and the patients who undergo cholecystectomy have a higher risk of cholangiocarcinoma than the control groups. Cholecystectomy should be conducted with caution and the precise surgical treatment of gallbladder diseases is advocated.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAIFENG GAO ◽  
jie Wang ◽  
Songtao Ding ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To explore the effect of nipple repair in the treatment of lactating nipple injury.Methods Patients with nipple lesions admitted to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Haidian District from December 2015 to January 2020 were retrospective control study. The patients received nipple repair was the study group, the patients did not treated with medicine or surgery was the control group. Patients in both groups continued to be exclusively breastfeed with good sucking, The method of chi-square test was adopted by using SPSS24.0 statistical software to compare the difference of healing effect of nipple injury, pain relief rate, and recurrence rate of nipple injury.Results A total of 167 patients were enrolled, including in the 81 study group and 86 in the control group. The cure rates of the nipple injury in the study group and in the control group were 54.3% (44/81) and 26.7% (23/86) (χ2 = 13.451, P = 0.001). The complete pain relief rate was 48.1% (39/81) and 23.3% (20/86) (χ2 = 14.170, P = 0.001). The recurrence rate was 36.4% (16/44) and 34.8% (8/23) (χ2 = 0.016, P = 0.898).Conclusion For patients with no improvement in nipple damage after correction of etiology, nipple repair can improve the healing environment of nipple breakage, relieve nipple pain.


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