Epidemiologie Mikrobiologie Imunologie最新文献

Aim: There is a discussion about COVID-19 vaccination rates among healthcare workers (HCW), especially nurses. The primary question for this review was: "What are the attitudes of nurses, compared to other HCW, towards COVID-19 vaccination?" The secondary questions included the proportion of nurses with intention to get vaccinated, what prevents the nurses from accepting the vaccine and what enables them to accept the vaccine.

Methods: The PRISMA-ScR format for scoping reviews was chosen to respect the novelty of COVID-19 vaccines. Database search (PubMed/MEDLINE, PROquest and EBSCO) was performed for original studies in English language, from all geographies, with most recent search on March 20, 2022. Vaccination acceptance rates were charted for nurses and nursing students in one category, and HCW other than nurses in the other category. The evolution in time of the nurses attitude to vaccine acceptance relative to that of HCW other than nurses was charted post hoc. The factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination intention according to the WHO categories (contextual influences, individual/ group influences, and vaccine/vaccination specific issues) were reviewed as narrative summary.

Results: Total 58 eligible studies were selected, all with cross-sectional study design, including 95418 healthcare workers of whom 33130 were nurses and 7391 were nursing students, from 44 countries in Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia. Trust in science, in doctors, in experts and in governments were the main contextual factors increasing vaccination acceptance mentioned in the studies, while altruism and collective protection, or protecting a person at risk at home was mentioned only few times. The nurses were less likely to accept vaccination compared to doctors and other HCWs at the onset, eg. before vaccine rollout, and this difference decreased with time (p = 0.022). Being older (n = 25 studies), being male (n = 23), having higher degree of education (n = 7), and having more years of clinical practice (n = 4) were associated with higher vaccination acceptance. Percieved individual risk of having severe COVID-19 (n = 14) or working in a COVID-19 dedicated units (n = 5) was mentioned in a minority of studies. The main vaccine-releated factors associated with higher vaccination intention were trust in the vaccine and its efficacy and safety, general vaccinatoin acceptance and specifically having had influenza vaccination in previous years (n = 21 studies). A significant factor associated with higher vaccine acceptance was high "vaccine knowledge", "vaccine literacy", "understanding the vaccine" or "understanding benefits and barriers of vaccination" (n = 17 studies).

Conclusions: Nurses have been more hesitant to accept COVID-19 vaccination than other healthcare professions at the beginning, but with time this difference disappeared. This general nurse attitude of wait-and-s

Aim: Overactivation of the IL-33/IL-13 axis is the main step in initializing allergic inflammation and promoting allergic diseases. Data on viral pathogens as risk factors for subsequent allergic disease are contradictory. The strongest associations have been made between upper respiratory tract virus infections and asthma. Intestinal viral infections also activate IL-33 and IL-13 as part of the innate antiviral response. The aim of this study was to test whether there are differences in IL-13 and IL-33 concentrations in pediatric patients with acute rotavirus- and norovirus infections and healthy controls.

Material and methods: Forty children with acute rotavirus, 27 with acute norovirus intestinal infections and 17 control children were enrolled in this study. Blood IL-33 and IL-13 detection was performed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).

Results: Acute rotavirus infection caused a significant elevation in IL-33 and IL-13 compared to acute norovirus infection (63.85 pg/ml vs. 0, P = 0.0026, and 94.24 pg/ml vs. 0.88 pg/ml, P = 0.0003, respectively) and healthy controls (63.85 pg/ml vs. 9.89 pg/ ml, P = 0.0018, and 94.24 pg/ml vs. 0.14 pg/ml, P < 0.0001, respectively). There was no significant difference in IL-33 and IL-13 concentrations between the acute norovirus group and healthy controls (0 vs. 9.89 pg/ml, P = 0.8276 and 0.88 pg/ml vs. 0.14 pg/ml, P = 0.1652, respectively).

Conclusion: Acute rotavirus infection causes a significant elevation in IL-33 and IL-13, compared to norovirus and healthy control children.

SARS-CoV-2 primarily causes mucosal infections of the respiratory or intestinal tract. This virus, unlike other viruses responsible for similar mucosal infections, is characterized by an extraordinary ability to modify the immune response at several levels and thus cause a range of clinical complications. These manipulations create a false picture of pyogenic bacterial infection. The course of the disease is mainly determined by the natural mucosal immunity which can stop the virus from multiplying in the early stages of infection before it can exert its influence. COVID-19 has two main clinical forms: mucosal infection (respiratory or intestinal) and pneumonia. Pneumonia is associated with activation of the vascular endothelium and a procoagulant state. Viremia does not belong to the standard course of the disease. Affecting organs other than the lungs - whether during an active infection or later (long covid) - is usually caused by immunopathological reactions or hormonal regulation disorders.

Objective: The aim was to analyse the mortality trends in Czechia and Slovakia through detailed anonymized primary data on deaths in 2010-2020 and in particular to identify various aspects of the impact of the 2020 pandemic year in their context.

Methods: Using the DeRaS application, complete life tables by sex for 2010-2020 were constructed for Czechia and Slovakia, and changes in life expectancy at birth and at the exact age of 65 years were analysed. Using Pressat's univariate decomposition, the effect of different age groups on the change in life expectancy at birth for men and women between 2019 and 2020 was identified. Subsequently, age group contributions to the decline in temporary life expectancy between the exact ages of 65 and 110 were also determined. Trends in mortality rates for each of the major cause of death groups were analysed using directly standardized mortality rates, with a detailed focus on selected groups of cardiovascular disease. The contributions of the major cause of death groups to the decline in life expectancy at birth between 2019 and 2020 were empirically identified by applying bivariate decomposition according to the Pollard method.

Results: In 2020, the life expectancy of newly born men in Czechia decreased by 1.05 years and that of women by 0.76 years. In Slovakia, the decrease was 0.67 years for men and 0.64 years for women. An even greater reduction was found for both countries at the exact age of 65. The main reason for this was the worsening of the mortality rates between the ages of 65 and 89 years, especially from COVID-19 and some diseases of the circulatory system.

Conclusion: The study identified a significant reduction in life expectancy at birth for both men and women in Czechia and Slovakia between 2019 and 2020. The main reason for this phenomenon was the increase in mortality rates at senior ages, up to around age 90. However, the increase in mortality did not affect all age groups, but contributions at younger ages could not significantly compensate for the negative impact of older ages. The study confirmed mortality from COVID-19 as a major factor in declining life expectancy at birth but also noted a non-negligible effect of the worsened mortality rates from circulatory diseases. The negative impact of both groups of causes of death was particularly pronounced at the age of 65 and over.

Research of the gut microbiota allows a better understanding of its composition and function and reveals the links between changes in the composition of bacteria and various intestinal but also systemic diseases. The gut microbiota performs several of important functions in the host body and influences many physiological processes. Gut bacteria synthesize many compounds needed for the proper function of the body (e.g., vitamins, short-chain fatty acids, and amino acids). They help maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier and protect against pathogens. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the development and function of the immune system. Significant changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota led to a dysbiotic state and the loss of its beneficial functions for humans. The review article summarizes the basic knowledge about the composition and function of the bacterial gut microbiota in healthy people, its role in the development of the immune system, and the mechanisms involved in maintaining homeostasis. It also presents current knowledge about the possibility of targeted modulation of the bacterial gut microbiota and faecal transplantation.

The objective of our study was to examine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among residents of nursing homes for the elderly of selected institutions in two Slovak regions compared to non-institutionalized volunteers of the same age, as well as young volunteers (20-24 years old). Nasal swabs from all participants (n = 424) were processed using standard methods for the isolation and identification of S. aureus and MRSA. Statistically significant differences were found between nursing home residents and young volunteers (12% vs. 1.5%; OR 8.85; 95% CI 2.087-37.706; p = 0.0007), as well as between non-institutionalized seniors and young volunteers (11% vs. 1.5%; OR 8; 95% CI 1.888-33.901; p = 0.005) in the prevalence of MRSA. Our results suggest that nursing home residency and older age could be a risk factor for the occurrence of high-risk MRSA strains.

Objectives: The main aim of our work was to analyse the development of the dynamics of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in connection with climatic conditions in Slovakia in 2012-2016.

Material and methods: We performed the analysis based on the data provided by the Epidemiological Information System and the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. The study group consisted of 639 patients with confirmed diagnosis.

Results: The highest incidence of TBE was recorded in 2016. The highest standardized incidence rate of TBE was in the districts of the Trenčín, Žilina and Banská Bystrica regions. The relation of TBE to air temperature showed that most cases of TBE were recorded at an air temperature of 10-20 °C during the months of May to October in 2012-2016. The relationship between air temperature and number of days with snow cover and the number of TBE cases proved to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). There is a statistically significant difference in the average number of disease cases according to the air temperature category (p-value = 0.03). This disease occurs mainly in districts with an altitude of 200-400 m a. s. l. The dynamics of TBE in Slovakia is two-peaked with a decline in August. The main season of the disease lasts from May to October, peaking during the summer months of June and July.

Conclusion: The results of the study point to a prognosis of the development of the disease in connection with air temperature. Based on the findings that in recent years we have observed a slightly increasing trend of TBE in Slovakia due to climate change, this disease is considered a persistent public health problem.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mother cell derived transport units released into the extracellular environment. They are a new pillar of intercellular communication as they carry nucleic acids, proteins, and other signalling molecules, protecting them from degradation in the extracellular environment until fusion of the vesicle with the target cell. The transport mechanism relies on surface structures involved in cell adhesion. It is well known that all cellular organisms are capable of producing EVs. Most human cells have this capability, and EVs can be detected in all body compartments. At the time of their discovery, EVs were considered as useless waste vesicles of marginal interest. Thanks to the newly described transport mechanisms of biologically active molecules, EVs are currently known to participate in a variety of homeostatic mechanisms. In infectious diseases, the most studied area is the modulation of the immune response, where they are seen as potential biomarkers, as their production or the content they carry can be altered under pathological conditions. For microbes, interactions at the pathogen-pathogen and pathogen-host level are at the forefront of attention. EVs also have potential for use as drug delivery systems and novel targets for pharmacotherapy.

Celiac disease or gluten-sensitive enteropathy is a relevant health concern in today's world. Three prerequisites need to be met to trigger the disease, namely a genetic predisposition, gluten consumption, and environmental factors. Retrospective studies conducted across all age groups have ruled out the possibility that improved diagnostic methods were behind the increased prevalence. Since the genetic predisposition is more or less constant in the population, it is assumed that external factors may play a major role in this increase. Although it is generally believed that modern wheat varieties are to be blamed for the increase in gluten intolerance-related diseases, this assumption is refuted based on the analysis of the current and 100-year-old varieties. However, the increased prevalence could be related to modern lifestyles, changes in food preparation technology or composition, disruption of the intestinal barrier in viral disease, and other factors leading to intestinal dysbiosis. A possible preventive strategy in predisposed individuals could be the avoidance of gluten from the diet when ill, especially with a viral infection. This article openup a new perspective on the currently common autoimmune disease.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, a new discipline, microbiome science, has emerged as a key part of microbiology and related biomedical and ecological sciences. Microbiome science uses highly advanced molecular genetic and bioinformatic methods to study complex microbial communities. Unlike isolated microbes, microbial communities shaped by the environment, referred to as microbial consortia or microbiomes, follow their own laws that allow for significant functional specialization. The synthesis of multimethodology and multidisciplinary data enables microbiome science to move towards a holistic picture of the microbiome in an exceptionally effective way, but on the other hand, it burdens the field with terminological ambiguity of the key terms, which consequently need to be clearly codified in accordance with the international trends in the use of technical nomenclature. To this end, we present in our article the official position of the Czech Microbiome Society of the J. E. Purkyně Czech Medical Society on the use of appropriate Czech terms in both professional and general communication.