Advances in experimental medicine and biology最新文献

Introduction: Pediatric Palliative Care is a field that demands specific knowledge and skills.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to explore the knowledge of pediatric nursing staff concerning palliative care.

Methodology: In this multicenter, cross-sectional descriptive study, we used convenience sampling, consisting of 115 nursing staff who worked in general pediatric, pediatric oncology, pediatric surgery units, and Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units of the three biggest hospitals of Thessaloniki (Greece's second-largest city). The research tools included the demographic and working data of the participants and the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing. The statistical package SPSS 26.0 was used, and the significance level was set at 0.05.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 43.1 ± 10.0 years, the majority (96.5%) were women and 82.6% of them were registered nurses. The total score mean value of correct answers was 7.4 ± 2,6. It was found that the total score of correct answers was associated with the participants' previous training on palliative care (p = 0,033) and the consideration that they applied palliative care in their clinical practice (p = 0.005). On the contrary, no relationship was found between the total score of knowledge and the demographic characteristics of the participants.

Conclusions: The knowledge of the pediatric nursing staff concerning palliative care is inadequate. Training programs concerning palliative care could improve health professional's level of knowledge as well as the quality of the provided care.

Introduction: COVID-19 infection is one of the most important current challenges globally. Data show that COVID-19 infections among health workers are higher than those of the general population. The aim of this study was the translation and the adaption of the questionnaire that was piloted to evaluate the level of health and safety of health professionals in Greece after the outbreak of the pandemic.

Methods: A structured forward-backward translation process was performed. The authors cooperated with a strategic sample of experts. The pilot study was conducted in three public hospitals of Attica, during the period September to December 2021. The selection of the participants was based on random sampling. The research tool that was used was the questionnaire on "Health and safety of health workers in COVID-19". Data were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient, t-test, and ANOVA test.

Results: Cronbach's α was 0.846, showing high internal consistency. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.969, indicating high test-retest reliability. There was a statistically significant gender difference in the scale relevant to health and safety risks and gender. Also, a statistically significant difference was found between the prevention measures and between the hospitals as well.

Conclusions: Comprehension of the Greek version of the original questionnaire was achieved. It seems to be a promising tool with acceptable internal consistency. Further study on a larger sample is required to generalize the results.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex and demanding chronic condition that requires continuous and specialized care. Since children spend many hours at school, consistent and proper monitoring of students with Type 1 DM is essential. Teachers' involvement can be crucial in supporting the effective management of the disease.

Purpose: To investigate the level of teachers' knowledge on diabetes, their attitude towards students with insulin-dependent diabetes, as well as their level of general self-efficacy.

Method: 150 teachers working in public primary schools were provided with (a) a socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, (b) a questionnaire related to knowledge and attitude of a primary school teacher on insulin-dependent diabetes, and (c) a generalized self-efficacy scale.

Results: The average percentage of correct answers on the knowledge questionnaire was 86.00% ±9.01%. The questions with the lowest percentage of correct answers were: "What is the normal range of blood sugar rate when we have not eaten?" (62.70%) and "If you find a child with diabetes mellitus unconscious what should you do immediately?" (52.70%). Almost one in two teachers had a knowledge deficit regarding the management of emergency situations in children with type 1 DM. Younger teachers had a higher percentage of correct answers on the knowledge questionnaire compared to their older colleagues. Teachers (p = 0.014) who at some point had a child with DM in their classroom versus those who did not (p = 0.045) and teachers with the longest experience (p = 0.03). Teachers who had personal difficulties with type 1 or 2 DM showed lower self-efficacy (p = 0.016), teachers who were willing to have and support a child with DM in their classroom (p < 0.001), teachers without a second degree (p = 0.013), and teachers with less positive perceptions of their readiness to manage students with DM (p = 0.001). All teachers in the sample reported that they felt safe with the presence of a school nurse and that the school nurse may be effective in managing student emergencies. The vast majority of participants considered especially important the role of school nurses in integrating children with DM in the classroom (92.7%). In the present study, only 6.7% of teachers had received specific training on DM in children and its treatment. At the same time, 84.4% of the teachers believed that the school nurse could effectively train them in DM management.

Conclusions: Trained school nurses, who are fully responsible for the proper management of children with type 1 DM, could provide training to teachers, enabling them to contribute to more effective disease management.

Introduction: Visible changes in self-concept among pediatric patients with cancer are a bothersome experience that may accompany them until adulthood.

Purpose: To explore the self-concept and in particular the physical appearance and popularity in children with cancer compared to healthy ones.

Methods and material: A descriptive correlational study of 100 children (50 healthy and 50 diagnosed with different forms of cancer) ages 8 to 10 years. Participants were recruited from a public hospital in Athens Greece. The research instrument was "Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept scale" which included patients' characteristics. The data were analyzed with the SPSS-12 statistical packet by using the following statistical tests: χ²-test, nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test.

Results: It was found that children with cancer reported more negatively or both physical appearance and popularity (p ≤ 0.001) compared to the healthy ones. Moreover, the 8-year-old children with cancer reported more negatively for physical appearance (p ≤ 0.001) but not for the factor popularity (p = 0.021), while the 10-year-old children with cancer present a more negative body image relative to the healthy ones, only for the factor popularity (p ≤ 0.001) but not for the factor physical appearance (p = 0.134). In terms of gender, female subjects with cancer presented a more negative body image relative to the healthy female subjects for both factors examined (p ≤ 0.001), while male subjects with cancer presented a more negative body image relative to the healthy male subjects only for the factor physical appearance. A positive correlation between popularity and physical appearance was found (p ≤ 0.001) but only among the children with cancer.

Conclusions: The present results highlight the differences in physical appearance and popularity among children with cancer and their healthy counterparts. The recognition of the role of physical appearance as a significant factor for children with cancer may inform the development of effective interventions for this group of children.

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has reshaped education, yet significant barriers persist in ensuring equitable access for students with disabilities. Digital accessibility in education extends beyond technological solutions, requiring institutional commitment, policy reform, and faculty preparedness. This study examines the challenges and opportunities associated with digital accessibility in higher education and workplace inclusion, emphasizing systemic barriers such as inadequate assistive technologies, inaccessible Learning Management Systems (LMSs), and insufficient faculty training. The findings highlight the transformative potential of adaptive learning strategies, including artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and human-computer interaction (HCI), in fostering personalized and inclusive learning environments. However, ethical concerns, algorithmic biases, and inconsistent implementation pose substantial obstacles to their effectiveness. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed critical shortcomings in digital accessibility policies, disproportionately affecting students and employees with disabilities and underscoring the need for inclusive digital literacy initiatives. Addressing these challenges necessitates a holistic approach that integrates universal design principles, strengthens faculty training programs, and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between educators, policymakers, and technologists. Through this review, sustained investment in assistive technologies is advocated, along with regulatory frameworks mandating digital inclusivity, and the development of digital learning ecosystems. By embedding accessibility as a fundamental component of educational and employment policies, institutions can mitigate the digital divide and advance equitable opportunities for all learners.

Caffeine, a habit-forming substance of no nutritional value, is consumed daily by most pregnant women. This focused narrative review examines evidence of association between maternal caffeine consumption and negative pregnancy outcomes, and assesses whether current advice guidelines are consistent with the available evidence. The majority finding from original empirical studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses is that maternal consumption of caffeine is reliably associated with serious negative pregnancy outcomes and negative outcomes in offspring. Evidence of harm is strong for miscarriage, stillbirth, and low birth weight and/or small for gestational age, while being less strong for childhood acute leukemia, childhood overweight and obesity, and childhood behavioural and neurocognitive development. In contrast, preterm birth appears not to be at increased risk. Many studies report significant dose-response associations indicative of causation and the absence of a threshold of consumption below which associations are absent. In general, findings are robust to threats from potential confounding and misclassification. Notwithstanding compelling grounds to the contrary, national and international authorities continue to suggest that "moderate" caffeine consumption during pregnancy is safe. Rather, pregnant women and women contemplating pregnancy should be advised not to consume coffee, tea, sodas, or energy drinks that contain caffeine.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is recognized as a teratogenic factor that affects neural development, resulting in a range of structural, functional, and cognitive/behavioral abnormalities contributing to the pathogenesis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is a major preventable cause of developmental delay in humans. There are many molecular and cellular mechanisms by which PAE could contribute to abnormalities seen in individuals with FASD. Understanding these mechanisms will be critical for the development of therapeutic approaches that could benefit not only the developing fetus, but the newborn as they mature into adolescence and adulthood. The goal of this review is to discuss the impact of PAE on neural and vascular development/function and define potential cellular/molecular mechanisms that contribute to the effects of PAE. We believe that an understanding regarding the influence of PAE on cerebral vascular function may provide insights into the pathogenesis of symptoms related to FASD.

This systematic review examines the burgeoning field of investigating mathematical efficiency through electroencephalography (EEG), aiming to elucidate the neural substrates and temporal dynamics underlying efficient mathematical processing. Through comprehensive database searches and rigorous inclusion criteria, a total of 15 EEG studies were identified and synthesized. Findings reveal distinct neural oscillations and event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with various facets of mathematical cognition, including numerical magnitude processing, arithmetic operations, working memory engagement, and problem-solving strategies. Furthermore, the review highlights the impact of individual differences, developmental trajectories, and mathematical expertise on EEG-derived measures of mathematical efficiency. Methodological considerations, encompassing experimental design, data preprocessing, and analytical techniques, are critically evaluated to enhance methodological rigor and reproducibility within the field. By consolidating evidence from diverse studies, this systematic review advances our understanding of the neural mechanisms underpinning mathematical cognition and delineates avenues for future research aimed at optimizing mathematical learning and performance through EEG-based approaches.

Undergraduate nursing education is an important starting point for promoting patient safety in the areas of knowledge, attitude, and skills in the preparation of future nurses. Nursing students are considered an integral and necessary component of the health care system. Therefore, exposing them to the concept of patient safety will help new graduates in the workplace to become ambassadors for promoting a culture of safety which will be key to reducing patient mortality and the level of adverse events actions.The purpose of this research is to investigate the attitudes of nursing students towards patient safety. A qualitative study was conducted with audio-recorded, face-to-face, semistructured interviews lasting an average of 15 min.The "under study" population consists of students of the Nursing Department of the University of Thessaly and was obtained by convenience sampling.The number of interviews (n = 17) conducted was determined after data saturation was reached. From the responses of the participants, important conclusions about patient safety emerge. The term patient safety mainly refers to the protection of the patient at a physical and psychological level, including falls, medication errors, and other risks. Factors affecting patient safety include staff training, working conditions, and collaboration. Nurse education is highlighted as important in preparing for safe care. Finally, reporting and recording errors are considered vital to improving the quality of care, although many factors such as fear dominate the decision to report errors. Overall, patient safety is a vital aspect of nursing practice and requires professional education, collaboration, and commitment to error reporting.

Preeclampsia is a multifaceted pregnancy syndrome that significantly contributes to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and multi-organ involvement, it is influenced by genetic, immunological, and environmental factors. Recent research has highlighted the role of epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA regulation, in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. This study examines how these epigenetic mechanisms impact gene expression in the placenta, contributing to abnormal trophoblastic invasion, immune maladaptation, and endothelial dysfunction observed in preeclampsia. Focus is given to the role of altered DNA methylation patterns, such as those observed in the HSD11B2 and IGF2 genes, which could serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis. Understanding these epigenetic changes offers opportunities for developing novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions, with the potential to improve pregnancy outcomes for affected women and their infants.