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Introduction. The carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in male patients, due to anatomical characteristics and the perception of CTS-related symptoms, remains undetected for a long time. Men respond less well to CTS treatment, and early detection enables conservative treatment of mild and moderate CTS. The aim of this paper was to examine the average age, the frequency of bilateral CTS and its correlation with the age, and to determine the grade of electrophysiological damage of the median nerve in male patients with idiopathic CTS diagnosed by electromyoneurography. Methods. The retrospective study included 83 male patients, aged from 32 to 81 years, with complaints of unilateral CTS on the right, dominant hand. All patients underwent EMNG for confirmation of CTS and the degree of median nerve damage. Statistical analysis was performed by methods of descriptive statistics, t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The average age of patients was 55.84 years. The bilateral CTS was confirmed in 88.4%, most often of a moderate degree and more pronounced on the right, dominant hand (p=0.001). In cases of bilateral CTS, age did not correlate with the grade of CTS changes in both hands. The changes in the dominant hand were more pronounced in patients older than 51 years. Conclusion. Male patients with idiopathic CTS usually have bilateral CTS, with more pronounced changes on dominant hand. Bilaterality of CTS and the degree of median nerve damage are not connected with age.

Introduction. With the beginning of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, restrictions on movement, the so-called “lockdown” were applied by many governments. As a result of these actions taken against the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the use of digital devices has increased, i.e. the time spent in front of screens has increased. Methods. This paper dealt with a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications on the topic of screen time in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dimensions database was chosen as the data source. No time frame is given, but given the topic, publications from 2020-2023 are included in the analysis. The data were analyzed in the VOSviewer program, specified for bibliometric and visual data analysis. Results. Map of word co-occurrence show that there are three different clusters. In the red cluster, consisting of 53 terms, the most frequent terms are sleep (124), lifestyle (103) and restriction (83), while in the green cluster, consisting of 41 terms, family (126), education (88), relationship (86) are the most represented. The blue cluster consists of significantly fewer terms, 12 of them, of which anxiety (91), symptom (81), depression (58) are the most represented. Conclusion. Based on the bibliometric analysis, we can conclude that the scientists were mostly concerned with the impact of the screen time phenomenon on the physical health of children and adolescents. In addition, screen time has been linked to mental health, education and socio-emotional relationships.

Introduction. The consequences of acquired hearing loss in adults condition their psychosocial functioning and imply changes in the quality of life related to disorders in social and emotional functioning. Hearing loss is considered a risk factor for reduced psychosocial functioning and self-esteem. Psychosocial well-being and preserved self-esteem imply having a positive self-image and realizing that a person is an important part of the social community in which he/she lives. The paper deals with self-esteem and psychosocial functioning of adults with acquired hearing loss. The aim of this research is to determine the level of self-esteem and the degree of expression of consequences in psychosocial functioning, that is, the connection between the level of self-esteem and the degree of expression of consequences in psychosocial functioning in adults with acquired hearing loss. Methods. The research was conducted on a sample of 60 adult subjects with acquired hearing loss and 60 subjects with normal hearing. The average age of the respondents with hearing loss was 54.1 (SD = 10.84), and the sample consisted mostly of male respondents (56.7%) with moderate hearing loss (25.4%). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the questionnaire for the subjective assessment of the hearing condition - the HHIA questionnaire (Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults) were used as instruments. Results. The results showed that the respondents expressed moderate or average self-esteem and that there was a connection between self-esteem and psychosocial functioning in adults with acquired hearing loss. Conclusion. Future research could be directed more towards examining self-esteem in more detail in more specific domains of psychosocial functioning of adults with acquired hearing loss.

Introduction. Technology has the potential to reduce isolation, increase independence, provide educational, financial and social opportunities for users, but there may still be barriers, especially for people with disabilities or sensory deficits. Therefore, it is very important to determine what science has been dealing with in this area, more precisely in the area of the deaf. The main aim of this paper was to map the progress and trends of scientific literature in the field of technology for the deaf (children and adults). Methods. A bibliometric analysis in VosViewer was performed to determine the set goals. The Dimensions database was chosen for literature analysis. The unit of analysis consisted of 1242 publications and VosViewer was applied. Results. The results show that this topic in science has experienced exponential growth in the last decade. Also, the most productive authors, journals, institutions and countries, as well as their collaboration network, were identified through a visual analysis of co-citations. Based on the analysis of co-words, we can draw a conclusion that the words: student, sign language, cochlear implant, classroom, parent, outcome are the most frequently repeated words, which would mean that the topics covered in this domain are mainly focused on children and their functioning in the environment and school system. Conclusion. Providing the main lines of research generated in this field allows scientists to follow the trends themselves. Also, therapists can use our analysis to identify sources that can indicate how and in what context deaf children can use technology.

Emotional intelligence and health care are closely linked. Empathy is regarded as one of key dimensions of emotional intelligence. The nursing profession has numerous general, but also generic, competencies which requires not only technical knowledge, but also psychological support in everyday work. The aim of this review paper is to point out the importance of assessing the emotional intelligence of nurses on the basis of recent data from the literature. There are many challenges and various sufferings that many health workers are exposed to, especially nurses, which clearly indicates the necessary fact, ie. requires a high degree of emotional skills and competence, because the more complex the job, the more important emotional intelligence. High self-awareness, self-control, the ability to cope with feelings are just some of the competencies that nurses/ technicians should possess. All these characteristics are important factors of emotional intelligence and a basic prerequisite for providing empathy. There are numerous tests and instruments used to assess emotional intelligence.

Introduction. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is considered the reference diagnostic method for quantifying right ventricular size and function, and pulmonary regurgitation in patients with tetralogy of Fallot surgery. The aim of this paper is to confirm the importance of magnetic resonance continuous postoperative monitoring of right and left heart function parameters as a diagnostic method that provides the most precise and accurate assessment. Methods. The prospective observational study included subjects with TOF surgery who were diagnosed with residual morphological and/or functional disorders on control postoperative echocardiographic examinations. All subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the heart on a 1.5 T scanner with dedicated coils for the heart surface according to the standard protocol for a period of one year from the beginning of the study. Criteria for exclusion from the study were: significant residual pulmonary stenosis, condition after pulmonary valve replacement, existence of residual shunt lesions, contraindications for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (pacemaker, ICD, claustrophobia). Depending on the time elapsed since the tetralogy of Fallot surgery, the subjects were divided into groups: more than 15 years, 11−15 years, 6−10 years, less than 5 years. Results. The study included 131 subjects with an average age of 24.18 ± 11.57 years with complete correction of TOF. Intergroup differences in values of right ventricular enddiastolic volume, right ventricular ejection fraction, and left ventricular ejection fraction were demonstrated, but there was no statistically significant intergroup difference in values of pulmonary regurgitation fraction. The negative interaction of the right and left ventricles intensifies during the years of follow-up of patients after TOF surgery, which is especially true fifteen years after surgery. Conclusion. CMR has the most significant role in research efforts aimed at improving the outcomes of operated patients with tetralogy of Fallot.

Introduction. Reading is a complex linguistic and cognitive ability, acquired through learning. Children of typical development in the first four years of school completely master the reading skill. However, some children may have difficulty learning to read despite their preserved intellectual abilities and adequate training. The aim of this paper is to determine the reading ability and to identify reading disorder in children of younger school age. Methods. The sample consisted of 123 students of third, fourth and fifth grade of elementary school. The three-dimensional reading test- the text “One Snowy Day” was used. Reading speed, reading accuracy and reading comprehension were assessed. Results. Slow reading was identified in 35.3% of third graders and 22.2% of fourth graders. Deficits in reading accuracy were observed in 8.8% of third grade students. Delays in the development of reading comprehension were identified in most of the examined students. On the whole, our results showed that there is no statistically significant difference in reading ability between boys and girls. Conclusion. A significant number of children is late in mastering reading skills. Given that reading speed increases significantly with age, and the number of errors decreases, we expect that many slow readers will reach an appropriate reading speed, and that most of the children who showed unexpected number of errors will master accurate word decoding. Since comprehension deficits were identified in the majority of respondents, we conclude that a significant number of children did not reach the developmental stage in which reading becomes a means of learning.

Introduction. Epulis is a change in gingival tissue that occurs under the influence of chronic irritation. Histologically, there are several different types of epulis. Fibrous epulis is benign tumor of gingiva that most often occurs in interdental papilla area as a result of local irritation (inadequate restorative fillings, carious teeth, subgingival deposits or the combination of them). The aim of this paper is to present a clinical case of fibrous epulis. Case report. A 25-year-old girl reported to the Specialist Center for Dentistry in Foca. Clinical examination revealed a gingival tissue enlargement in the area of the upper jaw central incisors with speech and chewing function disturbances. Intraoral examination revealed a change above the level of gingiva, reddish-pink in color with smooth surface texture and soft consistency. The size of the change was 1 x 1.5 cm. It was connected to the interdental gingiva between teeth 12 and 21 by a narrower base. Clinically, a significant amount of soft and hard dental deposits surrounded the remaining teeth. Remaining gingiva was swollen, red, bleeding on provocation. The anamnesis did not confirm the presence of other acute and chronic diseases. The patient was not pregnant. She was informed about clinical condition assessment, as well as possible therapeutic procedures. Our patient was treated with non-surgical periodontal therapy and surgical excision of the enlargement. After histopathological examination of the removed tissue, the diagnosis was made: “Fibrous epulis cum ulceration”. Conclusion. Clinical examination is insufficient for definite diagnosis. Therefore, a histopathological examination of the tissue is mandatory for fibrous epulis definite diagnosis. Treatment of choice is surgical excision of the enlargement and removal of predisposing factors to avoid recurrence.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Society for Hypertension, elevated blood pressure is defined as the blood pressure the readings of which consistently range ≥ 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic. Having in mind the fact that hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for cardiovasluar disease, kidney failure and premature mortality, it is clear that preventive mea sures should be imposed before the diagnosis is established. The main nutritional measures used in preventing hypertension are: weight loss, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet), reducing salt and alcohol intake and increasing potassium intake. The aim of this paper was to show the preventive effect of the DASH diet on hypertension onset in normotensive patients as well as to highlight that the diet is an integral part of hypertension treatment, in addition to the use of drug therapy for hypertensive patients.