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The development of efficient and reliable online assessments has become increasingly important in the digital era. We developed a 10-min online word reading assessment of global English based on the existing paper-and-pencil version of our English silent word reading test. The test includes two parts, namely, random word recognition and contextual word reading. A total of 889 participants (437 children and 392 adults; 62.7% female) took part in the study. They were from various regions including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Poland, the United States, and the Philippines. Reliability and validity analyses on various demographics samples (by age and country/region of origin) demonstrated that the WordSword Test is highly reliable and valid (e.g., the correlation of this test with other English reading measures were above.80). Education level was positively correlated with test performance, while the correlations between age and test performance were not consistent. Ninety-seven children participants also took the paper-and-pencil version of the WordSword Test. The correlation between performances on the online and paper-and-pencil versions of the test was.879, one year apart. With more children and adults taking the WordSword Test, we ultimately hope to establish norms by area, grade level, and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition caused by progressive cutaneous hypomelanosis. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine its epidemiology and clinical aspects. As considerable progress has been made in understanding of the pathogenesis of vitiligo and its classification as an autoimmune disease, the paper pays particular attention to coexisting autoimmune or atopic diseases. Material and methods: The study included 55 patients attending the Diagnostic and Treatment Center of Skin Diseases in Lodz. Data were collected during outpatient dermatological consultation. Results: The most common type of vitiligo was nonsegmental (85.5%) followed by segmental (12.7%) and unclassified (2.1%). The first skin lesions were mostly located on the hands (45.5%) and face (38.2%). Older patients with higher body mass index tended to demonstrate a higher body surface area. Of the patients, 63.6% demonstrated an autoimmune or atopic comorbidity, the most common of which were type 1 diabetes mellitus (18.2%), psoriasis (16.4%) or Hashimoto's thyroiditis (14.5%). Location on the face was associated with a significantly greater incidence of autoimmune or atopic co-morbidities. Conclusions: A facial location may serve as a predictive factor for other autoimmune or atopic diseases in vitiligo patients. Determining clinical factors in vitiligo patients which could be associated with a higher risk of autoimmune comorbidities may allow for their early diagnosis and suitable treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of the study was to show the degree of advancement of pain and social problems of medical employees. Material and methods. The study was conducted in one of the hospitals in Lesser Poland. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1.11.2021 to 31.01.2022. The study group consisted of 106 participants (93 (87.7%) women and 13 (12.3%) men) from hospital wards, emergency ambulance stations, administrative employees and an analytical laboratory. The Standardized Nordic Questionnaire in the Polish version – NMQ survey was used to survey employees. The survey was conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and respondents were included in the research voluntarily. Results. Pain in the last 7 days was confirmed by 65% of the respondents, in more than 65% of the respondents the pain occurs during rest and sleep. In 64% of the subjects, pain was present on both sides of the body. The greatest pain was related to the lumbar spine in 54% of the respondents. The average pain is almost 5.35 on the Visual Analog Scale – VAS scale. Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic may have had a negative impact on the physical and mental condition of medical workers. Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders - WRMSD ailments are common and are a serious, constantly growing problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Home mechanical ventilation (HMV) is a treatment method for patients with chronic respiratory failure. HMV is a challenge for both patients and their caregivers. Some studies have shown a higher risk of depression, job loss, or lifestyle disturbance in family members caring for HMV patients. The purpose of the study was to measure caregiver burden, perceived social support, and coping strategies. Methods: In the cross-sectional study, 58 caregivers (65.52% female) of HMV patients treated at five healthcare institutions were surveyed. The questionnaires including patient/caregiver demographic data, the type and duration of MV, the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS), the Social Support Scale (SSS), and the Brief-COPE questionnaire were applied. For statistical analysis, the Mann‒Whitney U test, the Kruskal‒Wallis H test, Dunn's test, and Spearman correlations were used. Results: In the CBS, a high level of burden was observed mainly in the isolation and disappointment subscales. The female caregivers achieved a higher score for general strain than did the male caregivers (p = 0.023). Differences in the distribution of the isolation (p = 0.028) and disappointment (p = 0.03) variables between the financial situation groups were observed. The older the patient, the lower the burden in the domains of isolation (p = 0.015) and disappointment (p = 0.005) was elicited. Invasive MV was associated with greater burdens of general strain (p = 0.005), isolation (p = 0.001), and disappointment (p = 0.001). A medium total SSS score was shown (74.5 ± 7.56). Caregivers used various coping strategies. The most common were planning, acceptance, and active coping. Self-blame and denial were positively related to several CBS subscales, whereas acceptance of difficult situations and positive reframing were related to lower scores. Conclusions: Caregivers most frequently experienced a medium level of burden. Female caregivers were characterized by higher level of burden. Invasive ventilation increased the burden. Respondents who assessed their financial situations as good, had lower burden in the selected subscales. Using some positive coping strategies may reduce the level of burden. Interventions to ensure that caregivers overcome these burdens should be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parents of children suffering from congenital heart disease experience high levels of stress and negative emotions. Therefore, recognition of parents' emotional states and their ways of coping with it is becoming more and more important. Methods: The study group consisted of 154 parents of newborns and infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease, before and after cardiac surgery (partial or full). To assess parental negative emotions, the level of stress, and strategies of coping with it, standardized questionnaires, such as HADS-M, PSS-10, and COPE, were used. Results: Stress levels in parents were high and associated with negative emotions (anxiety, depression, irritability), as well as the choice of non-constructive coping strategies, which was observed especially in younger parents. Conclusions: Assessing parents' stress levels and ways of coping with stress can improve family functioning and provide better development conditions for the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by ectopic endometrial tissue outside the uterus that can cause chronic pain, dysmenorrhea, fatigue, and infertility. The aim of this study was to assess diet quality and nutritional knowledge of women with endometriosis. A questionnaire was used to collect data on lifestyle, dietary habits and nutritional knowledge from 90 women. More than 80% of women with endometriosis (82.2%) confirmed that diet and lifestyle are related to the progression of endometriosis. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, 77.3% of respondents reported a change in their dietary habits and made various changes to their diet by increasing or eliminating the consumption of certain foods. The majority declared reducing pro-inflammatory products, increasing anti-inflammatory foods, including the consumption of vegetables and fruits, avoiding white/or red/or processed meat, and avoiding sweets. Nevertheless, diet quality as assessed by the pro-healthy diet index (pHDI-10) and the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) showed a low intensity of consumption of pro-healthy food (average pHDI-10 value 31.4%; MDS 7.55/14 points, p = 0.0001). Women with endometriosis reported lower than recommended consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy products and whole grains. A higher percentage of healthy controls had a "good" level of nutritional knowledge than women with endometriosis. The results of our study highlight the need to improve diet quality and nutritional knowledge among women with endometriosis as well as developing targeted dietary recommendations to help improve well-being and reduce the pain symptoms of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a constantly growing problem in contemporary health care. This research attempts to determine risk factors for HAIs in one ward of a university hospital. Materials and methods: The study included 631 inpatients hospitalized between 2017 and 2018 who had been assigned an even number for their medical record when they were admitted, and who gave informed consent to participate in the study. The following were assessed for each patient included in the study: demographic, clinical and anthropometric data; parameters of body composition; biochemical parameters; functional status (e.g., activities of daily living [ADL] and Norton scale scores); nutritional risk score (NRS- 2002); comorbidity scale scores (Charlson Comorbidity Index and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale); and ATLAS scale score. Remote follow-up was conducted by telephone interview after 14, 30, 90, and 365 days. Results: The prevalence of HAIs was 17.9%. The occurrence of HAIs was shown to be more strongly related to iatrogenic factors (e.g., urine bladder catheterization [UBC] or central venous cannulation [CVC]) than to the 'patient-dependent' factors included in commonly used HAI risk scales. The 'Czerniak-score,' which extends the ATLAS score to include comorbidity analysis, the patient's functional status, and the need for CVC or UBC, allows the identification of a significant majority of patients at risk (≥ 3 points) and not at risk (< 3 points) of HAI, with 82.2% sensitivity, 94.02% specificity, a positive predictive value of 74.17%, and a negative predictive value of 95.68%. Conclusions: Holistic HAI risk stratification included in the Czerniak-score can identify the majority of patients at risk (≥ 3 points) of HAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: this study aimed to assess the physical activity of obese pediatric patients under specialized outpatient care and its potential determinants. (2) Methods: A total of 83 subjects aged 7–18 years with simple obesity and their parents were enrolled. Data were collected with the use of physical activity questionnaires (PAQs) for children and adolescents and additional questions concerning selected socio-demographic characteristics. (3) Results: The mean final PAQ score was 2.09 ± 0.69. The most frequently chosen types of physical activity included walking, gymnastics, and jogging or running. We found a weak correlation inversely proportional between the child's age and mean final PAQ score (r = −0.25; p = 0.02). Younger children were more active during lunchtime at school and after school compared to adolescents (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04). The final PAQ score differed according to the place of residence; the lowest score was obtained by subjects living in cities >100,000 inhabitants (p = 0.025). We found a positive correlation between PAQ-Ch score and the father's physical activity, and between PAQ-A score and the mother's education. (4) Conclusions: The physical activity of obese pediatric patients is low, particularly in adolescents. It seems that age and place of residence have an impact on the physical activity of obese children and adolescents. The PAQs used in this study are useful in physical activity assessment and identification of time segments during the day in which activity might be improved. However, this requires confirmation in a larger group of pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To assess the prevalence of burnout and associated factors among healthcare workers (HCWs) working in a hospital admitting patients with COVID‐19. Background: Burnout among HCWs is related to age, gender and occupation. However, little is known about organisational factors associated with burnout during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design: A cross‐sectional study of 1412 hospital HCWs (748 nurses) was carried out via online survey during the COVID‐19 pandemic between 4 and 19 January 2021. Methods: The Maslach Burnout Inventory‐Human Services Survey, the Checklist Individual Strength questionnaire, the interRAI items covering mental health, the WHO questionnaire items assessing HCWs' preparedness and exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 were used. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to clarify factors associated with emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA). This study adheres to the STROBE guidelines. Results: Burnout prevalence varied from 10.0% to 22.0%. Most respondents (83.6%) reported low PA, 22.9% high EE and 18.7% high DP. Nurses and physicians had the highest levels of EE and DP. Staff exposed or uncertain if exposed to contaminated patients' body fluids and materials had higher levels of burnout. Preparedness (training) (b = 1.15; 95%CI 0.26 to 2.05) and adherence to infection prevention and control procedures (b = 1.57; 95%CI 0.67 to 2.47) were associated with higher PA, and accessibility of personal protective equipment (PPE) (b = −1.37; 95%CI ‐2.17 to −0.47) was related to lower EE. HCWs working in wards for patients with COVID‐19 reported lower EE (b = −1.39; 95%CI ‐2.45 to −0.32). HCWs who contracted COVID‐19 reported lower DP (b = −0.71, 95%CI ‐1.30 to −0.12). Conclusions: Organisational factors such as better access to PPE, training, and adherence to infection prevention and control procedures were associated with a lower level of burnout. Relevance to clinical practice: Healthcare managers should promote strategies to reduce burnout among HCWs with regard to preparedness of all staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The pathomechanism of neurodevelopmental disorders includes disruption of sensory channels leading to cognitive-behavioural disorders. Feeding disorders (FED) are defined as unconscious or intentional periods of refusal and/or low food intake. Food intake is selective or accompanied by physiological/psychological inability in the process of food intake. The aim of this study was to assess feeding difficulties, nutritional status, and eating disorders in children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders. Material and methods: One hundred and forty-one patients of specialist neuropaediatric institutions with diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders were enrolled in the study. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were as follows: consent of the patients' parents to conduct the study, age of the child, and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders. The research tool was a self-administered survey questionnaire including the patients' metric data, type of disorder and its course, nutritional status using Cole's parameter, and feeding behaviour. Results: Eating disorders were present in 26.24%, while FED were present in 74.47% of children with neurodevelopmental disorders -- autism spectrum. The nutritional status of the paediatric population was "at risk of malnutrition" (68.09%). Conclusions: Nutritional status according to the considered guidelines represented normal weight and the risk of malnutrition. Feeding disorders together with eating disorders occurred with diagnoses of neurodevelopmental spectrum disorders. The neuropaediatric group was characterised by feeding and eating disorders (sensory feeding neophobia and pervasive craving disorder) but showed no association with the type of food texture accepted. The range of measured and accepted temperatures and the consumption of foods with specific visual-organoleptic characteristics targeted feeding disorders. Children with neurodevelopmental disorders will require feeding therapy with a sensory diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the relevance of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent isolation policy on foreign body aspiration (FBA) or ingestion (FBI) reports among children. Material and methods: A retrospective review of medical records between January 2018 and September 2021 was carried out to identify patients younger than 18 years who were admitted to the Paediatric Surgery and Urology Department, University Hospital in Wrocław, due to suspicion of a foreign body (FB) in their digestive or respiratory system. For each patient: age, sex, hospitalisation time, type of foreign body, its localisation, time and means for removal, and diagnostic approach were assessed. Results: The study group comprised 236 children. The patients were divided into 2 groups including children that were admitted before and after the declaration of the state of pandemics in Poland (20 March 2020), which gives periods of 26 and 20 months, respectively. Those related to general admission number (as a percentage of all admissions) equal an average of 1.92% (of 6300) and 2.03% (of 3802), respectively. This resulted in 122 children before and 114 after the beginning of the pandemic. The age ranges were 6--203 months (median 30) and 8--211 months (median 35), respectively. The most common types of foreign bodies were food, batteries, and coins. The new ones comprised magnetic pieces found in 12 children. Surgical intervention, which mostly included gastroscopy or rigid bronchoscopy, was undertaken in 186 cases -- for the groups, 70 (57.4%) and 69 (60.5%) FBs, respectively, were removed. The assessed success rate was 71.43% and 78.41%, respectively. Conclusions: The pandemic isolation policy seems to have had no major impact on FBI and FBA events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]