1. Association between one's attachment to parents and subsequent attachment to a partnerJernej Kovač, Marija Javornik, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: The primary purpose of this study was to explore the association between individuals' attachments to their mothers and fathers, and their subsequent attachments to partners, based on research conducted in Slovenia. Participants in the empirical study were antenuptial couples who attended the premarital counselling course organized by and offered through the Franciscan Family Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In order to explore more fully the concept of attachment, the authors of the study focused on the following dimensions: trust, communication and estrangement. The results of the study showed greater similarities in the three identified dimensions to the way in which both women and men experience attachment to their mothers and partners, while there were marked differences in the subjects' experience of attachment to their fathers.
Keywords: family, attachment, children, parents, mothers, fathers
Published in DKUM: 04.09.2024; Views: 27; Downloads: 2
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2. Exploring the neglected voices of children in sustainable tourism development : a comparative study in six european tourist destinationsMarko Koščak, Mladen Knežević, Daniel Binder, Antonio Pelaez-Verdet, Cem Işik, Vladimir Mićić, Katarina Borisavljević, Tina Šegota, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: For years, sustainable tourism has commanded the attention of academics and practitioners given its achievement through participatory planning. However, much research in the area has neglected to consider all voices of those (i.e., children) affected by tourism. This study, employing a post-test only experimental design, addresses this gap by including the voices of 498 children from six diverse European destinations concerning perceptions of tourism. Results show that children are willing to express their opinions given the opportunity. Moreover, their attitude towards tourists is negative, while they perceive locals to hold a subordinate position to tourists. In general, this study offers insight into children's attitudes to tourism from the host perspective, demonstrating that there is a unique insider's perspective that needs further research.
Keywords: tourism, sustainable development, environmental protection, children, sustainable tourism, resident attitudes, experiment, involvement
Published in DKUM: 27.08.2024; Views: 71; Downloads: 11
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3. Expert meeting report : towards a joint European roadmap to address the unmet needs and priorities of paediatric asthma patients on biologic therapyKornel Golebski, Uroš Potočnik, 2021, review article Abstract: Biologics use in severe paediatric asthma
The global prevalence of severe asthma among adolescents ranges from 4% to 11%; and up to 7% of children with asthma display an uncontrolled and severe form that is often associated with a substantial burden on the quality of life of patients and their families, and increasing costs of healthcare [1, 2]. “Childhood asthma” is an umbrella term describing a heterogeneous disease comprising different phenotypes and a wide range of symptoms [3–5].
Despite decades of basic and clinical research, tailored strategies to modify the natural course of asthma, prevent severe exacerbations and inhibit lung function decline are still lacking. In addition, clinical phenotypes are only moderately reliable in the prediction of treatment responses and our current understanding of asthma endotypes is limited. Most asthma endotypes involve concomitant inflammatory pathways and distorted immune parameters. Advances in understanding severe paediatric asthma pathophysiological mechanisms and immunological pathways mediating the airway inflammation would allow better characterisation of these patients as well as optimised intervention, guided by treatable traits and biomarkers [6, 7].
Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), also known as biologics, targeting type 2 inflammation in controlling the symptoms of severe asthma. Currently, four human mAbs are approved for use in children: mAbs that target interleukin (IL)-5 or IL-5 receptor (R) (mepolizumab and benralizumab), mAbs that target IL-4R (dupilumab), and mAbs that target immunoglobulin E (omalizumab). Omalizumab was the first biologic approved to treat moderate-to-severe allergic asthma (≥6 years of age). Mepolizumab and dupilumab have been approved for severe eosinophilic asthma (≥6 and ≥12 years of age, respectively), while benralizumab has been approved in the USA to treat children (≥12 years of age) with severe eosinophilic asthma [8–13].
The introduction of mAb agents in asthma treatment is a milestone in the application of personalised medicine. However, comparative studies and standardised algorithms for the management of paediatric severe asthma to guide the best therapeutic option for paediatric patients with severe asthma are lacking [14]. More personalised medicine approaches may benefit the patient by better matching patients with the most appropriate therapy. Risk stratification, remote monitoring and the integration of multiple data sources could help tailor management for the individual child with severe asthma.
A digital multidisciplinary European expert meeting took place on 9 July 2020. In this workshop, we brought together European respiratory/allergy paediatricians, immunologists, epidemiologists and basic scientists to identify the unmet needs of paediatric severe asthma patients, and set the priorities for clinical and research activities ahead. The participants discussed ongoing initiatives and knowledge gaps, and formulated proposals on how to address these challenges. In this report, we describe the main findings of this expert meeting.
Keywords: asthma, paediatric asthma, severe asthma, children, biologics, monoclonal antibodies, biologic therapy, therapy
Published in DKUM: 14.08.2024; Views: 80; Downloads: 4
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4. Consequences of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on children physical activity : a Slovenian StudyJurij Planinšec, Črtomir Matejek, Saša Pišot, Rado Pišot, Boštjan Šimunič, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries took several restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus. In the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, primary schools in Slovenia were closed for a period long time (from October 19th 2020 until January 18th 2021 when they were partially reopened for 6–9 year olds until February 15th 2021 when they were reopened for all children) and organized sport activities for children and adolescents under the age of 15 was not allowed during this period. The aim of the study was to examine how these restrictions were reflected in the amount of different forms of physical activity (PA) of 6–12-year old children (N = 3,936). Data were collected using an online questionnaire (International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form) comparing different forms of PA before (BEFORE) and during (DURING) remote schooling. The results show that there has been a decline in children’s PA DURING, specifically, only 4.3% of children had their physical education ≥ 45 min (or 77.7% ≤ 30 min), as is the usual duration in Slovenia. There was also a remarkable decline in extracurricular sports activities (p < 0.001), which BEFORE had been participated by 72.2% of children, while DURING remote schooling, as many as 83.5% of children did not participate these activities. 69.7% of children participated in organized sports in clubs at least once a week, while DURING remote schooling, as many as 88.1% (p < 0.001) did not participate in such form of activities. Furthermore, the time spent exercising in moderate to vigorous PA also decreased (BEFORE 8.2% vs. DURING 24.9%; p < 0.001). We found that during lockdown there has been an alarming decrease in the frequency and duration of organized PA at school and at sports clubs. These findings are a good starting point for designing (developing) an effective strategy for promoting health-enhancing PA of children in the event of a future lockdown or similar situations. The strategy should focus on the appropriate implementation of PA curriculum and motivate young people to participate regularly in extracurricular organized and non-organized activities.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity, children, remote schooling, physical education
Published in DKUM: 01.07.2024; Views: 109; Downloads: 3
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5. Physical activity drops during summer holidays for 6- to 9-year-old childrenTadeja Volmut, Rado Pišot, Jurij Planinšec, Boštjan Šimunič, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the health risk of childhood obesity and associated chronic diseases as well as mental health problems. Since PA declines as children age as well with future generations it is of highest importance to intervene in school and out-of-school settings. Out-of-school periods affect children's PA as it is mainly left to the interest and motivation of their parents. We compared accelerometer-based PA patterns in 93 6- to 9-year old children assessed four times: before (May/June), during (August), and after (September) summer holidays and at a 1-year follow up (May/June). Before summer holidays children were assessed also for anthropometry and motor tests. During summer holidays overall PA decreased by 18% (p < 0.001), physical inactivity increased by 5.5% (p < 0.001), moderate PA decreased by 53% (p < 0.001) and moderate to vigorous PA decreased by 45% (p < 0.001) when compared to before summer holidays. Furthermore, overall PA remained diminished also after summer holidays by 8.8% (p = 0.001) but recovered to baseline values at 1-year follow up. About 30% of overall PA and moderate to vigorous PA decrease during summer holidays could be explained by children's fitness level as a greater decrease was found in children with better results in standing long jump and 300-meter running time. Our finding detects an alarming summer holiday decrease in children PA that should not be neglected in future studies and intervention designs.
Keywords: MVPA, otroci, poletne počitnice, gibalna neaktivnost, sedentarnost, pospeškometer, children, vacations, physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, accelerometer
Published in DKUM: 15.05.2024; Views: 233; Downloads: 9
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6. Single-strain probiotic lactobacilli for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children : a systematic review and meta-analysisSabina Fijan, Nina Kolč, Metka Hrašovec, Gro Jamtvedt, Maja Šikić Pogačar, Dušanka Mičetić-Turk, Uroš Maver, 2023, review article Abstract: Probiotics are known for their positive effects on the gut microbiota. There is growing evidence that the infant gut and skin colonization have a role in the development of the immune system, which may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis. This systematic review focused on evaluating the effect of single-strain probiotic lactobacilli consumption on treating children's atopic dermatitis. Seventeen randomized placebo-controlled trials with the primary outcome of the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index were included in the systematic review. Clinical trials using single-strain lactobacilli were included. The search was conducted until October 2022 using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane library and manual searches. The Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Meta-analyses and sub meta-analyses were performed using Cochrane Collaboration methodology. Due to different methods of reporting the SCORAD index, only 14 clinical trials with 1124 children were included in the meta-analysis (574 in the single-strain probiotic lactobacilli group and 550 in the placebo group) and showed that single-strain probiotic lactobacilli statistically significantly reduced the SCORAD index compared to the placebo in children with atopic dermatitis (mean difference [MD]: -4.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -7.50 to -1.49; Z = 2.93; p = 0.003; heterogeneity I-2 = 90%). The subgroup meta-analysis showed that strains of Limosilactobacillus fermentum were significantly more effective than strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei or Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus. A longer treatment time and younger treatment age statistically significantly reduced symptoms of atopic dermatitis. The result of this systematic review and meta-analysis shows that certain single-strain probiotic lactobacilli are more successful than others in reducing atopic dermatitis severity in children. Therefore, careful consideration to strain selection, treatment time and the age of the treated patients are important factors in enhancing the effectiveness of reducing atopic dermatitis in children when choosing probiotic single-strain lactobacilli.
Keywords: probiotics, lactobacilli, atopic dermatitis, children, meta-analysis, systematic review
Published in DKUM: 16.02.2024; Views: 391; Downloads: 25
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8. Innovative nursing care : education and researchscientific monograph Abstract: Higher life expectancy on a global level requires complex nursing care as poor education and a lack of knowledge can lead to mistakes. There is a need for nurses who can provide high quality and advanced nursing practice. A mix of well-grounded education and innovative research is needed, where the first provides an understanding of best nursing practice care delivery and the second helps nurses determine best practices and improve nursing care.
Provides a current and in-depth picture of actual nursing challenges in education, research, and clinical practice.
Helpful in nursing students' education in broader nursing care fields and different approaches in holistic nursing care.
Keywords: nursing care, palliative care, dementia, emergencies, triage, education, COVID-19, older people, children, nursing students
Published in DKUM: 27.11.2023; Views: 455; Downloads: 14
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9. The impact of comorbidities on the severity of atopic dermatitis in childrenVojko Berce, Teja Marhold, Vid Delopst, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic pruritic inflammatory skin disease. It is associated with atopy, impaired skin barrier, skin infections and several other comorbidities.
Aim: To identify comorbidities and risk factors that influence the severity of AD in children.
Material and methods: We performed a cross-sectional study involving 52 children newly diagnosed with AD. The
severity of AD was assessed with the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) clinical tool. Levels of serum tryptase, zinc, selenium, and immunoglobulins A, G, M and E (IgA, IgG, IgM, and total IgE, respectively) were determined as well as allergen-specific E antibodies (IgE) to the most common allergens. DNA samples from venous blood were screened for the most common mutations in the filaggrin gene.
Results: The median age of patients was 30 months. The median SCORAD index in patients with atopy was 47.8,
compared to 27.2 in non-atopic patients (p < 0.01). We also found a significantly higher median SCORAD of 61.2 in patients with low serum IgM levels compared to 34.9 in patients with normal serum IgM levels (p = 0.03). A history of impetigo was also associated with a higher median SCORAD of 56.2 compared to 34.0 in patients without impetigo (p = 0.01).
Conclusions: Patients with AD and sensitisation to common allergens, low levels of IgM or a history of impetigo are at risk for more severe disease and, therefore, need more attention, meticulous skin care, proactive management and treatment of comorbidities, when possible.
Keywords: atopic dermatitis, children, comorbidities, severity
Published in DKUM: 09.08.2023; Views: 285; Downloads: 29
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