Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology of occupational accidents and self-reported attitude of health-care workers (HCWs) in Serbia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs in selected departments of five tertiary care hospitals and in one secondary care hospital in February 2012. A previously developed self-administered questionnaire was provided to HCWs who had direct daily contact with patients. χ² test and Student's t test were used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: Of the 1,441 potential participants, 983 (68.2%) completed the questionnaire: 655 (66.7%) were nurses/medical technicians, 243 (24.7%) were physicians and 85 (8.6%) were other personnel. Of the 983 participants, 291 (29.6%) HCWs had had at least one accident during the previous year and 106 (40.2%) of them reported it to the responsible person. The highest prevalence (68.6%) of accidents was among nurses/technicians (p = 0.001). Accidents occurred more often in large clinical centers (81.1%; p < 0.001) and in the clinical ward, intensive care unit and operating theater (p = 0.003) than in other departments. Seventy-six (13.1%) nurses/medical technicians had an accident during needle recapping (p < 0.001). Of all the HCWs, 550 (55.9%) were fully vaccinated, including significantly more doctors (154, 63.4%) than participants from other job categories (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a relatively high rate of accidents among HCWs in our hospitals, most commonly amongst nurses and staff working in clinical wards, intensive care units and operating theaters. The most common types of accidents were needlestick injuries and accidents due to improper handling of contaminated sharp devices or occuring while cleaning instruments or by coming into contact with blood through damaged skin or through the conjunctiva/mucous membranes.

The total consumption of psychiatric drugs significantly increased. The utilization of anxiolytic/hypnotic drugs in 2004 reached 60 DDDs/1000 inhabitants/day, which is in collision with the trend in developed countries. It is necessary to form national guidelines for prescribing anxiolytic/hypnotic drugs, in order to rationalize their use. More favourable is the antidepressant (SSRIs in particular) and atypical antipsychotic drugs utilization increase.

No abstract

The results testify to the fact that CO2 is a powerful inhibitor of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by cells (blood phagocytes and alveolar macrophages of 96 people and cells of inner organs and tissue phagocytes (of liver, brain, myocardium, lungs, kidneys, stomach, and skeleton muscles), as well as by mitochondria of the liver of 186 white mice and human tissues. Generation of ROS was determined using various methods with CO2 directly acting on the cells and bioptates and indirectly on the organism as a whole. CO2 in the concentration of 5.1% (P = 37.5 mmHg), 8.2% (P = 60.0 mmHg), and 20% (P = 146.0 mmHg) in a mixture with air (total pressure = 730 mmHg) inhibits the basal ROS generation by phagocytes on the average by 3.52, 5.69, and 10.03 times, respectively (p < 0.05), and the stimulated by corpuscular particles: (a) zymosan by 3.24, 4.43, and 7.95 times; (b)SiO2: by 2.99, 3.24, and 5.76 times (p < 0.05). This is confirmed by the feet that CO2, along with inhibiting the O2 (-) generation by cells of the various organs, including the liver, as a rule, by 2.19-4.7 times, p < 0.01 or <0.001 induces simultaneously a decrease in the O2 (-) generation by mitochondria isolated from the liver (by 1.91-3.2 times, p < 0.001). The mechanism of CO2 influence is realized, in part, by inhibition of NADPH-oxidase activity. Taken into consideration proven role of CO2 in different pathophysiological conditions, (such as endoarteritis, bronchial asthma, and infectious diseases), present findings may be of clinical interest in terms of potential implementation of CO2 donors as adjuvant therapeutics in these diseases.

No abstract