Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced emergency services to implement new standards of practice around the world. The dynamic and unpredictable nature of many clinical situations has placed emergency service personnel in direct danger of contracting the disease. This work uses a validated survey developed for the study to assess the predictors of stress that paramedics, nurses and doctors experience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: The study group included 955 medical staff, and the level of significance adopted for statistical analysis was p = 0.05. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the qualitative variables divided into groups. The selection of tests was carried out based on the distribution of variables, verified using the Shapiro-Wilk test. In order to determine the predictors that caused the feelings of stress, it was necessary to use the linear regression model. Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress among emergency medical personnel has increased considerably due to new factors that did not previously exist. The predictors of stress in the professional environment include the fear of contracting COVID-19, a decrease in the level of safety while conducting emergency medical procedures, and the marginalization of treatment for patients not suffering from COVID-19. Additional socio-demographic factors that increase stress among emergency medical personnel are being female and working in the nursing profession. Appropriate training, the supply of personal protective equipment and opinions on the preparedness of the system to deal with the outbreak of the pandemic did not affect the level of stress among health service personnel. Conclusions: The factors that can be considered to act as predictors of occupational stress include the fear of contracting COVID-19, a decrease in the level of safety and security while conducting emergency medical procedures, and the marginalization of patients not suffering from COVID-19. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(2)

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Introduction Oxidative tissue damage caused by reactive oxygen species results in a significant decrease in the total antioxidant capacity of the biological system. The aim of this interdisciplinary study was to answer the question of whether active antioxidants modify, at a molecular and supramolecular level, the tissue of pathological amnion and the necrotic eschar degraded in thermal burn. Methods A Nicolet 6700 Fourier-transform spectrophotometer with OMNIC software and the EasiDiff diffusion accessory were used in the FTIR spectroscopic analysis. A NICOLET MAGNA-IR 860 spectrometer with FT-Raman accessory was used to record the Raman spectra of the samples. The samples were exposed to bacteria capable of causing nosocomial infections, ie Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Whereas samples of hypotrophic amnion interacted with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis . The obtained flame retardant effect of placentas was evaluated using the method of the limiting oxygen index (LOI). Results The infrared spectroscopy analysis proved that after modification of the amniotic samples in graphene oxide and ortho-silicic acid, the amide II band is split into two components. Incubation of samples in modifier solutions: graphene oxide, sodium ascorbate and L-ascorbic acid results in shifts and changes of intensity within the broadly understood lipid band 1743–1745–1747 cm −1 . The oxidising changes observed within the lipid and amide bands are affected by the incubation effect of graphene oxide as a modifier, possibly adsorbing on the surface of the amniotic membrane. On the basis of microbiological studies, pathogenic bacteria commonly causing amniotic infections and growing in burn wounds were found to have particularly good resistance to stabilized ortho-silicic acid ( E. coli ) and lactoferrin ( S.aureus ). Conclusion This thermogravimetric study found the highest stability of the analysed tissues (hypotrophic amnion and burnt epidermis) after modification with graphene oxide and sodium ascorbate.

Structural changes within the placenta are observed in the course of pathological pregnancy. The aim of the study was to perform initial assessment of morphological features of placenta. The analysis was conducted by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Samples of placenta of women who delivered neonates appropriate for gestational age were characterized by a homogenous surface texture with natural corrugation. The surface of IUGR placenta from the group of mothers with pregnancy induced hypertension was definitely heterogeneous - noticeable swelling of tissue surface was observed. Samples from LGA group also demonstrated a number of surface bulges and heterogeneities which were, nonetheless, characterized by a certain repeatability.

Cel pracy. Praca zmianowa jest bardziej szkodliwa dla organizmu niż praca w systemie dziennym-uniemożliwia respektowanie fizjologicznych rytmów okołodobowych człowieka. Aż 70% pracowników pracujących w systemie zmianowym nie jest w stanie określić dokładnego stopnia nietolerancji pracy zmianowej. Celem pracy było poznanie zachowań zdrowotnych pielęgniarek/pielęgniarzy pracujących w systemie zmianowym w zależności od wieku oraz sprawdzenie, czy istnieje zależność pomiędzy oddziałem, na jakim pracuje dana osoba, a poszczególnymi zachowaniami zdrowotnymi. Materiał i metody. Badania przeprowadzono w Szpitalu Powiatowym w Wadowicach. Objęto nimi 133 pielęgniarki i pielęgniarzy pracujących w systemie zmianowym. Badania zrealizowano metodą sondażu diagnostycznego za pomocą kwestionariusza stosowanego w badaniach psychologicznych z zakresu psychologii zdrowia-Inwentarza Zachowań Zdrowotnych autorstwa Z. Juczyńskiego. Wyniki. Średnia prawidłowych nawyków żywieniowych w badanej grupie wynosiła M = 3,37. Zachowania profilaktyczne wynosiły średnio M = 3,36, pozytywne nastawienie psychiczne M = 3,38, a praktyki zdrowotne M = 2,87. Ogólny wskaźnik nasilenia zachowań zdrowotnych wynosił w badanej grupie M = 77,87. Miejsce pracy nie miało istotnego statystycznie wpływu na zachowania profilaktyczne oraz pozytywne nastawienie psychiczne. Wnioski. Pielęgniarki/pielęgniarze pracujący w systemie zmianowym prezentują przeciętny poziom praktykowania zachowań zdrowotnych. Najwyższy poziom i największe nasilenie zachowań zdrowotnych prezentowały osoby pracujące na bloku operacyjnym. Im wyższy wiek pielęgniarek/pielęgniarzy, tym częstsze przestrzeganie prawidłowych zachowań zdrowotnych. Konieczne jest zaangażowanie kierownictwa szpitala w działania profilaktyczne ze względu na niski poziom podejmowania zachowań zdrowotnych przez personel pielęgniarski.