Significant back pain prevalence and intensity are reported in female pedagogues. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been exposed to remote working conditions, higher psychological demands, and stress. Our objective was to evaluate the back pain prevalence, intensity, and related risk factors in female teachers from Slovak regions in the context of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An electronic questionnaire was applied for data collection. A total of 782 adult female teachers (age 43.11 ± 0.36, BMI 34.94 ± 5.94) from primary, secondary, and tertiary schools from Slovak regions were included in the survey. Of these, 74% reported cervical pain, 67% lower back pain, and 60% pain in more than one vertebral region. The highest pain intensities were reported in the following cohorts (pain scale 1–5, 1 = no pain, and 5 = extreme pain): pedagogues from the Presov region (3.74), those working in the special education sector (3.83), those who gave five online classes a week (3.58), those who performed no physical activity (PA, 3.86), pedagogues who did not work in compliance with ergonomic recommendations (3.59), those with moderate or severe stress (3.66), and those who were sitting all or most of the time (3.62). The main risk factors identified were: no PA performed, no compliance with ergonomic recommendations, and stress.

Background: The research aimed to investigate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and their determinants in a large European cohort of more than 60,000 health workers. Methods: A multicentric retrospective cohort study, involving 12 European centers, was carried out within the ORCHESTRA project, collecting data up to 18 November 2021 on fully vaccinated health workers. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections was investigated with its association with occupational and social–demographic characteristics (age, sex, job title, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, antibody titer levels, and time from the vaccination course completion). Results: Among 64,172 health workers from 12 European health centers, 797 breakthrough infections were observed (cumulative incidence of 1.2%). The primary analysis using individual data on 8 out of 12 centers showed that age and previous infection significantly modified breakthrough infection rates. In the meta-analysis of aggregated data from all centers, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and the standardized antibody titer were inversely related to the risk of breakthrough infection (p = 0.008 and p = 0.007, respectively). Conclusion: The inverse correlation of antibody titer with the risk of breakthrough infection supports the evidence that vaccination plays a primary role in infection prevention, especially in health workers. Cellular immunity, previous clinical conditions, and vaccination timing should be further investigated.

Robot-assisted training has been widely used in rehabilitation programs, but no significant clinical evidence about its use in productive working-age cardiac patients was demonstrated. Thus, we hypothesized that early applied robot-assisted physiotherapy might provide additional treatment benefits in the rehabilitation of post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients. A total of 92 (50 men, 42 women) hospitalized post-MI patients with the age of 60.9 ± 2.32 participated in the research. An early intensive physiotherapy program (7×/week, 2×/day) was applied for each patient with an average time of 45 min per session. Patients were consecutively assigned to Experimental group (EG) and Control group (CG). Then, 20 min of robot-assisted training by Motomed letto 2 or Thera-Trainer tigo was included in all EG physiotherapy sessions. The Functional Independence Measures (FIM) score at the admission and after 14 days of rehabilitation was used for an assessment. When analyzing time * group effect by repeated-measures ANOVA, we reported that EG showed a higher effect in ADL (p = 0.00), and Motor indicators (p = 0.00). There was no statistically significant effect reported in the Social indicator (p = 0.35). Early rehabilitation programs for post-MI patients might be enhanced by robotic tools, such as THERA-Trainer tigo, and Motomed letto 2. The improvement was particularly noticeable in mobility and ADLs.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), its etiology, and risk factors in critically ill patients, because Slovakia was one of the countries experiencing a high burden of COVID-19 infections, and hospitals faced greater challenges in preventing and managing CLABSI; (2) Methods: A retrospective analysis of CLABSI data from all patients admitted to adult respiratory intensive care units before and during COVID-19 pandemic was conducted. We followed the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control surveillance methodology for CLABSI. Data were analyzed using STATISTICA 13.1; (3) Results: We analyzed the data of 803 ICU patients hospitalized for 8385 bed days, with 7803 central line days. Forty-five CLABSI events were identified. The CLABSI rate significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic (2.81 versus 7.47 events per 1000 central line days, (p < 0.001). The most frequently identified pathogens causing CLABSI were Gram-negative organisms (60.20%). The risk factors found to increase the probability of developing CLABSI were length of stay (OR = 1.080; 95% Cl: 1.057–1.103; p < 0.001) and COVID-19 (OR = 5.485; 95% Cl: 32.706–11.116; p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increases in CLABSI in ICUs. These data underscore the need to increase efforts in providing surveillance of CLABSI and implementing infection prevention measures.

Introduction: The foot forms the natural base of the human body bearing all its weight. Over the course of a person's life, the foot ensures the contact of the body with the terrain and creates the basic support during dynamic activities such as walking or running, especially on uneven terrain. (Véle, 2006) Objectives: The aim of the research was to verify the effects of targeted corrective exercises on healthy foot development in preschool children. Methods: The research was conducted from September 2018 to March 2019. The research sample consisted of 105 probands (59 preschool girls and 46 preschool boys), out of whom 7.62% had the physiological position of the arch on the right foot during baseline measurements. The average age of probands was 5 years. The measured parameters were the foot arch height without and with a load. Measurements were taken before and after rehabilitation intervention. Results: The statistical analysis of the results confirmed the positive effect of rehabilitation treatment in all monitored variables on statistically significant diference in terms of an elevation in the foot arch (p <0.005) and the influence of risk factors contributing to the development of researched foot deformities. The obtained data were processed into tables and graphs and subsequently evaluated. Conclusion: Our study has shown that the most effective is the active exercise strengthening. The affected muscles maintain the foot arch as well as the whole posture.