Insights into relationship of environmental inequalities and multimorbidity: a population-based study.

Background: Substantial inequalities in the overall prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity have been widely reported, but the causal mechanisms are complex and not well understood. This study aimed to identify common patterns of multimorbidity in Serbia and assess their relationship with air pollutant concentrations and water quality indicators.

Methods: This ecological study was conducted on a nationally representative sample of the Serbian population.

District-wide herd sanitation and eradication of intramammary Staphylococcus aureus genotype B infection in dairy herds in Ticino, Switzerland.

The present study demonstrates successful herd sanitation and eradication of contagious mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus genotype B (GTB) in an entire Swiss district (Ticino) including 3,364 dairy cows from 168 farms. Herd sanitation included testing of all cows using a highly GTB-specific and sensitive real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, implementation of related on-farm measures, appropriate antibiotic therapy of GTB-positive cows, and culling of therapy-resistant animals, respectively. A treatment index was used as an objective criterion to select GTB-positive cows eligible for culling and replacement payment.

Attitudes of psychiatrists towards people with mental illness: a cross-sectional, multicentre study of stigma in 32 European countries.

Background: Mental health-related stigma occurs among the public and professionals alike. The lived experience of mental illness has been linked to less stigmatising attitudes. However, data on psychiatrists and the relationship between stigmatising attitudes and psychotherapeutic activity or case discussion groups remains scarce.

Seasonal Dynamics and Physiological Age of Ixodid Ticks Collected from Dogs.

In order to reproduce and complete life cycles, ticks have to feed on different hosts, thus participating as vectors and reservoirs in the maintenance and circulation of different pathogens. Since dogs can serve as suitable hosts for numerous tick species, the aims of this study were to determine tick species and their seasonal occurrence on pet dogs and to compare the accuracy of three indices frequently used to calculate engorged female physiological age. Ticks were collected from dogs brought to veterinary clinics.

Elucidation of the Bovine Intramammary Bacteriome and Resistome from healthy cows of Swiss dairy farms in the Canton Tessin.

Healthy, untreated cows of nine dairy herds from the Swiss Canton Tessin were analyzed three times within one year to identify the most abundant species of the intramammary bacteriome. Aseptically collected milk samples were cultured and bacteria identified using MALDI-TOF. Of 256 cows analyzed, 96% were bacteriologically positive and 80% of the 1,024 quarters were positive for at least one bacterial species.

Psychometric properties of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers in 32 European countries - A bifactor ESEM representation.

Aims: To measure the stigma of healthcare providers toward people suffering from mental illness, the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) is a commonly applied instrument. However, this scale has not been thoroughly validated in many European countries, its psychometric properties are still unknown and data on practicing psychiatrists is lacking. Therefore, this multicenter study aimed to assess the psychometric characteristics of the 15-item OMS-HC in trainees and specialists in adult and child psychiatry in 32 countries across Europe.

Predictors of changing patterns of adherence to containment measures during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic: an international longitudinal study.

Background: Identifying common factors that affect public adherence to COVID-19 containment measures can directly inform the development of official public health communication strategies. The present international longitudinal study aimed to examine whether prosociality, together with other theoretically derived motivating factors (self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, perceived social support) predict the change in adherence to COVID-19 containment strategies.

Method: In wave 1 of data collection, adults from eight geographical regions completed online surveys beginning in April 2020, and wave 2 began in June and ended in September 2020.

Staphylococcus aureus adlb gene is associated with high prevalence of intramammary infection in dairy herds of northern Italy: A cross-sectional study.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major mastitis pathogen in dairy cattle worldwide, responsible for substantial economic losses. Environmental factors, milking routine, and good maintenance of milking equipment have been described as important factors to prevent intramammary infections (IMI). Staphylococcus aureus IMI can be widespread within the farm or the infection can be limited to few animals.

Bio-efficacy of permethrin/tetramethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin treatments in habitats of hard ticks (Acari, Ixodidae) populations with confirmed Borrelia spp. infection.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the bio-efficacy of two different acaricides against mobile stages of hard ticks Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, and Haemaphysalis punctata in their natural habitats. The study was conducted during 2020 and 2021 at localities populated by I. ricinus as the predominant species, at which the presence of Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia lusitaniae was confirmed.

Assessment of Maize Hybrids Resistance to Aspergillus Ear Rot and Aflatoxin Production in Environmental Conditions in Serbia.

Aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxin produced by the fungus is the most economically important mycotoxin in the world, with harmful effects on human and animal health. Preventive measures such as irrigation and planting dates can minimize aflatoxin contamination most years. However, no control strategy is completely effective when environmental conditions are extremely favorable for growth of the fungus.

Penicillin resistance in bovine Staphylococcus aureus: Genomic evaluation of the discrepancy between phenotypic and molecular test methods.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen in humans and animals. In cattle, it is one of the most important agents of mastitis, causing serious costs in the dairy industry. Early diagnosis and adequate therapy are therefore 2 key factors to deal with the problems caused by this bacterium, and benzylpenicillin (penicillin) is usually the first choice to treat these infections.

Preliminary Assessment of Pre-Electroconvulsive Therapy Evaluation Practices in European Countries: The Need for Guidelines.

Objectives: Pre-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) evaluation is an essential part of ECT preparation, a standard treatment in the psychiatric field. However, no routine pre-ECT evaluation has been published so far. This preliminary study aimed to explore different practices in pre-ECT evaluation across European countries.

To Help or Not to Help? Prosocial Behavior, Its Association With Well-Being, and Predictors of Prosocial Behavior During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic fundamentally disrupted humans' social life and behavior. Public health measures may have inadvertently impacted how people care for each other. This study investigated prosocial behavior, its association well-being, and predictors of prosocial behavior during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and sought to understand whether region-specific differences exist.

Ecology and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks.

Weather conditions greatly affect tick population densities and activity, on which depends the occurrence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs). During the spring months from 2017 to 2019, 1,357 specimens of Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected at 9 localities in the vicinity of Novi Sad (Serbia). The number of collected ticks varied considerably among the different sampling sites and years.

Adapting Urban Transport Planning to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrated Fermatean Fuzzy Model.

The critical worldwide problem of adapting urban transport planning to COVID-19 is for the first time comprehensively addressed and solved in this study. It primarily aims to help transport planners increase the resilience of transport systems. Firstly, a multi-level decision-making hierarchy structure based on four main criteria and 17 sub-criteria is introduced for relevant stakeholders to provide a practical framework for assessing existing transport plans.

Mental Health and Adherence to COVID-19 Protective Behaviors among Cancer Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International, Multinational Cross-Sectional Study.

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted during the first COVID-19 wave, to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health using an anonymous online survey, enrolling 9565 individuals in 78 countries. The current sub-study examined the impact of the pandemic and the associated lockdown measures on the mental health, and protective behaviors of cancer patients in comparison to non-cancer participants. Furthermore, 264 participants from 30 different countries reported being cancer patients.

Exploring Acceptability Drivers of Oral Antibiotics in Children: Findings from an International Observational Study.

Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in children. Adherence to the treatment with these drugs is of the utmost importance to prevent the emergence of resistant bacteria, a global health threat. In children, medicine acceptability is likely to have a significant impact on compliance.

Psychiatric Comorbidities in Children With ASD: Autism Centre Experience.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with social communication deficits, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviours. In this lifelong condition the core features that cause impairment may also be expanded by behavioural and emotional problems. Individuals with ASD are likely to experience a higher prevalence of common mental disorders compared to the typically developed individuals.

Patterns of Psychological Responses among the Public during the Early Phase of COVID-19: A Cross-Regional Analysis.

This study aimed to compare the mediation of psychological flexibility, prosociality and coping in the impacts of illness perceptions toward COVID-19 on mental health among seven regions. Convenience sampled online survey was conducted between April and June 2020 from 9130 citizens in 21 countries. Illness perceptions toward COVID-19, psychological flexibility, prosociality, coping and mental health, socio-demographics, lockdown-related variables and COVID-19 status were assessed.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: An international study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered vast governmental lockdowns. The impact of these lockdowns on mental health is inadequately understood. On the one hand such drastic changes in daily routines could be detrimental to mental health.

Methodological approach towards a Gap Assessment of the Serbian microbiology system in the function of surveillance in line with EU standards and acquis.

Introduction: Italian and Serbian Health authorities performed an in-depth Gap Assessment of the Serbian microbiology system in the function of communicable disease surveillance using a methodology adapted to context and information needs.

Methods: There were two study phases: a capacity based survey and an equipment mapping survey. Invited participants included national health authorities, heads of national reference laboratories and of public/private diagnostic laboratories in Serbia.

Short communication: Lack of intramammary niche recolonization during a sanitation program for the contagious mastitis pathogen Staphylococcus aureus genotype B.

In Switzerland, sanitation programs of dairy herds infected with the contagious mastitis pathogen Staphylococcus aureus genotype B (GTB) have been established for several years. In recent years, Streptococcus uberis and non-aureus staphylococci have emerged as the bacteria most frequently isolated from bovine milk samples. The latter cause subclinical mastitis, and some species are more persistent or pathogenic than others.

Sanitation of Staphylococcus aureus genotype B-positive dairy herds: A field study.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most widespread mastitis pathogens infecting dairy cattle worldwide. In Switzerland, different bovine genotypes of Staph. aureus have been identified, and genotype B (GTB) was demonstrated to be a highly contagious subtype, causing herd problems in cattle.