KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO HIV/TB/HCV AMONG PRIMARY HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND THE INTEGRATED SCREENING IN KVEMO KARTLI REGION.

Integration of TB/HIV/HCV screening into primary health care has been implemented in Georgia since 2018. The aim of the program is to strengthen TB, HIV/HCV screening and early detection capabilities in the primary health care, as early detection and treatment are considered to be the most effective strategies to prevent these infections. The goal of the study was to evaluate and compare the baseline and follow-up knowledge about TB, HIV and HCV infectious among primary health care workers in Kvemo Kartli Region. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 459 primary HCWs from Kvemo Kartli region were surveyed. The proportion of HCWs correctly knowing MDR TB definition increased from 34.6% to 82.8% and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). Nurses were less informed about HIV infection. Only 70.7% of them knew modes of HIV transmission, while 89.3% of physicians answered this question correctly (p<0.001). An assessment of knowledge among primary health care workers (PHC) providers is important, as they represent the first level of community contact with health care. The post-test after the training showed significant improvement in knowledge among trained HCWs. Follow-up knowledge and practice surveys are needed to understand the long-term impact of training on the rate screening referrals by PHC providers.

[Morphology of the palatine tonsil lymphocytes in chronic tonsillitis using data of electron microscopic radioautography]. / Morfologiia limfotsitov nebnykh mindalin pri khronicheskom tonzillite v svete dannykh élektronno-mikroskopicheskoi radioavtografii.

Electron-microscopic and electron-radioautographic examinations of the palatine tonsil lymphocytes in 20 patients with chronic decompensated tonsillitis, aged 21-50, have revealed the proliferation of poorly differentiated T- and B-lymphocyte pools in the lymphoid tissue of the tonsils; these processes manifest by an intensive 3H-thymidine incorporation into the minor lymphocytes of different types. A high level of the RNA radioactive precursor incorporation in B-lymphocytes indicates a constant differentiation of this lymphocyte population. The biological essence of intensive incorporation of protein radioactive precursors in B-lymphocytes appears to consist in the maximal production of active protein substrates mediating the humoral immunity in chronic tonsillitis.