Problems with the bedbug (Cimex lectularius) in Slovakia.

INTRODUCTION: In the 1970s and 1980s, the occurrence of bedbugs (Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, 1758) was noticed only sporadically in accommodation facilities in Slovakia. Under regular monitoring, it was possible to even eradicate its occurrence in the 1980s. Today, the problem is once again a major global health issue. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to point out the occurrence of cimicosis in the case of atypical urticaria in patients referred to parasitological examination by inpatient and outpatient physicians. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the period 2006-2015, 102 patients with suspected ectoparasitosis were examined in the Diagnostic Laboratory of Human Parasitology at the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava. Specialists and general practitioners referred the patients with itching red efflorescences. Parasitological examination and entomologic analysis of insects confirmed in many of them the presence of skin ectoparasitosis caused by Cimex lectularius, and in one case Oeciacus hirundinis. RESULTS: A total number of 102 parasitologically patients were examined - 62 adults and 40 children. Among the 62 adults, there were 57 patients positive for cimicosis. In 5 patients cimicosis was not confirmed, in one of them (Sarcoptes scabiei Linnaeus, 1758) was detected. Among the 40 children, there were 34 positive for cimicosis. One female child was diagnosed with lesions caused by Sarcoptes scabiei.. CONCLUSIONS: The bed bug should again be subjected to the reporting service to public health authorities, and thus recording the monitoring of its incidence and spread in the population.

Maternal Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain and Their Association with Pregnancy Complications and Perinatal Conditions.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of selected pregnancy pathologies statistically depending on overweight/obesity and excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy on women who gave birth in the years 2013-2015 at the Second Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University Hospital in Bratislava, Slovakia. In a retrospective study, we analyzed data gathered from the sample, which consisted of 7122 women. Our results suggest a statistically significant, higher risk for the groups of women with overweight and obesity and gestational hypertension (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 15.3; 95% CI 9.0-25.8 for obesity), preeclampsia (AOR = 3.4; 95% CI 1.9-6.0 for overweight and AOR = 13.2; 95% CI 7.7-22.5 for obesity), and gestational diabetes mellitus (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.2-2.9 for overweight and AOR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.4-4.0 for obesity). A higher incidence of pregnancies terminated by cesarean section was observed in the group of obese women. Gestational weight gain above IOM (Institute of Medicine) recommendations was associated with a higher risk of pregnancy terminated by C-section (AOR = 1.2; 95% CI 1.0-1.3), gestational hypertension (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.0-2.7), and infant macrosomia (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.3-2.1). Overweight and obesity during pregnancy significantly contribute to the development of pregnancy pathologies and increased incidence of cesarean section. Systematic efforts to reduce weight before pregnancy through prepregnancy dietary counseling, regular physical activity, and healthy lifestyle should be the primary goal.