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Abstract: Introduction: Universal screening for the detection of group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization in pregnant women was recently introduced in Slovenia. The aim of our study was to determine whether self-collection of rectovaginal swabs is a valid alternative to collection by healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: A prospective, multicenter study was conducted between June and November 2023. A total of 227 pregnant women (aged 20 to 44 years) from the University Medical Center Ljubljana (n = 136), the Novo mesto Community Health Center (n = 48) and the Trebnje Community Health Center (n = 43) were included. Two swabs were taken: swab A by the HCWs using standard semi-solid Amies transport medium (Meus; current standard) and swab B by the pregnant woman following visual instructions using a commercial LIM Broth (Copan). Swabs were inoculated onto ChromID Strepto B (STRB) agars directly and after overnight enrichment in LIM broth. The NeuMoDx GBS assay was performed from the enrichment broth. A self-assessment questionnaire was completed after sampling. Performance characteristics were calculated and compared between different diagnostics test algorithms using McNemar’s test for paired samples. Results: Overall, GBS was detected in 18% (95% CI 13–23%; n = 40) of swabs A and 19% (95% CI 14–25%; n = 43) of swabs B. PCR was superior in both groups. In the group of swabs collected by HCWs, 4 (40 vs. 36; 11.1% difference; p = 0.046) and 3 (40 vs. 37; 8.1% difference; p = 0.083) additional positives were detected with PCR compared to direct and enrichment culture, respectively; in the group of self-collected swabs, 4 (43 vs. 39; 10.3% difference; p = 0.046) and 6 (43 vs. 36; 16.2% difference; p = 0.014) additional positives were detected with PCR compared to direct and enrichment culture, respectively. Self-collection showed a trend towards a higher diagnostic yield. PCR after enrichment from self-collected samples was found to be the most. sensitive method overall. 58.5% (n = 124/212; 95% CI 52–65%) of women would prefer the swabs taken by HCWs. Discussion: Self-collection of rectovaginal swabs during pregnancy is a good alternative to HCW-collected swabs. PCR from enrichment broth was better for the detection of GBS compared to enrichment culture. Majority of women preferred swabs taken by HCWs.
Keywords: group B streptococcus, self-collection, enrichment culture, PCR, chromogenic agar, pregnancy, screening
Published in DiRROS: 01.12.2025; Views: 107; Downloads: 53
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Abstract: Background/Objectives: The optimal anesthetic technique for category 2 and 3 cesarean deliveries remains debated, with concerns about impacts on decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) and perinatal outcomes. This study examined the influence of epidural, spinal, and general anesthesia on DDI, surgical and postoperative complications, and neonatal outcomes. Methods: This prospective cohort study at a tertiary perinatology center enrolled parturient women undergoing category 2 and 3 cesarean deliveries. Three DDI phases were assessed for each anesthetic modality: transfer time (decision for cesarean section to admission in the operation room), anesthetic time (admission to incision), and delivery time (incision to delivery of the neonate). The surgical procedure time (incision to closure), neonatal (5 min Apgar score, umbilical artery pH/base excess, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission) and maternal (blood loss, surgical and postoperative complications) outcomes were also analyzed for each group. Results: There were 215 women (122 category 2 and 93 category 3) included. The use of epidural and general anesthesia was associated with significantly shortened DDI compared to spinal anesthesia (p < 0.001). This difference was due prolonged transfer (p < 0.05) and anesthetic times (p < 0.001), respectively. No cases of umbilical artery pH below 7 were observed in any group. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of umbilical artery pH between 7 and 7.10 or in base excess below -12 nmol/L (p = 0.416 and p = 0.865, respectively). NICU admission was higher with both general and spinal anesthesia (p = 0.021), but mainly due to a higher proportion of preterm births, both before the 32nd week (p = 0.033) and between the 32nd and 37th week of pregnancy (p < 0.001). General anesthesia was associated with higher maternal blood loss (p = 0.026) and a higher rate of postoperative complications (p = 0.006). Conclusions: In category 2 and 3 cesarean deliveries, general and epidural anesthesia were associated with shorter DDI compared to spinal anesthesia with no differences in neonatal outcomes. General anesthesia was associated with a higher risk of maternal complications compared to neuraxial anesthetic techniques.
Keywords: cesarean delivery anesthesia, decision-to-delivery interval, epidural anesthesia, general anesthesia, maternal outcomes, neonatal outcomes, spinal anesthesia
Published in DiRROS: 01.12.2025; Views: 142; Downloads: 64
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Keywords: neuromuscular system, biological ageing, chronic disease, physical inactivity
Published in DiRROS: 01.12.2025; Views: 129; Downloads: 62
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Abstract: Grammatical error correction (GEC) is the task of automatically detecting and correcting grammatical errors in text. Large language models have enabled the development of accurate automated methods for detecting and correcting certain types of errors. In the educational domain, the aim of GEC is to aid teachers in correcting student errors. Excessive paraphrasing is a property of Generative Pre-trained Transformer-based models and is undesirable in the language education context. To avoid this, we develop multiple Slovenian models for correcting errors in spelling, word case (capitalization), word form, and word order. We describe the training data construction, training process, and model evaluation approach using the Šolar-Eval 1.0 corpus of school essays authored by primary and secondary school students. Our quantitative evaluation shows that the developed models have reasonably high accuracy levels, and our qualitative evaluation highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the models and the evaluation process. The analysis reveals multiple challenges and promising future directions for improving both model development and the evaluation process.
Keywords: large language models, grammatical error correction, educational domain, synthetic data construction
Published in DiRROS: 01.12.2025; Views: 143; Downloads: 76
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Abstract: Ljudske pravljice pri pouku tujega jezika spodbujajo razvoj otrok in mladostnikov na jezikovnem, čustvenem in spoznavnem področju, hkrati pa prinašajo veliko informacij o kulturi naroda, njegovih običajih in jeziku. V teoretičnem delu članka predstavimo vlogo slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika ter ruščine kot tujega jezika v slovenskem izobraževalnem sistemu ter opišemo položaj umetnostnih besedil, zlasti pravljice kot literarne zvrsti, pri pouku slovenščine in ruščine kot tujih jezikov. V članku ponazorimo razlike pri vključevanju pravljic v učne načrte za slovenščino in ruščino ter pojasnimo izvor teh razlik. Za dodatno osvetlitev koristi vključitve pravljic in za pomoč učiteljem v osrednjem delu članka predstavimo praktična primera uporabe ljudskih pravljic pri pouku slovenščine kot drugega/tujega in ruščine kot tujega jezika. Poudarimo, da imajo slovenske in ruske ljudske pravljice kot didaktično sredstvo veliko jezikovnih in besednih značilnosti, ki pripomorejo k razvoju jezikovnih zmožnosti ter so tako učencem v podporo pri učenju slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika in ruščine kot tujega jezika.
Keywords: slovenske ljudske pravljice, ruske ljudske pravljice, slovenščina kot drugi/tuji jezik, didaktika
Published in DiRROS: 01.12.2025; Views: 101; Downloads: 40
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