TNMU Hosted Research and Training Conference “Medical and Social Problems of Childhood”
On October 25-26, 2023, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University hosted a research and training conference with international participation “Medical and social problems of childhood”. The event was held in a mixed format and was organized by the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of TNMU.
Leading experts from Ukraine, Lithuania, and Latvia took part in the conference. During the meetings, 27 scientific reports were presented and discussed.
On behalf of the Rector of TNMU, Professor Mykhaylo Korda, the Vice-Rector for Research, Professor Ivan Klishch addressed the conference participants with a welcome speech. Professor Ivan Klishch drew attention to the relevance of the suggested topic of the conference, especially during the war, the importance of its holding, emphasized the impact of stress on internally displaced children, which affects their health, who currently cannot receive proper medical care in time. Post-stress disorder in adults and children leads to the development of not only psychological problems, but also somatic disorders. Therefore, there is a great task for scientists to conduct research in order to ensure the optimal medical care to children under the conditions of martial law.
Arunas Valulis, the head of the clinic for children’s diseases of the Centre for General Paediatrics of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, the President of Vilnius Paediatric Society, Professor of Vilnius Medical University (Lithuania), opened the 1st meeting “A child with recurrent infections: when it is time to think about a zebra” with a report “Visualization in a child: practical considerations for primary care doctors”. The speaker talked about the main causes, pathogenesis, diagnostic methods of episodic (viral) vision and multifactorial vision, indicated the main principles of treatment of this pathology in children.
The participants of the conference eagerly listened to the report of the Professor of the Department of Paediatrics, Children’s Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Allergology of P. L. Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine Alla Volokha “Immunodeficiencies in the practice of a paediatrician and a family doctor”. In her speech, the presenter focused on various types of immunodeficiency states, in particular on primary deficiencies of antibody formation, cited clinical cases from practice, the results of her own research, and talked about red flags regarding possible immunodeficiency.
Natalia Yarema, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, gave a report on the topic “Diagnosis of diseases accompanied by T- and B-lymphopenia using neonatal screening (clinical case)”. The speaker told the audience about the diagnosed case of Nijmegen syndrome in a child, she gave the clinical and laboratory signs of this disease.
The report on “Nijmegen syndrome treatment tactics: are there any chances for a full recovery?” was delivered by Anna Hilfanova from the International European University, Kyiv, and Oleksandr Lysytsia, Head of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Immunotherapy of the Okhmatdyt State Medical Centre, Kyiv.
The report of Professor Oksana Boyarchuk, Head of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, was relevant and interactive. She presented a report on the topic “A child with recurrent respiratory infections: how to choose the right diagnostic and treatment tactics” (workshop). The scholar spoke about the most frequent recurrent respiratory infections in children, examples of secondary causes of recurrent infections, cited her own clinical cases of the course of diseases in children with immunodeficiency conditions, and provided indications for replacement therapy with immunoglobulins in children.
Natalia Kuriane from Riga Stradiņš University (Latvia) presented a report “Subfebrile temperature, recurrent respiratory infections in an adult – what is behind it?”.
Those present at the conference listened to the joint report of Natalia Scherbatyuk, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University and Zoriana Borys, an allergist at Ternopil Regional Children’s Hospital, “Broncho-obstructive syndrome in children in the context of clinical guidelines and broncholytic therapy”. Characteristics of symptoms, differential diagnosis of wheezing in children, methods of eliminating bronchial obstruction, examples of drug treatment were given.
Professor Oksana Boyarchuk, the Head of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University presented a report on the topic “Immunoglobulin replacement therapy, can we affect the quality of life?” discussing immunoglobulin replacement therapy and comparing different types of immunoglobulin administration.
The audience was interested in the report of Nataliia Haliyash, Associate Professor of the Department of Paediatrics No. 2 of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, on the topic “Approaches to immunocorrection of children with recurrent upper respiratory tract infections”. The speaker told about the diagnostic approach to children with recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract, focused on the issues of immunocorrective therapy, the possibility of non-specific immunocorrection, in particular with beta-glucans.
Conference participants eagerly listened to a report by Oleksandra Oleshchuk, Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University on the topic “Standard of medical care on the rational use of antibacterial and antifungal drugs for therapeutic and preventive purposes”, where the main issues of the rational use of these agents were highlighted.
The 2nd session of the conference “Lyme disease in children” began with a report by Volodymyr Panichev, Deputy General Director of the Ternopil Regional Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine “Epidemiology of tick-borne infections in the Ternopil region”. The speaker gave an assessment of the epidemiological situation of Lyme borreliosis in the region, gave examples of causative agents, methods of diagnosis and prevention of this disease.
The attention of those present was attracted by the report of Professor Alla Volokha from P. L. Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine “Neurological manifestations of Lyme disease”. The speaker told about the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of neuroborreliosis in children.
Svitlana Nikitiuk, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, gave a report on “Clinical and laboratory diagnostics and treatment tactics for Lyme disease in children”. The speaker told about the results of her own research on children with Lyme disease, provided a diagnosis algorithm, treatment methods, and cited several clinical cases of manifestations of this disease.
The second day of the conference began with a speech by Halyna Makukh, Head of the Regional Centre for Neonatal Screening of Lviv Regional Clinical Perinatal Centre, Scientific Medical and Genetic Centre “Leogen” (Lviv) on “The most frequent questions and problems based on the results of the first year of extended neonatal screening”. Halyna Makukh focused attention on the results of the implementation of neonatal screening for T- and B-lymphopenia in Ukraine. The scientist emphasized the importance of the correct blood sampling, and therefore the doctors’ consideration of the ethical aspects of the psychological burden on parents.
In her report, Olga Fedortsiv, Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, spoke about modern approaches to caring for a new-born baby in the maternity hospital and at home.
Liubov Volianska, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, gave a report on the variability of chickenpox in new-borns and children of the first year of life (analysis of clinical cases).
The participants of the conference listened attentively to the report of Natalia Balatska, Professor of the Department of Paediatrics No. 1 of O. Bohomolets National Medical University, “Alimentary rickets: the main provisions of the new standard of medical care”, where the speaker discussed new approaches to diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and differential diagnosis of alimentary rickets in children.
At the end of his report, Prof. Natalia Balatska pointed out that Epidermolysis Bullosa Awareness Week is currently taking place. The participants of the conference joined the flash mob “Walking in Slippers”, the purpose of which is to draw attention to patients with epidermolysis bullosa.
The audience of the conference listened with interest to the report of Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University Tetyana Hariyan on the topic “The appropriate choice of antiseptic in paediatric practice”.
Halyna Pavlyshyn, Head of the Department of Paediatrics No. 2 of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, presented the report “Screening assessment of the developmental status of premature babies depending on the type of parenting”.
The listeners eagerly discussed the report of Iryna Sarapuk, Associate Professor of the Department of Paediatrics No. 2 of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, “The Importance of the Kangaroo Method in the Care of New-born Children”
Oleksandra Shulhai, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, presented a report on the topic “What gastroenterological problems can a doctor of first contact think about if a child has a stomach ache?” The speaker talked about the classification, causes of pain, the meaning of pain syndrome in various functional disorders of the digestive system in children.
Pavlo Hoshchynskyi, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, gave a speech “Abdominal pain syndrome in children with surgical pathology”.
Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University Mariia Kinash made a speech on the topic “Infant colic: what a paediatrician needs to know”.
The participants of the conference actively discussed the report of Mykhailo Protsailo, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, on the topic “Abdominal syndrome in a child with caudal regression syndrome”.
Victoria Furdela, Associate Professor of the Department of Paediatrics No. 2 of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, gave a speech on “Childhood obesity: a window of diagnostic and preventive possibilities”.
Vita Perestiuk, a post-graduate student of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, gave a speech on the topic “Prevalence and clinical manifestations of prolonged COVID-19 in children”.
Conference participants took part in two workshops conducted by Emiliia Burbela, Associate Professor of the Department of Children’s Diseases and Paediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University: “Algorithm of advanced resuscitation measures in children: emergency aid in case of anaphylaxis” and “Basic resuscitation measures in children”.
At the end of the conference, the participants of the event summarized the work of the meetings, adopted the resolution, thanked the university management, all speakers and participants of the scientific event for their active participation in its work.
