Antibiofilm Effects of Novel Compounds in Otitis Media Treatment: Systematic Review.

Otitis media (OM) is a frequent disease with incidence rate of 5300 cases per 100,000 people. Recent studies showed that polymicrobial biofilm formation represents a significant pathogenic mechanism in recurrent and chronic forms of OM. Biofilm enables bacteria to resist antibiotics that would typically be recommended in guidelines, contributing to the ineffectiveness of current antimicrobial strategies.

Role of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Postoperative Complications and Quality of Life After Laryngeal Cancer Surgery.

(1) Background: Laryngeal surgery due to carcinoma leads to significant tissue disruption, cellular injury, and inflammation. This leads to increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing oxidative damage that can influence quality of life (QOL) and recovery and complicate the postoperative course. The aim of this study was to compare how postoperative quality of life and surgical complication occurrence interacted with the biomarker levels of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, MDA; superoxide dismutase, SOD; glutathione peroxidase 1, GPX1; and catalase, CAT) and inflammation (interleukin 1, IL-1; interleukin 6, IL-6; C-reactive protein, CRP) in patients treated with conservative and radical laryngeal surgery.

Carbapenem-Resistant in the Western Balkans: Addressing Gaps in European AMR Surveillance Map.

In the context of global efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the importance of comprehensive AMR data is more crucial than ever. AMR surveillance networks, such as the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) and the Central Asian and European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (CAESAR), support member states in obtaining high-quality AMR data. Nevertheless, data gaps persist in some countries, including those in the Western Balkans (WBs), a region with high AMR rates.

Biofilm-producing Bacteria and Quality of Life after Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common health disorders in humans and has a major impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Of the many factors contributing to the etiology of CRS, less is known about the correlation between CRS and bacterial biofilms and their impact on HRQoL.

Objective: The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the relationship between biofilm-producing bacteria and patients' objective findings and HRQoL.

In Vitro Antibiofilm Effect of N-Acetyl-L-cysteine/Dry Propolis Extract Combination on Bacterial Pathogens Isolated from Upper Respiratory Tract Infections.

Bacterial biofilms play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic upper respiratory tract infections. In addition to conventional antimicrobial therapy, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and propolis are dietary supplements that are often recommended as supportive therapy for upper respiratory tract infections. However, no data on the beneficial effect of their combination against bacterial biofilms can be found in the scientific literature.

Carbapenemase-producing in community settings: a cross-sectional study in Belgrade, Serbia.

The types of carbapenemases and clonal relatedness among community isolates of carbapenemase-producing in Belgrade, Serbia, were determined. During the period 2016-2020, community isolates were screened for carbapenemases, and carbapenemase production was confirmed by multiplex PCR. Clonality was determined based on genetic profiles obtained by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR.

Whole-Genome Sequencing Snapshot of Clinically Relevant Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria from Wastewater in Serbia.

Wastewater (WW) is considered a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria with clinical relevance and may, thus, be important for their dissemination into the environment, especially in countries with poor WW treatment. To obtain an overview of the occurrence and characteristics of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB) in WW of Belgrade, we investigated samples from the four main sewer outlets prior to effluent into international rivers, the Sava and the Danube. Thirty-four CR-GNB isolates were selected for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Intestinal Colonization of Preterm Neonates with Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteria at Hospital Discharge.

Our aim was to investigate gut colonization with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) in the population of preterm neonates at discharge from a tertiary care center in Serbia. The study included 350 randomly selected neonates/infants discharged in the period April 2018-May 2019. CRE colonization was present in 88/350 (25.

Predictors of Vancomycin-Resistant spp. Intestinal Carriage among High-Risk Patients in University Hospitals in Serbia.

The predictors of intestinal carriage of vancomycin-resistant spp. (VRE) among high-risk patients in the counties of the Southeast Europe Region are insufficiently investigated, yet they could be of key importance in infection control. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors associated with fecal VRE colonization among high-risk inpatients in university hospitals in Serbia.

Microbiology of Healthcare-Associated Infections: Results of a Fourth National Point Prevalence Survey in Serbia.

Millions of patients acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) every year, putting them at risk for serious complications and prolonged hospitalization. Point prevalence surveys (PPS), guided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control framework, are one of the primary methods by which countries in the European Union conduct surveillance of HAIs. Serbia, though not in the EU, implemented this approach in its national PPS.

Predominance of t355/ST152/SCCmec V clonal type among PVL-positive MRSA isolates in a tertiary care hospital in Belgrade, Serbia.

Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is continually changing. Frequency of genotypes typical for community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) is increasing in hospitals, as well as resistance to antimicrobial agents. Moreover, different clones predominate in different geographic regions, and temporal shifts occur in the predominant clonal type.

Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance of Enterobacterales.

In the class Gammaproteobacteria, Enterobacterales are Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacteria [...

Ralstonia pickettii bacteremia in a cardiac surgery patient in Belgrade, Serbia.

Ralstonia pickettii is an opportunistic bacterium found in the water environment with an increasing incidence as a nosocomial pathogen. The objectives of this study were to describe R. pickettii bacteremia in a cardiac surgery patient and to evaluate its ability to grow in a saline solution and to form biofilm.

Farm Animal Veterinarians' Knowledge and Attitudes toward Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use in the Republic of Serbia.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the most prevalent global health issues in both veterinarian and human medicine. This complex problem requires a "One Health" approach with the cooperation of all healthcare sectors, as well as agriculture, finance, and consumers. We conducted a survey with the objective to assess the knowledge and attitudes of farm animal veterinarians toward AMR and antimicrobial use in the Republic of Serbia with a small focus on mastitis therapy.

Intestinal carriage of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp. among high-risk patients in university hospitals in Serbia: first surveillance report.

Background: The screening for intestinal carriage of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp. (VRE) among high risk patients in the Balkan region and molecular epidemiology of VRE is insufficiently investigated, yet it could be of key importance in infection control. The aim of this study was to provide baseline data on VRE intestinal carriage among high-risk patients in Serbian university hospitals, to determine the phenotypic/genotypic profiles of the isolated VRE, to obtain knowledge of local resistance patterns and bridge the gaps in current VRE surveillance.

A nationwide assessment of the burden of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use among surgical patients: results from Serbian point prevalence survey, 2017.

Background: As the only non-European Union (EU) country, Serbia participated in a second point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use (AMU) organized by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in the EU countries. Here, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of HAI and AMU in patients who had recently undergone a surgery and to compare risk profile, HAI rates, and AMU among surgical patients and non-surgical patients.

Methods: A national PPS was performed in 65 Serbian acute-care hospitals, in November 2017.

Phenotypic and genetic properties of susceptible and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in Southern Serbia.

Drug resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading problem in hospital infections. The aim of this study was to determine the best molecular genetic discrimination method for Pseudomonas spp. isolates among 94 outpatients and inpatients and see their grouping by phenotype characteristics (biofilm formation, frequency of serotypes, pigmentation, production of different class of beta-lactamases, and susceptibility to different antibiotic classes) and genotype.

Evolution and Population Dynamics of Clonal Complex 152 Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant .

Since the late 1990s, changes in the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) were recognized with the emergence of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA belonging to clonal complex 152 (CC152), carrying the small staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) type V and encoding the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), has been observed in Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate its origin, evolution, and dissemination.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Molecular Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing spp. Community Isolates in Belgrade, Serbia.

Antimicrobial resistance represents the emerging problem of modern medicine. Despite the fact that spp. is one of the most resistant pathogens, there has been a paucity of data on molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of community isolates in European countries as well as in Serbia.

Predictors of health related-quality of life among elderly with disabilities.

Aim: There have been no previous studies of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adults aged 65 years and older with disabilities in Serbia. The aim of study was to identify predictors of HRQOL in the context of sociodemographic characteristics, disability aetiology, comorbid diseases, indices of comorbidities, realization of social rights, and domestic violence.

Methods: The cross-sectional study involved 275 consecutive elderly outpatients with disabilities.

The Effect of Vacuum-Assisted Closure Therapy on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Wound Biofilms.

Biofilm-associated wound infections are a major global health issue, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the greatest therapeutic challenges. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy is now being revisited as an alternative treatment for both acute and chronic wounds. However, data supporting the concept of its antibiofilm effect remain limited.

Antibiofilm effects of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and levofloxacin in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis.

Purpose: Microbial biofilms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP). The aim of our study was to evaluate in vitro effects of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and levofloxacin on biofilm formation by bacterial species isolated from sinus tissue in patients with CRSwNP.

Methods: The sinus mucosal specimens were harvested from the upper parts and roof of ethmoid cavity of 48 patients with CRSwNP.