Evaluation of Risk Factors for the Occurrence of Limb Fractures in Children Due to Unintentional Injury in Podgorica, Montenegro, Mediterranean.

: Limb injuries in childhood are very common, with most of them being unintentional and often accompanied by soft tissue injuries. The aim of our study was to determine the risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of limb fractures as the most common type of accidental injury to children in our conditions. : This study was designed as a prospective clinical analysis of predictive factors with a "nested" case-control study.

Mortality of Malignant Melanoma in Central Serbia, in the Period 1999-2015.

Introduction: Malignant melanoma is one of the rarest forms of skin cancer but it is the most deadly.

Objective: The objective of this paper was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics and trends of mortality from malignant melanoma in the population of Central Serbia in the period 1999-2015.

Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective descriptive epidemiological study.

Homozygous-Recessive Characteristics as a Biomarker of Predisposition for COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a new form of severe acute respiratory syndrome, has caused a global pandemic. The aim of this study was to analyze homozygous-recessive characteristics (HRC) in the group of COVID-19 patients, considering their gender, forms of the disease (mild and severe symptoms), risk factors: hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, hyperlipidemia, smoking habits, and the distribution of ABO blood group. Using the HRC test, we analyzed 20 HRCs in a sample of 321 individuals: 205 patients and 116 controls.

Correction: Chronic Hepatitis C: Conspectus of immunological events in the course of fibrosis evolution.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Plasma Kynurenine Predicts Severity and Complications of Heart Failure and Associates with Established Biochemical and Clinical Markers of Disease.

Background: Kynurenine, a metabolite of the L-tryptophan pathway, plays a pivotal role in neuro-inflammation, cancer immunology, and cardiovascular inflammation, and has been shown to predict cardiovascular events.

Objectives: It was our objective to increase the body of data regarding the value of kynurenine as a biomarker in chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods: We investigated the predictive value of plasma kynurenine in a CHF cohort (CHF, n = 114); in a second cohort of defibrillator carriers with CHF (AICD, n = 156), we determined clinical and biochemical determinants of the marker which was measured by enzyme immunoassay.

The Risk Model of Developing Schizophrenia Based on Temperament and Character.

Introduction: Cloninger's psychological model of temperament and character confirms that the personality development is influenced by biological and psychological processes. The aim of this study is to examine personality dimensions and to determine which variable separates the healthy from the ill in the best way and could be a possible psychological marker for the presence of the illness.

Methods: This research included 152 subjects, 76 patients with schizophrenia and 76 healthy controls, selected on the basis of medical interviews, random population sampling model from a wider social community using the independent T-Tests.

Plasma Zonulin and its Association with Kidney Function, Severity of Heart Failure, and Metabolic Inflammation.

Background: The tight junction regulator zonulin has attracted clinical attention as a biomarker of increased gastrointestinal permeability. Recent work also suggests zonulin to represent a general regulator of tissue barriers and a player in metabolic inflammation. Here, we investigated the associations of zonulin with chronic heart failure (CHF), kidney function, and metabolic inflammation.

Clinical trial/experimental study (consort compliant): Optimal time period to achieve the effects on synbiotic-controlled wheezing and respiratory infections in young children.

Introduction: Urban life is often followed by immune dysfunction and loss of immune tolerance in the youngest children.

Objective: The study aimed to determine optimal time efficiency of a synbiotic (5 x 10⁹ Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52, Bifidobacterium infantis Rosell-33, Bifidobacterium bifidum Rosell-71) in controlling respiratory infections and wheezing disease.

Methods: We randomly selected a group of children younger than five years, hospitalized earlier, and classified them into three groups.

The prevalence and socioeconomic correlates of depressive and anxiety symptoms in a group of 1,940 Serbian university students.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND/AIM. Mental health of university students is under increasing concern worldwide, because they face challenges which predisposes them to depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to identify demographic and socioeconomic variables associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students.

Analysis of risk factors for perifocal oedema after endovascular embolization of unruptured intracranial arterial aneurysms.

Background: Endovascular embolization is a treatment of choice for the management of unruptured intracranial aneurysms, but sometimes is complicated with perianeurysmal oedema. The aim of our study was to establish incidence and outcomes of perianeurysmal oedema after endovascular coiling of unruptured intracranial aneurysms, and to reveal possible risk factors for development of this potentially serious complication.

Methods: In total 119 adult patients with endovascular embolization of unruptured intracranial aneurysm (performed at Department for Interventional Neuroradiology, Clinical Center, Kragujevac, Serbia) were included in our study.

Evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers as helping diagnostic tool in patients with breast cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-18, NO and MDA, in patients with breast cancer and to assess their clinical significance as a novel diagnostic markers in breast carcinoma.

Methods: We examined IFN-γ, IL-18, NO and MDA in 18 healthy volunteers, 38 patients with primary invasive breast cancer, and 18 patients with distant metastatic breast cancer. Serum levels of NO were measured by the Griess method.

Clinical performance of the EuroSCORE II compared with the previous EuroSCORE iterations.

Background: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II has been recently introduced as an update to the previous versions. We sought to evaluate the predictive performance of the EuroSCORE II model against the original additive and logistic EuroSCORE models.

Patients And Methods: The study included 1,247 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery procedures during a 14-month period starting from the beginning of 2012.

NT-proBNP for prognostic and diagnostic evaluation in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Background And Aim: N terminal-proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is synthesised and secreted from the ventricular myocardium. This marker is known to be elevated in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We evaluated NT-proBNP asa significant diagnostic marker and an important independent predictor of short-term mortality (one month) in patients with ACS.

Effects of combination of AT1-antagonist candesartan cilexetil and ACE-inhibitors in patients with congestive heart failure.

Introduction: Combination of ACE-inhibitors with angiotensin-II type 1 receptor antagonists could provide better blockade of RAAS system compared with monotherapy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate hemodynamic and neurohumoral effects at rest and during exercise of Candesartan cilexetil as add-on therapy to ACE-inhibitors in patients with heart failure NYHA class III to IV.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study.

Risk factors for the appearance of minimal pathologic lesions on vocal folds in vocal professionals.

Background/aim: An excessive use or misuse of voice by vocal professionals may result in symptoms such are husky voice, hoarse voice, total loss of voice, or even organic changes taking place on vocal folds--minimal pathological lesions--MAPLs. The purpose of this study was to identify the type of MAPLs which affects vocal professionals, as well as to identify the risk factors that bring about these changes.

Methods: There were 94 vocal professionals who were examined altogether, out of whom 46 were affected by MAPLs, whereas 48 of them were diagnosed with no MAPLs, so that they served as the control group.

Incremental value of high-sensitive troponin T in addition to the revised cardiac index for peri-operative risk stratification in non-cardiac surgery.

Aims: We aimed to evaluate the incremental value of high-sensitive troponin T (hsTnT) for risk prediction prior to non-cardiac surgery in comparison with the established revised cardiac index.

Methods And Results: In this prospective, international multicentre observational study, 979 patients prior to non-cardiac surgery were enrolled. The endpoints were in-hospital mortality, the combination of death, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, and acute decompensated heart failure.

Elevated serum level of type-2 cytokine and low IL-17 in first episode psychosis and schizophrenia in relapse.

Schizophrenia is chronic and debilitating mental disorder. In broad spectrum of possible causes or contributing factors, immune system and cytokines were investigated in the onset and development of schizophrenia. The aim of our study was to analyze the serum concentrations of type-1 cytokines: TNF-α, IFN-γ, type-2 cytokines: IL-4, IL-10, type-17 cytokine: IL-17 and regulatory cytokines: TGF-β, IL-27, IL-6, in drug-naive patients with First Episode Psychosis - FEP (n = 88) and Schizophrenia in relapse - SC in relapse patients (n = 45), comparing to healthy controls (n = 36).

Importance of quick test for screening of former drug users.

Introduction: Most frequent mode of transmission of HCV today is with intravenous drug use. Former intravenous (IV) drug users present population group more exposed to HCV infection. Longer period of substance abuse, common syringe, more sexual partners (drug users) represent independent, statistically significant risk factors in this population.

Dystocia as a cause of untimely cesarean section.

Background/aim: One of the most frequent indications for cesarean section is dystocia. It is impossible to predict, difficult to identify and coincident with the rapid expiry of the expected time, so it is important to point out some mistakes in expecting vaginal delivery. The aim of this study was to examine the frequency and the length of dystocia-related cesarean delivery, as well as the vitality of the newborn immediately after birth.

Antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities of methanolic extracts from Ligustrum vulgare L. as an individual treatment and in combination with palladium complex.

The aim of this study is to examine the growth inhibitory effects of methanolic leaf and fruit extracts of L. vulgare on HCT-116 cells over different time periods and their synergistic effect with a Pd(apox) complex. The antiproliferative activity of plant extracts alone or in combination with the Pd(apox) complex was determined using MTT cell viability assay, where the IC(50) value was used as a parameter of cytotoxicity.

Cervical precancerous lesions--chromosomal instability in peripheral blood lymphocytes in relation to lesion stage, age and smoking habits.

Objective: To evaluate chromosomal damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients newly diagnosed with cervical precancerous lesions with respect to age, smoking habits, miscarriages, abortions and lesion stage.

Design: Clinical study.

Setting: Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Kragujevac, Serbia, during 2009-2010.

[Breech presentation at term: caesarean section or vaginal delivery?].

Introduction: Term breech presentation occurs in 3-4% of all deliveries. Most obstetricians are completely sure how to end delivery when the foetus is in breech presentation, by caesarean section as the only option.

Objective: The main goal of the paper was to present the method of delivery for term breech presentation analyzed at the Hospital of Gynaecology and Obstetrics and Clinical Centre in Kragujevac, and parameters that influenced the decision on the method of choice to perform delivery with the foetus in breech position.