Developing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations during the pandemic: The experience of Serbia's Expert Committee on Immunization.

A National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) is a multi-disciplinary body of national experts that provide evidence-based recommendations to policy-makers to assist them in making informed immunization policy and programme decisions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, NITAGs faced many challenges in making evidence-based recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines due to the rapidly evolving situation with new vaccine products available in a short time period and limited data on vaccine effectiveness. The authors reviewed the process used by Serbia's NITAG, which is called the Serbian Expert Committee on Immunization, to develop COVID-19 vaccine recommendations during the pandemic.

Cardiac findings in pediatric patients with spinal muscular atrophy types 2 and 3.

Background: It is unclear whether the heart is affected in pediatric patients with milder forms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Therefore, we aimed to determine the presence of any cardiac abnormalities in these patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of children and adolescents with SMA types 2 and 3 between July 2018 and July 2019.

Multi-purpose ECG telemetry system.

Background: The Electrocardiogram ECG is one of the most important non-invasive tools for cardiac diseases diagnosis. Taking advantage of the developed telecommunication infrastructure, several approaches that address the development of telemetry cardiac devices were introduced recently. Telemetry ECG devices allow easy and fast ECG monitoring of patients with suspected cardiac issues.

Oral propranolol for infantile hemangiomas: a prospective study on the role of 48-hour Holter monitoring in additional safety assessment.

Purpose: Oral propranolol has been recently approved for infantile hemangiomas (IHs), but potential side effects stay a challenge. We sought to make an additional assessment on oral propranolol safety for this indication.

Materials And Methods: Prospective study included 108 infants consecutively treated for IHs at the University Children's Hospital Tirsova, Belgrade from January 2010 to December 2013.

[The Role of Two-Dimensional Echocardiography in Diagnostics of Coarctation of the Aorta in Newborns].

Introduction: Diagnosis of neonatal coarctation of the aorta (CoA) still presents a challenge in routine practice because of absence of reliable morphologic and functional parameters for early detection of this congenital heart defect in newborns.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify easy obtainable two-dimensional echocardiographic parameters for detection of the CoA in newborns.

Methods: Echocardiographic evaluation was performed in 30 newborns with CoA and 20 healthy neonates (control group).

Prenatal growth retardation, microcephaly, and eye coloboma in infant with multiple congenital anomalies: further delineation of presumed new dysmorphic syndrome.

Background: Ten years ago an unusual association of prenatal growth retardation, microcephaly, coloboma of the iris/eye anomalies, congenital heart defects, and urogenital anomalies was reported for the first time in three siblings. Autosomal recessive inheritance was presumed. This finding has been included in London Winter-Baraitser Dysmorphology Database as a separate entity, but still has not been classified as a distinct syndrome.

[The influence of respiratory pattern on heart rate variability analysis in heart failure].

Introduction: Autonomic dysfunction is present early in the course of heart failure, and has a direct role on deterioration of cardiac function and prognosis. Heart rate variability (HRV) estimates sympathovagal control of heart frequency. The influence of respiratory pattern on HRV is clinically important.

Heart rate variability in children with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia.

Idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (IVT) is a rare arrhythmia in children. A great deal of uncertainty and numerous questions still remain regarding the extent of investigation, therapy, and long-term prognosis for children with IVT. The existence of subclinical cardiac disease, as well as of autonomic dysfunction in patients with ventricular arrhythmias, has been well documented.

[Influence of heart failure severity on heart rate variability].

Introduction: Autonomic regulation of cardiovascular functions in congestive heart failure is characterised by enhanced sympathetic and diminished parasympathetic activity. The long term predominance of sympathetic tone is a significant factor in arrhythmogenesis, sudden cardiac death, and progressive pump failure. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive method for estimating the sympatho vagal balance in cardiovascular control.

[Surgery for coarctation of the aorta in infants younger than three months].

Introduction: Recurrent coarctation is a complication which is seen at a consistent rate following repair for coarctation of the aorta in young infants.

Objective: This retrospective analysis was carried out to compare the results between resection with end-to-end anastomosis (ETE), and resection with extended end-to-end anastomosis (E-ETE), in this age group during late follow-up period. The role of ductus arteriosus is not clearly defined and the second objective of this study was to analyze intimal thickening in aortic coarctation.

[Results of treatment of cyanotic heart defects in children].

Cyanotic heart diseases are relatively rare, but they are severe and heterogeneous congenital heart diseases, which require complex surgery. Development of different advanced surgical procedures, such as arterial switch operation (ASO), Fontan and its modifications, Norwood etc. operations, as well as better perioperative care significantly improved survival rate and quality of life of these children.