Publications by authors named "Likic Robert"

Background: Despite efforts to improve undergraduate clinical pharmacology & therapeutics (CPT) education, prescribing errors are still made regularly. To improve CPT education and daily prescribing, it is crucial to understand how therapeutic reasoning works. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain insight into the therapeutic reasoning process.

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and most malignant primary brain tumor, presenting significant treatment challenges due to its heterogeneity, invasiveness, and resistance to conventional therapies. Despite aggressive treatment protocols, the prognosis remains poor, with a median survival time of approximately 15 months. Recent advancements in mRNA vaccine technology, particularly the development of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), have revitalized interest in mRNA-based therapies.

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Article Synopsis
  • - "Medical deserts" refer to areas with limited healthcare services, which makes it hard for people to access quality care; the review looks at how AI, especially large language models (LLMs), can help improve healthcare in these regions.
  • - AI-driven telehealth platforms can break down language and cultural barriers, making healthcare more accessible, while LLMs can assist with diagnostics in areas lacking specialists and provide initial medical advice through chatbots.
  • - The review emphasizes the importance of AI in medical education and resource allocation, suggesting that LLMs could significantly improve healthcare in underserved areas, though ongoing research is needed to unlock their full potential.
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The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex cell-signaling system that is responsible for maintaining homeostasis by modulating various regulatory reactions in response to internal and environmental changes. The influence of ECS on appetite regulation has been a subject of much recent research, however, the full extent of its impact remains unknown. Current evidence links human obesity to ECS activation, increased endocannabinoid levels in both central and peripheral tissues, along with cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CBR1) up-regulation.

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Obesity, a global health challenge, necessitates innovative approaches for effective management. Targeting gut peptides in the development of anti-obesity pharmaceuticals has already demonstrated significant efficacy. Ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY), cholecystokinin (CCK), and amylin are crucial in appetite regulation offering promising targets for pharmacological interventions in obesity treatment using both peptide-based and small molecule-based pharmaceuticals.

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Introduction: Medical deserts are a growing phenomenon across many European countries. They are usually defined as (i) rural areas, (ii) underserved areas or (iii) by applying a measure of distance/time to a facility or a combination of the three characteristics. The objective was to define medical deserts in Spain as well as map their driving factors and approaches to mitigate them.

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  • * AstraZeneca showed the highest reporting rate of arthralgia across all age groups, while arthritis reporting rates were notably lower, with Janssen and Pfizer-BioNTech showing higher rates in older age groups (60-69 and 80+).
  • * This research highlights the significance of considering reports of arthralgia in assessing vaccine risks and benefits, particularly for individuals with rheumatic conditions, which could impact their choices about vaccination.
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Rational prescribing is essential for the quality of health care. However, many final-year medical students and junior doctors lack prescribing competence to perform this task. The availability of a list of medicines that a junior doctor working in Europe should be able to independently prescribe safely and effectively without supervision could support and harmonize teaching and training in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) in Europe.

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Aims: Medical case vignettes play a crucial role in medical education, yet they often fail to authentically represent diverse patients. Moreover, these vignettes tend to oversimplify the complex relationship between patient characteristics and medical conditions, leading to biased and potentially harmful perspectives among students. Displaying aspects of patient diversity, such as ethnicity, in written cases proves challenging.

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Objectives: Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are widely prescribed in Croatia to treat anxiety, insomnia, mood disorders, and epileptic seizures. Long-term BZD use is associated with memory loss, Alzheimer's disease, dependence, addiction, falls in elderly populations, and increased traffic accident risk.

Methods: Drug consumption data were obtained from the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Croatia website.

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Introduction: More than two years after SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has become one of the most severe pandemics in modern human history. Prior to the widespread availability of specific vaccines in 2021, public opinion surveys indicated significant vaccine hesitancy in 26 European countries.

Materials And Methods: Epidemiological data on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality for 26 European countries were collected in November 2021 and compared with the proportions of people willing to receive the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine according to public opinion surveys analysed in 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A literature review and case study are presented to illustrate the vulnerabilities of AI, revealing that current regulations are insufficient to address ethical concerns related to LLMs.
  • * The paper proposes solutions such as explainable AI, collaboration for ethical guidelines, and policy changes to create a comprehensive regulatory framework to balance the benefits and risks of AI in healthcare and security.
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  • A study examined the preparedness of final-year medical students in Croatia to prescribe antimicrobials, comparing data from 2015 and 2019.
  • Results showed that students felt less prepared in 2019 (56.5%) compared to 2015 (62.7%), despite higher reported needs for education on antibiotic use.
  • The findings suggest that more focused educational programs are necessary to prepare students adequately for prescribing antibiotics, indicating a gap in current training approaches.
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Introduction: Medical deserts are increasingly considered problematic and many countries employ a multitude of actions and initiatives to achieve a better distribution of the health workforce (HWF). This study systematically maps research and provides an overview of the definitions/characteristics of medical deserts. It also identifies contributing factors and approaches to mitigate medical deserts.

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Background: The implementation of public health measures is a key aspect of the fight against the pandemic. However, the current literature suggests that the effectiveness of measures is influenced by various factors, and these factors are most pronounced among young people. Finding the causes and reasons for non-compliance is essential for increasing the effectiveness of measures and reducing their negative effects.

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Introduction: Global warming is slowly but surely becoming one of the greatest problems of the modern world. Heatwaves with extremely high temperatures and humidity changes are particularly dangerous as they can lead to increased mortality rates and increased side effects of certain medications. The goal of this study was to give a short review of the most critical issues healthcare professionals should be mindful of when it comes to prescription of medicines during high temperature periods.

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