Novel Psychoactive Substances: The Razor's Edge between Therapeutical Potential and Psychoactive Recreational Misuse.

Background: Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are compounds of natural and synthetic origin, similar to traditional drugs of abuse. NPS are involved in a contemporary trend whose origin lies in a thinner balance between legitimate therapeutic drug research and legislative control. The contemporary NPS trend resulted from the replacement of MDMA by synthetic cathinones in 'ecstasy' during the 2000s.

[CROATIAN GUIDELINES FOR THE PHARMACOTHERAPY OF TYPE 2 DIABETES].

Introduction: The Croatian Association for Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders of the Croatian Medical Association has issued in 2011 the first national guidelines for the nutrition, education, self-control, and pharmacotherapy of diabetes type 2. According to the increased number of available medicines and new evidence related to the effectiveness and safety of medicines already involved in the therapy there was a need for update of the existing guidelines for the pharmacotherapy of type 2 diabetes in the Republic of Croatia.

Participants: as co-authors of the Guidelines there are listed all members of the Croatian Association for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, as well as other representatives of professional societies within the Croatian Medical Association, who have contributed with comments and suggestions to the development of the Guidelines.

[ACCUSTOMING TO HELICOBACTER PYLORI BACTERIUM IN FAMILY PRACTICE].

Today, antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori (HP) is a worldwide problem. The ‘test and treat’ strategy is the recommended approach in family medicine, as family medicine doctors make decisions on treating gastrointestinal conditions without endoscopic findings or HP testing. In treatment strategy, family medicine doctor has to answer several questions: whether the patient has HP infection, is it necessary to evaluate HP infection, which diagnostic test to use in evaluation of HP infection, should he proscribe antibiotic, and which antibiotic to prescribe.

[Quaternary prevention as a basis for rational approach to the patient in family practice].

Quaternary prevention is an action taken to identify a patient at risk of overmedicalisation, to protect him from new medical invasion, and to suggest to him interventions which are ethically acceptable. It belongs mostly to family medicine because of the family physician's position who is the first contact to the patient and "leader" of patient through health care system. Family physician must have a skill to locate the patient's symptom to the proper organ system and also to find the appropriate procedure for the patient.

Antibiotic prescription rate for upper respiratory tract infections and risks for unnecessary prescription in Croatia.

Overprescribing of antibiotics in primary care has been recognized as public health problem. We investigated visits prescription rate of antibiotics to patients with upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and unnecessary prescription for tonsillopharyngitis, in Croatia. In prospective observational study in November 2007.