Assessment of the association between the frequency of micronucleus and p/Ki-67 co-expression in patients with cervical intraepithelial lesions.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is the main etiological factor for cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN). An important characteristic of this process is the loss of genome stability. Therefore, it is imperative to use biomarkers of DNA damage caused by genomic instability to identify high risk individuals.

The association between micronucleus, nucleoplasmic bridges, and nuclear buds frequency and the degree of uterine cervical lesions.

Background And Aim: The loss of genomic stability plays an important role in carcinogenesis. Therefore, it is imperative to use certain biomarkers of DNA damage due to genomic instability in order to predict cancer risk. The aim of this study was the evaluation of genomic instability in patients with cervical lesions.

[Croatian Medical Association--Branch Zagreb].

The available literature shows us that "Druztvo ljeciteljah u Zagrebus (the Society of Healers in Zagreb) was founded as far back as the year 1845 by a total of thirteen members. This data allows us to follow the role of doctors and health workers in Zagreb through their everyday profession, research, organizational and social work as well as management through a period of over one hundred to seventy years. The Branch Zagreb was active before the official establishment of subsidiaries of CMA which is evident from the minutes of the regular annual assembly of the Croatian Medical Association on 21 March 1948.

[Clinical recommendations for diagnosing, treatment and monitoring of patients with endometrial cancer -- Croatian Oncology Society and Croatian Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics as Croatian Medical Association units and Croatian Society of Gynecological Oncology].

Uterine cancer occurs mainly in postmenopausal women, usually as vaginal bleeding. Following ovarian and cervical cancer it is the third most common cause of female reproductive system cancer death. Diagnosis is set by analyzing samples obtained via hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic / paraaortal lymphadenectomy.

Cervical cancer screening in Mediterranean countries: implications for the future.

Prompted by feedback from the 34th European Congress of Cytology (ECC), the practice of including a special symposium in the programme was continued in the 35th ECC in Lisbon (2009) by arranging a satellite symposium entitled 'Cervical Cancer Screening in the Mediterranean Countries'. Because of the importance to the future of this discipline, it was felt appropriate to summarize the highlights of this symposium here. Cervical cancer prevention strategies in the countries participating in the symposium (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey) appear to be highly variable.

Cervix cancer screening in Croatia within the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.

Croatia still has opportunistic screening and the organized national screening has been planned. The European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week was held twice in Croatia, in January 2008 and 2009. Within the first one in 2008, information campaign "For All Women" via mass media was held, and women were invited to the organized free gynecological examination and Papanicolaou test (Pap test) in the University Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Zagreb University Hospital Center.

Cytology of cervical intraepithelial glandular lesions.

Cytological criteria for the identification of glandular intraepithelial lesions (GIL) have not yet been fully described, especially for the precursors of adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), thus these lesions may frequently remain unrecognized. As most patients diagnosed with AIS or mild to moderate GIL (grades I, II) are free from clinical symptoms, cytology has a very responsible role in the detection of these lesions. The aim of the study was to achieve the most appropriate cytologic diagnosis of intraepithelial lesions of endocervical columnar epithelium, analyzing the cytology findings in patients with histologically verified AIS and GIL (I, II).

Current organisation of clinical cytology in Croatia.

Current cytological service in Croatia is organised in 46 cytological organisational units in 23 towns with total of 350 employees: 101 specialists of clinical cytology, 20 residents in clinical cytology, 141 cytotechnologists (cytoscreeners), 45 health technicians, and 25 administrators and 18 auxiliary personnel. In spite of employment of significant number of cytotechnologists in the last ten years, there is still an unacceptable ratio of number of cytologists and cytotechnologists (1:1.4) which is the result of unresolved education of cytotechnologists which should be permanent, complete and acknowledged.

Digital morphometry of cytologic aspirate endometrial samples.

Unlike cervical cytology, morphological cytology criteria in the differential diagnosis of endometrium have not yet been clearly defined, and methods to allow for more precise evaluation of endometrium status have been searched for. The aim of the present study was to assess the value of morphometric nucleus analysis of cytologic aspirate endometrial samples in proliferative, hyperplastic and malignant endometrium by use of digital image analysis. Morphometric analysis was performed on archival cytologic aspirate endometrial samples (at least 10 per group) stained according to Papanicolaou (n = 77) and May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG; n = 80) with the following histopathologic diagnoses: proliferative endometrium, hyperplasia simplex, hyperplasia complex, hyperplasia complex atypica, and adenocarcinoma endometriodes endometrii (grade I, II and III).

Cervical cancer as a public health issue--what next?

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. There are about 60,000 newly detected cases and 30,000 deaths annually in Europe, with the highest incidence reported from Eastern Europe countries. According to data from the National Institute of Public Health, in Croatia the incidence of cervical cancer was 14.

Cytologic characteristics of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the cervix uteri--case report.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare malignancy, usually found in the salivary glands, although this unusual tumor can be found at other sites of the body. In particular, regarding adenoid cystic carcinoma of the cervix (ACCC) most frequently reports are given for postmenopausal women. In this respect, our work is one among very few in the literature that considers a cytologic picture of this uncommon cervix carcinoma.

Liquid-based cytology--new possibilities in the diagnosis of cervical lesions.

Liquid-based cytology (LBC) enables the use of supplementary methods in the diagnosis and prognosis of cervical lesions. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between p16-INK4a immunoexpression in ThinPrep cervical cytologic samples and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the same sample. LBC-ThinPrep (Cytyc, USA) cervical cytology samples, prepared and stained by Papanicolaou method, were analyzed using modified Bethesda cytologic classification named "Zagreb 2002".

Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia in a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report.

Diagnosing vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia in a young woman presenting mainly with skin manifestations of lupus and with no other risk factors is a major challenge. The case of a 27-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus and vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia is described. Although progression of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive planocellular carcinoma is rare, prompt and adequate diagnosis and treatment will help ensure the best possible quality of life.

[Single cell--definitive diagnosis! Where the profession ends and the art begins?].

Cell is a morphologically and functionally the tiniest living organism, present from the very beginning of life on the Earth. Specialized cell types make up specific tissues and organs of the human body. Cell itself and cell elements are liable to morphological, functional, phenotypic and genotypic alterations in various physiological and pathological states.

[Postgraduate study in clinical cytology since 1967--foundation and impact on the development of cytology in Croatia].

In Croatia, clinicians were the first to introduce clinical cytology in the first half of the 20th century. At that time, Beata Brauzil introduced morphological diagnosis in hematology and educated a critical number of clinicians and other enthusiasts interested in cytology. Following the 1963 World Health Organization guidelines on the value of cytodiagnosis in the early detection of cancer and the need of respective education in cytology of medical students, clinicians, pathologists and other professionals, Erik Hauptmann, an internist (as the first head) and Ante Zimolo, a pathologist, initiated foundation of the Postgraduate Study in Medical/Clinical Cytology (PSMCC) in 1967.

[Proposal of cervical cancer early detection programme in Croatia].

Opportunistic screening by Pap smear was introduced in Croatia in 1950s, with a consequent decrease of cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Since 1990s, no further decrease has been observed, and there are still about 370 new cases and 100 deaths of cervical cancer yearly in Croatia. In scope of the proposed early detection programme, all Croatian women aged 25-64 years should be screened.

Organisation of cervical cytology screening in Croatia: past, present and future.

This presentation highlights strengths and weaknesses of cervical cytology screening in Croatia, with particular reference to the opportunistic screening, the use of conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) test and the analysis of some organizational, educational and performance issues that are associated with it. Its aim is to propose measures to improve the efficacy of cervical cytology screening in order to reduce cervical cancer mortality. Currently, in excess of 450,000 Pap tests/ year are examined at 35 laboratories scattered throughout the country.

BSCC, Bethesda or other? Terminology in cervical cytology European panel discussion.

The European panel agreed that reproducibility and translatability of terminology in cervical cytology were essential, arguing well for harmonization of reporting systems. The majority at this meeting use a modification of the Bethesda system (BS). Local modifications involved reporting subcategories within high grade and low grade lesions, which would not alter the overall translatability of their systems both with each other and BS.

Genetic characterization of wild type measles virus isolated in Croatia during the 2003-2004 outbreak.

Viral epidemiology is determined by the movement of infected people within and between geographical areas. The genetic characterization of wild-type isolates combined with standard epidemiological methods may enable the identification of the source and transmission pathways and permit differentiation between indigenous and imported viruses. We investigated the genetic characteristics of the wild-type measles virus isolated in Croatia during a 2003-2004 outbreak.

Digital image analysis of silver-stained nucleolar organizer region--associated proteins in endometrial cytologic samples.

Objective: Digital image analysis was applied to determine the number, area and size of silver-stained nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in cytologic samples from curettage in normal, hyperplastic and malignant endometrium.

Study Design: Thirty-two archival cytologic smears from curettage (previously stained by the Papanicolaou method) with the histologic diagnosis (4 inactive endometrium, 5 secretion, 5 proliferation, 5 simple hyperplasia, 5 complex hyperplasia, 3 atypical hyperplasia, 5 adenocarcinoma, grade 1) were analyzed with the AgNOR technique. Count, area and size of AgNORs were analyzed in 50 cells per sample using a magnification of 1,000x.

Bacampicillin, amoxycillin and talampicillin concentrations in bronchial secretions.

There are references in the literature describing the influence of bronchial inflammation on the antibiotic concentration in bronchial secretions, including netilmicin concentrations in the bronchial secretion of patients undergoing tracheotomy. Three semi-synthetic penicillins are compared--bacampicillin, amoxicillin and talampicillin--administered frequently in the treatment of various respiratory infections. The three antibiotics were administered successively for two days each, in the same patient, irrespective of other drugs.