PHARMACOVIGILANCE IN SERBIA: A TEN-YEAR PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGIC ANALYSIS.

Pharmacovigilance as a science and group of activities related to detection, collection, analysis, understanding and prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is an essential activity in the regulatory system of drugs of any country. Defining increased patient safety as the main purpose of ADR reporting, a well-designed national pharmacovigilance system achieves its ultimate goal, i.e.

Adherence, Disease Control, and Misconceptions Related to the Use of Inhalation Therapy in Patients with Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study.

: Inadequate treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might have a negative impact on their progression. Inhalation therapy is the cornerstone of pharmacotherapy for these conditions. However, challenges such as low adherence, negative attitudes, and misconceptions about inhaled medications still persist, impeding effective disease management.

Valuation and perception of the costs of climate change on health.

Background And Aims: Climate change affects our societies and lives through our economies, our livelihoods, and our health. Economic losses of climate change are estimated at $23 trillion, largely through externalities due to premature mortality, healthcare expenditure, and health-related work losses. Even if there are established methods to quantify the health economic burden, there is limited information on how people perceive this information.

Assessment of health impacts and costs attributable to air pollution in urban areas using two different approaches. A case study in the Western Balkans.

In this study, two different air quality impact assessment methodologies were adopted and combined with a sensitivity analysis to estimate the unit costs. Air pollution health impact (mortality) assessment was carried out using one methodology based on log-linear concentration response functions (CRF) and another relying on the integrated exposure response curve (IER) from the Global Burden of Disease. Morbidity impacts were estimated with the CRF approach only.

Coping with the mental health impact of COVID-19: A study protocol for a multinational longitudinal study on coping and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Mental health is challenged due to serious life events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and can differ by the level of resilience. National studies on mental health and resilience of individuals and communities during the pandemic provide heterogeneous results and more data on mental health outcomes and resilience trajectories are needed to better understand the impact of the pandemic on mental health in Europe.

Methods: COPERS (Coping with COVID-19 with Resilience Study) is an observational multinational longitudinal study conducted in eight European countries (Albania, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia).

Additives in Children's Nutrition-A Review of Current Events.

Additives are defined as substances added to food with the aim of preserving and improving safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance. While indirect additives can be found in traces in food and come from materials used for packaging, storage, and technological processing of food, direct additives are added to food with a special purpose (canning). The use of additives is justified if it is in accordance with legal regulations and does not pose a health or danger to consumers in the prescribed concentration.

Community pharmacists' challenges regarding adverse drug reaction reporting: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: The effectiveness of the national drug safety monitoring program directly depends on the active participation of healthcare professionals in reporting suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The aim of the study was to explore community pharmacists' comprehension of pharmacovigilance, their perspectives toward reporting ADRs and investigate the current practice of ADR reporting among pharmacists in Serbia.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of pharmacists in Serbia between November 2019 and March 2020 using a pre-tested questionnaire distributed online.

Impact of the Cross-Curricular Education Program on Food Intake, Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index of School Children in a Local Community in Northern Serbia.

Introduction: The trends in the state of nutrition and physical activity of school-age children in Serbia impose a need to create and evaluate programs to improve their nutrition and physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the cross-curricular nutrition and physical activity education program (NPAEP) on food intake, physical activity, and body mass index in first-fourth-grade primary school children.

Material And Methods: The study used an experimental pre-test (t1) post-test (t2) design.

Environment-lockdown, air pollution and related diseases: could we learn something and make it last?

Although the pandemic has caused substantial losses in economic prosperity and human lives, it has also some positive impacts on the environment. Restricted mobility, complete closure, less traffic and industry have led to improved air quality especially in urban settings. Not only is air pollution an important determinant of chronic diseases, such as heart and lung disorders, but it has also been shown that poor air quality increases the risk of COVID-19.

Short-term health effects of air quality changes during the COVID‑19 pandemic in the City of Novi Sad, the Republic of Serbia.

Objectives: The objective of this research is to determine the change in outdoor air quality during the COVID‑19 related state of emergency resulting in a lockdown and the potential health benefits for the urban population.

Material And Methods: During 53 days of the COVID‑19 related state of emergency with a lockdown (March 15-May 6, 2020) in the Republic of Serbia, as well as in the corresponding periods of 2018 and 2019, data on the daily sulfur dioxide (SO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O) and particulate matter (PM and PM) concentrations were analyzed. The total mortality data were analyzed to estimate the impact of the COVID‑19 related lockdown measures on the burden of health in a given population, attributed to the outdoor air quality in the City of Novi Sad, using AirQ+ software.

Impact of climate conditions on hospital admissions for subcategories of cardiovascular diseases.

Background: The aim of this study has been to examine the association between climate conditions (CC) and hospital admissions for the subcategories of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), according to patients' age.

Material And Methods: From January 2010 through December 2011, the daily number of hospital admissions for angina pectoris (AP), essential hypertension (EH), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and ischemic heart diseases (IHD) for adults (19-64 years old) and the elderly (≥ 65 years old), as well as for the CC (N = 728 days) was collected for multivariate Poisson regression analysis, confounding with season and weekends. The results were expressed by using the relative risk with the corresponding 95% confidence interval.

Pneumonia: Features registered in autopsy material.

Background: Despite improvements in clinical practice, pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Pathologic findings from autopsy reports could provide more precise and valid data on characteristics of pneumonia patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed autopsy reports of deceased patients admitted to the Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica, Serbia, between 1994 and 2003.

THE ROLE OF NUTRITION IN CARIES PREVENTION AND MAINTENANCE OF ORAL HEALTH DURING PREGNANCY.

Introduction: Pregnancy may pose an increased risk for the development of caries and other oral health problems. Continuous screening of oral health status, implementing appropriate preventive measures (particularly oral hygiene, healthy diet plans and education) is of paramount importance not only for oral health but also for the general health status of the future mother and her offspring. EFFECTS OF FOOD ON CARIES DEVELOPMENT: Caries prevention through healthy diet implicates the reduction in frequency and amount of intake of cariogenic food, above all ofrefined carbohydrates, i.

Raw milk consumption and health.

Contrary to the safe practices of milk pasteurization or sterilization, which effectively reduce foodborne outbreaks incidence associated with raw milk and dairy products use, outbreaks caused by such products continue to occur. Despite this fact, a worldwide movement advocating for the rights of raw milk and cheese selling and consumption, due to their specific nutritive characteristics, has strengthened significantly in recent years. Traditional agricultural manufacturers from Serbia still sell products related to thermally unprocessed milk, such as cottage cheese and raw cream.

Cardiovascular diseases and air pollution in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Objectives: A large body of evidence has documented that air pollutants have adverse effect on human health as well as on the environment. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was an association between outdoor concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and a daily number of hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Novi Sad, Serbia among patients aged above 18.

Material And Methods: The investigation was carried out during over a 3-year period (from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009) in the area of Novi Sad.

The impact of obesity on early mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background/aim: It had been suggested that elevated body mass index (BMI) is a beneficial and preventive factor when it comes to the outcome for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). At the same time, obesity is strongly associated with coronary artery disease development. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of the obesity paradox in patients referred for CABG and to examine if a relationship exists between obesity and early coronary surgery outcome.

[Health and environment].

Introduction: The Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, is responsible for undergraduate and graduate courses in the field of preventive medicine. The principal task of physicians in the 21st century is to provide health promotion and desease prevention. In the future, evaluation of physician knowledge and competence will be predominantly based on patients' health conditions.

Occurrence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes in some retail food products in Novi Sad.

The official reporting system in the Province of Vojvodina (PV) indicates that cases of human salmonellosis were partly covered by complete epidemiological investigation including laboratory analysis of the suspected food. Intestinal campylobacteriosis and yersiniosis and four cases of septicemias caused by Listeria monocytogenes were not fully epidemiologically investigated. Actual country legislation on food safety does not include provisions for a routine control of the above mentioned pathogens except for Salmonella.