Maternal education, health profession and cigarette smoking are decisive factors for self-medication in children by parents.

Self-medication of children by their parents (SMCP) is an important public health issue as the effects and potential risks may be unpredictable. The objective of this first national Montenegrin study was to assess the prevalence of and factors influencing SMCP among schoolchildren. Data were obtained from a national representative sample of 4496 schoolchildren aged 7-13 years (50.

Kidney, skeletal muscle and myocardium as potential target sites of Pygeum africanum toxicity in Wistar rats.

Objective: Extract of Pygeum africanum (PAE) is commonly used herbal medication in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. In Montenegro and neighboring countries, PAE is primarily advertised as dietary supplement in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to broaden the current cognition concerning its safety profile.

Systemic Measures and Legislative and Organizational Frameworks Aimed at Preventing or Mitigating Drug Shortages in 28 European and Western Asian Countries.

Drug shortages have been identified as a public health problem in an increasing number of countries. This can negatively impact on the quality and efficiency of patient care, as well as contribute to increases in the cost of treatment and the workload of health care providers. Shortages also raise ethical and political issues.

The association between pro-arrhythmic agents and aortic stenosis in young adults: is it sufficient to clarify the sudden unexpected deaths?

Most young patients with mild-to-moderate aortic stenosis show no symptoms, and sudden death appears only occasionally. We hypothesised that malignant ventricular arrhythmias could be responsible for the high incidence of sudden death in such patients. If multiple factors such as asymptomatic aortic stenosis in association with arrhythmia-provoking agents are involved, could it be sufficient to account for sudden unexpected death? In this study, eight cases of sudden death in young adults, with ages ranging from 22 to 36 years, who had never reported any symptoms that could be related to aortic stenosis, were investigated.

Blood pressure among rural Montenegrin children in relation to poverty and gender.

Background: Health inequalities may begin during childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the main effect of poverty and its interactive effect with gender on children's blood pressure.

Methods: The study was performed in two elementary schools from a rural region near Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

[Antibiotic prescribing policy of the Republic Health Insurance Fund of Montenegro in the period 2000 - 2004: effects of drug utilization reform strategy].

Introduction: Monitoring of antibiotic prescribing promotes rational use of these drugs, reduces costs and slows down the progress of resistance. The objective of present study was to analyze the effects of drug utilization reform strategy realized by the Republic Health Insurance Fund of Montenegro, during the period 2000-2004.

Material And Methods: This before-after comparative pharmacoepidemiological study comprised a sample of 100% prescription only antibiotics available in public pharmacies during the period 2000 - 2004.

[The outpatient use of beta lactam antibiotics in Montenegro before the introduction of new reform strategy on drug market].

Introduction: The study represents the first investigation of outpatient use of beta lactam antibiotics in Montenegro carried out in accordance with internationally approved methodology (DDD/ATC).

Objective: The objective of our study was to establish both the scope and overall use of beta lactam antibiotics, and to assess their compatibility with current pharmacotherapeutic guidelines and their use in developed countries.

Methods: The retrospective pharmaco-epidemiological study comprised a 100%-sample of beta lactams that were used in the period prior to introduction of new reform strategy on drug market.

[Did a reform strategy in drug management improve doctors' prescribing habits in Montenegro: the example for the cardiovascular drugs].

Background/aim: A comprehensive reform strategy in drug management has been applying for a few years in Montenegro in order to promote a rational use of drugs. The reform strategy covered: an information system named "The Control of Distribution and Use of Drugs", a new List of Essential Drugs (that are reimbursed by the Republic Fund for Health), legislative and regulatory measures in order to establish a better control of drug prescribing and more efficient processing of the prescriptions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the reform strategy on the doctors' prescribing habits and the subsequent use of cardiovascular drugs within the outpatient setting of Montenegro.