Publications by authors named "S Ljubin-Sternak"

Human bocavirus (HBoV) has emerged as a significant pathogen primarily associated with respiratory infections in children. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical relevance of HBoV infection by quantifying viral loads in nasopharyngeal swabs from hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and investigating correlations with clinical outcomes. A total of 957 children were tested, with HBoV detected in 73 cases (7.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the prevalence and resistance trends of non-gonococcal urethritis in male individuals in Croatia, identifying significant rates of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in isolated strains.
  • Analyzing 8,073 urine samples collected between 2018 and 2023, researchers found a 2.2% infection rate, with macrolide resistance at 60.4% and fluoroquinolone resistance at 19.2%.
  • The study highlights the increasing fluoroquinolone resistance over time and emphasizes the need for better resistance testing and treatment strategies to combat the rising antibiotic resistance in this public health issue.
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A decade-long neglect of rhinovirus as an important agent of disease in humans was primarily due to the fact that they were seen as less virulent and capable of causing only mild respiratory infections such as common cold. However, with an advent of molecular diagnostic methods, an increasing number of reports placed them among the pathogens found in the lower respiratory tract and recognized them as important risk factors for asthma-related pathology in childhood. As the spread of rhinovirus was not severely affected by the implementation of social distancing and other measures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, its putative pathogenic role has become even more evident in recent years.

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Article Synopsis
  • Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a respiratory virus that commonly affects children and often appears alongside other respiratory viruses, complicating diagnosis.
  • A study compared two testing methods (multiplex PCR and quantitative PCR) for detecting HBoV in cases where it co-occurs with other viruses, analyzing 55 cases.
  • Although no significant correlation between the severity of the disease and the amount of HBoV was found, children with higher levels of HBoV and other viruses tended to have longer hospital stays.
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() is an obligate intracellular bacterium linked to ocular and urogenital infections with potentially serious sequelae, including blindness and infertility. First-line antibiotics, such as azithromycin (AZT) and doxycycline, are effective, but treatment failures have also been reported. Encapsulation of antibiotics in liposomes is considered an effective approach for improving their local effects, bioavailability, biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity.

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