Effectiveness and Pharmacokinetic evaluation of Geonistin® (Oxytetracyline and Nystatin) Vaginal Tablets for Unspecific and Mixed Vulvovaginal Infections (GENIE Study).

The GENIE study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and systemic exposure to oxytetracycline in local treatment of unspecific and mixed vulvovaginal infections characterized by vaginal discharge with Geonistin® vaginal tablets (100 mg oxytetracycline and 100 000 IU nystatin). The total number of subjects enrolled was 189. The treatment had beneficial effects in 100% of the study population.

Detection of sexually transmitted pathogens in patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain: a prospective clinical study.

In <10% of patients with prostatitis syndrome, a causative uropathogenic organism can be detected. It has been shown that certain organisms that cause sexually transmitted infections can also cause chronic bacterial prostatitis, which can be hard to diagnose and treat appropriately because prostatic samples obtained by prostatic massage are not routinely tested to detect them. We conducted a clinical study to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia, mycoplasma, and trichomonas infection in 254 patients that were previously diagnosed and treated for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome due to negative urethral swab, urine, and prostate samples.

Antimicrobial Sensitivity Profile of Chlamydia trachomatis isolates from Croatia in McCoy Cell Culture System and Comparison with the Literature.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the most common bacterial agent of sexually transmitted infections around the world, but susceptibility testing of this pathogen is rarely pursued due to its intracellular niche. The principal aims of this research were to determine in vitro sensitivity profile of urogenital chlamydial strains isolated from Croatian patients and to compare obtained concentration values of different antimicrobial drugs mutually and with the literature.

Platelet satellitism in infectious disease?

Background: Platelet satellitism is a phenomenon of unknown etiology of aggregating platelets around polymorphonuclear neutrophils and other blood cells which causes pseudothrombocytopenia, visible by microscopic examination of blood smears. It has been observed so far in about a hundred cases in the world.

Case Subject And Methods: Our case involves a 73-year-old female patient with a urinary infection.

Septic abortion caused by Campylobacter jejuni bacteraemia.

A 20-year-old female patient, 14 weeks pregnant, was admitted to hospital with anamnestic and clinical features of acute pyelonephritis. Clinical signs of septic abortion developed and after obstetric examination the therapy was changed to ampicillin, gentamicin and clindamycin. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from blood cultures.

The significance of Chlamydia trachomatis in prostatitis syndrome.

Research and publication expenses were supported in part by the Croatian Science Foundation and PLIVA Croatia Ltd. (project no. 04/30 'Research on the aetiology, epidemiology, diagnostics, and treatment of patients with prostatitis syndrome').

The association of ventricular tachycardia and endothelial dysfunction in the setting of acute myocardial infarction with ST elevation.

Background: Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is frequently seen in ischemic settings like acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation (STEMI). Endothelial dysfunction (ED) represents inflammation and the loss of all protective features of the endothelium. We aimed to examine the association between VT and ED in patients with STEMI.

In vitro susceptibility of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis strains in a country with high azithromycin consumption rate.

Although Chlamydia trachomatis resistance is not of great concern due to its excellent sensitivity to the currently recommended first-line antibiotics (azithromycin and doxycycline), clinical treatment failures have been reported and some of them were linked to laboratory proved resistance. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro susceptibility to azithromycin and doxycycline for 24 urogenital chlamydial strains isolated in Croatia-a country with the highest consumption of azithromycin in Europe and with very high antibiotic prescription rates. Fourteen isolates from cervical swabs, nine from male urethral swabs, and one isolate from expressed prostatic secretion were tested in McCoy cell culture system.

Orthostatic intolerance: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome with overlapping vasovagal syncope.

A 28-year-old female with a history of situational syncope and a new-onset right sided hemiparesis is described. Tilt-up table test revealed the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome followed by vasovagal syncope. Neurological and internal medicine tests showed no particular disorders.

Serum levels of metalloproteinases and their inhibitors during infection with pathogens having integrin receptor-mediated cellular entry.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes with numerous roles in the normal immune response to infection. However, excess MMP activity following infection may lead to immunopathological processes that cause tissue damage. Their activity in normal tissues is subject to tight control, which is regulated by its specific endogenous tissue inhibitors (TIMPs).

Bilateral Pseudomonas aeruginosa endogenous endophthalmitis in an immune-competent patient with nosocomial urosepsis following abdominal surgery.

Endogenous endophthalmitis is a vision-threatening condition that results from hematogenous spread of infection to the eye, originating from a distant primary focus. It is considered as a rare entity that predominantly occurs in immune-compromised patients. We present a case of a critically ill immune-competent patient who underwent abdominal surgery later followed by nosocomial urosepsis complicated with bilateral Pseudomonas aeruginosa endogenous endophthalmitis that resulted in blindness.

A switch therapy protocol with intravenous azithromycin and ciprofloxacin combination for severe, relapsing chronic bacterial prostatitis: a prospective non-comparative pilot study.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is characterized by intense clinical symptoms, frequent relapse episodes and poor quality of life. Aggressive antibacterial therapy is warranted to eradicate the causative pathogens and to achieve a permanent cure. We administered a "switch-therapy" protocol to 30 patients showing severe CBP symptoms and two or more relapse episodes in the previous 12 months.

Macrolides for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis: an effective application of their unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile (Review).

Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is a persistent infection of the prostate characterized by poor quality of life mainly due to frequent relapse episodes caused by incomplete eradication of causative pathogens. Aggressive antibacterial therapy is required to attenuate the severe symptoms of CBP and to achieve a permanent cure. Although fluoroquinolones are currently recommended as first-choice agents, macrolide antibiotics are emerging as a noteworthy option for the treatment of CBP.

Fluoroquinolone-macrolide combination therapy for chronic bacterial prostatitis: retrospective analysis of pathogen eradication rates, inflammatory findings and sexual dysfunction.

We previously demonstrated the safety and efficacy of fluoroquinolone-macrolide combination therapy in category II chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP). The aim of this study is to retrospectively compare the microbiological and clinical findings of two treatment schemes for CBP based on the combination of azithromycin (500 mg, thrice-weekly) with a once-daily 500- or 750-mg dose of ciprofloxacin (Cipro-500 or Cipro-750 cohort, respectively). Combined administration of azithromycin (1500 mg week(-1)) with ciprofloxacin at the rate of 750 mg day(-1) for 4 weeks rather than at 500 mg day(-1) for 6 weeks increased the eradication rates from 62.

Electrocardiographic changes in hospitalized patients with leptospirosis over a 10-year period.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and type of ECG changes in patients with leptospirosis regardless of clinical evidence of cardiac involvement.

Material/methods: A total of 97 patients with serologically confirmed leptospirosis treated at the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević" in Zagreb, Croatia, were included in this retrospective study.

Eradication of Chlamydia trachomatis parallels symptom regression in chronic bacterial prostatitis patients treated with a fluoroquinolone-macrolide combination.

To investigate the association between eradication of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and symptom regression in chronic prostatitis, 55 symptomatic patients were subjected to segmented tests to localise CT in first voided urine (VB1), prostatic secretions (EPS), post-massage voided (VB3) or semen specimens. Patients were divided in three treatment groups: the 'urethral involvement' group ('U': VB1 positive, EPS/VB3/Semen negative) was treated with 500 mg day(-1) azithromycin for 3 days. The 'prostatitis' group ('P': VB1 negative, EPS/VB3/semen positive) with 4-week levofloxacin-azithromycin combination.

Critical issues in chronic prostatitis.

In the last decade, an impressive amount of clinical research data has shed new light on pathogenesis and management of the chronic prostatitis syndrome. A new classification and a validated symptom score have enabled urologists worldwide to speak a "common language", thus greatly improving the amount and quality of focused research in this field. In Europe, a large number of groups and experts have been actively involved in this research, and have developed in many cases a genuine view on prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain etiology, diagnosis and treatment.

[Determining antimicrobial resistance to Chlamydia trachomatis and applying present findings in daily practice].

Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the most common bacterial causative agent of sexually transmitted diseases today. Treatment outcome will depend on the choice of antimicrobial drug.

[Urogenital infections--antimicrobial treatment].

Urogenital infections are among the most common infectious diseases of humans in the world. They are one of the leading causes of acute diseases, chronic health impairment and mortality. Sexually transmitted infections are important public health problem due to their epidemic spread, numerous complications leaving permanent consequences on the human health as well as large expenses that health care systems and individuals have to pay for their detection, prevention and treatment.

Research of urinary tract infections in family medicine physicians' offices--empiric antimicrobial therapy of urinary tract infections--Croatian experience.

In the period between October 1st and November 30th, 2006, we investigated a total of 3188 episodes of UTI (802 among males; 2386 among females) recorded in 108 family medicine offices in 20 cities in Croatia. The most common UTIs in women were acute uncomplicated cystitis (62%), complicated UTIs - cystitis and pyelonephritis (14%), urethritis (9%), acute uncomplicated pyelonephritis (6%), recurrent cystitis (5%), asymptomatic bacteriuria (3%) and recurrent pyelonephritis. The most common UTIs in men were complicated UTIs - cystitis and pyelonephritis (48%), urethritis (25%), prostatitis (24%) and asymptomatic bacteriuria (3%).

[ISKRA guidelines on antimicrobial treatment and prophylaxis of urinary tract infections--Croatian national guidelines].

These guidelines refer to diagnosis, antimicrobial treatment and prophylaxis of urinary tract infections in adults and children older than 12 years of age and cover lower urinary tract in females, uncomplicated pyelonephritis, complicated UTI with or without pyelonephritis, asymptomatic bacteriuria and recurrent UTI. These guidelines do not cover sexually transmitted diseases. The guidelines are primarily intended for use by general practitioners and specialists working in primary health care and hospitals.

Is the clinical picture of Schnitzler syndrome always Schnitzler syndrome?

Here we present two cases, a female and a male patient with Schnitzler-like syndrome. Both patients had two major (monoclonal gammopathy and chronic urticaria) and almost all minor symptoms (e.g.