COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2-confirmed hospitalisation in the eastern part of the WHO European Region (2022-2023): a test-negative case-control study from the EuroSAVE network.

Background: Understanding COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) in preventing severe disease is critical to inform vaccine policy. We used the test-negative design to estimate VE against SARS-CoV-2-confirmed hospitalisation in adults ≥18 years in the eastern WHO European Region.

Methods: We included patients hospitalised for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) at sentinel surveillance sites in Albania, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Serbia, and in Kosovo.

The trend in national childhood immunization program coverage throughout Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija from 2003 to 2022: pre-COVID-19 period vs. COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The childhood immunization coverage in Serbian communities in Kosovo after the 1999 armed conflict has not been investigated. The study purpose was to evaluate the trend of immunization coverage with vaccines from the national childhood immunization program in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija from 2003 to 2022.

Methods: Data were retrieved from the annual reports of the Public Health Institute of Kosovska Mitrovica received through notifications from the primary health centers where vaccines are being administered.

Targeted inhibition of BET proteins in HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma reveals heterogeneous transcriptional responses.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV), most commonly HPV16, are associated with a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumors, primarily oropharyngeal carcinomas, with integration of viral genomes into host chromosomes associated with worse survival outcomes. We analyzed TCGA data and found that HPV+ HNSCC expressed higher transcript levels of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) family of transcriptional coregulators. The role of BET protein-mediated transcription of viral-cellular genes in the viral-HNSCC genomes needs to be better understood.

Impact of serum chitotriosidase activity on tuberculosis treatment response: single center study from Serbia.

Background: The aim of our study was to investigate serum chitotriosidase level in tuberculosis patients, its relationship with microbiological and clinical parameters, and response to treatment.

Materials And Methods: This longitudinal panel study included 149 patients with confirmed TB disease. Serum chitotriosidase activity was measured at the beginning and the end of treatment.

Smart Anklet Use to Measure Vascular Health Benefits of Preventive Intervention in a Nature-Based Environment-A Pilot Study.

The present study aimed to investigate the associations between nature-based intervention and peripheral pulse characteristics of patients with PAOD using new smart technology specifically designed for this purpose. A longitudinal panel study performed between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 included 32 patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) who were treated in the vascular surgeons' hospital "Dobb" in Valjevo. These patients were exposed for six months to moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) in a nature-based environment.

Changes in intrahost genetic diversity according to lesion severity in longitudinal HPV16 samples.

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is the most common cause of cervical cancer, but most infections are transient with lesions not progressing to cancer. There is a lack of specific biomarkers for early cancer risk stratification. This study aimed to explore the intrahost HPV16 genomic variation in longitudinal samples from HPV16-infected women with different cervical lesion severity (normal, low-grade, and high-grade).

The impact of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block on hemodynamic stability and postoperative pain in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer.

Objective: Breast cancer, a prevalent global malignancy in women, necessitates a comprehensive treatment approach, with surgery playing a crucial role. Severe acute pain is common post-radical breast cancer surgery, emphasizing the significance of hemodynamic stability and postoperative pain control for optimal outcomes. This study evaluates the impact of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) on these parameters in ASA scores 1-2 patients undergoing modified radical breast cancer surgery with general anesthesia.

Documenting Race and Gender Biases in Pain Assessment and a Novel Intervention Designed to Reduce Biases.

Disparities in pain care are well-documented such that women and people of color have their pain undertreated and underestimated compared to men and White people. One of the contributors of the undertreatment of pain for people of color and women may be the inaccurate assessment of pain. Understanding the pain assessment process is an important step in evaluating the magnitude of and intervening on pain disparities in care.

Factors associated with COVID-19 among hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory infections in Serbia, 2022-2023: A test negative case-control study.

Severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) are estimated to be the cause of death in about 19% of all children younger than 5 years globally. The outbreak of coronaviral disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, increased considerably the burden of SARI worldwide. We used data from a vaccine effectiveness study to identify the factors associated with SARS CoV-2 infection among hospitalized SARI patients.

Influence of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate on the surface topography and composition of nickel-titanium archwires during orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

Purpose: To investigate the surface topography and nickel content of nickel-titanium (NiTi) archwires exposed to either routine oral hygiene or a prophylactic regimen with casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) during orthodontic treatment.

Methods: This in vivo study involved 40 orthodontic patients with fixed appliances, who were randomly assigned to either a routine oral hygiene group or a CPP-ACP supplementary regimen group. Twenty new NiTi archwires served as controls.

Preserving privacy in the era of openness: Commentary on open science requirements for identifiable data in psychological science journals.

Psychological science journals are increasingly adopting open science (OS) policies (e.g., Transparency and Openness Promotion) requiring researchers to make all data and materials publicly available in an effort to drive research toward greater transparency and accessibility.

Multiple skull base defects in the setting of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea; a dual institution view.

Purpose: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition of high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure that presents with CSF leak. The implications of multiple skull base defects (SBD) and associated synchronous CSF leaks have not been previously explored.

Materials And Methods: A dual institutional case-control study examined multiple SBD's and encephaloceles on the risk of CSF leak and postoperative failures post-repair.

Linezolid toxic optic neuropathy: A case report and review of visual prognosis.

Purpose: To describe a case of linezolid toxic optic neuropathy in a 71-year-old female and review the relevant literature.

Observations: An adult female with progressive, symmetric vision loss was hypothesized to have linezolid toxic optic neuropathy. Following cessation of linezolid, the patient experienced improvement in visual function over two months.

"You Look Young! Are You a Doctor?" A Qualitative Content Analysis of Anesthesiology Resident Responses to Ageism in Clinical Encounters.

Background: Healthcare trainees frequently report facing comments from their patients pertaining to their age. Exposure to ageist comments from patients may be related to greater stress and/or burnout in residents and may impact the quality of the resident-patient relationship. However, little empirical work has examined ageism expressed toward anesthesiology residents in clinical care, and therefore not much is known about how residents respond to these comments in practice.

Monitoring the Coagulation Profile of COVID-19 Patients Using Standard and ClotPro Hemostasis Tests.

: Coagulation disorders during COVID-19 infection are associated with a poorer prognosis and higher disease severity because thrombosis and inflammation are two processes that interfere with each other. A very important issue for clinicians is timely and adequate hemostasis and inflammation monitoring to prevent and treat potentially lethal consequences. The aim of this study was to identify specific hemostatic parameters that are associated with a higher risk of intrahospital mortality.

Should I post? The relationships among social media use, emotion recognition, and mental health.

Introduction: While increased time spent on social media can be negatively related to one's overall mental health, social media research often fails to account for what behaviors users are actually engaging in while they are online. The present research helps to address this gap by measuring participants' active and passive social media behavioral styles and investigates whether and how these two social media behavioral styles are related to depression, anxiety, and stress, and the mediating role of emotion recognition ability in this relationship.

Methods: A pre-study ( = 128) tested whether various social media behaviors reliably grouped into active and passive behavioral styles, and a main study ( = 139) tested the relationships between social media use style, emotion recognition, and mental health.

Exploring the epidemiology of mcr genes, genetic context and plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae originating from pigs and humans on farms in Thailand.

Objectives: In veterinary medicine, colistin has been widely used as therapeutic and prophylactic agent, and for growth promotion. However, colistin has been re-introduced into treatment of human MDR bacterial infections. We assessed the characteristics and spread of plasmid-borne colistin resistance among healthy pigs, workers with animal-contact and their household members in Thailand.

TaME-seq2: tagmentation-assisted multiplex PCR enrichment sequencing for viral genomic profiling.

Background: Previously developed TaME-seq method for deep sequencing of HPV, allowed simultaneous identification of the human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA consensus sequence, low-frequency variable sites, and chromosomal integration events. The method has been successfully validated and applied to the study of five carcinogenic high-risk (HR) HPV types (HPV16, 18, 31, 33, and 45). Here, we present TaME-seq2 with an updated laboratory workflow and bioinformatics pipeline.

Tuberculosis and COVID-19 co-infection in Serbia: Pandemic challenge in a low-burden country.

Introduction: COVID-19 and tuberculosis (TB) represent global threats to the public health system. The impact of COVID-19 on TB results in a reduction in the number of notified TB cases, delayed diagnosis and treatment, and increased case fatality and mortality rates. The aim of the study was to analyze the TB/COVID-19 co-infected cohort in Serbia as a low-burden country and compare it to the global TB/COVID-19 cohort.

Cadmium dietary exposure assessment in the adult population and pre-school children in the Republic of Serbia.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal, present in all matrices of the environment and a common food contaminant. Human exposure to it may elicit many diverse health impairments. The aim of this study was to assess the dietary exposure to Cd for the adult population and preschool children in Serbia using probabilistic methodology.

More Than Meets the Eyes: Bringing Attention to the Eyes Increases First Impressions of Warmth and Competence.

The present research examined how face masks alter first impressions of warmth and competence for different racial groups. Participants were randomly assigned to view photographs of White, Black, and Asian targets with or without masks. Across four separate studies (total = 1,012), masked targets were rated significantly higher in warmth and competence compared with unmasked targets, regardless of their race.

Predicting social media use intensity in late adolescence: The role of attachment to friends and fear of missing out.

The vast majority of research on social media use (SMU) is focused on its negative effects while often disregarding that it can also help adolescents form and maintain a network of social relations and support. This study explores the possibility of predicting SMU intensity based on peer attachment dimensions (Trust, Communication, Alienation) and FoMO on a sample of adolescents (N = 557; M = 18.09; SD = 275).

Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity of the Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines and Related Factors: A Panel Study from the General Population in Serbia.

The Republic of Serbia applied the booster dose of the following COVID-19 vaccines: BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech), Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV (Vero Cell®), Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) and ChAdOk1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca). We aimed to examine the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of the booster dose and identify factors related to immune response and adverse events. Panel study, conducted during August and September 2021, included 300 persons receiving the booster dose at the Institute of Public Health of Serbia.