Employment status of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

It has been previously shown that patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) who are unemployed or retired have worse quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess predictors of early retirement in CIDP. One hundred five patients with CIDP were included.

Association Between Inherited Thrombophilia in Pregnancy and Micronucleus Frequency in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes.

The aim of this study was to determine possible predictors of an increased frequency of micronucleus (MN) and the impact of thrombophilia on the chromosomal instability in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of pregnant women in their first trimester. This study was designed as a case-control study on 74 pregnant women. It was performed in the gestational age of 11 to 14 weeks, when blood samples were collected and incubated for 72 hours.

Myocardial infarction and alcohol consumption: A case-control study.

Background: Although epidemiological evidence for the beneficial effect of low alcohol consumption on myocardial infarction is strong, the impact of heavy drinking episodes is less clear.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association between the risk for acute myocardial infarction occurrence and alcohol consumption.

Methods: Our hospital-based case-control study comprised 374 participants (187 newly diagnosed patients with myocardial infarction and 187 controls, individually matched by gender, age, and place of residence).

Five-Year Outcomes with PCI Guided by Fractional Flow Reserve.

Background: We hypothesized that fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) would be superior to medical therapy as initial treatment in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Methods: Among 1220 patients with angiographically significant stenoses, those in whom at least one stenosis was hemodynamically significant (FFR, ≤0.80) were randomly assigned to FFR-guided PCI plus medical therapy or to medical therapy alone.

Three-Year Follow-Up Study in Patients with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Unlabelled: A majority of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have tendency of a good recovery. Our aim was to evaluate the outcome of the disease 1 and 3 years after GBS symptom onset.

Methods: During 2014, GBS was diagnosed in 82 patients in seven tertiary healthcare centers.

The Role of Presepsin Obtained from Tracheal Aspirates in the Diagnosis of Early Onset Pneumonia in Intubated Newborns.

Objectives: To investigate the role of presepsin obtained from tracheal aspirate of intubated newborns in the diagnosis of early neonatal pneumonia.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed on 60 intubated newborns during the two-year period. Tracheal aspirate for examination was taken in aseptic conditions in usual toilets, by lavage with 2 ml of 0.

Hybrid Vision-Fusion system for whole-body scintigraphy.

Radioiodine therapy in the treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is used in clinical practice for the ablation of thyroid residues and/or destruction of tumour tissue. Whole-body scintigraphy for visualization of the spatial 131I distribution performed by a gamma camera (GC) is a standard procedure in DTC patients after application of radioiodine therapy. A common problem is the precise topographic localization of regions where radioiodine is accumulated even in SPECT imaging.

Experience with developing antibiotic stewardship programs in Serbia: potential model for other Balkan countries?

Aim: Antimicrobial resistance and inappropriate use of antibiotics in children are important issues. Consequently, there is a need to develop comprehensive stewardship programs even in hospitals with limited resources starting with children's hospitals.

Methods: Retrospective observational analysis of antimicrobial utilization and resistance patterns over 5 years in a tertiary care children's hospital in Serbia.

Neuromuscular disease-specific questionnaire to assess quality of life in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

To date, generic questionnaires have been used to investigate quality of life (QoL) in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) patients. Although these measures are very useful, they are not usually precise enough to measure all specific characteristics of the disease. Our aim was to investigate QoL using the neuromuscular disease-specific questionnaire (individualized neuromuscular quality of life, INQoL) in a large cohort of patients with CIDP.

Our solution for fusion of simultaneusly acquired whole body scintigrams and optical images, as usesful tool in clinical practice in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinomas after radioiodine therapy. A useful tool in clinical practice.

Objective: After radioiodine therapy of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients, whole body scintigraphy (WBS) is standard procedure before releasing the patient from the hospital. A common problem is the precise localization of regions where the iod-avide tissue is located. Sometimes is practically impossible to perform precise topographic localization of such regions.

Cannulation Technique and Arteriovenous Fistula Survival in Older Adult Patients on Hemodialysis.

Cannulation technique has the potential to impact arteriovenous fistula (AVF) function. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of cannulation technique on the length of the functioning AVFs in older adult patients on hemodialysis. The study included 110 participants with fistula thrombosis who had used area technique or rope ladder technique.

The Glasgow antipsychotic side-effects scale for clozapine in inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Background: The inconsistency in clinician and patient ratings of clozapine-induced side effects underscore the need to supplement clinician-based estimates of side effects with patient-reported ones.

Aims: The main aims of the study are validation of the Glasgow antipsychotic side-effects scale for clozapine (GASS-C) in Serbian inpatients/outpatients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder and recommendations for its future use, based on common and rare clozapine-associated side-effects.

Methods: The GASS-C was administered to 95 outpatients/inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or chronic psychotic disorder.

Quality of life predictors in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a chronic disease which can lead to many functional impairments, and like most other chronic disorders it might significantly affect quality of life (QoL). Information about QoL in patients with CIDP from developing countries is still lacking. We, therefore, sought to complete these data mosaic by investigating QoL in patients with CIDP from Serbia and surrounding countries.

Delayed Care and Mortality Among Women and Men With Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Women with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have higher mortality rates than men. We investigated whether sex-related differences in timely access to care among STEMI patients may be a factor associated with excess risk of early mortality in women.

Methods And Results: We identified 6022 STEMI patients who had information on time of symptom onset to time of hospital presentation at 41 hospitals participating in the ISACS-TC (International Survey of Acute Coronary Syndromes in Transitional Countries) registry (NCT01218776) from October 2010 through April 2016.

Cytokine profile in chronic hepatitis C: An observation.

The data addressing cytokine profile in chronically infected HCV patients are conflicting, ranging from Th1 or Th2 cytokine prevalence to the expression of both types of cytokines. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate cytokine profile in these patients. Cytokine sera levels in HCV patients and healthy controls were evaluated using 13plex FlowCytomix Multiplex.

Blood cells in thyroid cancer patients: a possible influence of apoptosis.

The side effects of radioactive iodine (131-I) treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients include reduction of peripheral blood cell counts. The aim of this study was to analyze some potential changes in blood cell counts of DTC patients after 131-I therapy, especially CD3-positive, CD19-positive, and CD56-positive peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), as well as the possible role of apoptosis in selected lymphocyte populations. The study group included 24 thyroid cancer patients and 24 control subjects.

Augmented oxidative stress in infertile women with persistent chlamydial infection.

There is established association between oxidative stress, infections of genital tract and fertility. Genital tract infections may provoke increased production of free radicals and generate oxidative stress that can be involved in pathophysiology of a number of reproductive diseases and complications during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine connection between oxidative stress and infertility associated with persistent chlamydial infection.

Quantitative Analysis of Uveitis Macular Edema in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Deep Posterior Sub-Tenon Triamcinolone Acetonide Injection.

Aim: We aimed to analyze the effects of adjunctive posterior sub-Tenon capsule triamcinolone acetonide injection in the treatment of intermediate uveitis macular edema in multiple sclerosis patients that could not be controlled by systemic corticosteroid medications and immunomodulators.

Methods: The study included 30 eyes of 25 patients with multiple sclerosis who received a posterior sub-Tenon injection of 40 mg/mL triamcinolone acetonide. Parameters monitored for therapy efficiency were best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, central foveal thickness (CFT), and fluorescein angiography (FA) scores.

Factors associated with the rate of COPD exacerbations that require hospitalization.

Background/aim: Exacerbations are key events in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Frequent exacerbations occurring during the natural course of COPD lead to deterioration of health-related quality of life and are major causes of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to identify factors independently associated with frequent severe exacerbations of COPD that require hospitalization.

Kinetic and mechanistic study on the reactions of ruthenium(ii) chlorophenyl terpyridine complexes with nucleobases, oligonucleotides and DNA.

In this study, we investigated the ability of Ru(ii) polypyridyl complexes to act as DNA binders. The substitution reactions of three Ru(ii) chlorophenyl terpyridine complexes, i.e.

The impact of betaplus program on patient treatment satisfaction with interferon beta-1b in multiple sclerosis: Multicentric cross-sectional survey in the western Balkan countries.

Background: Long-term treatment adherence to disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) may have significant impact on clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). It has been recently emphasized that low treatment satisfaction (TS) may be an important factor for achieving high rates of treatment adherence. Interferon (IFN) beta-1b was the first DMD approved for the treatment of MS.

Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischaemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial.

Aims: Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort.

Methods And Results: This multinational, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study was conducted in 39 hospitals.