Analysis and comparison of tooth wear in late antiquity and early middle age in populations that lived in continental and coastal Croatia using digitized VistaMetrix method.

Background: Tooth wear is a non-pathological loss of hard tissues on the incisal and occlusal tooth surface. In archaeology, the loss of dental tissue through attrition is associated with living opportunities and habits, availability, characteristics and methods of food preparation. In forensics, tooth wear is used to estimate the dental age on cadavers.

Mexiletine for recurrent ventricular tachycardia in adult patients with structural heart disease and implantable cardioverter defibrillator: an EHRA systematic review.

The aim of the study was to systematically review evidence on the effectiveness and safety of oral mexiletine administered in monotherapy or in combination with other antiarrhythmic drugs for recurrent ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation, VT/VF) in adult patients with structural heart disease (SHD) and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases from inception to 27 August 2021 for prospective and retrospective studies investigating mexiletine in the target population. The main outcome was the reduction of ICD therapy.

Pulsed Field Ablation of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: 1-Year Outcomes of IMPULSE, PEFCAT, and PEFCAT II.

Objectives: This study sought to determine whether durable pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using pulsed field ablation (PFA) translates to freedom from atrial fibrillation recurrence without an increase in adverse events.

Background: PFA is a nonthermal ablative modality that, in preclinical studies, is able to preferentially ablate myocardial tissue with minimal effect on surrounding tissues. Herein, we present 1-year clinical outcomes of PFA.

Indices of Cardiovascular Health, Body Composition and Aerobic Endurance in Young Women; Differential Effects of Two Endurance-Based Training Modalities.

Endurance training (ET) has multiple beneficial effects on cardiovascular health (CVH), but there is an evident lack of knowledge on differential effects of various types of ET on indices of CVH in women. The aim of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of two different types of ET on changes in indicators of CVH in apparently healthy adult women. The sample included 58 women (24 ± 3 years; height: 165 ± 6 cm, mass: 66.

Psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 and multiple sclerosis impact scale-29 in multiple sclerosis patients.

Objectives: Depression, anxiety, stress, and physical disabilities are a common complaint in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and monitoring of these symptoms are based on self-report questionnaires. The objective of this study was to determine psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29 (MSIS-29) in people with MS.

Materials And Methods: We included data on 163 people with MS registered in the Association of multiple sclerosis societies of Croatia (AMSSC).

Familial and Parental Predictors of Physical Activity in Late Adolescence: Prospective Analysis over a Two-Year Period.

Children's health behaviors are highly influenced by their parents and family. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the parental/familial factors associated with physical activity levels (PALs) among older adolescents. The participants were 766 adolescents, who were prospectively observed at baseline (when they were 16 years of age), at first follow-up measurement (FU1; 17 years of age), and second follow-up measurement (FU2; 18 years of age).

Predicting Injury Status in Adolescent Dancers Involved in Different Dance Styles: A Prospective Study.

The positive effects of dance on health indices in youth are widely recognized, but participation in dance is accompanied with a certain risk of injury. This prospective study aimed to investigate injury occurrence and to evaluate the possible influences of specific predictors on the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems and injuries in adolescent dancers. Participants were 126 dancers (21 males; 11-18 years), who were competitors in the urban dance, rock and roll, and standard/Latin dance genres.

Pulsed field ablation: a promise that came true.

Purpose Of Review: Pulsed field ablation is a nonthermal ablative modality that uses short living, strong electrical field created around catheter to create microscopic pores in cell membranes (electroporation). When adequately dosed/configured it shows a preference for myocardial tissue necrosis. Thus, it holds a promise to become a 'perfect' energy source for cardiac ablation to treat arrhythmias.

Lymphoblastic predominance of blastic phase in children with chronic myeloid leukaemia treated with imatinib: A report from the I-CML-Ped Study.

Background: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a rare disease in children. The frequency and outcome of children evolving to accelerated phase (AP) or blastic phase (BP) under treatment with imatinib is unknown. The aim of the current study is to assess the incidence of progression from CML in chronic phase with imatinib frontline in a paediatric setting and describe the management and outcome of these patients.

Testosterone, cortisol and alpha-amylase levels during a handball match; analysis of dynamics and associations.

This study evaluated dynamics of testosterone, cortisol and alpha-amylase during a handball match in high-level male players. Ten male professional players (24.1 ± 3.

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

Objective: Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness. We estimated the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among a diabetic population in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in the Republic of Croatia and searched for potential risk factors.

Methods: A prospective study was performed with 600 diabetic patients from different parts of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County who attended regular medical and ophthalmological check-ups at the General Hospital Dubrovnik from September 2014 to September 2015.

Efficacy and safety of TC dose-dense chemotherapy as first-line treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer: a single-institution retrospective cohort study.

Background: The optimal first-line therapy of advanced ovarian cancer still remains questionable: standard paclitaxel-carboplatin (TC), dose-dense TC, intraperitoneal chemotherapy or TC plus bevacizumab. In this study, we present the real-life results of dose-dense treatment of the single-institution on Caucasian population.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was used on consecutive samples of 74 patients treated with the conventional 3-weekly TC protocol (2008-11) and on 70 treated with TC dose-dense protocol (2012-16).

Identification of Factors Associated with Potential Doping Behavior in Sports: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in High-Level Competitive Swimmers.

: Doping behavior, including the misuse of performance-enhancing drugs, is currently a serious problem in sports, and the efficacy of preventive efforts directly depends on information regarding the associations among different precipitating factors (PF) and doping behavior. This study aimed to establish the PF of potential doping behavior (PDB) in competitive swimmers. : The study included 301 swimmers from Slovenia (153 females, 16.

Evidencing Protective and Risk Factors for Harmful Alcohol Drinking in Adolescence: A Prospective Analysis of Sport-Participation and Scholastic-Achievement in Older Adolescents from Croatia.

: The prevalence of alcohol drinking (AD) in Croatian adolescents is alarming, but there is an evident lack of prospective analyses of the protective/risk factors of AD. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the relationships between scholastic and sport factors and harmful alcohol drinking (HD) in older adolescents. : The participants (n = 644, 53.

2D speckle tracking echocardiography of the right ventricle free wall in SCUBA divers after single open sea dive.

The presence of circulating gas bubbles and their influence on pulmonary and right heart hemodynamics was reported after uncomplicated self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) dive(s). Improvements in cardiac imaging have recently focused great attention on the right ventricle (RV). The aim of our study was to evaluate possible effects of a single air SCUBA dive on RV function using 2D speckle tracking echocardiography in healthy divers after single open sea dive to 18 meters of seawater, followed by bottom stay of 47 minutes with a direct ascent to the surface.

Prognostic discrimination based on the EUTOS long-term survival score within the International Registry for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in children and adolescents.

The EUTOS Long-Term Survival score was tested in 350 children with chronic myeloid leukemia in first chronic phase treated with imatinib and registered in the International Registry for Childhood Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. With a median follow up of 3 years (range, 1 month to 6 years) progression and/or death (whichever came first) occurred in 23 patients. For the entire cohort of patients the 5-year progression-free survival rate was 92% (95% CI: 87%-94%) and the 5-year survival accounting for chronic myeloid leukemia deaths was 97% (95% CI: 94%-99%).

Diving and pulmonary physiology: Surfactant binding protein, lung fluid and cardiopulmonary test changes in professional divers.

Alteration of breathing pattern ranging from an increase of respiratory rate to overt hyperventilation during and after SCUBA diving is frequently reported and is associated with intrathoracic fluid overload. This study was undertaken to assess breathing efficiency after diving and the association with damage of alveolar cells. Ventilation efficiency (VE/VCO) during maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) before and 2h after a standard protocol dive has been analyzed in twelve professional males divers (39.

The impact of IL-6 and IL-28B gene polymorphisms on treatment outcome of chronic hepatitis C infection among intravenous drug users in Croatia.

Background: Several genes and their single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with either spontaneous resolution of hepatitis C infection or better treatment-induced viral clearance. We tested a cohort of intravenous drug users (IVDU) diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) for treatment response and its association with the SNPs in the interleukin-6 (rs1800795-IL6) and the interleukin-28B (rs12979860-IL28B) genes.

Methods: The study included 110 Croatian IVDU positive for anti-HCV antibody.

Unusual Position and Presentation of Frontobasal Meningoencephalocela.

We wish to show our experiance with threating a rare congenital brain malformation-encephalocele. It is a protusion of brain matter with greater incidence in the Far East. Our case is even more curious because of the site of occurrence-frontobasal.

Two Cases of Rare Basilar Hypoplasia.

In this article, we report two cases of basilar artery hypoplasia; the first case was a primitive trigeminal artery, and the second was an isolated basilar artery hypoplasia. Both patients had general neurologic disturbances, including periodic intention tremor of the left hand. Our data underscore the utility of complementary time of flight (TOF) magnetic resonance and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography as reliable first detection methods for steno-occlusive diseases and in cases of suspected congenital vascular anomalies.

Insights into cancer surveillance in Central and Eastern Europe, Israel and Turkey.

The current cancer landscape within transitional economies in central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean area is not particularly optimistic. Current perceptions are often based on extrapolations from other countries and regions; and hence the authors collaborated with the South Eastern Europe Oncology Group (SEEROG) to collect information on cancer registration in Central and Eastern Europe, Israel and Turkey. Healthcare authorities and specialist oncology centres in 21 countries in the region were contacted for information on cancer registries in their countries.

Signet ring lobular carcinoma in situ as a part of the "Rosen Triad" (tubular carcinoma, columnar cell hyperplasia, and lobular carcinoma in situ).

Objective: The association of tubular carcinoma, columnar cell lesions and lobular carcinoma in situ, also known as the "Rosen Triad", may be encountered in breast biopsies performed for evaluation of mammographically detected microcalcifications.

Case Report: A case in which tubular carcinoma and columnar cell hyperplasia were associated with a histologically unusual form of signet ring lobular carcinoma in situ is presented. Signet ring non-invasive lobular carcinoma is classified as high-grade lobular carcinoma in situ, but herein is associated with changes that belong to the molecular pathway of low-grade mammary neoplasia.