Invasive pneumococcal disease in adults after the introduction of pneumococcal vaccination: a retrospective study in the metropolitan area of Zagreb, Croatia (2010-2022).

Introduction: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a severe form of illness caused by with high morbidity and mortality rate in the general population, particularly in children <5 years of age, adults ≥65 years of age and the immunocompromised. As known, pneumococcal vaccination lowers the risk of IPD so the aim of this study was to investigate whether the introduction of pneumococcal vaccination has influenced the incidence and mortality of IPD in adults in Croatia.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among adult patients (aged ≥18 years) hospitalized due to IPD in the metropolitan area of Zagreb from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2022.

The determination of euglobulin clot lysis time reference intervals in Beckton Dickinson and Kima 3.2% sodium citrate coagulation tubes.

Enhanced fibrinolysis or hyperfibrinolysis may lead to life-threatening blood loss, while reduced activity may contribute to thrombosis. Euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT) is a manual method that measures plasma fibrinolytic activity and is considered the gold standard. However, the data on reference interval is scarce and outdated.

Comparative Effects of Spinal Anesthesia and Combined Spinal with Peripheral Nerve Blocks on Postoperative Outcomes in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair.

: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of spinal anesthesia (SA) alone versus combined spinal anesthesia with adductor canal block (ACB) and sciatic nerve block (SNB) (SA + ACB + SNB) in patients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. We hypothesized that SA + ACB + SNB would provide better analgesia, greater patient satisfaction, and shorter postanesthesia recovery times than SA alone. : A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 patients aged 15-49 years scheduled for elective arthroscopic ACL reconstruction.

Molecular Mechanisms Affecting Statin Pharmacokinetics after Bariatric Surgery.

According to recent data, one in eight people in the world struggle with obesity. Obesity management is increasingly dependent on bariatric surgical interventions, as the combination of lifestyle modifications and pharmacotherapy could have a modest long-term effect. Surgery is recommended only for individuals whose body mass index (BMI) ≥ 40 kg/m and ≥ 35 kg/m in the presence of weight-related comorbidities.

The Interplay between Dietary Habits and Glycemic Control in Type 1 Diabetes: A Comprehensive Prospective FGM Study.

Type 1 diabetes has become prevalent among the adult population, who have increasingly gained access to sensing technology. This study delved into the impact of diet, nutritional status, and the use of a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM) on glycemic regulation among adults diagnosed with T1D. Employing a prospective design, data were gathered from 151 participants aged 18-60 across multiple cycles.

Extraction Basket Entangled in Surgical Sutures in Common Bile Duct Forty-Five Years After Hepatobiliary Surgery: A Bizarre Adverse Event of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an important technique for treating biliary obstruction. A case report of a 75-year-old male with diagnosed choledocholithiasis and cholangitis was presented. He had a history of hepatic surgery 45 years ago, and during the ERCP, an unusual clinical scenario was encountered.

Understanding Adult Central Nervous System Hemangioblastomas: A Systematic Review.

Background: Adult hemangioblastomas (HBs) are rare World Health Organization central nervous system (CNS) grade 1 tumors, particularly affecting the posterior cranial fossa. They exhibit a gender bias, impacting men in their fifth and sixth decades of life and manifesting sporadically or as part of von Hippel Lindau disease. Understanding the intricacies of CNS HBs is crucial for clinical decision-making.

Estimated Pulse Wave Velocity and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in the General Population.

Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), acknowledged as a reliable proxy of arterial stiffness, is an independent predictor of cardiovascular (CV) events. Carotid-femoral PWV is considered the gold standard for the estimation of arterial stiffness. cfPWV is a demanding, time consuming and expensive method, and an estimated PWV (ePWV) has been suggested as an alternative method when cfPWV is not available.

The band count imprecision - a Croatian multicentric pilot study.

Introduction: Due to high inter-observer variability the 2015 International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) recommendations state to count band neutrophils as segmented neutrophils in the white blood cell (WBC) differential. However, the inclusion of bands as a separate cell entity within the WBC differential is still widely used in hematology laboratories in Croatia. The aim of this multicentric study was to assess the degree of inter-observer variability in enumerating band neutrophils within the WBC differential among Croatian laboratories.

Free temporalis muscle fascia graft in dural reconstruction following surgical resection of intermediate and malignant skull base tumors: A 10-year experience from a single center.

Background: Data from patients with post-ablative dural defects reconstructed using a free temporalis muscle fascia graft (FTFG) after resection of anterior or central skull base tumors were retrospectively analyzed.

Methods: The primary predictor and outcome variables were the reconstructive methods for dural repair and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage rate, respectively.

Results: Eighty patients were included, and 94 postoperative dural reconstructions were performed using FTFG.

MULTIDIMENSIONALITY AND MULTIDISCIPLINARITY OF CHRONIC NEUROPATHIC NONODONTOGENIC OROFACIAL PAIN.

This study compared the self-assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and degree of depression between patients with chronic neuropathic nonodontogenic orofacial pain (NOFP) and healthy controls using the Short Form Survey (SF-36) health status questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). This controlled cross-sectional study included 100 patients and 119 healthy controls. The diagnostic protocol recorded the following: 1) pain intensity using a visual analog scale for the time of examination and during the one-month prior; 2) evidence for neuropathic pain using the Leeds questionnaire for neuropathic signs and symptoms (LANSS); 3) emotional status using the BDI-II; and 4) HRQoL using the SF-36 questionnaire.

Updated Perspectives on Lifestyle Interventions as Secondary Stroke Prevention Measures: A Narrative Review.

Despite being highly preventable, stroke is the second-most common cause of death and disability in the world. Secondary prevention is critical as the stroke recurrence risk is 6- to 15-fold higher than the risk of stroke in the general population. Stroke recurrence is associated with higher mortality rates and increased disability levels.

The 'peptide for life' initiative in the emergency department study.

Aims: Natriuretic peptide (NP) uptake varies in Emergency Departments (EDs) across Europe. The 'Peptide for Life' (P4L) initiative, led by Heart Failure Association, aims to enhance NP utilization for early diagnosis of heart failure (HF). We tested the hypothesis that implementing an educational campaign in Western Balkan countries would significantly increase NP adoption rates in the ED.

The impact of the comorbid seizure/epilepsy on the health related quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis: an international multicentric study.

Introduction: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with (Pw) multiple sclerosis (MS) is usually deteriorated. It has been recently suggested that comorbidities may have the negative influence on the quality of life of the PwMS, but according to the best of our knowledge, only one study investigated, although in a very small cohort, the impact of individual comorbidity on the quality of life of PwMS. The aim of our investigation was to assess, in an international, multicentric study, the impact of comorbid seizure/epilepsy on the HRQoL in PwMS.