Assessment of a Bioimpedance-Based Method for the Diagnosis of Oral Cancer.

Oral cancer (OC) is a disease with poor prognosis mainly due to late diagnosis. There is considerable interest in the use and development of rapid, point of care (POC) non-invasive methods that can accelerate the diagnostic process. Bioimpedance (BI) is resistance to the passage of electric currents through tissue that reflects structural changes in the tissue.

Analgesic effect of ultrasound-guided extraoral mandibular nerve block compared to intraoral conductive block of the inferior alveolar nerve after lower third molar alveolectomy: a clinical prospective study.

Background: The analgesia after lower third molar alveolectomy is based on the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that have significant risks, and are contraindicated in the third trimester of pregnancy. Aiming to reduce NSAIDs use after this surgery, we quantified analgesic effects of ultrasound (US)-guided extraoral mandibular nerve block.

Methods: Thirty-six patients were equally allocated to the experimental or control group, based on their willingness to receive experimental US-guided extraoral mandibular nerve block for postoperative analgesia.

Anesthetic management for cesarean section in two parturient with ascending aortic aneurysm: a case-based discussion.

Background: The anesthetic management of parturients with ascending aortic aneurysm for cesarean section can be particularly challenging, primarily because of increased risk for aortic dissection or aneurysm rupture.

Case Presentation: We present some aspects of the anesthetic management of two parturients with ascending aortic aneurysm for cesarean sections; amongst, the use of remifentanil with its effects on patient and newborn. We emphasize the importance of a cardio-obstetric team in the context of preoperative planning of such patients.

Understanding and Practices of Oral Hygiene in the Intensive Care Units: Perspectives of Medical Staff at Two University Hospital Centers.

Objective: This study assesses the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of medical staff in intensive care units (ICUs) regarding oral hygiene care for critically ill, bedridden patients.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study included 65 employees from the Intensive Care Units of the Sestre Milosrdnice Clinical Hospital Centre (CHC SM) and the Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at the University Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb (CHC ZG). A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, methods, frequency, and attitudes towards oral care for mechanically ventilated patients.

Maternal diaphragmatic hernia in pregnancy: A systematic review with a treatment algorithm.

Background: Diaphragmatic hernia (DH) is extremely rarely described during pregnancy. Due to the rarity, there is no diagnostic or treatment algorithm for DH in pregnancy.

Aim: To summarize and define the most appropriate diagnostic methods and therapeutic options for DH in pregnancy based on scarce literature.

Impact of Age and Sex on Electrical Impedance Values in Healthy Oral Mucosa.

Background: Electrical impedance (EI) is a property of all living tissues and represents the resistance to the electric current flow through a living tissue. EI depends on the structure and chemical composition of the tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of age, sex, and electrode pressure on the EI values of healthy oral mucosa.

The Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (Acss) and Its Correlations with Psychological Characteristics among the Croatian Population.

Background: This study aimed to examine the results of Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale among the Croatian population and its correlations with other scales and demographic data.

Subject And Methods: The sample consisted of 420 people who voluntarily filled out an online questionnaire. They completed demographic questions and four scales: Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2).

Oral Cavity Colonization with Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria after Preoperative Prophylactic Use of Antibiotics as a Risk Factor for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.

Background: Although it was previously shown that prolonged prophylactic antibiotic exposure and multiple inadequate antibiotic therapies are independent risk factors for multidrug-resistant ventilator associated pneumonia there were no studies investigating whether pre-operative prophylactic dose of antibiotics changes oral microbiome and increases the risk of ventilator associated pneumonia. The aim of the study was to determine if pre-operative prophylactic dose of antibiotics affects the oral microbiome, increases the colonization with Gram-negative bacteria and subsequent risk of ventilator associated pneumonia.

Subjects And Methods: Mechanically ventilated adult patients receiving surgical antibiotic prophylaxis were included in the study.

Decreased insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentration correlates with reduced left-ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) in hemodialysis patients.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the serum IGF-1 concentration and certain cardiac indexes in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: The study was conducted at the Clinical Center of Montenegro and three regional hemodialysis centers. The echocardiographic studies were performed the day after the hemodialysis sessions.

Experience with fosfomycin in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of fosfomycin in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 42 ambulatory patients with cUTIs caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae at the Outpatient Internal Medicine Clinic of the University Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb in the period from June 2012 to June 2014. ESBL production was confirmed by double disk synergy test according to Jarlier.

Does serial 3rd trimester ultrasound improve detection of small for gestational age babies: Comparison of screening policies in 2 European maternity units.

Objective: Methods for the antenatal detection of small for gestational age babies (SGA) differ between countries. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of routine versus selective small for gestational age babies screening policy using data from two European Maternity Units.

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study from Liverpool Women's Hospital, UK, that uses selective third trimester sonography and from the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia, that uses routine third trimester sonography for SGA detection.

Lactate dehydrogenase activity in Bacteroides fragilis group strains with induced resistance to metronidazole.

The aims of this study were to induce in vitro metronidazole resistance in nim-negative Bacteroides fragilis group strains and to determine the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity of the induced strains. A collection of B. fragilis group strains were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS).

Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms: Relation with platelet serotonin level in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome.

Significantly lower platelet serotonin level (PSL) in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) than in healthy controls has been reported in our prior studies. In the present report, we demonstrated effect of functional polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) on PSL. We describe a group of 61 pSS patients and 100 healthy individuals subjects, who received PSL measurement in our prior study.

Hepatoprotective effects of Met-enkephalin on acetaminophen-induced liver lesions in male CBA mice.

Recent histopathological investigations in patients with hepatitis suggested possible involvement of Met-enkephalin and its receptors in the pathophysiology of hepatitis. Consequently, we evaluated the potential hepatoprotective effects of this endogenous opioid pentapeptide in the experimental model of acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity in male CBA mice. Met-enkephalin exhibited strong hepatoprotective effects in a dose of 7.

Arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid in the blood of a mother and umbilical vein in diabetic pregnant women.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the total concentration of fatty acids (FAs) in the maternal vein serum and in the umbilical vein serum in pregnant women suffering from Type 1 diabetes compared to healthy women. Additional goal was to determine the percentages of arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in comparison to the total concentration of FAs.

Methods: The study included 63 pregnant women, 32 suffering from Type 1 diabetes and 31 healthy pregnant women.

The creative psychopharmacotherapy and personalized medicine: The art & practice of the learning organization.

There is a huge gap between possibilities for achieving high treatment effectiveness and poor results in clinical practice. It is possible to achieve a more positive impact and better treatment outcome by individualizing and personalizing treatments in a more creative and rational manner. This review describes the short history and principles of creative psychopharmacotherapy.