Proteomic exploration of potential blood biomarkers in haemophilic arthropathy.

Background And Aims: The pathophysiology of haemophilic arthropathy (HA) is complex and largely undefined. Proteomic analyses provide insights into the intricate mechanisms of the HA.Our study aimed to identify differentially expressed proteins in relation to the severity of HA, explore their pathophysiological roles, and evaluate their potential as HA biomarkers.

Cyberchondria, Health Literacy, and Perception of Risk in Croatian Patients with Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV-A Cross-Sectional Study.

The perception of the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a well-researched phenomenon, but not in relation to cyberchondria and health literacy. Therefore, our aim was to examine the association between the assessment of the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, cyberchondria, and health literacy. : This study was conducted in 2020-2021 in Croatia.

VCd versus VRd in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: Matched Real-World Analysis from the Balkan Myeloma Study Group (BMSG).

Background: Bortezomib, dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide (VCd) remains a popular regimen, due to its activity and low toxicity, while bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (VRd) is widely used in US and Europe; both are combined with anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies but VCd and VRd have not been compared directly in adequately powered prospective trials.

Aim: We compared the outcomes of 1216 patients treated with VCd (N = 690) or VRd (N = 526) in a real-world setting.

Results: Patients treated with VCd had more often severe renal dysfunction, ISS-3 disease, hypercalcemia, elevated LDH, anemia, thrombocytopenia, poor performance while VRd-treated were older and received less often autologous transplant but more frequently maintenance but the duration of induction was similar.

Artificial immortalization, number of therapy lines, and survival of patients with advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma.

Letter to the Editor Regarding 'Impact of the number of therapy lines on survival in advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma - a real-world retrospective analysis from Croatia', published in Neoplasma 2024; 71: 201-208. https://doi.org/10.

Short- and long-term clinical outcomes of nintedanib therapy in IPF patients with different phenotypes: A retrospective registry-based study.

Background: There is a lack of data on the long-term effect of nintedanib on survival in specific groups of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients with different phenotypes. We investigated the outcomes of nintedanib therapy in an observational study of a large multicentre real-world cohort of IPF patients with various initial characteristics.

Methods: The analysis included IPF patients treated with nintedanib (NIN) and IPF patients not receiving antifibrotic treatment (NAF) enrolled for the EMPIRE registry in 2015-2020.

An 11-year multicentric surgical experience on pediatric orbital floor trapdoor fracture: A World Oral Maxillofacial Trauma (WORMAT) project.

Introduction: Trapdoor fractures of the orbital floor occur almost exclusively in the paediatric population. Despite being widely discussed in the literature, their management remains controversial. The objective of this retrospective study was to analyse the surgical experiences on paediatric trapdoor fractures in the maxillofacial centres participating in the WORMAT project.

Aortic valve replacement vs. conservative treatment in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis: long-term follow-up of the AVATAR trial.

Background And Aims: The question of when and how to treat truly asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function is still subject to debate and ongoing research. Here, the results of extended follow-up of the AVATAR trial are reported (NCT02436655, ClinicalTrials.gov).

Atypical Plasma Cell Leukemia Mistaken for Acute Leukemia: A Case Report.

The patient we present here had many clinical, morphological, and laboratory findings characteristic of acute leukemia. During the course of the disease, the diagnosis changed from acute leukemia to chronic small B-cell lymphoproliferative disease, a blastoid variant of mantle cell lymphoma, and finally to atypical plasma cell leukemia. Atypical plasma cell leukemia is a rare condition with aggressive biological behavior.

Association of Functional Polymorphisms in and Pathway Genes with Different Types of Microsatellite Instability in Sporadic Colorectal Cancer.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) has been recognized as an important factor in colorectal cancer (CRC). It arises due to deficient mismatch repair (MMR), mostly attributed to MLH1 and MSH2 loss of function leading to a global MMR defect affecting mononucleotide and longer microsatellite loci. Recently, microsatellite instability at tetranucleotide loci, independent of the global MMR defect context, has been suggested to represent a distinct entity with possibly different consequences for tumorigenesis.

No impact of steatotic liver disease on clinical outcomes in patients with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera: A pilot study.

The presence of steatotic liver disease (SLD) is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk in the general population. Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV), are characterized by clonal myeloproliferation, chronic inflammatory state, and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this single-center study was to analyze clinical associations and the potential prognostic impact of SLD in ET and PV patients.

Laboratory medicine and sports: where are we now?

Laboratory medicine in sport and exercise has significantly developed during the last decades with the awareness that physical activity contributes to improved health status, and is present in monitoring both professional and recreational athletes. Training and competitions can modify concentrations of a variety of laboratory parameters, so the accurate laboratory data interpretation includes controlled and known preanalytical and analytical variables to prevent misleading interpretations. The paper represents a comprehensive summary of the lectures presented during the 35 Annual Symposium of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

Impact of Human Papillomavirus on microRNA-21 Expression in Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer-A Systematic Review.

Recently, microRNAs (miR) were identified to have potential links with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) oncogenesis, specifically miR-21. Since HPV is a major risk factor for the development of these diseases, we aimed to search the literature regarding miR-21 expression in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative OSCC/OPSCC. The search was performed in the PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic databases.

Systemic Inflammatory Index in Polycythemia Vera and Its Prognostic Implications.

: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and prognostic associations of the systemic inflammatory index (SII) in polycythemia vera (PV) patients. SII integrates information on absolute neutrophil (ANC), lymphocyte (ALC), and platelet counts into one index (calculated as ANCxALC/platelet count) and was previously shown to predict thrombotic and mortality risks in the general population. : A total of 279 PV patients treated in several hematologic centers in Croatia and Serbia was retrospectively evaluated.

Negative Prognostic Associations of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Use in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients and Potential Contribution of Cardiovascular Comorbidities.

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a very contagious systemic disease dominantly affecting the respiratory tract. Recent findings oppose earlier suggestions that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might be protective during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, prompting the current study.

Methods: The institutional registry of a tertiary referral center was retrospectively evaluated for SSRI use and associated clinical outcomes among hospitalized COVID-19 patients with mostly severe and critical disease.