PREVALENCE, Characteristics, and Awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease in Croatia: The EH-UH 2 Study.

. National surveys have reported variable prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), due to differences in the characteristics of the population, study design, equations used for the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and definitions. The EH-UH 2 survey is the first study evaluating CKD prevalence, characteristics, and awareness in Croatia.

The Re-Emergence of Neuroinvasive Flaviviruses in Croatia During the 2022 Transmission Season.

(Re-)emerging arboviruses, such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Usutu virus (USUV), are continuously increasing in incidence. We analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of flavivirus infections in humans, sentinel animals, and mosquitoes detected in the 2022 transmission season in Croatia. From April to November 2022, 110 hospitalized patients with neuroinvasive diseases (NID) were tested for the presence of arboviruses.

Outcomes of Ixazomib Treatment in Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Insights from Croatian Cooperative Group for Hematologic Diseases (KROHEM).

: Ixazomib, used in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (IRd), has shown efficacy in clinical trials for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). : This study evaluates the real-world effectiveness and safety of IRd in Croatian RRMM patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 164 RRMM patients treated with ixazomib at nine Croatian haematology centres from November 2016 to February 2023.

Comprehensive Characterization of Anti-HLA and Non-HLA Antibodies in Patients on Kidney Transplant Waiting List and Evaluation of Their Impact on Alloimmunization Risk and Dialysis Treatment.

Alloimmunization remains a major obstacle to successful kidney transplantation, mainly due to the formation of anti-HLA antibodies. In recent years, non-HLA antibodies have emerged as additional immunologic factors that can potentially contribute to graft rejection. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and specificity of both anti-HLA and non-HLA antibodies in patients with end-stage renal disease on a waiting list for kidney transplantation.

Magnesium Membrane Shield Technique for Alveolar Ridge Preservation: Step-by-Step Representative Case Report of Buccal Bone Wall Dehiscence with Clinical and Histological Evaluations.

Background/objectives: Despite the increased use of new resorbable magnesium membranes, there are no reported cases or studies on the use of resorbable magnesium membranes in combination with bone grafts for alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) in cases with severe buccal bone wall dehiscence. This case report aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the magnesium membrane shield technique in conjunction with bone grafting for ARP, assessing both clinical outcomes and histological bone regeneration.

Methods: A 44-year-old female patient presented with a vertical fracture on tooth 24 (FDI Notation System) accompanied with complete destruction of the buccal bone wall.

Functional Recovery After Hip Arthroplasty with a Minimal Invasive or Classical Approach Eight Years After Intervention.

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in functional recovery eight years after total hip arthroplasty in patients who underwent hip joint surgery using two different approaches: the classic lateral approach and the anterolateral minimally invasive surgical approach. Eight years after the hip replacement, 68 subjects, 32 in the classic and 36 in the minimally invasive group, underwent follow-up measurements involving the Harris Hip Score (HHS), range of motion, strength of the abductor muscles, 50-m walk time, body mass index (BMI), physical activity questionnaire, and visual analogue scale (VAS) pain during general activities. Higher HHS ( < 0.

Measuring hospital antibiotic consumption in EU/EEA countries: comparison of different metrics, 2017 to 2021.

BackgroundAntibiotic resistance poses a considerable public health threat, with data-driven stewardship a main prevention measure. While quantifying antibiotic consumption is a key component of antibiotic stewardship programmes, the choice of denominator for calculating this metric can impact comparative analyses and trend evaluations substantially, influencing targeted stewardship interventions.AimWe aim to evaluate how using hospital sector-specific antibiotic consumption rate denominators at country level impacts country rankings and trends, addressing the limitations of the commonly used 'defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitants per day' metric.

The impact of curative cancer treatment on sexual health - clinical results from the EORTC QLQ-SH22 validation study.

Background: The European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has recently developed and validated a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for sexual health (SH) in cancer patients. Here, we present results from a secondary analysis of the EORTC QLQ-SH22 validation study. The objective was to investigate the impact of cancer treatment on SH over the disease trajectory into survivorship in patients who underwent curative treatment.

Association of 25(OH)-Vitamin D3 Serum Concentrations and Vitamin D Receptor Gene Variants with the Risk of Idiopathic Spontaneous Preterm Birth in the Croatian Population.

Preterm birth (PTB) forms a heterogeneous group with possible genetic predisposition. 25(OH)-vitamin D3 plays a significant role during implantation, placentation, and the maintenance of normal pregnancy. The aim of our research was to examine whether FokI, Cdx2, and ApaI gene variants, as well as serum concentrations of 25-hydroxy25(OH)-vitamin D3 in women and their newborns, might be predisposing factors for idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth.

Orthodontic Alloy Wires and Their Hypoallergenic Alternatives: Metal Ions Release in pH 6.6 and pH 5.5 Artificial Saliva.

Legislative framework addresses the issues of alloy corrosion, demanding the restricted use of probable carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic-for-human-reproduction (CMG) metals like nickel, cobalt, and chromium and demanding the development of new biomaterials. The aim of this research was to evaluate and compare the ion release of standard dental alloys and their hypoallergenic equivalents. Six types of orthodontic alloy wires (nickel-titanium (NiTi), coated NiTi, stainless steel (SS), Ni-free SS, and cobalt-chromium (CoCr) and titanium-molybdenum (TMA) were immersed into artificial saliva of pH 5.

Croatian nurses' and nursing students' attitudes towards pressure ulcer/injury prevention.

Aim: The research aimed to validate the Croatian version of the Attitude towards a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument (APuP) and determine the attitudes of students and nurses towards pressure injury prevention.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included 440 participants (114 nurses and 326 nursing students). The study used APuP translated into Croatian.

Navigating the orphan medicinal product designation: Evidence requirements for gene therapies in Europe.

To provide insight into regulatory decision-making at the time of granting initial orphan designation by the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, we have conducted a retrospective analysis for viral vector-mediated gene therapies in rare non-oncological conditions with respect to the data provided to support the criteria to be met in successful applications. We found that a high proportion of non-clinical in vivo data was used for gene therapies, indicating earlier submissions of products that are at the stage of preclinical research and not in clinical development. Clinical data were submitted in only 13% of the applications, containing preliminary results derived from early-stage clinical trials in few patients.

The Therapeutic Potential of Glucagon-like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is a global public health concern, can take various forms, from mild concussions to blast injuries, and each damage type has a particular mechanism of progression. However, TBI is a condition with complex pathophysiology and heterogenous clinical presentation, which makes it difficult to model for in vitro and in vivo studies and obtain relevant results that can easily be translated to the clinical setting. Accordingly, the pharmacological options for TBI management are still scarce.

-Containing Vacuole within : Isolation and Proteomic Characterization.

is a highly infectious gram-negative bacterium that causes tularemia in humans and animals. It can survive and multiply in a variety of cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, amoebae, and arthropod-derived cells. However, the intracellular life cycle of a bacterium varies depending on the cell type.

Impact of Pelvic Calcification Severity on Renal Transplant Outcomes: A Prospective Single-Center Study.

Vascular calcifications (VC) are increasingly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease. This study aimed to assess the incidence of iliac artery calcifications in kidney transplant (KT) patients and explore the relationship between iliac VC burden measured by pelvic calcification score (PCS) and renal transplant outcomes. This prospective study involved 79 KT recipients.

Abbreviated Breast MRI as a Supplement to Mammography in Family Risk History of Breast Cancer within the Croatian National Breast Screening Program.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of abbreviated breast MRI compared with mammography in women with a family history of breast cancer included in the Croatian National Breast Screening Program.

Methods: 178 women with a family history of breast cancer aged 50 to 69 underwent abbreviated breast MRI and mammography. Radiological findings for each method were categorized according to the BI-RADS classification.

The Association between the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio and Body Mass among European Population with the Highest Proportion of Adults with Obesity: An Observational Follow-Up Study from Croatia.

: The phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the main constituents of the gut microbiota. An imbalance in the gut microbiota is a sign of dysbiosis, and the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio has been proposed to be a marker of it, especially in the context of obesity. Since Croatia is the country with one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, a pilot observational study was conducted.

Protective Effect of () Polymorphism in Sporadic and Familial Spontaneous Preterm Birth: Insights from a Case-Control Study.

This study investigated the potential role of specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes (), (), , (), (), and () to assess whether these genetic variants contribute to the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). A case-control study was conducted involving 573 women from Croatia and Slovenia: 248 with sporadic sPTB (positive personal and negative family history of sPTB before 37 weeks' gestation), 44 with familial sPTB (positive personal and family history of sPTB before 37 weeks' gestation), and 281 control women. The analysis of rs146756455, rs2963463, rs2946169, rs201450565, rs188343966, and rs1800629 SNPs was performed using TaqMan real-time PCR.

Adults with congenital heart disease: what every cardiologist should know about their care.

As patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) continue to enjoy longer lives, non-congenital cardiologists and other healthcare professionals are increasingly encountering them in their practice and are challenged by their specific needs. Most under- and post-graduate medical training tends to overlook this common pathology, resulting in insufficient awareness of post-repair or post-palliation residual lesions and sequelae from previous interventions. In a strive towards improving the quality of care for this ever-growing cardiovascular patient cohort, it is prudent to outline the areas of concern and specific management needs pertaining to adult patients with CHD and share it with non-CHD professionals.