Enteroadsorbent Polymethylsiloxane Polyhydrate vs. Probiotic DSM 17938 in the Treatment of Rotaviral Gastroenteritis in Infants and Toddlers, a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The aim of this study was to compare two adjunct therapies in the treatment of childhood rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE). We compared the recommended treatment, probiotic DSM 17938 (BioGaia®), vs. a novel treatment, enterosorbent polymethylsiloxane polyhydrate (Enterosgel®).

A retrospective comparison between influenza and COVID-19-associated ARDS in a Croatian tertiary care center.

Background: Since the beginning of the Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic the new Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronoavirus 2 (SARS-CoV‑2) virus has been repeatedly compared to the influenza virus; however, the comparison of invasively mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by these viruses is very scarce. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical course and laboratory parameters between the most severely ill flu and COVID 19 patients treated with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Methods: The study was conducted at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the tertiary care hospital in Zagreb, Croatia in the period between November 2018 and July 2020.

Cauda equina arachnoiditis - a rare manifestation of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease: A case report.

Background: Data regarding the neuroradiology features of the West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease (WNV NID) is rather scarce. To contribute to the knowledge of the WNV NID, we present a patient with a combination of encephalitis and acute flaccid paresis, with cauda equina arachnoiditis as the main magnetic resonance (MR) finding.

Case Summary: A 72-year-old female patient was admitted due to fever, headache and gait instability.

Clinical, Virological, and Immunological Findings in Patients with Toscana Neuroinvasive Disease in Croatia: Report of Three Cases.

Toscana virus (TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus, transmitted to humans by phlebotomine sandflies. Although the majority of infections are asymptomatic, neuroinvasive disease may occur. We report three cases of neuroinvasive TOSV infection detected in Croatia.

Antibody response and the clinical presentation of patients with COVID-19 in Croatia: the importance of a two-step testing approach.

According to anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroresponse in patients with COVID-19 from Croatia, we emphasised the issue of different serological tests and need for combining diagnostic methods for COVID-19 diagnosis. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG ELISA and IgM/IgG immunochromatographic assay (ICA) were used for testing 60 sera from 21 patients (6 with severe, 10 moderate, and 5 with mild disease). The main clinical, demographic, and haemato-biochemical data were analysed.

Laboratory testing of extravascular body fluids: National recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Part II - Synovial fluid.

Joint diseases are conditions with an often progressive and generally painful nature affecting the patient's quality of life and, in some cases, requiring a prompt diagnosis in order to start the treatment urgently. Synovial fluid (SF) laboratory testing is an important part of a diagnostic evaluation of patients with joint diseases. Laboratory testing of SF can provide valuable information in establishing the diagnosis, be a part of a patient's follow-up and treatment with the purpose of improving the patient's health and quality of life.

Molecular Characterization of β-Lactam Resistance and Antimicrobial Susceptibility to Possible Therapeutic Options of AmpC-Producing Multidrug-Resistant in a University Hospital of Split, Croatia.

This study was performed to elucidate genetic relatedness and molecular resistance mechanisms of AmpC-producing multidrug-resistant isolates in University Hospital of Split (UHS), and define efficient antibiotics A total of 100 nonrepeated, consecutive, amoxicillin/clavulanate- and cefoxitin-resistant isolates were collected, mostly from urine (44%) and skin and soft-tissue samples (30%). They were all positive in cefoxitin Hodge test and negative for extended spectrum beta-lactamase production. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis identified four clusters and two singletons, with 79% of isolates in dominant cluster.

miRNAs: EBV Mechanism for Escaping Host's Immune Response and Supporting Tumorigenesis.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4) is a ubiquitous human oncogenic virus, and the first human virus found to express microRNAs (miRNAs). Its genome contains two regions encoding more than 40 miRNAs that regulate expression of both viral and human genes. There are numerous evidences that EBV miRNAs impact immune response, affect antigen presentation and recognition, change T- and B-cell communication, drive antibody production during infection, and have a role in cell apoptosis.

General position of Croatian medical biochemistry laboratories on autovalidation: survey of the Working Group for Post-analytics of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

Introduction: Autovalidation (AV) is an algorithm based on predefined rules designed, among others, to automate and standardize the postanalytical phase of laboratory work. The aim of this study was to examine the overall opinion of Croatian medical biochemistry laboratories regarding various aspects of AV.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study is an analysis of the responses of a survey about AV comprised of 18 questions, as part of Module 10 ("Postanalytical phase of laboratory testing") of national External Quality Assessment program, administered by the Croatian Centre for Quality Assessment in Laboratory Medicine.

Specialist laboratory networks as preparedness and response tool - the Emerging Viral Diseases-Expert Laboratory Network and the Chikungunya outbreak, Thailand, 2019.

We illustrate the potential for specialist laboratory networks to be used as preparedness and response tool through rapid collection and sharing of data. Here, the Emerging Viral Diseases-Expert Laboratory Network (EVD-LabNet) and a laboratory assessment of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in returning European travellers related to an ongoing outbreak in Thailand was used for this purpose. EVD-LabNet rapidly collected data on laboratory requests, diagnosed CHIKV imported cases and sequences generated, and shared among its members and with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Presepsin values as markers of severity of sepsis.

Objectives: Biomarkers are widely used for rapid diagnosis of sepsis. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of presepsin, procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in differentiating sepsis severity as well as their association with Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score.

Methods: One hundred septic patients from two university clinical centers were enrolled in the study during two time periods.

West Nile Virus: An Emerging Threat in Transplant Population.

West Nile virus (WNV) has become one of the new challenges for transplant programs. In addition to transmission by mosquito bite, interhuman transmission is possible through blood products or organ transplantation. Majority of WNV infections present as asymptomatic or mild febrile illness, with less than 1% of infected developing neuroinvasive disease.

Evaluation of platelet count and platelet function analyzer - 100 testing for prediction of platelet transfusion following coronary bypass surgery.

Platelet transfusions are commonly administered to treat bleeding in cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to compare platelet (PLT) count and values of collagen adenosine diphosphate closure time (cADP-CT) measured by Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA) for prediction of PLT transfusion therapy following coronary bypass surgery. For this prospective observational study, 66 patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) who received early PLT transfusions (within 60 min after the operation) were enrolled.

Meeting report: Eleventh International Conference on Hantaviruses.

The 2019 11th International Conference on Hantaviruses (ICH 2019) was organized by the International Society for Hantaviruses (ISH), and held on September 1-4, 2019, at the Irish College, in Leuven, Belgium. These ICHs have been held every three years since 1989. ICH 2019 was attended by 158 participants from 33 countries.

Title does matter: a cross-sectional study of 30 journals in the Medical Laboratory Technology category.

Introduction: First impression on potential readers is created by the title; therefore, authors should give importance to the title structure. The aim of this study was to establish whether articles created by a smaller number of authors and with shorter, descriptive or declarative titles gain more citations and whether article title length and number of authors correlate to the number of citations.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study on article citation data for 30 scientific journals published in 2016 in Medical Laboratory Technology field according to Web of Science database was conducted.

Meningitis caused by Campylobacter jejuni: a case presentation and literature review.

: is one of the most common causative agents of gastroenteritis; however meningitis is rarely described. Therefore, little is known about its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment, and outcomes.: In this paper, we report a case of an adult patient with meningitis.

Laboratory testing of extravascular body fluids: National recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Part I - Serous fluids.

Extravascular body fluids (EBF) analysis can provide useful information in the differential diagnosis of conditions that caused their accumulation. Their unique nature and particular requirements accompanying EBF analysis need to be recognized in order to minimize possible negative implications on patient safety. This recommendation was prepared by the members of the Working group for extravascular body fluid samples (WG EBFS).

The epidemiological and clinical features of odontogenic infective endocarditis.

Antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) of infective endocarditis (IE) in dental practice is a controversial topic. We evaluated the characteristics of the odontogenic IE and assessed the practice and sources of information pertaining to the topic utilized by the Croatian dentists. We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive medical charts of adult patients with IE, admitted to the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb, Croatia, between January 2007 and December 2017.

Analysis of HIV-1 diversity, primary drug resistance and transmission networks in Croatia.

Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naive HIV-1 infected persons from Croatia was investigated. We included 403 persons, representing 92.4% of all HIV-positive individuals entering clinical care in Croatia in 2014-2017.

First evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in a small mammal (yellow-necked mouse) from Croatia.

Since the role of wild rodents/small mammals in hepatitis E virus (HEV) epidemiology has been a subject of considerable debate, this study was conducted to investigate the potential presence of HEV RNA in small rodents collected within their natural habitats and to detect if they can be potential reservoirs of the virus. A total of 483 small rodents were captured using snap traps placed at 11 regions in Croatia. Sampling was undertaken in 2008 and repeated from 2010 to 2014.

Hepatitis E seroprevalence and associated risk factors in Croatian liver transplant recipients.

Introduction: Solid-organ transplant recipients are at risk of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. We analyzed the seroprevalence/risk factors of HEV in Croatian liver transplant recipients.

Methods: Two hundred forty-two serum samples were tested for HEV immunoglobuline IgG/IgM and HEV RNA.

Distribution of rotavirus genotypes in three Croatian regions among children ≤5 years of age (2012-2014).

Objectives: Rotavirus is the major cause of severe diarrhea in young children worldwide. In countries like Croatia, where rotavirus vaccine has not been introduced in the national immunization program, prospective surveillance is necessary to establish the diversity of rotavirus strains. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and geographical distribution of rotavirus strains in Croatia and to detect the possible emergence of novel strains.