Dilatative fetal cardiomyopathy followed by a mirror syndrome.

Mirror syndrome (Ballantyne syndrome) is a rare condition characterized by maternal edema, which often affects the lungs. It mirrors the image of fetal and placental edema; therefore, it is also called triple edema. We present the case of a 37-year-old secundigravida, referred to our clinic at 26 weeks of a pregnancy complicated by fetal dilatative restrictive cardiomyopathy and hydrops, placentomegaly, new-onset dyspnea, and maternal calf edema.

Ethical implications of COVID-19 management-is freedom a desired aim, or a desired means to an end?

Most developed societies managed, due to their prosperity and resource abundance, to structure relationships among free individuals in such a way to leave them fundamentally unstructured, according to the free market principle. As the pandemic illustrated well, this lack of structure when facing collective threats makes it impossible to collectively and proportionately assess and manage its implications and consequences. This may be particularly precarious when introducing comprehensive, monitoring and tracking, surveillance systems dependent on the vaccination status of the individual.

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in the Eye of the Beholder and Emergency Medical Service.

Purpose: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a global healthcare problem, with low survival and bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rates. This study aimed to identify event-related factors in OHCA and their impact on return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) achievement and maintenance until hospital admission.

Patients And Methods: All data were collected from Utstein Resuscitation Registry Template for OHCA from The Institute of Emergency Medicine of Zagreb from January 2012 to August 2022.

Are shortened aPTT values always to be attributed only to preanalytical problems?

Objectives: It has been recognized that shortened activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) may be caused by various preanalytical conditions. As coagulation Factor VIII is included in the intrinsic coagulation cascade measured by aPTT, we hypothesized that the shortened aPTT could be a result of elevated FVIII activity. We aimed to inspect the connection of elevated FVIII with shortened aPTT, and the possible effect inflammation has on routine laboratory parameters.

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.

Verification of bile acid determination method and establishing reference intervals for biochemical and haematological parameters in third-trimester pregnant women.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to verify the bile acids (BA) method and to establish reference intervals (RIs) for bile acids (BA) and biochemical and haematological parameters in Croatian pregnant women.

Methods: BA spectrophotometric method verification was performed on Siemens Atellica Solution CH 930 automated analyser using Sentinel reagent. Stability, precision, trueness, linearity, and RIs, as well as lipemia interference were tested according to CLSI guidelines.

Atherosclerosis and depression: is carotid intima-media thicker in patients with depression compared to matched control individuals? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To investigate if there is an association between atherosclerosis and depression by using as imaging biomarker the carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis.

Methods: PubMed/Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were comprehensively searched to identify studies investigating the association between cIMT and depression. The results were pooled using a random-effects statistical model, appropriate for the expected high heterogeneity.

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.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiovascular Healthcare in Croatia: A Comprehensive Nationwide Survey.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular healthcare in Croatia remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to compare the utilization and provision of cardiovascular services during the pre-pandemic (2017-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods, leveraging nationwide data from the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, which covers 95% of all insurance claims in the country. Our findings reveal that while the use of coronary angiographies decreased during the pandemic, there was a notable increase in the utilization of advanced heart failure treatment modalities and percutaneous coronary interventions, particularly in the context of acute myocardial infarction.

Mixing studies for lupus anticoagulant: does it matter how we mix?

Although clear and detailed recommendation regarding the lupus anticoagulant mixing test exist, various sources of NPP are used. We decided to inspect the possible differences in mixing studies depending on the mixing media. Four types of mixing media were prepared for 45 random remnant plasma samples: standard human plasma, control plasma N, previously analyzed patient with normal coagulation values, and home-made normal pool plasma (NPP).

VALIDATION OF THE CROATIAN VERSION OF THE SURGICAL FEAR QUESTIONNAIRE (SFQ) IN ADULT PATIENTS WAITING FOR ELECTIVE SURGERY.

The Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) is an instrument for self-assessment of surgical fear and consists of two subscales, one assessing the fear of short-term consequences (SFQ-s) and another one of long-term consequences (SFQ-l) of surgery. The aim of this study was to test the Croatian version of the SFQ with regard to its psychometric properties. This prospective cohort study included patients who presented to the Department of Surgery for elective surgery in the inpatient setting at a tertiary health care facility in Croatia between April 1 and May 31, 2019.

A comparison of continuous cold flow and compression device and traditional icing regimen and no icing following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A pilot study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of continuous cold flow and compression device as against traditional icing regimen and without icing after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. All patients undergoing ACL reconstruction from June 2021 to August 2021 were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly allocated to three groups: A control group (n=10) with no ice regimen post-operatively, a second control group (n=10) with ice bag, and a third group (n=10) with continuous cold flow and compression device (physiolab).

Characterization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Transmission Clusters and Transmitted Drug-Resistant Mutations in Croatia from 2019 to 2022.

Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 infection is challenging due to the highly diverse HIV-genome. We investigated the genetic diversity and prevalence of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) followed by phylogenetic analysis in 270 HIV-1 infected, treatment-naïve individuals from Croatia in the period 2019-2022. The results of this research confirmed a high overall prevalence of TDR of 16.

Impact of CPAP Therapy on the Autonomic Nervous System.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) with increasing prevalence. An important mechanism of CVD development is a dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This prospective and controlled cohort study aimed to investigate ANS function in OSA including the response to long-term continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy by analyzing 24 h Holter electrocardiogram and 24 h Holter ambulatory blood pressure recording parameters.