Aim: Since its beginning, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many people’s usual activities and lifestyle, including Croatian students’ lives. The aim of the study was to examine whether the ...attitudes and behaviour of students in the biomedical (B) field differed from those in other (O) fields at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (JJSUO). The hypothesis was that B students would behave more responsibly.
Materials and Methods: A 10-question anonymous online survey on attitudes and behaviour related to the COVID-19 pandemic was designed and conducted. The research was carried out in November 2020 and it included a total of 348 students (46 % of B students) at the JJSUO. The data were statistically processed by the IBM ® SPSS ® Statistics 25.0 software at the statistical significance level of P < 0.05.
Results: Twenty-five percent of B students and 11.17 % of O students (P = 0.001) responded that they did not go to nightclubs, in accordance with the Civil Protection Headquarters’ recommendations. Regarding their indoor socialising, 24.38 % of B students and 45.21 % of O students behaved the same as before the pandemic (P < 0.01). A total of 63.13 % of B and 39.36 % of O students (P < 0.01) responded that they would receive a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.
Conclusion: B students behaved more responsibly than O students by reducing their socialising and going to crowded places, probably because of their education and awareness of the severity of COVID-19. Accordingly, more of them were willing to get the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2..
Aim: Multiple myeloma (MM) patients might require haemodialysis (HD) and/or plasma exchange (PE) in cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) and/or chronic kidney disease (CKD) and/or other indications. ...The study analysed the survival of MM patients who required HD and/or PE.
Subjects and methods: All 144 patients treated for MM at the University Hospital Centre Osijek between 1994 and 2018 (of whom 47.9 % were men) were included in the study. Data were collected from medical records. MedCalc Statistical Software version 17.8.2 was used for the statistical analysis, with significance set at α = 0.05.
Results: Forty-three of 144 MM patients (29.9 %) were treated with HD and/or PE. Male patients required HD or PE more often than female patients (62.8 % vs 37.2 %, P = 0.02). Patients who did not require HD or PE were significantly older at the time of their death than the patients treated with HD or PE 75 (interquartile range, IQR, 72 – 77) vs 72 (IQR 66 – 75) years; P = 0.009, Mann-Whitney test. Among all patients who required acute or chronic HD, PE or a combination of the treatments, the longest life span was found in 17 patients who were treated with chronic HD (median 12 months, IQR 8 – 58).
Conclusion: Kidney failure requiring HD or PE in MM was associated with a significantly shorter life span in comparison with other MM patients. Chronic HD patients had the longest survival among patients who required acute or chronic HD, PE or a combination of the treatments. In general, MM patients in need for HD and/or PE had poor survival.
(Smajić* P, Schönberger E, Periša V, Sinčić Petričević J, Zibar L, Kralik K. Survival of Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Dialysis or Plasma Exchange - A Single Centre’s 25-Year Experience. SEEMEDJ 2020; 4(1); 25-31)
Aim: To present a case of Sagliker syndrome (SS), a rare syndrome caused by longterm heavy tertiary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Case report: In the year 2000, the ...38-year-old man was diagnosed with ESRD. He is currently of low height, paraplegic, pigeon and barrel chested, with elongated upper extremities, deformed fingers, mandibular and maxillary asymmetric deformities with teeth malformations. Due to extremely high serum parathormone (PTH), resistant to pharmacological treatment, subtotal parathyroidectomy (PTx) was performed in 2007. However, he underwent parathyroid resurgery in 2010 for persistently high PTH of more than 2500 pg/mL (upper normal limit 69). In 2012, imaging found two suspected parathyroid glands and one of them was surgically removed. Postoperatively, the expected decrease in calcium and PTH serum concentrations did not occur. Ten years after the diagnosis of ESRD, the patient began to notice more pronounced skeletal deformities (upper, lower jaw, extremities, deformities of fingers, kyphoscoliosis) along with depressive disorder. Laboratory findings still show extremely high PTH (1994 pg/mL), low calcium, 1.89 mmol/L (normal range 2.14–2.53), and high alkaline phosphatase, 837 U/L (normal range 60–120), despite continuous pharmacological treatment. Conclusion: SS was firstly recognized by Yahya Sagliker in 2004 and it has not been described in Croatia to date. Pervasiveness and knowledge of the syndrome is still poor. The most efficient way of treating/preventing SS is early total PTx in severe secondary HPT related to ESRD. However, it can only stop progress of the disease, but cannot return skeletal deformities.
Cilj: Prikazati slučaj Saglikerovog sindroma (SS), rijetkog sindroma uzrokovanog teškim oblikom tercijarnog hiperparatireoidizma (HPT) u završnom stupnju kronične bubrežne bolesti (ZSKBB). Prikaz slučaja: 2000. godine 38-godišnjaku je dijagnosticiran ZSKBB. Trenutačno je niskog rasta, paraplegičan, deformiranih prsa “poput goluba”, izduženih gornjih udova, deformiranih prstiju, asimetričnih deformacija gornje i donje čeljusti i zuba. Zbog izrazito visokog parathormona (PTH) u serumu, rezistentnog na farmakološko liječenje, pacijentu je 2007. godine napravljena suptotalna paratireoidektomija (PTx). Zbog trajno visokog PTH, većeg od 2500 pg/ml (normalno < 69) reoperiran je 2010. godine. 2012. su detektirane dvije sumnjive paratireoidne žlijezde te je jedna od njih uklonjena, no očekivano smanjenje koncentracije kalcija i PTH u serumu nije uslijedilo. Deset godina nakon dijagnoze ZSKBB-a bolesnik primjećuje progresiju deformiteta kostiju (gornje i donje čeljusti, udova i prstiju, kifoskoliozu) te pojavu depresije. Trenutačne laboratorijske vrijednosti i dalje pokazuju izrazito visoku razinu PTH (1994 pg/ml), nizak kalcij – 1,89 mmol/l (normalan raspon 2,14 – 2,53) i visoku koncentraciju alkalne fosfataze – 837 U/l (normalan raspon 60 – 120) unatoč dugotrajnom i kontinuiranom liječenju. Zaključak: SS je prvotno dijagnosticirao Yahya Sagliker 2004. godine te do danas nije bio opisan u Hrvatskoj. Poznavanje ovog sindroma još je oskudno. Najučinkovitiji način liječenja SS-a je rani totalni PTx u bolesnika s teškim oblikom tercijarnog HPT-a povezanog sa ZSKBB-om. Ipak, učinkovito liječenje može jedino zaustaviti napredak bolesti, ali ne i izliječiti nastale deformitete.
Cilj: Istražiti učestalost infekcija mokraćnog sustava (IMS) u bolesnika s bubrežnim presatkom u prvoj poslijetransplantacijskoj godini te odnos učestalosti IMS-a prema terapiji imunosupresivima (IS) ...i funkciji bubrežnog presatka. Ispitanici i metode: Uključeno je 114 bolesnika (60,5 % muškaraca, medijan dobi svih bolesnika je 52 godine, u rasponu od 27 do 71). Podatci su preuzeti iz medicinskih zapisa i statistički obrađeni pomoću IBM SPSS Statistic, 25.0, uz razinu statističke značajnosti P < 0,05. Rezultati: Unutar godine dana od bubrežne presadbe (BP) u 67 od 114 ispitanika (58,8 %) zabilježeno je 170 epizoda IMS-a uzrokovanih s ukupno dvadeset jednim različitim uzročnikom. Kao najčešće kliničko očitovanje javljala se asimptomatska bakterijurija (44,1 %), a najčešće izolirani uzročnik IMS-a u svim kliničkim očitovanjima bio je E. coli (38,9 %). Najčešće se IMS javljao u prva tri mjeseca od BP-a (58,2 %), kada su bolesnici dio vremena imali Foleyev kateter i/ili JJ stent. IMS je bio značajno češći u žena i starijih, sve rjeđi s vremenom, a veća učestalost nije bila povezana s lošijom funkcijom presatka koncem prve poslijetransplantacijske godine. Ispitanici koji su u IS terapiji imali kortikosteroide, krajem prve poslijetransplantacijske godine imali su značajno veći broj epizoda IMS-a (P = 0,02). Zaključak: Više od polovice ispitanika imalo je u prvoj godini poslije BP-a neki oblik IMS-a, s najčešće izoliranim uzročnikom E. coli. Veća učestalost IMS-a zabilježena je u ženskom spolu, u starijih, uz veći IS (uz kortikosteroide) te u prva tri mjeseca od BP-a. Ispitanici s češćim IMS-om nisu imali lošiju funkciju bubrežnog presatka godinu dana nakon BP-a.
Aim: To investigate the frequency of urinary tract infections (UTI) in kidney transplant (KT) recipients occurring in the first post-transplant year, and the relationship between the frequency of UTI, immunosuppressive therapy (IT) and kidney graft function. Patients and methods: 114 patients were enrolled into the study (60.5 % men, median age 52 years; interquartile range 45 - 58). Data were taken from medical records and statistically processed by the IBM® SPSS® Statistics 25.0 software, at statistical significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Within one year following the KT, a total of 170 UTI episodes were reported in 67 out of 114 patients (58.8 %), caused by a total of 21 different agents. Asymptomatic bacteriuria (44.1 %) was noted as the most common clinical presentation, while the most frequently isolated cause of UTI in all clinical presentations was E. coli (38.9 %). In most cases, UTI occurred within the first 3 months after the KT (58.2 %), during the period in which the patients had a Foley catheter and/or JJ stent. UTI was significantly more common in women and in elderly persons. Patients on corticosteroids as part of their IT, had a significantly higher number of UTI episodes (P = 0.02) at the end of the first post-transplant year. Conclusion: More than a half of the participants had some form of UTI in the first post-transplantation year, with E. coli as the most frequently isolated cause. Higher UTI frequency was observed in women and the elderly who took more powerful IT (corticosteroids), and within the first 3 months following the KT.
Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a stress-induced cytokine associated with acute and chronic inflammatory states. This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the prognostic ...roles of GDF-15 and routine clinical laboratory parameters in COVID-19 patients. Upon the admission of 95 adult hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Croatia, blood analysis was performed, and medical data were collected. The patients were categorized based on survival, ICU admission, and hospitalization duration. Logistic regression and ROC curve methods were employed for the statistical analysis. Logistic regression revealed two independent predictors of negative outcomes: CURB-65 score (OR = 2.55) and LDH (OR = 1.005); one predictor of ICU admission: LDH (OR = 1.004); and one predictor of prolonged hospitalization: the need for a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) upon admission (OR = 4.75). The ROC curve showed diagnostic indicators of negative outcomes: age, CURB-65 score, LDH, and GDF-15. The largest area under the curve (AUC = 0.767, specificity = 65.6, sensitivity = 83.9) was represented by GDF-15, with a cutoff value of 3528 pg/mL. For ICU admission, significant diagnostic indicators were LDH, CRP, and IL-6. Significant diagnostic indicators of prolonged hospitalization were CK, GGT, and oxygenation with an HFNC upon admission. This study reaffirms the significance of the commonly used laboratory parameters and clinical scores in evaluating COVID-19. Additionally, it introduces the potential for a new diagnostic approach and research concerning GDF-15 levels in this widespread disease.
Cilj: Prikazati slučaj Saglikerovog sindroma (SS), rijetkog sindroma uzrokovanog teškim oblikom tercijarnog hiperparatireoidizma (HPT) u završnom stupnju kronične bubrežne bolesti (ZSKBB). Prikaz ...slučaja: 2000. godine 38-godišnjaku je dijagnosticiran ZSKBB. Trenutačno je niskog rasta, paraplegičan, deformiranih prsa “poput goluba”, izduženih gornjih udova, deformiranih prstiju, asimetričnih deformacija gornje i donje čeljusti i zuba. Zbog izrazito visokog parathormona (PTH) u serumu, rezistentnog na farmakološko liječenje, pacijentu je 2007. godine napravljena suptotalna paratireoidektomija (PTx). Zbog trajno visokog PTH, većeg od 2500 pg/ml (normalno < 69) reoperiran je 2010. godine. 2012. su detektirane dvije sumnjive paratireoidne žlijezde te je jedna od njih uklonjena, no očekivano smanjenje koncentracije kalcija i PTH u serumu nije uslijedilo. Deset godina nakon dijagnoze ZSKBB-a bolesnik primjećuje progresiju deformiteta kostiju (gornje i donje čeljusti, udova i prstiju, kifoskoliozu) te pojavu depresije. Trenutačne laboratorijske vrijednosti i dalje pokazuju izrazito visoku razinu PTH (1994 pg/ml), nizak kalcij – 1,89 mmol/l (normalan raspon 2,14 – 2,53) i visoku koncentraciju alkalne fosfataze – 837 U/l (normalan raspon 60 – 120) unatoč dugotrajnom i kontinuiranom liječenju. Zaključak: SS je prvotno dijagnosticirao Yahya Sagliker 2004. godine te do danas nije bio opisan u Hrvatskoj. Poznavanje ovog sindroma još je oskudno. Najučinkovitiji način liječenja SS-a je rani totalni PTx u bolesnika s teškim oblikom tercijarnog HPT-a povezanog sa ZSKBB-om. Ipak, učinkovito liječenje može jedino zaustaviti napredak bolesti, ali ne i izliječiti nastale deformitete.
Lingua villosa nigra – a case report Smajić, Matea; Smajić, Petra; Pušeljić, Nika ...
Liječnički vjesnik,
04/2022, Letnik:
144, Številka:
Supp 2
Web Resource
Odprti dostop
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Lingua villosa nigra (LVN) is benign hairy appearance of the dorsal surface of the tongue, caused by defective desquamation and reactive hyper- trophy of the filiform ...papillae. It is mostly related to poor oral hygiene, antibiotics, smoking and specific food/drink.
