The reasons for development of complications in soft contact lenses wearers: A qualitative study

© 2020, Serbian Medical Society. All rights reserved. Objective. To determine reasons and their actual role in occurrence of complications in users of soft contact lenses. Methods. This was a qualitative study in which a constructivist grounded theory approach was used to analyze obtained data. The study population consisted of two groups of subjects: 10 students who were identified as users of soft contact lenses and 4 ophthalmologists. Each of the respondents participated ina single interview. Based on audio recordings of these interviews appropriate transcripts of conversations were made and analyzed. After elimination of waste words 11 key categories were crystallized. Results. Recommendations of the ophthalmologists perhaps have the decisive role in the formation of attitude that users will have regarding the adequate hygiene of soft contact lenses: hand hygiene, proper cleanliness of storage for soft contact lenses and using the solution in the allotted time are imperative for users of soft contact lenses. Sleeping with soft contact lenses for a long period and more frequently than it was specified in the recommendation of an ophthalmologist is one of the greatest reasons for development of dry eye symptoms, while swimming with soft contact lenses increases the risk for occurrence of eye infections. Conclusion. The main reasons for the occurrence of complications in soft contact lenses users are inadequate hygiene and weakening of compliance of soft contact lenses users over time

Antimicrobial treatment of Corynebacterium striatum invasive infections: a systematic review

The aim of this study was to establish an evidence-based guideline for the antibiotic treatment of Corynebacterium striatum infections. Several electronic databases were systematically searched for clinical trials, observational studies or individual cases on patients of any age and gender with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, harboring C. striatum isolated from body fluids or tissues in which it is not normally present. C. striatum had to be identified as the only causative agent of the invasive infection, and its isolation from blood, body fluids or tissues had to be confirmed by one of the more advanced diagnostic methods (biochemical methods, mass spectrometry and/or gene sequencing). This systematic review included 42 studies that analyzed 85 individual cases with various invasive infections caused by C. striatum. More than one isolate of C. striatum exhibited 100% susceptibility to vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, piperacillin-tazobactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefuroxime. On the other hand, some strains of this bacterium showed a high degree of resistance to fluoroquinolones, to the majority majority of β-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, lincosamides and cotrimoxazole. Despite the antibiotic treatment, fatal outcomes were reported in almost 20% of the patients included in this study. Gene sequencing methods should be the gold standard for the identification of C. striatum, while MALDI-TOF and the Vitek system can be used as alternative methods. Vancomycin should be used as the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of C. striatum infections, in monotherapy or in combination with piperacillin-tazobactam. Alternatively, linezolid, teicoplanin or daptomycin may be used in severe infections, while amoxicillin-clavulanate may be used to treat mild infections caused by C. striatum

Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Different Extracts of Xanthoparmelia stenophylla Lichen from Stara Planina, Serbia

The aim of this study was to identify some of the secondary metabolites present in acetonic, methanolic, and hexanic extracts of lichen Xanthoparmelia stenophylla and to examine their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity. Compounds of the depsid structure of lecanoric acid, obtusic acid, and atranorin as well as usnic acid with a dibenzofuran structure were identified in the extracts by HPLC. The acetone extract was shown to have the highest total phenolic (167.03 ± 1.12 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid content (178.84 ± 0.93 mg QE/g) as well as the best antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 = 81.22 ± 0.54). However, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm tests showed the best activity of hexanic extract, especially against strains of B. cereus, B. subtilis, and S. aureus (MIC < 0.08, and 0.3125 mg/mL, respectively). Additionally, by using the MTT method, the acetonic extract was reported to exhibit a strong cytotoxic effect on the HeLa and HCT-116 cell lines, especially after 72 h (IC50 = 21.17 ± 1.85 and IC50 = 21.48 ± 3.55, respectively). The promising antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects of Xanthoparmelia stenophylla extracts shown in the current study should be further investigated in vivo and under clinical conditions

Factors Influencing Hookah Smoking in High School Students

© 2018 Minela Z. Vapljanin, published by Sciendo. In recent years, the prevalence of hookah smoking has increased worldwide, particularly in young people, which may have potentially serious consequences for their health. The aim of this study was to examine the factors associated with the consumption of hookah by high school students. The present study was conducted in the city of Novi Pazar, and students aged 17-19 years attending the following high schools were included: Medical School, Grammar School, Economic-Commerce School and Catering School. The study was designed as a case-control study. The cases were students who consumed nargile, while the control group consisted of students who had never smoked nargile. A special questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of this research, which was used to evaluate the opinions of adolescents on the consumption of nargile. Our research included a total of 270 seniors in high schools in Novi Pazar. The average age of the students was 18 years. The most important factors that may contribute to start using nargile were: previous consumption of nargile by older family members, divorced parents, and active smoking of cigarettes by other family members. Most students emphasized that hookah smoking is socially unacceptable form of behavior. Also, hookah smoker were neither more attractive nor popular. Nargile consumption is more common by adolescents whose parents are divorced, as well as by adolescents whose family members are smoking nargile or tobacco. The most common reason for nargile consumption among adolescents is a desire for relaxation

The attitudes and habits of patients toward use of herbal drugs

© 2019, Serbian Medical Society. All rights reserved. Objective. The aim of study was to examine the factors associated with the use of herbal drugs among patients in Serbia, as well as to assess the attitudes and habits of patients toward the use of herbal drugs. Methods. The study was designed as an observational, cross-sectional study. The research was conducted during February 2018 in six community pharmacies across the municipalities of Despotovac and Ćuprija. Study population consisted of adult volunteers of both genders and over 18 years of age who had purchased drugs in one of the six pharmacies involved in the study. Participants filled out the semi-structured questionnaires which had been specifically designed for purposes of this research. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part comprised five questions relating to socio-demographic characteristics of participants, while the second part of the questionnaire was composed of eight questions concerning the use of herbal products. The study data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics by SPSS statistical program. Results. There were 190 participants in total. The average age of the study subjects was 47.83 ± 15.9 years (the youngest was 18, while the oldest was 87 years old). Some form of herbal product was used by 145 (76.3%) participants. The most common reasons for the use of herbal drugs were common cold (22.6%), improving the digestion (8.9%), stimulation of immune system (7.5%), dermatological problems (7.5%), cough (4.8 %) and rheumatic complaints (4.8%). The most frequently participants gained information on use of herbal drugs from pharmacists (26.9%), from sources provided by Internet (21.0%), from their physicians (11.8%) and from family members and friends (10.8%). Of the total number 67.7% of participants considered herbal drugs to be completely safe for use. Slightly more than half of the study subjects (52.7%) gave information on using the herbal drug to their physicians. The binary logistic regression analyses showed that herbal drugs were more commonly used by younger women, with a higher school or university degree who prefer to use herbal medicines compared to other drugs. Conclusion. The results of our study have shown that herbal drugs had been more commonly used by younger women, with a higher school degree or university degree, and who declared that they preferred to use herbal drugs in relation to other drugs

Antimicrobial treatment of corynebacterium striatum invasive infections: A systematic review

The aim of this study was to establish an evidence-based guideline for the antibiotic treatment of Corynebacterium striatum infections. Several electronic databases were systematically searched for clinical trials, observational studies or individual cases on patients of any age and gender with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, harboring C. striatum isolated from body fluids or tissues in which it is not normally present. C. striatum had to be identified as the only causative agent of the invasive infection, and its isolation from blood, body fluids or tissues had to be confirmed by one of the more advanced diagnostic methods (biochemical methods, mass spectrometry and/or gene sequencing). This systematic review included 42 studies that analyzed 85 individual cases with various invasive infections caused by C. striatum. More than one isolate of C. striatum exhibited 100% susceptibility to vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, piperacillin-tazobactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefuroxime. On the other hand, some strains of this bacterium showed a high degree of resistance to fluoroquinolones, to the majority majority of β-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, lincosamides and cotrimoxazole. Despite the antibiotic treatment, fatal outcomes were reported in almost 20% of the patients included in this study. Gene sequencing methods should be the gold standard for the identification of C. striatum, while MALDI-TOF and the Vitek system can be used as alternative methods. Vancomycin should be used as the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of C. striatum infections, in monotherapy or in combination with piperacillin-tazobactam. Alternatively, linezolid, teicoplanin or daptomycin may be used in severe infections, while amoxicillin-clavulanate may be used to treat mild infections caused by C. striatum

Can early hyperglycemia affect the morbidity/mortality of very low birth weight premature infants?

Background. The study aimed to examine the effect of early hyperglycemia on the morbidity/mortality of very low birth weight premature infants. Methods. This retrospective study included all premature infants with gestational age ≤32 gestational weeks, hospitalized at the Department of Intensive Neonatal Care, Clinical Center Kragujevac, during the period 2017-2019. Hyperglycemia was defined as glycemia of ≥12 mmol/l in one measurement, or >10 mmol/l in two measurements, at repeated intervals of 2-4 hours. Glycemia was determined from capillary blood, using a gas analyzer of Gem Premier 3000, during the first 7 days of life. Continuous intravenous insulin infusion was administered after ineffective glucose restriction at glycemic values of >14 mmol/l. Results. Patients with normoglycemia (41/72 (56.94%)) and hyperglycemia (31/72 (43.06%)) did not differ in gender, gestational age, mode of delivery and antenatal administration of steroids, while birth weight had a tendency to be lower in the hyperglycemic group (p=0.052). Hyperglycemia was significantly associated with a low APGAR score at the fifth minute (p=0.048), necrotizing enterocolitis (p=0.011), and shorter duration of mechanical ventilation (p=0.006). Hyperglycemia was associated with significantly more frequent fatal outcomes (35.5%) when compared with the normoglycemic group (4.9%). Accordingly, these patients required inotropic (r=0.036) and insulin therapy (r<0.001) more often. Retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and sepsis did not correlate with hyperglycemia in our study. Intraventricular hemorrhage of the first degree was more often associated with normoglycemia in premature infants on prolonged mechanical ventilation while more severe intracranial hemorrhage was more common in the hyperglycemic group but did not result in statistical significance due to the small number of patients. Conclusions. Monitoring glucose levels in the blood of very low birth weight premature infants is clinically important because abnormalities in glucose homeostasis can have serious short-term and long-term consequences