Comparison of Conservative Treatments for Children With Idiopathic Scoliosis

Introduction. We evaluated the effectiveness of different methods of conservativetreatment modalities for the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis in children.Patients and Methods. The study included 61 patients with scoliosis. Themodalities of physical treatment included exercise, exercise plus traction, exerciseplus mider, or a combination of exercise, traction and mider. We evaluated threeage groups: patients between 5 and 8 years of age (Group 1), those between 9 and11 years of age (Group 2) and those between 12 and 14 years of age (Group 3).The follow-up period was three months after the initial treatment, during which allpatients continued physical treatment. The outcome was categorized as improved,unchanged or worsened.Results and discussion. After three months of treatment the most frequentoutcome was unchanged (62% of all participants). Exercise was the treatment mostfrequently applied (54% of the total group). We found no signifi cant difference intreatment modes and treatment outcomes after three months (p>0.05). Exercisealone was the most effective treatment for the youngest patients (Group 1). We alsonoted that a combination of exercises and traction was most effective in patientsabove 10 years of age; the majority of other patients showed either improvement orunchanged outcomes in curve progression.Conclusion. Patients with congenital scoliosis should be assessed individuallyusing a multidisciplinary approach. The rehabilitation program should be individuallyprescribed, implemented daily and should include regular check-ups between threeand six months to assess spine curve progression

Validation of Serbian Version of Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score (DVSS) Questionnaire

Objective: The aims of our study were to translate the dysfunctional voiding symptom score (DVSS) from English to Serbian; culturally adopt the items; assess the internal consistency and the test–retest reliability of DVSSSR in patients with dysfunctional voiding (DV); evaluate and test the construct and divergent validity of DVSSSR against demographic parameters (gender and education); and examine the level of explained variability for each item of DVSSSR against demographic parameters (gender and education). Methods: The cross-sectional observational study included 50 patients with dysfunctional voiding aged 5 years and above. The DVSS questionnaire was translated from English into Serbian by the forward–backward method. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach α and test–retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). For validity testing we performed construct and divergent validity analyses. Results: There was excellent internal consistency for every item except for Item 6 (0.787) and Item 3 (0.864), where internal consistency was good. The observed test/retest ICC for average measures was more than 0.75 (excellent) for all DVSSSR items. Gender and educational level does not correlate significantly with each item of DVSSSR (p > 0.05). For divergent validity, there were no significant differences in mean values of each item of DVSSSR between genders and different levels of education (p > 0.05). Variability that can be explained for gender and educational level was below 10%. Conclusion: Translated DVSSSR is of adequate validity and reliability for assessing DV in children

Reliability, Validity and Temporal Stability of the Serbian Version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the Serbian version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) and to evaluate temporal stability for the purpose of its implementation in the evaluation of Serbian patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Materials and Methods: For the validation of the Serbian version of the BCTQ (BCTQSR), we tested 69 individuals with diagnosed CTS that were referred for a conservative treatment at the Institute for Rehabilitation. Neurophysiological tests were used for the electrophysiological grading (EG) of CTS severity in the study sample. The final version of the BCTQSR was given to the tested participants from the study on two occasions: test and retest, with a five-day period between the two measurements. Results: The mean value for the symptom severity subscale (SSS) of the BCTQSR was 3.01 ± 0.94; for the functional status subscale (FSS) of the BCTQSR it was 2.85 ± 1.00. Cronbach’s α for the SSS was 0.91 and 0.93 for the FSS. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) concerning the test–retest were significant (p p = 0.103 and p = 0.053, respectively). The intercorrelation of the BCTQSR subscales (SSS and FSS) on the test was significant (p Conclusion: The Serbian version of the BCTQ (BCTQSR) was successfully culturally adopted. The BCTQSR was a valid and reliable instrument for the measurement of symptom severity and functional status in adults with CTS. Therefore, it can be used in clinical practice for patients with CTS

Genetic and Epigenomic Modifiers of Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy (DN), the most common chronic and progressive complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), strongly affects patients’ quality of life. DN could be present as peripheral, autonomous or, clinically also relevant, uremic neuropathy. The etiopathogenesis of DN is multifactorial, and genetic components play a role both in its occurrence and clinical course. A number of gene polymorphisms in candidate genes have been assessed as susceptibility factors for DN, and most of them are linked to mechanisms such as reactive oxygen species production, neurovascular impairments and modified protein glycosylation, as well as immunomodulation and inflammation. Different epigenomic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA action have been studied in DN, which also underline the importance of “metabolic memory” in DN appearance and progression. In this review, we summarize most of the relevant data in the field of genetics and epigenomics of DN, hoping they will become significant for diagnosis, therapy and prevention of DN

Evaluation of Visual Evoked Potentials in Patient with Angelmans Syndrome - Case Report

Background: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder with varying degrees of neurological impairment. It is often associated with ocular involvement. Case Report: We present a child diagnosed with AS who had a deletion on the short arm of chromosome 15. The child seemed to be happy, with developmental delay, speech problem, and altering strabismus. To assess the potential presence and degree of damage in the visual pathway, we recorded monocular flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Our results revealed the presence of severe central afferent dysfunction in both optical pathways. Conclusion: VEPs can be used in patients with AS and visual disturbances to assess the integrity of the visual system