Mortality characteristics in sumadija district from 2010 – 2017

Mortality rate represents a number of deaths on a particular territory per time unit. There are general and specific mortalities. The aims at analysing the characteristics of mortality in Sumadija District for the time period ranging from 2010 – 2017. The study includes all death cases in the District of Sumadija in period 2010-2017, 34681 cases. The data are described and analysed with χ² test and linear trend. The trend analysis does not indicate any significant vari-ations during the given time span. The gender analysis re-veals that there is a significantly higher number of deceased persons among male population (52.2%, 47.8%, р<0.05). The average age of the deceased females (76.2±13.4) was higher than the average age of males (73.8±14.1) (р<0.05). The cause-specific analysis shows that natural causes of death dominate absolutely (96.5%) over violent deaths (2.7%) and undetermined causes (0.8%). The distribution of death causes according to ICD 10 shows that the most frequent causes of death are heart and blood vessel diseases, respiratory and neoplasm diseases. The life expectancy of the inhabitants of Sumadija District is increasing over time. There was a slight decrease in the mortality rates during the observed time period. The highest number of the deceased people is 65 or more years old. Men have higher mortality rates throughout their lives. Natural death and non-communicable diseases are dominant. The most common causes of death are heart and blood vessels diseases, in women, and respiratory and neo-plasm diseases, in men

Assessment of the reliability of the serbian version of the sickness impact profile questionnaire in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

© 2015, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved. SUMMARY Introduction Health-related quality of life (HRQL) of chronic patients has been researched as the ultimate goal of modern treatment of chronic diseases to improve patients’ quality of life. Objective The objective was to assess the reliability of the Serbian version of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) questionnaire on the sample of patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Methods The research covered 102 patients with chronic hepatitis (47 type B and 55 type C). The assessment of the reliability of the SIP questionnaire was performed by testing the internal consistency of the questions by calculating the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The factor analysis was used to assess whether the grouping of the questions within dimensions matches the distribution of the questions in the original English version of the questionnaire administered to U.S. patient population. Results The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the entire questionnaire is 0.925, 0.869 for the physical dimension, and 0.857 for the psychosocial dimension. After running a factor analysis of the psychosocial dimension, “emotional instability” was extracted as the key factor, confirming the results of previous research. Compared with the English version of the questionnaire, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the Serbian version does not diverge significantly, whereas the factor analysis confirms the classification of the questionnaire into two dimensions. Conclusion Our study has shown that the Serbian version of the SIP questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing the HRQL of patients with chronic hepatitis B and C before starting treatment

PREVENTION OF ADENOVIRAL EYE INFECTION - REVIEW

Epidemic viral conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus is the most common infectious conjunctivitis. The exact incidence of adenoviral conjunctivitis is still poorly known, but there are two well-defined adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis clinical syndromes: epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and pharyngoconjunctival fever (PCF). Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is also the most severe form and presents with watery discharge, hyperemia, chemosis and ipsilateral lymphadenopathy. Diagnosis is mainly clinical, but its etiology can be confirmed using cell cultures, antigen detection, polymerase chain reaction or immune-chromatography. Multiple treatments have been tried for this disease, but none of them seem to be completely effective. Viruses are resistant to desiccation and certain common surface disinfectants. Prevention is the most reliable and recommended strategy to control this epidemic infection. Global epidemic surveillance system definitely needs to be established to monitor and analyze the epidemic conjunctivitis in the future. There is clearly a need for the national and the military public health institutions to work together on guidelines to handle future challenges

Enterobacteriaceae in food safety with an emphasis on raw milk and meat

There has been a growing interest in traditional dairy (such as raw milk cheeses) and meat products, in recent years. However, these products are suitable and nutrient medium and may be easily contaminated by microorganisms such as Enterobacteriaceae. Enterobacteriaceae are considered to be the indicator bacteria for microbiological quality of food and hygiene status of a production process. Additionally, the food contaminated by Enterobacteriaceae poses a microbiological risk for consumers. In fact, the contamination of raw milk and meat by Enterobacteriaceae amid manufacturing may easily occur from various environmental sources, and this group of bacteria is frequently detected in dairy and meat products. Therefore, monitoring the microbiological quality of the used raw material and maintaining high standards of hygiene in the production process are mandatory for a high quality of traditional products and the safety of the potential consumers. The goal of this review is to present the most recent survey on Enterobacteriaceae growth, number, and distribution in raw milk cheeses and meat, as well as to discuss the sources of contamination and methods of control.Accepted for publishin

Anthropometric study of the facial index in the population of Central Serbia

The aim of this study was to determine the craniofacial parameters in the population of the central part of Serbia. The research was conducted on 700 persons (360 males and 340 females), aged 18-65 years, selected randomly. The measured parameters were morphological facial height and breadth. The standard spreading caliper with scale was used for the measurement of facial parameters. There were significant differences in the facial parameters of male compared to female subjects in all observed parameters. The mean value of the morphological facial height in the study population was 116.8 mm ± 7.28, maximum facial breadth 124.12 mm ± 8.44, while the mean value of the total facial index was 93.68 ± 6.86. The total facial index was calculated according to the formula and the obtained results were analyzed statistically using the t-test. The dominant phenotype in the studied population was leptoprosopic. The data obtained in our study may be useful in anthropological research, forensics, genetic research, as well as in medical clinical practice

High risk of burnout in medical students in Serbia, by gender: A cross-sectional study

Introduction Burnout syndrome is common among medical students, but findings about the gender differences in burnout are not consistent. The aim of this study was to assess high risk of burnout syndrome among medical students at one University in Serbia, by gender. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac in 2014. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey was used for assessment of burnout level. A questionnaire on basic socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, habits, etc.) and academic performance (year of study, cumulative total average grade, length of study, housing, study financing, etc.) was used. The study included a total of 760 medical students (760/836 medical students; participation rate: 90.9%). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results Significant gender differences were detected in prevalence of high risk of burnout syndrome (male students- 19.0% vs. female students- 12.8%, p = 0.024). A significant independent predictor of high risk for burnout syndrome in male medical students was study year (p for trend = 0.011), while in female medical students-study year (p for trend = 0.002) and use of sedatives (adjusted OR = 5.74, 95% CI = 1.96-16.77, p = 0.001). Conclusion Our results indicate the need to assess the risk of burnout syndrome at the very beginning of medical studies, in order to more effectively control the modifiable risk factors

OCULAR HYPERTENSION - RISK FACTORS AND THERAPY?

Introduction/Aim: The goal of our study was to analyze the epidemiological`s characteristics of ocular hypertension, as well as the influence of chronic risk factors on glaucoma development (conversion in glaucoma). We tried to make some entries for solving this complex ophthalmological problem. Material /Methods: From 2009 to 2015, a retrospective control study was performed on 121 patient with diagnoses of bilateral ocular hypertension and without disease progression/conversion of glaucoma (by standard protocols of diagnosis and basic procedures) on tertiary level at Clinic of Ophthalmology, Clinical Centre of Kragujevac, Serbia.. The authors analyzed epidemiological characteristics: sex, age groups, positive/negative family history and personal history with chronic risk factors (one and/or two) of ocular hypertension. The data obtained from this study were statistically analyzed in SPSS program, version 20.00. Results: As for the patients, 69 of them (57.02%) were male and 52 female (42.98%). Dominant age group was between 40-49 (42.15%) and then group between 50-59 (40.50%) years of age. Anamnesis data indicated the absence of family anamnesis 71 (58.68%). Risk factors for ocular hypertension were presented in 103 (85.13%) patients, 18 of them (14.87%) did not respond. One risk factor - cardiovascular disease was noted in 83 (68.59%), with two risk factors - cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus in 20 patients (16.53%) and with PEX syndroma at other respondents. Conclusion: Ocular hypertension is not a common disease, but with risk factors, such as older age, positive family history, and chronic risk factors syndicated, represents a serious clinical and social problem, so the question remains for ophthalmologists - pro or against therapy? Those in favor of therapy would state the safety and protection from conversion/progression of glaucoma; but those  against therapy would only mention adequate monitoring of patients

Worldwide suicide mortality trends by firearm (1990-2019): A joinpoint regression analysis.

IntroductionSuicide by firearm is a major public health problem in many countries. But, studies that investigated the mortality of suicide by firearm on a global scale are still limited. The aim of this study was to assess the global, regional and national trends in mortality of suicide by firearm from 1990 to 2019.MethodMortality data of suicide by firearm was presented using the age-standardized rates (ASRs, expressed per 100,000). Joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess trends of mortality of suicide by firearm: the average annual percent change (AAPC) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated.ResultsA total of 52,694 (45,110 male and 7584 female) deaths of suicide by firearm were reported worldwide in 2019. The global ASR of suicide by firearm was six-fold higher in males than in females (1.15 per 100,000 and 0.19 per 100,000, respectively), and varied greatly across countries: the highest rates were in Greenland (24.52 per 100,000 and 2.69 per 100,000, respectively) and the United States of America (10.13 per 100,000 and 1.66 per 100,000, respectively), while the lowest rates (0.05 per 100,000 or less) were observed in China, Japan and Singapore. Globally, the mortality of suicide by firearm had a decreasing tendency from 1990 to 2019 in both sexes together (AAPC = -2.0% per year; 95%CI = -2.1 to -1.9).ConclusionDecreasing trends in mortality of suicide by firearm were observed in majority of countries across the world, but not in all. Future research should determine more effective ways to further reduce mortality of suicide by firearm

The benefits of quitting smoking for people with cancer

Introduction Smoking has been linked to cancer occurrence and survival rates for a long time. However, there is little research into the impacts of smoking on oncological treatments. The aim of the study is to show the impact that smoking can have on the effects of cancer therapy. Methods Epidemiological situation analysis of the malignant diseases based on the data of incidence and mortality and the impact of smoking on the results of treatment. Results At the time of establishing the diagnosis, the incidence of smoking varies from 10 to 95 per cent ( 60% for lung cancer). The previous research indicates that continuing smoking after the establishment of a diagnosis can impact the treatment outcomes and is related to worse prognosis and survival rate. Active smoking can be connected to lower survival rates with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, limited small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer, and upper tract urothelial cancer. The smokers suffering from prostate cancer have a higher risk of death outcomes and worse prognoses after the treatment. The research has shown that there is a link between smoking and slower wound healing in operated patients and that it can also intensify the side-effects of chemotherapy and prolong the responses to radiation. Conclusions It is essential to increase knowledge about the health benefits of quitting smoking in order to advance the results of oncological treatments. Implemented smoking cessation programs need to be adapted to oncology patients