Incidence and mortality trends of leukemia and lymphoma in Croatia, 1988-2009

Aim To investigate the time trends of leukemia and lymphoma in Croatia from 1988-2009, compare them with trends in other populations, and identify possible changes. Methods The data sources were the Croatian National Cancer Registry for incidence data, Croatian Bureau of Statistics for the numbers of deaths, and United Nations population estimates. Joinpoint regression analysis using the age-standardized rates was used to analyze incidence and mortality trends. Results Acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia incidence did not significantly change. Acute myeloid leukemia incidence significantly increased in women, with estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) of 2.6% during the whole period, and in men since 1998, with EAPC of 3.2%. Chronic myeloid leukemia incidence significantly decreased in women (EAPC -3.7%) and remained stable in men. Mortality rates were stable for both lymphoid and myeloid leukemia in both sexes. Hodgkin lymphoma non-significantly increased in incidence and significantly decreased in mortality (EAPCs of -5.6% in men and -3.7% in women). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma significantly increased in incidence in women (EAPC 3.2%) and non-significantly in men and in mortality in both men (EAPC 1.6%) and women (EAPC 1.8%). Conclusion While Croatia had similar leukemia and lymphoma incidence trends as the other countries, the mortality trends were less favorable than in Western Europe. The lack of declines of leukemia incidence and non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality could be attributed to late introduction of optimal therapies. As currently the most up-todate diagnostics and treatments are available and covered by health insurance, we expect more favorable trends in the future

Procjena alergija na hranu i aditive u bolesnika s angioedemom, sindromom pekućih usta, heilitisom, gingivostomatitisom, oralnim lihenoidnim reakcijama i peroralnim dermatitisom

Oral cavity and perioral area are constantly exposed to a variety of antigens, including food and additives, which have a potential role in the development of different oral mucosal and perioral cutaneous diseases since they can cause hypersensitivity reactions. Oral and perioral diseases mainly include angioedema, burning mouth syndrome, cheilitis, gingivostomatitis, oral lichenoid reactions, and perioral dermatitis. Previous studies were focused on delayed-type oral allergies by performing patch testing but did not include tests for immediate-type allergic reactions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine common nutritive and additive allergens in the prevalent oral and perioral diseases by using skin prick tests. Our study evaluated 230 participants, i.e. 180 patients with oral/perioral diseases (angioedema, burning mouth syndrome, cheilitis, gingivostomatitis, oral lichenoid reactions, and perioral dermatitis), and 50 healthy control subjects. The results of skin prick tests showed that immediate-type allergic reactions to food and additives were mostly seen in patients with burning mouth syndrome (40%) and cheilitis (33.3%), whereas allergies were least frequently observed in perioral dermatitis (10%) and gingivostomatitis (20%). Fruits, mushrooms, and vegetables were the most frequent causes of nutritive allergies in oral and perioral diseases. The most commonly identified additive allergens were glutaraldehyde, citric acid, and sodium glutamate. Study results suggest the possible association with nutritive and additive allergies be considered in cases of persistent oral mucosal or perioral skin disease accompanied by respective medical history.Usna šupljina i perioralna regija izložene su različitim antigenima, osobito hrani i aditivima, koji imaju potencijalnu ulogu u razvoju različitih bolesti oralne sluznice i perioralne kože s obzirom na to da mogu potaknuti reakcije preosjetljivosti. Oralne i perioralne bolesti najčešće se manifestiraju kao angioedem, sindrom pekućih usta, heilitis, gingivostomatitis,oralne lihenoidne reakcije ili perioralni dermatitis. Dosadašnje studije usmjerile su se na istraživanje kasne alergijske preosjetljivosti kod bolesti oralne sluznice koristeći samo epikutane (patch) testove. Stoga je cilj našeg istraživanja bio odrediti najčešće nutritivne i aditivne alergene u oralnim i perioralnim bolestima primjenom kožnog ubodnog (prick) testa. U istraživanje je bilo uključeno ukupno 230 ispitanika, tj. 180 bolesnika s oralnim/perioralnim bolestima (angioedem, sindrom pekućih usta, heilitis, gingivostomatitis, oralne lihenoidne reakcije i perioralni dermatitis) i 50 zdravih ispitanika. Rezultati kožnih ubodnih testova pokazali su da su alergijske reakcije rane preosjetljivosti na hranu i aditive najčešće uočene u bolesnika sa sindromom pekućih usta (40%) i heilitisom (33,3%), dok su najrjeđe opažene u bolesnika s gingivostomatitisom (20%) i perioralnim dermatitisom (10%). Najučestaliji uzrok nutritivnih alergijskih reakcija u oralnim i perioralnim bolestima bilo je različito voće, gljive i povrće, a najčešće identificirani aditivni alergeni bili su glutaraldehid, limunska kiselina i natrijev glutamat. Rezultati našeg istraživanja upućuju na to da kod ustrajnih bolesti oralne sluznice ili perioralne kože te značajnih povezanih anamnestičkih podataka treba razmotriti moguću povezanost s nutritivnim i aditivnim alergijama

Značajke kože važne za pojavu kontaktnog dermatitisa u zdravstvenih djelatnika

The occurrence of skin lesions in healthcare workers is associated with a negative impact on important skin functions, including protection from mechanical injuries, sunlight, dehydration, and penetration of chemical substances or pathogenic microorganisms. In healthcare professionals, the most common occupational skin disease is contact dermatitis (CD), either irritant (ICD) or allergic (ACD), and typically on the hands. ICD accounts for about 80% of occupational CD, making it the most frequent cause. According to the literature, CD frequency is higher among healthcare professionals than other occupations, with critical occupational risk factors including contact with irritants and allergens at the workplace. Furthermore, ICD is a multifactorial disorder influenced by many constituent and environmental factors. Constituent factors include age, gender, body location, atopy, and genetic factors, while environmental factors include temperature, airflow, humidity, and occlusion. Commonly encountered irritants are water, detergents and surfactants, solvents, oxidizing agents, acids, and alkalis; however, use of protective gloves or equipment, hand-washing habits, use of cleansers and creams, active inflammatory skin diseases, and daily activities are also important for ICD onset. Additionally, ICD is known to predispose to ACD. Important risk factors for ACD development include occupation, age, history of atopic dermatitis, genetics, female gender, and fair skin phototype. In summary, numerous skin features and other occupation-related factors contribute to CD among healthcare practitioners. Given the high level of exposure to contact irritants/allergens in the healthcare setting, implementation of preventive measures is crucial for a safer work environment.Pojava kožnih promjena u zdravstvenih radnika povezana je s negativnim utjecajem rada na važne funkcije kože, uključujući zaštitu od mehaničkih ozljeda, sunčeve svjetlosti, dehidracije i prodora kemijskih tvari ili patogenih mikroorganizama. U zdravstvenih radnika najčešća profesionalna bolest kože je kontaktni dermatitis (CD), iritativni kontaktni dermatitis (ICD) i alergijski kontaktni dermatitis (ACD), koji se javljaju najčešće na šakama. Pritom ICD čini oko 80% profesionalnog CD-a, što ga čini njegovim najčešćim oblikom. Prema literaturi, učestalost CD-a veća je u zdravstvenih radnika nego kod ostalih zanimanja, gdje je kontakt s iritansima i alergenima na radnom mjestu ključni profesionalni čimbenik rizika. Nadalje, ICD je multifaktorski poremećaj na koji utječu mnogi konstitucijski i okolišni čimbenici. Konstitucijski čimbenici uključuju dob, spol, mjesto na tijelu, atopiju i genetske čimbenike, dok čimbenici okoliša uključuju temperaturu, protok zraka, vlažnost i okluziju. Iritansi koji se često susreću su voda, deterdženti i surfaktanti, otapala, oksidirajuće tvari, kiseline i lužine; međutim, upotreba zaštitnih rukavica ili opreme, navike pranja ruku, uporaba sredstava za čišćenje i kreme, aktivne upalne bolesti kože i svakodnevne aktivnosti također su važne za pojavu ICD-a. Uz to, poznato je da ICD predisponira osobu za pojavu ACD-a. Važni čimbenici rizika za razvoj ACD-a uključuju zanimanje, dob, anamnezu atopijskog dermatitisa, genetiku, ženski spol i fototip svijetle kože. Ukratko, brojne značajke kože i drugi čimbenici povezani sa zanimanjem doprinose nastanku CD-a u zdravstvenih djelatnika. S obzirom na visoku razinu izloženosti kontaktnim iritansima/alergenima u zdravstvu, provedba preventivnih mjera presudna je za sigurnije radno okruženje

Detecting and Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions

Hrvatska već više od četrdeset godina ima tradiciju spontanog prijavljivanja sumnji na nuspojave lijekova. Sustav usmjeren na praćenje sigurnosti lijekova i medicinskih proizvoda te otkrivanje promjena u omjeru koristi i rizika naziva se farmakovigilancijski sustav. Nuspojava je svaka štetna i neželjena reakcija na lijek uključujući štetne i neželjene učinke koji su posljedica medikacijskih pogrešaka te primjene lijeka izvan uvjeta odobrenja za stavljanje lijeka u promet poput pogrešne uporabe i zlouporabe lijeka. Prema mehanizmu nastanka, nuspojave možemo podijeliti u pet tipova: nuspojave kao posljedica farmakološkog učinka lijeka, nepredvidive reakcije, reakcije koje traju relativno dulje vrijeme, odgođene reakcije te reakcije povezane s prestankom uzimanja lijeka. Važno je razlikovati nuspojavu od štetnog događaja. Štetni je događaj vremenski povezan s uzimanjem lijeka, ali ne mora biti uzročno-posljedično povezan. Neki se štetni događaj smatra nuspojavom ako postoji sumnja da je bio uzrokovan uzimanjem lijeka. Zdravstveni radnik koji dolazi u doticaj s pacijentom/korisnikom lijeka obvezan je o sumnjama na nuspojave lijeka, osobito ozbiljne i neočekivane, pisano izvijestiti Hrvatsku agenciju za lijekove i medicinske proizvode, a u slučaju cjepiva i Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo. Kako bi prijava bila valjana, potrebno je navesti četiri osnovna podatka. To su podaci o: prijavitelju događaja, pacijentu kod kojeg se dogodila reakcija, lijeku na koji se sumnja da je uzrokovao prijavljenu reakciju te o samoj reakciji koju prijavljujemo. Svaka je prijava nuspojave važna te može pridonijeti sigurnijoj primjeni lijekova, a zdravstveni djelatnici, posebice liječnici i ljekarnici, najčešće su u prilici uočiti te potom prijaviti nuspojavu.The Croatian tradition of spontaneous reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is over forty years long. The system that focuses on drug safety (before and after marketing authorisation was granted) and detects changes in their benefit/risk ratio is called pharmacovigilance system. An ADR is every harmful and unintended reaction including adverse and undesirable effects resulting from medication errors and administration of the drug outside of conditions the product was approved for, including drug misuse and abuse. According to their mechanism, ADRs can be divided into 5 types: augmented reactions which result from the pharmacological effect of the drug, bizarre reactions (not expected from the known pharmacological actions of the drug), continuing reactions, delayed reactions and end-of-use reactions associated with the withdrawal of a medicine. It is important to distinguish an ADR from an adverse event. ADRs are those adverse events for which there is a reasonable possibility of a causal relationship with the drug/medicinal product. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), who are in contact with the patient or drug user, are obliged to report any suspected ADR, especially if serious and unexpected. The Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices, and the Croatian Institute for Public Health if vaccines are involved, need to be informed of the report. Specification of minimum criteria is necessary for a valid case report: identifiable reporter, patient, suspect drug, and suspected reaction. Each case report contributes to patient safety and HCPs, particularly doctors and pharmacists, have an opportunity to identify and report ADRs

Povratak u prošlost: bakreno doba u sjevernoj Hrvatskoj

Knjiga Povratak u prošlost. Bakreno doba u sjevernoj Hrvatskoj nastala je u sklopu istoimene izložbe postavljene u Arheološkom muzeju u Zagrebu u suradnji s Odsjekom za arheologiju Filozofskog fakulteta u Zagrebu i Arheološkim muzejom u Osijeku. Publikacija sadrži 16 tekstova koje pokrivaju različite bakrenodobne teme kroz razdoblje od približno 2000 godina – od načina života i organizacije naselja, izrade i upotrebe predmeta od različitih materijala, iskorištavanja različitih sirovina do zagrobnog života. Osim područja sjeverne Hrvatske u tekstovima je naglašena i međuovisnsot i komunikacija s ostalim dijelovima europskog kontinenta.Knjiga Povratak u prošlost. Bakreno doba u sjevernoj Hrvatskoj nastala je u sklopu istoimene izložbe postavljene u Arheološkom muzeju u Zagrebu u suradnji s Odsjekom za arheologiju Filozofskog fakulteta u Zagrebu i Arheološkim muzejom u Osijeku. Publikacija sadrži 16 tekstova koje pokrivaju različite bakrenodobne teme kroz razdoblje od približno 2000 godina – od načina života i organizacije naselja, izrade i upotrebe predmeta od različitih materijala, iskorištavanja različitih sirovina do zagrobnog života. Osim područja sjeverne Hrvatske u tekstovima je naglašena i međuovisnsot i komunikacija s ostalim dijelovima europskog kontinenta

Proceedings from the 8th and 9th Scientific Conference Methodology and Archaeometry

Methodology and Archaeometry (MetArh) is an annual scientific conference organized since 2013 by the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, and the Croatian Archaeological Society.The goal of the conference is to entice interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, new insights and approaches as well as new theoretical frameworks in contemporary archaeological science. It offers a wider perspective in observing methodology and methodological practices, also challenging traditional approaches in archaeological research, and following the creative adaptation of methods from other disciplines into archaeology. Also, it enables scholars to present their work, engage in discussion and motivate young scholars and archaeology students to pursue contemporary topics and present their research.This edition of the conference Proceedings contains twelve papers from the 8th and 9th MetArh conference which was held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb. The 8th MetArh conference was held from 3rd – 4th of December 2020, and the 9th from 2nd – 3rd of December 2021 (https://metarh.ffzg.unizg.hr/).Due to COVID-19, both conferences were held on the online platform Hopin.to. It was very challenging to organize and realize the conference in a virtual format but, most importantly, it produced high-quality works some of which are published in this publication. Papers in this volume are focused on different aspects of archaeological methodology and archaeometry, including case studies from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine.Methodology and Archaeometry (MetArh) is an annual scientific conference organized since 2013 by the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, and the Croatian Archaeological Society.The goal of the conference is to entice interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, new insights and approaches as well as new theoretical frameworks in contemporary archaeological science. It offers a wider perspective in observing methodology and methodological practices, also challenging traditional approaches in archaeological research, and following the creative adaptation of methods from other disciplines into archaeology. Also, it enables scholars to present their work, engage in discussion and motivate young scholars and archaeology students to pursue contemporary topics and present their research.This edition of the conference Proceedings contains twelve papers from the 8th and 9th MetArh conference which was held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb. The 8th MetArh conference was held from 3rd – 4th of December 2020, and the 9th from 2nd – 3rd of December 2021 (https://metarh.ffzg.unizg.hr/).Due to COVID-19, both conferences were held on the online platform Hopin.to. It was very challenging to organize and realize the conference in a virtual format but, most importantly, it produced high-quality works some of which are published in this publication. Papers in this volume are focused on different aspects of archaeological methodology and archaeometry, including case studies from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine

Comprehensive and Integrated Genomic Characterization of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Sarcomas are a broad family of mesenchymal malignancies exhibiting remarkable histologic diversity. We describe the multi-platform molecular landscape of 206 adult soft tissue sarcomas representing 6 major types. Along with novel insights into the biology of individual sarcoma types, we report three overarching findings: (1) unlike most epithelial malignancies, these sarcomas (excepting synovial sarcoma) are characterized predominantly by copy-number changes, with low mutational loads and only a few genes (, , ) highly recurrently mutated across sarcoma types; (2) within sarcoma types, genomic and regulomic diversity of driver pathways defines molecular subtypes associated with patient outcome; and (3) the immune microenvironment, inferred from DNA methylation and mRNA profiles, associates with outcome and may inform clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Overall, this large-scale analysis reveals previously unappreciated sarcoma-type-specific changes in copy number, methylation, RNA, and protein, providing insights into refining sarcoma therapy and relationships to other cancer types