MICROPLASTICS ASSESSMENT IN THE KRKA RIVER ESTUARY SURFACE WATER

Microplastics (MPs), commonly defined as particles less than 5 mm, are a persistent ubiquitous anthropogenic contaminant that can be found in every environment, making it a global environmental, health, and socioeconomic problem. Due to their high surface area, MPs adsorb toxic pollutants that become bioavailable to organisms upon ingestion as they are often mistaken for food leading to biomagnification (Bule et al., 2020). The sampling area represents the lower part of the Krka River Estuary and is under direct anthropogenic influence from the city of Šibenik runoff waters, nautical and communal ports, city harbor, tourism, mariculture, and fishing. Estuaries and harbors have been recognized as hotspots and transfer pathways for MPs primarily because of the vicinity of the urban environment that emits contaminants from various sources (Miller et al., 2021). The main focus of this research was to determine MPs size, shape, color, surface area, and abundance in surface water using volume-reduced samples collected by a net. Laboratory protocol included sieving, wet peroxidation (H2O2), density separation (saturated NaCl solution), sonication, and filtration. Filter papers were then visually inspected for MPs. Image processing and measurements were carried out with ImageJ/Fiji open-source software

Profesionalni kontaktni dermatitis kod stomatologa i stomatoloških tehničara

Since the working medical personnel including dentists and dental technicians mainly use their hands, it is understandable that the most common occupational disease amongst medical personnel is contact dermatitis (CD) (80%-90% of cases). Development of occupational CD is caused by contact of the skin with various substances in occupational environment. Occupational etiologic factors for dental personnel are foremost reactions to gloves containing latex, followed by various dental materials (e.g., metals, acrylates), detergents, lubricants, solvents, chemicals, etc. Since occupational CD is relatively common in dental personnel, its timely recognition, treatment and taking preventive measures is needed. Achieving skin protection at exposed workplaces is of special importance, as well as implementing necessary measures consequently and sufficiently, which is sometimes difficult to achieve. Various studies have shown the benefit of applying preventive measures, such as numerous protocols for reducing and managing latex sensitivity and other forms of CD in dentistry. Active involvement of physicians within the health care system, primarily dermatologists, occupational medicine specialists and general medicine doctors is needed for establishing an accurate medical diagnosis and confirmation of occupational skin disease.Budući da se medicinsko osoblje, uključujući stomatologe i stomatološke tehničare, uglavnom služi svojim rukama, razumljivo je da je najčešća profesionalna bolest kontaktni dermatitis (KD) šaka (80%-90% slučajeva). Na razvoj profesionalnog KD šaka utječe dodir kože s različitim tvarima u profesionalnom okolišu. Profesionalni uzročni čimbenici za stomatološko osoblje su ponajprije reakcije na rukavice koje sadrže lateks, slijede ih različiti stomatološki materijali (npr. metali, akrilati), deterdženti, lubrikanti, otapala, kemikalije itd. Profesionalni KD relativno je čest u stomatološkog osoblja, stoga je potrebno pravodobno prepoznavanje, liječenje i preventivne mjere. Postizanje zaštite kože kod izloženih radnih mjesta od posebne je važnosti, kao i uključivanje mjera postupno i dostatno, što je katkada teško provesti. Različite studije pokazale su korist od primjene preventivnih mjera kao što su brojni postupci za smanjivanje i svladavanje osjetljivosti na lateks i ostale oblike KD u stomatologiji. Aktivno sudjelovanje liječnika u medicinskoj zaštiti, prvenstveno dermatologa, specijalista medicine rada kao i liječnika obiteljske medicine potrebno je za donošenje odgovarajuće medicinske dijagnoze i potvrdu profesionalne bolesti kože

Mapping of marine litter on the seafloor using WASSP S3 multibeam echo sounder and Chasing M2 ROV

Marine litter is a growing threat to the marine environment. Mapping of marine litter is becoming increasingly important to detect its potential hotspots and prevent their spread. In this paper, the applicability of the multibeam echo sounder (MBES) WASSP S3 and remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) Chasing M2 was tested in the detection and mapping of marine litter on the seafloor within the wider area of the St. Ante Channel (Šibenik, Croatia). Also, the precision assessment of WASSP S3 was tested at different cruising speeds. Results have shown that Chasing M2 can be used effectively for the initial detection of marine debris in shallow waters. However, if the underwater navigation and positioning system and auxiliary measurement scales are not used, the ROV has limited capabilities in deriving morphometric parameters of marine litter on the seafloor. This was determined by comparing the 3D model of a tire which was derived using video photogrammetry captured with ROV and the 3D model of a tire which was produced using a hand-held 3D scanner. Furthermore, the results have shown the WASSP S3 is not suitable for identifying marine litter smaller than 1 m at depths up to 10 m. The MBES WASSP S3 can detect marine litter that has a minimum area of 100 * 100 cm and a height of around 40 cm at depths up to 10 m. The results pointed to the need for caution when choosing an adequate sensor to detect and map marine litter on the seafloor. In addition, MBES interval measurements have shown that WASSP S3 precision is in the centimeter range (<10 cm) at different cruising speeds. The obtained results have helped to establish the guidelines for the integrated use of MBES, ROV, and UAV in the detection of marine litter on the seafloor

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019

Background: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epidemic. Methods: To estimate age-specific and sex-specific trends in 48 of 204 countries, we extended the Estimation and Projection Package Age-Sex Model to also implement the spectrum paediatric model. We used this model in cases where age and sex specific HIV-seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care-clinic sentinel surveillance data were available. For the remaining 156 of 204 locations, we developed a cohort-incidence bias adjustment to derive incidence as a function of cause-of-death data from vital registration systems. The incidence was input to a custom Spectrum model. To assess progress, we measured the percentage change in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 (threshold >75% decline), the ratio of incident cases to number of people living with HIV (incidence-to-prevalence ratio threshold <0·03), and the ratio of incident cases to deaths (incidence-to-mortality ratio threshold <1·0). Findings: In 2019, there were 36·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 35·1–38·9) people living with HIV worldwide. There were 0·84 males (95% UI 0·78–0·91) per female living with HIV in 2019, 0·99 male infections (0·91–1·10) for every female infection, and 1·02 male deaths (0·95–1·10) per female death. Global progress in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 was driven by sub-Saharan Africa (with a 28·52% decrease in incident cases, 95% UI 19·58–35·43, and a 39·66% decrease in deaths, 36·49–42·36). Elsewhere, the incidence remained stable or increased, whereas deaths generally decreased. In 2019, the global incidence-to-prevalence ratio was 0·05 (95% UI 0·05–0·06) and the global incidence-to-mortality ratio was 1·94 (1·76–2·12). No regions met suggested thresholds for progress. Interpretation: Sub-Saharan Africa had both the highest HIV burden and the greatest progress between 1990 and 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths in males and females approached parity in 2019, although there remained more females with HIV than males with HIV. Globally, the HIV epidemic is far from the UNAIDS benchmarks on progress metrics. Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging of the NIH

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached$8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total,$40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this,$13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and$1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4$2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7$1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

Guidelines for treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopijski dermatitis česta je, kronično recidivirajuća upalna bolest kože karakterizirana složenom etiopatogenezom i raznolikim kliničkim fenotipom. Klinička slika može biti različita, a bolest je obilježena ponavljajućim dermatitisom, izraženim svrbežom i značajnim utjecajem na kvalitetu života oboljele osobe i cijele obitelji. Dijagnoza se postavlja na temelju kliničke slike prema standardiziranim dijagnostičkim kriterijima, a procjena težine bolesti prema standardiziranim instrumentima za procjenu težine bolesti. Liječenje treba prilagoditi svakom bolesniku, a cilj liječenja je smanjiti simptome svrbeža, obnoviti oštećenu kožnu barijeru, spriječiti egzacerbaciju bolesti, spriječiti odnosno liječiti komplikacije i komorbiditete te smanjiti negativni utjecaj bolesti na kvalitetu života. Zahvaljujući napretku u razumijevanju etiopatogeneze, terapijske mogućnosti su zadnjih godina značajno napredovale. Hrvatsko dermatovenerološko društvo Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora predstavlja smjernice za dijagnostiku i liječenje atopijskog dermatitisa. Smjernice su rezultat konsenzusa hrvatskih stručnjaka za atopijski dermatitis koji su kritički proučili mjerodavnu znanstvenu literaturu, koja se temelji na najboljim dokazima.Atopic dermatitis is a common, chronically recurrent inflammatory skin disease characterized by a complex etiopathogenesis and a variable clinical phenotype. The clinical presentation is heterogeneous, and the disease is characterized by a recurrent dermatitis, intense itching and a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their family. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation according to the standardized diagnostic criteria, while the assessment of disease severity of the disease is based on the standardized tools for disease severity assessment. Treatment should be tailored to each patient profile, and the goal of the treatment is focused on decreasing symptoms and renewing damaged skin barrier, preventing the exacerbation of the disease and preventing or treating the complications and comorbidities, and decreasing the negative influence of the disease on the patient’s quality of life. Due to progress in understanding the etiopathogenesis, treatment options have significantly expanded in the past years. The Croatian Society of Dermatovenerology of the Croatian Medical Association is presenting guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis. These guidelines are the result of consensus of Croatian experts based on critical analysis of relevant, evidence-based scientific literature

Guidelines for treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopijski dermatitis česta je, kronično recidivirajuća upalna bolest kože karakterizirana složenom etiopatogenezom i raznolikim kliničkim fenotipom. Klinička slika može biti različita, a bolest je obilježena ponavljajućim dermatitisom, izraženim svrbežom i značajnim utjecajem na kvalitetu života oboljele osobe i cijele obitelji. Dijagnoza se postavlja na temelju kliničke slike prema standardiziranim dijagnostičkim kriterijima, a procjena težine bolesti prema standardiziranim instrumentima za procjenu težine bolesti. Liječenje treba prilagoditi svakom bolesniku, a cilj liječenja je smanjiti simptome svrbeža, obnoviti oštećenu kožnu barijeru, spriječiti egzacerbaciju bolesti, spriječiti odnosno liječiti komplikacije i komorbiditete te smanjiti negativni utjecaj bolesti na kvalitetu života. Zahvaljujući napretku u razumijevanju etiopatogeneze, terapijske mogućnosti su zadnjih godina značajno napredovale. Hrvatsko dermatovenerološko društvo Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora predstavlja smjernice za dijagnostiku i liječenje atopijskog dermatitisa. Smjernice su rezultat konsenzusa hrvatskih stručnjaka za atopijski dermatitis koji su kritički proučili mjerodavnu znanstvenu literaturu, koja se temelji na najboljim dokazima.Atopic dermatitis is a common, chronically recurrent inflammatory skin disease characterized by a complex etiopathogenesis and a variable clinical phenotype. The clinical presentation is heterogeneous, and the disease is characterized by a recurrent dermatitis, intense itching and a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their family. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation according to the standardized diagnostic criteria, while the assessment of disease severity of the disease is based on the standardized tools for disease severity assessment. Treatment should be tailored to each patient profile, and the goal of the treatment is focused on decreasing symptoms and renewing damaged skin barrier, preventing the exacerbation of the disease and preventing or treating the complications and comorbidities, and decreasing the negative influence of the disease on the patient’s quality of life. Due to progress in understanding the etiopathogenesis, treatment options have significantly expanded in the past years. The Croatian Society of Dermatovenerology of the Croatian Medical Association is presenting guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis. These guidelines are the result of consensus of Croatian experts based on critical analysis of relevant, evidence-based scientific literature

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019

10.1016/S2352-3018(21)00152-1LANCET HIV810E633-E65