Croatian Medical Journal最新文献

{"title":"Challenging pharmacotherapy management of a psychotic disorder due to a delicate pharmacogenetic profile and drug-drug interactions: a case report and literature review.","authors":"Andrej Belančić, Aristea Pavešić Radonja, Lana Ganoci, Dinko Vitezić, Nada Božina","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report presents challenging psychopharmacotherapy management of a psychotic disorder in a patient with a delicate pharmacogenetic profile and drug-drug interactions. A 31-year old woman diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2017 was referred by her psychiatrist to a clinical pharmacologist for interpretation of a pharmacogenetic test and advice regarding optimal psychopharmacotherapy. In spite of adherence to aripiprazole, olanzapine, risperidone, and levomepromazine, and rational anxiolytic therapy, she still experienced anxiety, anhedonia, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, and auditory hallucinations with commands to harm herself. Due to a lack of alternative therapeutic steps, low aripiprazole serum concentrations, and a lack of explanation for pharmacotherapy unresponsiveness, pharmacogenetic testing was performed. The patient was defined as CYP2D6 *1/*1, CYP1A2 *1F/*1F, CYP3A4 *1/*1B, CYP3A5 *1/*3, and having increased activity of the enzymes UGT1A4 and UGT2B7, intermediate activity of ABCB1 transporter, and low activity of COMT. Carbamazepine was discontinued, aripiprazole was increased to a maximum of 30 mg/day orally with long-acting injection (400 mg monthly), and olanzapine was increased to a daily dose of 35 mg orally. These changes led to an optimal therapeutic drug concentration and improved clinical status. At the last follow-up, the patient was without severe auditory hallucinations, became more engaged in daily life, had more interaction with others, had found a job, and even had started an emotional relationship. In psychiatry, pharmacogenetic testing is an important tool for guiding pharmacological therapy, particularly in patients with an unsatisfactory clinical response and a lack of alternative therapeutic steps for pharmacotherapy unresponsiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11399719/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142105176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Healthcare professionals' perspective on managing the healthcare system in Croatia: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Stjepan Orešković, Vanesa Benković","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To determine Croatian healthcare (HC) professionals' perspectives on HC management and leadership challenges.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study, conducted between May and June 2021, enrolled 1179 respondents from both the public and private sector, including medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, economists, and other HC professionals. Their perspective on various facets of HC management, namely governance, ownership, accountability, financing, and potential for improvement, were investigated using an anonymous online survey.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most respondents agreed that the system may be allocating resources ineffectively and that political mandates unduly influenced management decisions, impeding accountability. Competencies in organizational and financial experience, along with communication and leadership skills, were deemed fundamental for health care managers. Participants overwhelmingly supported data-driven decision-making, improved education, and the development of leadership skills as key avenues for system enhancement.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study underscores the need for better financial management and overall governance, in the Croatian HC, offering insights that can inform evidence-based policy decisions and reforms toward a more efficient and accountable HC system.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11399729/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142105178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is there a relationship between attitudes of general practitioners/family doctors and attitudes of their patients regarding industry-sponsored clinical investigations? A cross-sectional survey in a convenience sample of doctors and patients across nine European countries.","authors":"Maja Marković Zoya, Ksenija Kranjčević, Jasna Vučak, Ljubin Sukriev, Josep Vidal-Alaball, Catarina Matos de Oliveira, Donata Kurpas, İlhami Ünlüoğlu, Zaim Jatić, Nevena Todorović, Darinka Punoševac, Marta Tundzeva, Milena Cojić, M Mümtaz Maziociğlu, Vladimir Trkulja","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To assess the relationship between the attitudes of general practitioners/family medicine doctors (GP/FD) and of their patients toward industry-sponsored clinical research.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey included volunteer GPs/FDs who then enrolled and interviewed their patients. Data were analyzed in hierarchical models (patients nested in GPs/FDs, nested in countries/regions).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 201 GPs/FDs from nine European countries responded to the invitation and enrolled 995 of their patients. We observed mild associations between some of the GPs/FDs' attitudes (general opinion on sponsored clinical studies, appreciation of the general values of such studies, views about the importance of participant protection/privacy) and some of the patients' attitudes (appreciation of the general values and of risks associated with sponsored clinical studies, importance assigned to potential personal benefits from participation). We observed no association between GPs/FDs' attitudes and patients' willingness to participate in such studies. However, willingness to participate increased with higher patients' appreciation of the general values of sponsored studies, decreased with higher patients' appreciation of associated risks, and showed a quadratic trend across the levels of importance assigned by patients to potential personal benefits (willingness was higher when the assigned importance was very low or very high). More importance to GP/FD's advice in this respect was assigned by patients who assigned more importance to potential personal benefits, who were better educated, and who resided in rural/suburban dwellings.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In the present convenience sample, lay-person attitudes about and willingness to participate in industry-sponsored clinical studies were associated with the attitudes of their GPs/FDs.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11399717/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142105180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Applied Genomics Development Strategy by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts paves the way for the future development of applied genomics in Croatia.","authors":"Filip Sedlić, Jadranka Sertić, Alemka Markotić, Dragan Primorac, Anita Slavica, Lada Zibar, Kristian Vlahoviček, Vesna Kušec, Ivo Barić, Vladimir Paar, Fran Borovečki, Ljiljana Žmak, Ivan-Christian Kurolt, Nina Canki-Klain, Sunčana Roksandić, Iva Rinčić, Hrvoje Jurić, Vedrana Škaro, Damir Marjanović, Petar Projić, Damir Primorac, Antonio Starčević, Dušica Vujaklija, Mile Šikić, Krešimir Križanović, Stjepan Gamulin","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157260/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Precise identification of cascading alpha satellite higher order repeats in T2T-CHM13 assembly of human chromosome 3.","authors":"Matko Glunčić, Ines Vlahović, Marija Rosandić, Vladimir Paar","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To precisely identify and analyze alpha-satellite higher-order repeats (HORs) in T2T-CHM13 assembly of human chromosome 3.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From the recently sequenced complete T2T-CHM13 assembly of human chromosome 3, the precise alpha satellite HOR structure was computed by using the novel high-precision GRM2023 algorithm with global repeat map (GRM) and monomer distance (MD) diagrams.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The major alpha satellite HOR array in chromosome 3 revealed a novel cascading HOR, housing 17mer HOR copies with subfragments of periods 15 and 2. Within each row in the cascading HOR, the monomers were of different types, but different rows within the same cascading 17mer HOR contained more than one monomer of the same type. Each canonical 17mer HOR copy comprised 17 monomers belonging to 16 different monomer types. Another pronounced 10mer HOR array was of the regular Willard's type.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings emphasize the complexity within the chromosome 3 centromere as well as deviations from expected highly regular patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157248/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dense single nucleotide polymorphism testing revolutionizes scope and degree of certainty for source attribution in forensic investigations.","authors":"Sammed N Mandape, Bruce Budowle, Kristen Mittelman, David Mittelman","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The field of forensic DNA analysis has experienced significant advancements over the years, such as the advent of DNA fingerprinting, the introduction of the polymerase chain reaction for increased sensitivity, the shift to a primary genetic marker system based on short tandem repeats, and implementation of national DNA databases. Now, the forensics field is poised for another revolution with the advent of dense single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) testing. SNP testing holds the potential to significantly enhance source attribution in forensic cases, particularly those involving low-quantity or low-quality samples. When coupled with genetic genealogy and kinship analysis, it can resolve countless active cases as well as cold cases and cases of unidentified human remains, which are hindered by the limitations of existing forensic capabilities that fail to generate viable investigative leads with DNA. The field of forensic genetic genealogy combined with genome-wide sequencing can associate relatives as distant as the seventh-degree and beyond. By leveraging volunteer-populated databases to locate near and distant relatives, genetic genealogy can effectively narrow the candidates linked to crime scene evidence or aid in determining the identity of human remains. With decreasing DNA sequencing costs and improving sensitivity of detection, forensic genetic genealogy is expanding its capabilities to generate investigative leads from a wide range of biological evidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157251/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Occurrence of metopic suture in modern and archaeological Croatian population.","authors":"Tina Bareša, Ivan Jerković, Željana Bašić, Ana Curić, Goran Dujić, Krešimir Dolić, Šimun Anđelinović, Dragan Primorac, Ivana Kružić","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To determine the incidence of metopism in the modern and archaeological Croatian population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 800 specimens (454 modern multi-slice computed tomography [MSCT] scans and 346 dry archaeological skulls) were visually examined for metopic suture presence. The metopic suture was deemed complete when aligned nasion to bregma.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the overall sample, the metopic suture was observed in 36 of 800 subjects (4.5%): 19 of 424 (4.5%) men and 17 of 370 (4.6%) women. A significant difference was not observed between modern and archaeological samples (χ2=3.219, P=0.359) or between the sexes (χ2=0.006, P=0.939). The frequency of metopism varied from 3.5% in the modern population to 7.04% in the samples from the Roman period.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There are no visible secular changes on metopic suture in the Croatian population through time. Some variations can be the result of differences in sample size in different time periods.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157256/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stone-induced urethral fistula treatment with microfragmented adipose tissue containing mesenchymal stem cells: a case report from veterinary medicine with potential application in humans.","authors":"Tugomir Karadjole, Ivan Butković, Ana Dimova, Vilim Molnar, Juraj Šavorić, Goran Bačić, Dragan Primorac","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We report on a case of a two-year-old male dog, breed chow-chow, who suffered from urethral fistula as a result of ureterolithiasis. The urethral defect was identified intraoperatively with methylene blue. An autologous regenerative approach was combined with surgical closure of the defect, due to the well-known healing issues of the urethral wall in such conditions. A part of abdominal fat tissue was dissected to produce microfragmented adipose tissue containing mesenchymal stem cells, which was combined with platelet-rich plasma. The final product was applied in the area around the urethral defect closure. One month after the procedure, healing was confirmed with positive-contrast cystography. This therapeutic approach yielded success, and the follow-up period of one year was uneventful. The observed positive outcome of this approach in the canine model may be considered as a starting point for investigating the translational potential of the treatment in human medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157261/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes variants with disease severity and most important biomarkers in COVID-19 patients in Bosnia and Herzegovina.","authors":"Neven Meseldžić, Besim Prnjavorac, Tanja Dujić, Maja Malenica, Una Glamočlija, Lejla Prnjavorac, Omer Bedak, Selma Imamović Kadrić, Damir Marjanović, Tamer Bego","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To assess the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes with COVID-19 severity and key biomarkers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study involved 750 COVID-19 patients from Bosnia and Herzegovina, divided into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe cases. Genetic variations within the ACE2 (rs2285666) and TMPRSS2 (rs2070788) genes were examined with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Biochemical markers were determined with standard procedures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was a significant difference in the rs2070788 genotype distribution between patients with mild and moderate symptoms, but not between other groups. For the rs2285666 polymorphism, no significant difference in genotype distribution was found. In patients with mild symptoms, carriers of the GG genotype of rs2070788 had significantly higher total bilirubin levels than carriers of the AA genotype. Similarly, carriers of the TT genotype of rs2285666 had significantly higher activated partial thromboplastin time and international normalized ratio, and lower lactate dehydrogenase levels compared with the CC genotype. Among patients with severe symptoms, carriers of the GG genotype showed significantly higher potassium levels than carriers of the AA genotype, while carriers of the TT genotype showed significantly higher erythrocyte count as well as hemoglobin and hematocrit levels compared with the CC genotype.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights the role of genetic factors, particularly SNPs in the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes, in determining COVID-19 severity, aiding patient risk assessment and prognosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157263/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Personalized medicine: the future is here.","authors":"Dragan Primorac, Aaron Ciechanover","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":10796,"journal":{"name":"Croatian Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11157250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}