Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2018
SOCIOECONOMIC INFLUENCE OF TOBACCO USE AND DENTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE IN DIFFERENT MALE CROATIAN POPULATIONS.
- The purpose was to evaluate dental caries experience in different male subpopulations of Croatian Army recruits and dental students, and subsequently, smoking habits related to the level of education and place of residence. Croatian army recruits (n=248; mean age 20.2) and male dental students (n=56; mean age 21.5) were evaluated according to DMFT and FST indices, divided according to age and place of residence, and interviewed about their dietary habits and smoking of tobacco. In the subpopulation of recruits, the median value of DMFT was 6 and of FST index 25. ⋯ There was a difference in FST index (median 28) (p<0.0001). Students were mostly nonsmokers (71.43%) and had urban residence (p<0.0001). FST index was a more specific indicator in the socioeconomically heterogeneous sample of recruits (more subjects coming from rural areas and with a lower level of education) than in the sample of dental students (more subjects coming from urban areas).
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2018
LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY DOES NOT INCREASE THE RATE OF NEGATIVE APPENDECTOMY along with a lower rate of perforated appendicitis - RESULTS IN 1899 PATIENTS at Zagreb UHC.
- Laparoscopic appendectomy is the method of choice of many professional societies owing to its many advantages. The question arises whether surgeons urge more easily to laparoscopic exploration due to its less invasiveness, faster recovery and adequate exploration of the entire abdominal cavity than to observation in unequivocal cases. This retrospective analysis (2009-2016) included 1899 patients undergoing laparoscopic (lap) or gridiron intra-abdominal approach treated at Zagreb University Hospital Centre. ⋯ There was no statistically significant difference between adults and children in the perforation rate with laparoscopic approach (p=0.24) and perforation rate with open approach (p=0.29). Results confirmed that there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of negative appendectomy in all subgroups. It is concluded that laparoscopic appendectomy should be offered as the method of choice in any patient population with suspicion of acute appendicitis.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2018
PROGNOSTIC IMPACT OF LOW ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE POSITIVITY IN LUMINAL B (HER2 NEGATIVE) BREAST CANCER.
- Luminal B (HER2 negative) subtype is the most diversiform type of breast cancers, with a high Ki-67 proliferation index (>20%) or/and low progesterone (PR; <20%) with various intensity and distribution of hormone receptors. Considerable difference has also been noticed in disease outcome, wherefore there is the need for a more detailed classification of this tumor subtype. The clinical and pathologic parameters of 147 luminal B (HER2 negative) breast cancers were examined. ⋯ The intensity of receptor staining and Ki-67 relative to other histopathologic prognostic factors showed a statistically significant correlation solely with histologic grade of tumor. By using the Cox regression model, PR proved to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (p=0.004) and disease free survival (p=0.029). The luminal B (HER2 negative) breast cancer with low expression of hormone receptors, independent of the Ki-67 proliferation index, and in correlation with a higher histologic grade, could be a unique subtype of cancer.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2018
ReviewBENDAMUSTINE: AN OLD DRUG IN THE NEW ERA FOR PATIENTS WITH NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMAS AND CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA.
- The aim of this review is to present data on bendamustine, a non-cross resistant alkylating agent, alone or in combination for treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Bendamustine is currently approved for rituximab-resistant indolent NHL and CLL in patients not fit for conventional chemotherapy. Recent studies have shown superiority of bendamustine combination with rituximab (B-R) in first line treatment of indolent NHLs and mantle cell lymphoma, suggesting a shift of the standard of care in this setting. ⋯ Concerning CLL, despite inferiority to the standard of care in young fit patients, as defined in CLL10 study, B-R has yielded a more beneficial toxicity profile and its use in first line treatment should be decided individually. In relapsed setting, the addition of ibrutinib to B-R has shown superior results compared to B-R alone, possibly changing the paradigm of treatment of relapsed CLL. In conclusion, bendamustine as a single agent or in combinations has shown activity with acceptable toxic profile in the treatment of patients with indolent NHLs or CLL without del(17p) mutation.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2018
INFLUENCE OF THE SEROTONERGIC SYSTEM POLYMORPHISM ON THE EXPRESSION OF DENTAL ANXIETY.
- The aim of the study was to test the correlation between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and dental anxiety. Research hypothesis was that positive relation between the expression of dental anxiety and the S allele exists in the population of healthy Caucasians. We conducted a prospective study on 159 subjects, volunteers made up of medical and non-medical staff of the Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Centre. ⋯ Data distribution was tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, difference between the groups by ?χ2-test and one-way analysis of variance, and correlation of variables by logistic regression. In the study population, we found positive correlation between S-allele and total result in DAS-R questionnaire. The presence of S allele suggests that the person will have a higher result in DAS-R questionnaire, i.e. higher expression of dental anxiety.