Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
The role of regulatory T lymphocytes in immune control of MC-2 fibrosarcoma.
The role of T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg) particularly in cancer is well known. The goal of the present study was to determine the contribution of these lymphocytes in the regulation of anti-tumor immunity of CBA/HZgr mice against MC-2 fibrosarcoma (4th generation of methylcholanthrene induced tumor). The levels of T lymphocytes (CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+CD25+) were determined 8 and 20 days after tumor transplantation. ⋯ Further, upon i.v. injecting specific monoclonal anti-Treg antibody tumor immediately prior to tumor cell intracutaneous transplantation, the tumor was rejected after initial growth. In treated mice, the incidence of Treg cells was very low initially, reaching normal values two weeks later. These animals were shown to be resistant to tumor transplantation four months later.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Assessment of the Quality of Public Hospital Healthcare Services by using SERVQUAL.
Hospital healthcare service quality measurement represents an important approach for advancing healthcare systems. This paper presents preliminary results of a research on the quality of healthcare services provided by a large, public, university hospital centre in Croatia, based on the Gaps Model of Service Quality and the SERVQUAL instrument. ⋯ Results revealed the gaps that exist at the level of the university hospital centre as a whole, showing the size variations in different service quality dimensions. The management of the university hospital centre should improve healthcare service quality in all dimensions by paying particular attention to the 'responsiveness' and 'tangibility', where the largest gap was identified.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Case ReportsPRIMARY HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA OF THE BREAST INITIALLY TREATED BY SURGICAL EXCISION AND AXILLARY DISSECTION.
Primary breast lymphoma accounts for 0.04%-0.5% of all breast malignancies. Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the breast are extremely rare and represent approximately 0.38%-0.7% of all cases. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been postulated to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Hodgkin's lymphoma. ⋯ A crucial part of the proper histopathologic diagnosis is immunohistochemistry. Different modalities of treatment include operative procedure, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Recent studies suggest chemotherapy and radiotherapy to be initial treatment for patients with primary breast lymphomas.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Skip Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma - Prevalence, Predictive and Clinicopathological Factors.
Cervical lymph node metastases are frequently found in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and occur in a stepwise fashion. Skip metastases that omit the central compartment and spread initially in lateral neck levels are present in a certain share of patients, and their significance is poorly understood. The aim of this prospective study was to identify their possible predictors and clinicopathological factors in a group of patients with PTC with lateral lymph node (LLN) metastases. ⋯ Skip metastases occur more frequently in older patients and display certain clinicopathological features like smaller size of the primary tumor and dissemination in less lateral neck levels. In the view of the fact that they are found rather frequently, lateral neck regions should be meticulously investigated in patients with PTC without central lymph node (CLL) metastases.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery Program After Bariatric Surgery: clinical and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs are perioperative evidence-based interventions that have the purpose of making the perioperative pathway more efficient in safeguarding patient safety and quality of care. Recently, several ERAS components have been introduced in the setting of bariatric surgery (Enhanced Recovery After Bariatric Surgery, ERABS). The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the implementation of an ERABS program. ⋯ Economic analysis revealed a different cost distribution between the two groups. On the whole, there were significant savings for almost all the variables taken into consideration, mainly driven by exclusion of using intensive care unit, which is by far more expensive than the average cost of post-anesthesia care unit. Our study confirmed the implementation of an ERABS protocol to have shortened hospital stay and was cost-saving while safeguarding patient safety.