Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C VIRUS INFECTION IN VOJVODINA.
The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with chronic hepatitis C and how depression and anxiety correlate with respective health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains, sociodemographic factors, and clinico-epidemiological characteristics. This prospective study involved 150 patients with chronic hepatitis C awaiting interferon treatment for hepatitis C and 150 healthy subjects. All individuals enrolled in the study completed the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. ⋯ Unemployment was associated with a higher degree of depression and anxiety. There was no association identified between duration of the disease, route of hepatitis C virus transmission, existence of cirrhosis, and depression or anxiety. The findings of this study can assist in developing a standard protocol for the management of chronic hepatitis C that will include psychological assessment and support.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
AMBULATORY EYE SURGERY AND ANTITHROMBOTIC THERAPY - NEW APPROACHES.
One of the most common surgeries in elderly patients is eye surgery. An increasing number of patients undergoing ambulatory eye surgery are on antithrombotic therapy. These drugs may increase the risk of perioperative bleeding associated with ophthalmic needle blocks and/or eye surgery. ⋯ A comprehensive review of the English-language medical literature search utilizing PubMed, Ovid Medline® and Google Scholar from January 2015 to December 2018 was performed. The database searches included studies providing evidence relevant to ambulatory eye surgery and perioperative antiplatelet medications and anticoagulants. Updated recommendations will be given for continuation, discontinuation, and modification of antithrombotic agents in order to optimize the management of antithrombotic therapies in outpatients scheduled for eye surgery.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
VISUAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA TREATED WITH DEXAMETHASONE IMPLANT IN ROUTINE CLINICAL PRACTICE.
The aim was to evaluate visual outcomes of the real-life usage of dexamethasone (DEX) implants in diabetic macular edema (DME) patients and evaluate the possible additional visual acuity (VA) gain with combined treatment. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of DME patients treated with DEX implants. The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and mean central retinal thickness (CRT) at baseline and one year were compared. ⋯ No difference in VA gain was found between the eyes receiving monotherapy and the eyes receiving combined treatment. In conclusion, DEX implant therapy was effective in gaining vision in DME patients. No additional VA gain was achieved with combined treatment.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
DOES THE TYPE OF SURGERY IN BRAIN ABSCESS PATIENTS INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME? ANALYSIS BASED ON THE PROPENSITY SCORE METHOD.
There are different options for surgical treatment of brain abscess, mainly standard craniotomy and stereotactic aspiration. It has not yet been established which of these options is associated with a more favorable outcome under similar baseline conditions of patients. Demographic characteristics, microbiology, clinical presentation, and treatment outcome were analyzed for surgically treated adult patients with brain abscess over a 14-year period. ⋯ Worse outcome (GOS below 4) was independently associated with Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) on admission (OR 0.787, CI 0.656-0.944). The choice of neurosurgical procedure did not influence the outcome in patients with brain abscess. Patients with brain abscess who had lower GCS on admission also had worse outcome.
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Strabismus is a common disorder in which eyes are not aligned with their optical axis, resulting in an abnormal binocular interaction, thus leading to amblyopia. Accordingly, early detection and diagnosis are mandatory. ⋯ In this paper, a novel, properly tested and evaluated eye-tracking based method for manifest strabismus diagnosis is presented. The evaluation showed the aforementioned method to have both high sensitivity and specificity in detecting manifest strabismus without the need for a skilled examiner, thus being suitable for population screening and highlighting the need for future research regarding testing of latent strabismus.