Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2019
ReviewINFORMED CONSENT IN CROATIAN CLINICAL LABORATORY PRACTICE - CURRENT ISSUES AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES.
This paper deliberates on the place and role of informed consent in everyday clinical laboratory practice. Taking into account international ethical guidelines such as the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association, and Croatian national laws and codes such as the Act on the Protection of Patients' Rights, the Act on Medical Biochemistry, the Code of Ethics of Medical Biochemists and Medical Deontology, the Act on Healthcare Services, and the Code of Ethics of the Croatian Chamber of Healthcare Workers, an overview is given on the actual implementation of the aforementioned recommendations and regulations. A distinction between consent to a medical procedure and consent to enrolment in a research protocol is strongly stressed out. ⋯ The design of an 'informed consent interview' is to be taken into consideration. Additional deliberation is needed on the option of 'broad consent'. It is concluded that informed consent should represent an important and routine activity within Croatian clinical laboratories.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2019
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSISTENCE OF HPV GENITAL INFECTION IN A SMALL COHORT OF ROMANIAN WOMEN.
The aim of the study was to assess the role of behavioral factors in persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genital infection. Out of a cohort of 605 women included in a study of HPV infection prevalence, 142 HPV positive women (aged 18-57) were retested after a 12-month interval. None of the patients underwent surgical treatment during that period. ⋯ After 12 months, 46 of 142 (32.39%) women had persistent HPV infection, with genotypes 16 and 18 found in 27 cases. On the other hand, 17 of 142 (11.97%) women had acquired new infections replacing the baseline genotypes. In our study, smoking (OR=2.320, p=0.0330) and sexual behavior (OR=5.333, p=0.0180 for more than three sexual partners; OR=2.427, p=0.0238 for cases where the partner was involved in another sexual relationship) were associated with viral persistence, while long-term contraception did not yield statistically significant results.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2019
Case ReportsLUMBAR SPINE SYNOVIAL CYST: A CASE SERIES REPORT AND REVIEW OF SURGICAL STRATEGIES.
Lumbar spine synovial cysts are benign growths adjoining the facet joints that may induce low back pain, lumbar radiculopathy and neurological deficit. However, they are not well defined concerning their origin, cause and pathology, as well as available treatment strategies. The scope of different surgical procedures includes image-guided epidural steroid injection, direct cyst puncture by percutaneous epidural needle, spinal canal decompression and cyst resection, and spinal bone fusion with/without instrumentation. ⋯ No poor outcome was noticed in our series. Concerning our results and literature review, the optimal management for patients with symptomatic lumbar synovial cyst has to be highly personalized, which is essential to achieve a favorable outcome. Nonetheless, the best treatment strategy has yet to be affirmed.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2019
Comparative StudyTREATMENT OF UNICAMERAL BONE CYSTS IN CHILDREN: A COMPARATIVE STUDY.
Unicameral bone cysts (UBC) are benign bone tumor-like lesions. Mostly they are located in the metaphyseal-diaphyseal region of long bones in children and adolescents. The etiology of UBC is still unclear. ⋯ We found statistically significant differences in healing of the cysts and length of hospital treatment between groups 1 and 2, and between groups 2 and 3. In conclusion, complete healing of UBC can be achieved only using open surgery procedure. Intracystic methylprednisolone acetate instillation can be considered a good option for initial treatment of UBC.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Sep 2019
MEAN PLATELET VOLUME: AN OVERLOOKED HERALD OF MALIGNANT THYROID NODULES.
Physicians and surgeons pay much attention to evaluating thyroid nodules due to the malignant potential of these growths. Inflammation has a crucial role in the development of cancer. Increase in the mean platelet volume (MPV) has been described in various inflammatory conditions. ⋯ The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Increased MPV should be considered as an assistive diagnostic tool in differentiating malignant and benign thyroid nodules. However, further prospective studies are required to confirm its usefulness in this population.