Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF EXTENDED PLATELET INDICES IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF IMMUNE THROMBOCYTOPENIA.
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder. Besides platelet count, immature platelet fraction (IPF) can be used as a tool to predict megakaryocytic activity in ITP patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the utility of extended platelet indices in ITP diagnosis and their association with disease persistence and severity. ⋯ Pearson correlation revealed negative relationship between platelet count and IPF in all patient groups. With the advent of new, sophisticated hematologic analyzers, the IPF and other platelet parameters provide simple, reliable and easier tools for predicting platelet disorders such as ITP, and to some extent the disease severity. Besides IPF, the MPV and P-LCR seemed to predict disease severity, treatment responsiveness, and duration of the disease to some extent.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN APOLIPOPROTEIN E POLYMORPHISMS AND EPILEPSY IN CHILDREN.
Apolipoprotein E (APOE) plays an important role in lipid metabolism and is a proven risk factor for development of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of the study was to determine the possible connection between particular APOE alleles, blood lipid profile and different types of epilepsy in children. Alleles of the APOE gene, blood cholesterol (total, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were analyzed in blood samples of 111 children with epilepsy and 118 age- and sex-matched children without epilepsy. ⋯ There were statistically significant differences in the levels of total cholesterol (Z=2.09; p<0.05) and LDL cholesterol (Z=2.05; p<0.05) according to the type of epilepsy in favor of symptomatic epilepsy. The study confirmed that there was no connection between APOE and type of epilepsy in children and showed the children with epilepsy to have lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Interestingly, this also held true for children with idiopathic epilepsy compared to those with symptomatic condition.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
EFFECTS OF A BREASTFEEDING EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AFTER 6 MONTHS.
Breastfeeding attitudes are already being formed in the years of preadolescence-adolescence, which means that the educational program should be focused on this age group. For this purpose, many authors suggest that school should be used as an established educational institution and therefore they are developing different education programs. The authors offered an educational program adapted to the cultural, sociological, legal, health, and other specificities of the community to which the students belong. ⋯ However, 6 months after the education, their knowledge and intentions were less positive than shortly after education, as described in a previous report. The authors suggest that a team of experts be gathered to design a structured educational program that would be interesting to secondary school students. This program should also be adapted to students' age and interest.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
CAN IgG ANTIBODIES DIRECTED AGAINST DIFFERENT TARGETS SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF FALSE-POSITIVE RESULTS IN SARS-CoV-2 SEROLOGY?
In addition to RT-PCR assays, serology testing that has been recognized as a useful tool to assess the spread of infection in the population is considered successful and important strategy in the control of the global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Now, a great number of manufacturers offer their serologic tests on the market. When interpretating the results, the rate of seroprevalence should be taken in consideration because it may influence the positive predictive value, as well as cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses in case of assays with poorly designed antigens. ⋯ The results obtained by the former test showed ten of these patients to be IgG positive and one patient was IgG weakly positive with different confidence index. The latter test discriminated positive results with medium confidence index on the former test as negative. The results obtained with two serology tests were concordant with the observation that the results with medium confidence index may indicate cross-reactivity.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2021
SENSE OF COHERENCE AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AMONG ADOLESCENTS - THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF LIVING IN A DORMITORY COMPARED TO LIVING WITH FAMILY.
The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between the sense of coherence (SOC) and subjective well-being (SWB) as a health promoting resource among adolescents living with parents and those living in dormitories. There were 442 adolescent responders, yielding a response rate of 84.3%. The SOC was measured using the Orientation to Life Questionnaire, while SWB was obtained from the Personal Wellbeing Index. ⋯ Adolescents with better socioeconomic status had a significantly higher SWB if living with parents (76.7 and 85.5, respectively; p=0.003), whereas no difference was found in the dormitory group (78.5 vs. 83.4; p=0.241). The SOC was strongly and positively associated with SWB (correlation coefficient 0.63; p=0.001) and was a key predictor of adolescent SWB (R2=0.373). These findings may prove helpful in future planning and supportive work in schools and dormitories to improve student health.