Collegium antropologicum
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Collegium antropologicum · Sep 2015
Adjuvant Cancer Biotherapy by Viscum Album Extract Isorel: Overview of Evidence Based Medicine Findings.
Within the integrative medicine one of the most frequently used adjuvant cancer biotherapies is based on aqueous mistletoe (Viscum album) extracts. Tumor growth inhibition, stimulation of host immune response and improvement of the quality of life are the positive effects of mistletoe therapy described in several preclinical and clinical studies. However, cumulative results of the evidence based medicine findings on such treatments are rarely given. ⋯ The biotherapy effectiveness was evaluated according to the outcome as (1) no major therapeutic improvement (15% of patients), (2) prevention of tumor recurrence (47% of patients) and (3) regression of cancer (38% of patients). Notably, there was no obvious health worsening during the follow up period at all. Thus, the results obtained for conventional anticancer therapies combined with adjuvant biotherapy based on Viscum album extract seem to be beneficial for the majority of cancer patients (85%) without serious side effects.
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Collegium antropologicum · Mar 2015
Historical ArticleThe influence of retinal eye diseases on painting.
In this work the possible influences of some retinal eye problems on paintings of several famous artists are considered. The change of painting styles and artistic expression in different periods and ages in a group of world-wide well-known painters are described and correlated with known or suspected retinal diseases. ⋯ Contemplations are offered about the effects of retinal diseases in the works of Degas, Munch, Cézanne, O'Keeffe, Constable and Goya. Retinal eye diseases have a significant impact on the work of selected famous painters.
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Collegium antropologicum · Dec 2014
Neurosurgical procedure for treatment of traumatic subdural hematoma with severe brain injury: a single center matched-pair analysis.
Decompressive craniectomy (DC), an auxiliary neurosurgical invasive procedure, has been a part of the treatment regimen for severe brain injury (SBI). Today DC is the standard of care in patients with middle cerebral artery infarction. Our previous positive research results about effectiveness of DC procedure when applied to a specific group of SBIlpatients have made a solid base for a clinical evaluation of DC technique application to patients with isolated SBI with traumatic subdural hematoma (TSDH), despite controversies regarding clinical benefit of DC technique when applied to STBI patients. ⋯ In addition, less computed tomography (CT) scans were made as a follow up care procedure in patients in which DC procedure was performed and especially if DC procedure had been performed within 24 hours after the injury. However, regardless of many positive results that an early application of DC procedure has had on SBI patients with TSDH, an expected increase in immediate or delayed complications had occurred, for example we had recorded an increased number of encefalocele. Significantly better outcome of clinical recovery with less cases of morbidity and deaths had occurred in patients in which TSDH was removed with the DC technique within 24 hours after the time of injury and also if a DC surface had had size over 40 ccm, in compari- son to the group of patients that had TSDH removed with DC technique within longer period of time than 24 hours after the time of injury and also better than the control group.
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Collegium antropologicum · Dec 2014
Trends in general practitioners/family doctors workload in Croatia in period 1995-2012.
This research aimed to present public data describing the Croatian family doctors (FDs) workload, presented as the average number of patients on the lists, and annual and daily number of consultations per one FD team during the period 1995-2012. Croatian Health Service Yearbook for consecutive years was used as basis for data collection. Impressive increase number of persons on FD lists and significant increase of rate of persons per FD team were observed. ⋯ The number of referrals per one visit remain stable, but the number of referrals per one direct consultation decreased. The data stress problem of discrepancy of increasing number of persons on FD lists and stagnation trend of number of FD teams in Croatian primary health care. Results suggested problem of increasing workload of FD teams, but further research are needed for deeper amylases of the FDs workload.
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Collegium antropologicum · Sep 2014
SeptiFast real-time PCR for detection of bloodborne pathogens in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.
Several studies have been performed investigating the role of a real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay LightCycler SeptiFast with inconsistent results. In prospective evaluation of adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock SeptiFast assay and blood culture results were compared regarding concordance, the impact of SeptiFast assay on antimicrobial therapy adjustment, time to results and the role of SeptiFast assay as a marker of disease severity. 63 blood sample sets were collected from 57 patients. 51 (80.9%) results were concordant negative and 7 (11.1%) concordant posi- tive. In one (1.6%) sample set blood culture was positive and SeptiFast assay negative, in three (4.8%) sample sets with negative blood cultures pathogens were detected by SeptiFast assay and in one (1.6%)patient an additional pathogen was detected by SeptiFast assay. ⋯ Time to final results was significantly shorter with SeptiFast assay (32 +/- 23 h vs. 97 +/- 28 h, p < 0.0001). Positive SeptiFast assay was not associated with higher mortality, C-reactive protein orprocalcitonin (p = 0.74, p = 0.44 and p = 0.12, respectively). According to our results SeptiFast assay can be used as a valuable add-on to blood culture in diagnostic workup ofpatients with severe sepsis and septic shock but it cannot replace the blood culture.