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Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease which affects 0.5–1 % of children and 2–3 % of the adult population. In Croatia, 1.6 % of the population suffer from psoriasis. Distribution of the disease is bi-modal, with the first peak at the age of 20–30, and the second at the age of 50–60. The etiopathogenesis of the disease is multifactorial, the key factors being genetic predisposition combined with immunological disorders, environmental factors and skin barrier damage. There are several clinical variants of the disease. The main signalling pathways in psoriasis include TNF-α, IL-23 and IL-17. Topical agents are used for the treatment of the mild form, and the systemic conventional therapy is used for the treatment of moderate to severe forms of the disease. In cases where’s no response, or intolerance or contraindications are present, new targeted medications are to be administered. Development in the field of immunogenetics of psoriasis leads to personalized medicine.

Many personal care products on the market contain endocrine disrupting chemicals, including parabens. Parabens are well known chemical additives used as preservatives. They have been found in mammary glands and breast cancer tissues. At the same time, the general public is increasingly exposed to plastic micro- and nanoparticles generated during plastic production and waste disposal. Exposure to chemical cocktails is a realistic scenario of high public health interest, in which many types of compounds such as these two may exhibit synergistic or additive adverse effects. This study evaluated the effects of plastic nanoparticles, parabens, and their mixture on the viability and proliferation of two human breast cancer cell lines: MDA-MB 231, which lacks oestrogen receptors, and MCF-7, which expresses these receptors. Parabens increased proliferation of oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells, and this effect became synergistic in the presence of plastic nanoparticles. The mechanism behind synergy may be related to the translocation and adsorption properties of nanoplastics, which served as a Trojan horse to expose cells to parabens more efficiently. These preliminary findings support growing evidence warning about the urgent problem of human exposure to combinations of plastic waste and contingent chemicals., Većina proizvoda za osobnu njegu na tržištu sadrži kemikalije koje remete rad endokrinoga sustava kao što su parabeni. Primjena takvih proizvoda povećava izloženost opće populacije takvim kemikalijama. Parabeni, dobro poznati aditivi koji se koriste kao konzervansi, otkriveni su u mliječnim žlijezdama i tkivima raka dojke. Osim takvih kemikalija, izloženost plastičnim mikro- i nanočesticama koje nastaju tijekom proizvodnje, uporabe i odlaganja plastičnog otpada velik su zdravstveni i okolišni problem koji treba hitno rješavati. Za pouzdanu procjenu rizika za ljudsko zdravlje, nužno je objasniti ne samo učinke pojedinačnih kemijskih spojeva nego i njihovih mješavina. Istraživanje izloženosti kemijskim koktelima može pružiti podatke o mogućem sinergističkom ili aditivnom učinku kemikalija u takvim koktelima. Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je procijeniti učinak plastičnih nanočestica, parabena i njihovih koktela na vijabilnost i proliferaciju dviju različitih stanica karcinoma dojke: stanične linije MDA-MB 231 kojoj nedostaju estrogeni receptori i MCF-7 stanica koje izražavaju te receptore. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su da ni parabeni ni plastične nanočestice, primijenjeni posebno, u ispitivanim koncentracijskim rasponima nisu značajnije promijenili vijabilnost i proliferacijsku aktivnost u stanicama karcinoma dojke. Međutim, parabeni su pojačali proliferacijsku aktivnost stanica osjetljivih na estrogene koja je sinergistički potaknuta prisutnošću plastičnih nanočestica. Mehanizam takva djelovanja može biti povezan s translokacijskim i adsorpcijskim svojstvima nanočestica, koje su poslužile kao vektor za učinkovitije izlaganje stanica parabenima. Protumorska aktivnost na karcinomu dojke može se očekivati kao konačni ishod izloženosti takvom kemijskom koktelu. Ovi preliminarni podatci dragocjeni su dodatak postojećim ranim upozorenjima na novi problem s povećanjem izloženosti ljudi plastičnom otpadu i kemijskim kemikalijama.

Metallothioneins are peculiar cysteine rich, heat resistant, small cellular plasma proteins expressed through almost all life forms. The currently established biological functions of metallothioneins are the homeostasis of essential metals and protection against toxic transitional metals (TM) alongside defence from oxidative stress by direct scavenging of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS). In mammals, among the four main evolutionary conserved forms, only the ubiquitously expressed metallothionein 1 and 2 (here abbreviated as MT) are inducible by TM, oxidative stress, glucocorticoids and starvation among various other stimuli. However, more than sixty years after being discovered, metallothioneins still bear unresolved issues about their possible physiological function and regulation. The biological function of MTs has still not been associated with the in vitro-demonstrated capacity of MT interaction with cellular molecules glutathione (GSH) or adenosine triphosphate (ATP), or with the possibility of direct iron-MT binding in the reducing intracellular environment of some organelles, e.g. lysosomes. Iron as the most abundant cellular TM is also one of the main physiological sources of ROS. Moreover, iron exhibits strain, sex and age differences that reflected ROS generation and MT induction in (patho)physiology and toxicology studies. A recent study showed that iron sex differences follows expression of both ferritin and MT leading to wide implications from essential TM interconnectivity to aging. This review places emphasis on biochemically proven but physiologically ignored interactions of MT with iron to stimulate advanced research for establishing a wide frame of the biological roles of MTs important for health and longevity., Metalotioneini su mali proteini stanične plazme specifični po zastupljenosti cisteina i otpornosti na toplinu, a izraženi su kroz gotovo sve oblike života. U sisavaca, među četirima glavnim evolucijski očuvanim oblicima, samo se sveprisutno izraženi metalotioneini 1 i 2 (u daljnjem tekstu MT) induciraju s različitim prijelaznim metalima (TM), oksidacijskim stresom, glukokortikoidima, gladovanjem između ostalih stimulansa. Trenutna uspostavljena uloga MT-ova u stanici je homeostaza esencijalnih i zaštita od toksičnih TM-ova, zajedno s obranom od oksidacijskoga stresa izravnim uklanjanjem reaktivnih kisikovih i dušikovih vrsta (ROS/RNS). Međutim, čak i više od šezdeset godina nakon otkrića, oko metalotioneina i dalje postoje neka neriješena pitanja o njihovoj funkciji i regulaciji. Naime, funkcija MT-ova još uvijek nije povezana s in vitro dokazanom sposobnošću vezanja MT-ova sa staničnim molekulama GSH-a ili ATP-a, zajedno s važnim procesom vezanja željeza MT-a u reduktivnom okolišu npr. lizosoma. Željezo kao najzastupljeniji stanični TM također je i glavni izvor ROS-a. Ujedno željezo pokazuje razlike između vrsta i sojeva te među spolovima i u starenju, koje mogu odražavati nastajanje ROS-ova i izražaj MT-ova u (pato)fiziološkim i toksikološkim istraživanjima. Promjene MT-ova koje prate razlike u željezu nedavno su dokazane i imaju široke implikacije od međusobne povezanosti esencijalnih TM-ova do starenja. Ovaj pregledni članak stavlja naglasak na biokemijski dokazane ali većinom fiziološki ignorirane interakcije in vitro MT-ova i željeza za poticaj naprednih istraživanja koja bi izgradila širu mrežu MT-ove biološke uloge važne za zdravlje i dugovječnost.

Aim To evaluate the impact of pharmacotherapeutic education on 30-day post-discharge medication adherence and adverse outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods The prospective, randomized, single-center study was conducted at the Medical Department of University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, between April and June 2018. One hundred and thirty adult patients with T2DM who were discharged to the community were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group. Both groups during the hospital stay received the usual diabetes education. The intervention group received additional individual pre-discharge pharmacotherapeutic education about the discharge prescriptions. Medication adherence and occurrence of adverse outcomes (adverse drug reactions, readmission, emergency department visits, and death) were assessed at the follow-up visit, 30 days after discharge.Results The number of adherent patients was significantly higher in the intervention group (57/64 [89.9%] vs 41/61 [67.2%]; χ2 test, P = 0.003]. There was no significant difference between the groups in the number of patients who experienced adverse outcomes (31/64 [48.4%] vs 36/61 [59.0%]; χ2 test, P = 0.236). However, higher frequencies of all adverse outcomes were consistently observed in the control group. Conclusion Pharmacotherapeutic education of patients with T2DM can significantly improve 30-day post-discharge medication adherence, without a significant reduction in adverse clinical outcomes.

Cilj: Cilj istraživanja bio je usporediti rezultate toalete nosnih šupljina proizvodom za nazalnu higijenu Sterimar u odnosu na nosnu toaletu fiziološkom otopinom ili izostanak uporabe ikakve lokalne toalete u bolesnika nakon operacije tumora selarne regije. Bolesnici i metode: Na temelju subjektivne ocjene bolesnika provedeno je istraživanje osam parametara na 90 bolesnika nakon transnazalne transsfenoidalne operacije hipofize u trajanju od 30 dana. Bolesnici su bili podijeljeni u 3 skupine: skupina koja je toaletu nosa provodila fiziološkom otopinom, skupina koja je upotrebljavala izotoniènu morsku vodu (Sterimar sprej) i treæa skupina bolesnika koji nisu provodili nikakvu toaletu nosnica. Rezultati: U periodu izmeðu 10. i 15. dana nakon detamponade u bolesnika koji su toaletu nosa provodili sprejem Sterimar zapaženo je statistièki znaèajno smanjena kolièina prednjeg i stražnjeg sluzavog iscjetka iz nosa, što je olakšalo disanje na nos i popravilo kvalitetu života. Rasprava i zakljuèak: Kod najveæeg broja bolesnika došlo je do poboljšanja analiziranog svojstva tijekom razdoblja ispitivanja u trajanju od 30 dana. To poboljšanje osobito se manifestiralo u skupini bolesnika koji su toaletu nosnih šupljina obavljali Sterimarom sa statistièki znaèajnim smanjenjem prednjeg i stražnjeg iscjetka iz nosa., Aim: In this research we are comparing the results of nasal packing with Sterimar solution to the results obtained with saline lavage or no local packing after transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. Patients and methods: This investigation was based on subjective assessment among 90 patients operated for transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to type of postoperative nasal care and follow up was 30 days. The first group used saline solution, the second group used isotonic sea water (Sterimar spray) and the third group did not use and nasal irrigation postoperatively. Results: Statistically significant improvement in decreased anterior and posterior nasal secretion was observed in Sterimar group of patients between day 10. And 15. Resulting in improved nasal breathing and quality of life in that period. Discussion and conclusion: Most patients had an improvement of the monitored feature during the period od 30 days. This improvement was most pronounced in the group of patients which have used Sterimar solution who had a statistically significant decrease of anterior and posterior nasal secretion.ijih st

Cilj: Cilj istraživanja bio je usporediti rezultate toalete nosnih šupljina proizvodom za nazalnu higijenu Sterimar u odnosu na nosnu toaletu fiziološkom otopinom ili izostanak uporabe ikakve lokalne toalete u bolesnika nakon operacije tumora selarne regije. Bolesnici i metode: Na temelju subjektivne ocjene bolesnika provedeno je istraživanje osam parametara na 90 bolesnika nakon transnazalne transsfenoidalne operacije hipofize u trajanju od 30 dana. Bolesnici su bili podijeljeni u 3 skupine: skupina koja je toaletu nosa provodila fiziološkom otopinom, skupina koja je upotrebljavala izotoniènu morsku vodu (Sterimar sprej) i treæa skupina bolesnika koji nisu provodili nikakvu toaletu nosnica. Rezultati: U periodu izmeðu 10. i 15. dana nakon detamponade u bolesnika koji su toaletu nosa provodili sprejem Sterimar zapaženo je statistièki znaèajno smanjena kolièina prednjeg i stražnjeg sluzavog iscjetka iz nosa, što je olakšalo disanje na nos i popravilo kvalitetu života. Rasprava i zakljuèak: Kod najveæeg broja bolesnika došlo je do poboljšanja analiziranog svojstva tijekom razdoblja ispitivanja u trajanju od 30 dana. To poboljšanje osobito se manifestiralo u skupini bolesnika koji su toaletu nosnih šupljina obavljali Sterimarom sa statistièki znaèajnim smanjenjem prednjeg i stražnjeg iscjetka iz nosa., Aim: In this research we are comparing the results of nasal packing with Sterimar solution to the results obtained with saline lavage or no local packing after transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. Patients and methods: This investigation was based on subjective assessment among 90 patients operated for transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to type of postoperative nasal care and follow up was 30 days. The first group used saline solution, the second group used isotonic sea water (Sterimar spray) and the third group did not use and nasal irrigation postoperatively. Results: Statistically significant improvement in decreased anterior and posterior nasal secretion was observed in Sterimar group of patients between day 10. And 15. Resulting in improved nasal breathing and quality of life in that period. Discussion and conclusion: Most patients had an improvement of the monitored feature during the period od 30 days. This improvement was most pronounced in the group of patients which have used Sterimar solution who had a statistically significant decrease of anterior and posterior nasal secretion.ijih st

Because of their widespread use, fragrances are among the most common causes of contact allergic dermatitis, second only to nickel. During a five-year period 3,065 patients with contact dermatitis were patch tested using a specific mix of fragrances. 509 (16.6%) patients were allergic to the fragrance mix, while 258 (8.4%) patients exhibited an allergic reaction to Myroxylon pereirae (balsam of Peru). Between those 509 patients, 157 were patch tested with eight individual substances contained in the fragrance mix: cinnamal, cinnamyl alcohol, eugenol, isoeugenol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellal, alpha-amyl cinnamal and Evernia prunastri (oak moss). The most frequent allergens were isoeugenol 57.9% (91/157), eugenol 55.4% (87/157), cinnamyl alcohol 34.4% (54/157) and Evernia prunastri (oak moss) 24.2% (38/157). There were 62 patients (39.5%) who exhibited an allergic reaction to both the fragrance mix and Myroxylon pereirae (balsam of Peru). The results prove the importance of avoiding allergens in daily life, especially in industrial and cosmetic products. In order to prevent ACD, better cooperation between industry and dermatologists is needed.

Collagen metabolism is altered in the pelvic organ tissues of women with genital prolapse. The aim of this study was to compare collagen metabolism by measuring matrix metalloproteinase – 1 (MMP – 1) expression in uterosacral ligament tissues of postmenopausal women with and without genital prolapse. Uterosacral ligament tissues were obtained at the time of abdominal or vaginal surgery from twenty-four patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and 21 women who underwent gynecologic surgery for benign indications. The tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. There were no differences in age, BMI and parity between two groups. The patients with genital prolapse demonstrated significantly higher occurences of MMP – 1 expression compared to controls. These findings indicate that increased MMP – 1 expression in uterosacral ligaments is associated with genital prolapse. Our data are consistent with the theory that increased collagen breakdown may play an important role in the onset and development of pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

Cilj ovog prospektivnog ispitivanja bio je ispitati djelotvornost profilaktičke primjene probiotika Acidosalusa® u žena s rekurentnim cistitisom. Acidosalus® je jedinstvena kombinacija Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus i bifidobakterija u visokim terapijskim koncentracijama živih bakterija spremnih za razmnožavanje. Sadrži nadalje vitamine B skupine, folnu kiselinu, lako topive laktate, kalij, željezo, fosfor, te ima mogućnost stvaranja antimikrobnih supstanci - mliječne i octene kiseline, diacetila, laktocidina, acidofilucina, acidocina i acidofilina. Ispitivanje je provedeno u Ambulanti za urogenitalne infekcije Klinike za infektivne bolesti „Dr. Fran Mihaljević“ u Zagrebu u razdoblju od 01.01.2006. do 31.12.2009. godine. Ispitivano je 117 bolesnica u dobi od 18 do 65 godina s dijagnozom rekurentnog cistitisa - s više od dvije epizode cistitisa u posljednjih 6, odnosno više od 3 epizode u posljednjih 12 mjeseci. Uvjeti za uključivanje su bili: prisutnost simptoma infekcije donjeg urotrakta (dizurija, polakizurija, urgencija), identičan mikrobiološki nalaz obriska rodnice i urinokulture, leukociturija, te ultrazvukom isključena abnormalnost mokraćnog sustava. Sve su bolesnice kroz 7 dana liječene adekvatnom antimikrobnom terapijom, a zatim su nasumce podijeljene u dvije skupine. U jednih je odmah po prestanku antimikrobne terapije primijenjena profilaksa s probiotikom Acidosalus® te su kroz najmanje tri mjeseca kontinuirano uzimale peroralno Acidosalus® uz istovremenu vaginalnu primjenu Acidosalus® vaginaleta kroz najmanje 7 dana. Planirana primjena profilakse bila je 3 mjeseca. Na kontroli 1-2 tjedna nakon završene sedmodnevne antimikrobne terapije, sve su bolesnice bile klinički i bakteriološki izliječene. Do kontrole 3 mjeseca nakon završene sedmodnevne antimikrobne terapije u skupini od ukupno 56 žena koje su primale profilaksu probiotikom rekurentne epizode cistitisa imalo je njih 3 (5,4%), a u skupini od ukupno 61 žene koje nisu primale profi, The aim of this prospective research was to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic use of probiotic Acidosalus® in women with recurrent cystitis. Acidosalus® is a unique combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and bifidobacteria in high therapeutic concentrations of live bacteria ready for multiplication. It consists of group B vitamins, folic acid, highly soluble lactates, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and has the possibility to produce antimicrobial substances - lactic and acetic acid, diacetyl, lactocidine, acidophilucin, acidocin and acidophylin. The research was conducted at the Outpatient Department for Urogenital Infections of the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases „Dr. Fran Mihaljević“ in Zagreb in the period between 01.01.2006. until 31.12.2009. We investigated 117 patients aged between 18 and 65 years with diagnosed recurrent cystitis – more than two episodes of cystitis in the past 6, i.e. more than three episodes in the past 12 months. The inclusion criteria were as follows: presence of symptoms of lower urinary tract infection (dysuria, polakisuria, urgency), identical microbiological finding of cervical swab and urinary culture, leukocyturia, ultrasound excluded urinary tract abnormality. All patients received adequate antimicrobial therapy for 7 days and then were randomly divided into two groups. One group received Acidosalus® probiotic as a prophylaxis immediately after the end of antimicrobial therapy – and at least three months continuously received Acidosalus® orally with simultaneous vaginal administration of Acidosalus® vaginalettes for at least 7 days. Planned duration of prophylaxis was three months. Follow up visit performed 1-2 weeks after completion of seven day course of antimicrobial therapy showed that all patients were clinically and bacteriologically cured. Until the follow up visit three months after completed 7-day antimicrobial therapy, recurrent episodes of cystitis were recorded in 3 (5,4%) out

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse in urban and rural women and to identify possible related factors. They were 1749 participants; one thousand four hundred seventeen (81%) urban women and 332 rural residents (19%). The urban and rural women were congruently regarding to age, parity, using oral contraceptives and postmenopausal status. The urban women were more often obese (p<0.01), estrogen replacement users (p< 0.001), smokers (p<0.001), with mild (p<0.001) and high (p<0.001) education, and they were often divorced (p<0.05) than rural women. Rural women were more often alcohol consumers (p<0.001), with low level of education (p<0.001) and more often married (p<0.05) than rural examinees. There were no association between the presence of prolapse and: weight, menopausal status, oral contraceptives and estrogen replacement using, smoking, alcohol consuming and marital status. There were not observed differences in prevalence of prior hysterectomy, urinary incontinence, uroinfectio, sexual and bowel dysfunction between both groups. The prevalence of cystocele, rectocele and uterine prolapse were similar among urban and rural participants. In conclusion, a more complete picture of factors associated with genital prolapse would include in investigation, such as molecular and genetic ones.