Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (HAUTIs) are responsible for about 40% of all healthcare-associated infections. The aim of the study was to assess risk factors and microbiological aspects of HAUTI on six wards of a general regional hospital in Serbia.

A revision of the genus Gymnospermium (Berberidaceae) in the Balkan Peninsula is carried out. Three species are recognised. Gymnospermium maloi is described as a new species from Mt. Picari in Gjirokastra district, southern Albania. It is compared with the closely related G. scipetarum which has a different habitat and distribution in central Albania and southern Montenegro. The chromosome number and karyotype features of G. maloi are provided for the first time. The chromosome formula of 2n = 2x = 14 (1 metacentric, 1 meta-submetacentric and 5 submetacentric chromosome pairs) is unusual as 2n = 16 has been reported for other members of the genus. The nuclear DNA content (2C-value) of all three species was determined. The genome size of G. maloi is 29.44 (+/- 0.47) pg, for G. scipetarum (chromosome number still unknown) 29.55 (+/- 1.35) pg, and for G. peloponnesiacum (2n = 2x = 16) 31.93 (+/- 2.38) pg. These values are the first genome size measurements for the genus. All three species are mapped and fully illustrated. A key to the European species is also presented.

Stroke is a suddenly developing disorder, caused by focal disturbance of cerebral circulation, followed by neurologic deficits of varying intensity with duration longer than 1 hour; it mostly occurs in old and middle age, and rarely at a younger age. The aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of stroke at a younger age (18-49 years). We analyzed all stroke patients aged 18-49 treated at University Department of Neurology in Sarajevo during 2009, including analysis of their risk factors. During the one-year period, there were 820 stroke patients in total, 132 (18.5%) of them aged 18-49, male to female ratio 51.35%:48.65%. The majority of strokes were of ischemic type (94.59%), with only 5.41% of hemorrhagic stroke. The following risk factors were confirmed in study patients: hypertension (64.86%), smoking (57.76%), dyslipidemia (48.65%), ischemic heart disease (43.32%), psychological stress (29.73%), diabetes mellitus type 2 (24.43%), previous stroke including transient ischemic attack (21.62%), and others. During the one-month follow-up, 27.03% of patients achieved complete recovery, whereas mild neurologic signs were retained in 54.05%, signs of severe deficit requiring assistance in 13.51%, and 5.41% of patients died. In conclusion, stroke occurs even at a younger age in certain percentage. Along with smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia and stress, hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for stroke also at a younger age. Timely and appropriate treatment contributes to faster recovery and shorter hospital stay, while reducing overall stroke sequels. The best prevention is primary, i.e. fighting risk factors and healthy lifestyle.

Heterotopic pregnancy refers to the presence of simultaneous pregnancies at two different implantation sites. Heterotopic pregnancy is rare, estimated to occur in 1 per 30,000 pregnancies. We report a case of a 27-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with the diagnosis of ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Careful ultrasound assessment indicated the diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy. Right salpingectomy with removal of the hemoperitoneum and suction curettage were performed. Our operative diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy was confirmed by histopathology. Heterotopic pregnancy can occur in the absence of any predisposing risk factors, and the detection of intrauterine pregnancy does not exclude the possibility of the simultaneous existence of ectopic pregnancy. Transvaginal ultrasound and assessment of the whole pelvis, even in the presence of intrauterine pregnancy, can be an important aid in the diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases whose incidence shows constant growth in childhood. The objective of this work was to look into asthma incidence in children in relation to their age group and sex in a retrospective study, at Tuzla Canton area. The study comprised children of both sexes, age 0-14 who fell sick with asthma within the period from January 1st 2003 to December 31st 2007. The overall incidence and the incidence in relation to age group and sex was calculated as the number of children suffering from asthma, within the age group 0-14 years per 1000 children of the same age group in the Tuzla Canton. Asthma was diagnosed in 277 children (66.1% male and 33.9% female). The difference between asthma frequency in boys and girls was significant (chi2 = 56.16; df = 1; p < 0.0001). The average difference in proportion between the boys and girls was 32.2% (95% CI = 24.32-40.08). From this sample group the boys had a 3.8 times greater risk (OR = 3.79; %95 CI = 2.67-5.39) of contracting asthma. The average rate of incidence of asthma for both sexes in the observed period was 0.67/1000 (95% CI; 0.6-0.7; for boys 0.86/1000; for girls 0.47/1000). There was a statistically significantly higher incidence of asthma in boys in relation to girls (t = 6.3836, df = 32; p < 0.0001). The epidemiological data obtained could be useful for early detection and adequate treatment of children with asthma in the mentioned area.

Objective: Anti-β2glycoprotein I antibodies (a-β2GPI) are a laboratory criterion for the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and were demonstrated to be involved in the pathogenesis of APS. However, they can also be detected in asymptomatic subjects. It has been suggested that a-β2GPI against Domain1 (D1) associate with thrombosis, while those recognizing Domain4/5 (D4/5) have been identified in non-thrombotic conditions. We evaluate the specificity of a- β2GPI in different clinical situations. Methods: We studied 39 one-year-old healthy children born to mothers with systemic autoimmune diseases (SAD) (15 (38.4%) were born to mothers who were a-β2GPI positive), 33 children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and 55 patients with APS (50 adults and 5 paediatrics). All subjects were IgG a-β2GPI positive. IgG a-β2GPI were performed by homemade ELISA, while IgG a-β2GPI D1 and D4/5 were tested on research ELISAs containing recombinant β2GPI domains antigens. Results: One-year-old children and AD children displayed preferential reactivity for D4/5; patients with APS recognized preferentially D1. We also found a good correlation between a-β2GPI and D4/5 in one-year-old (r=0.853) and AD children (r=0.879) and between a-β2GPI and D1 in the APS group (r=0.575). No thrombotic events were recorded in both groups of children. Conclusions: A-β2GPI found in non-thrombotic conditions (healthy children born to mothers with SAD and AD children) mostly recognize D4/5, in contrast to the prevalent specificity for D1 in the APS group. The different specificity could at least partially explain the “innocent” profile of a-β2GPI in children.