HEALTH CARE

CHEMSEX RELATED SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS AMONG MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN IN BELGRADE

Milan Bjekić — 2024-04-20

Background/Aim: Chemsex is a common practice among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of chemsex in the MSM population in Belgrade and its association with their behaviour and sexually transmitted infections.

Metods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at two institutes in Belgrade over a six-month period and it covered 469 MSM. Data on demographic characteristics, reasons of attendance, sexual history, sexual behaviour and sexualized drugs use in the previous six months were collected from all participants by the use of a questionnaire.

Results: Chemsex was practiced by 123 (26.2%) participants and GHB/GBL was most commonly used (84.6%). According to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis those practicing chemsex differed from other participants significantly, independently of other factors, in the following characteristics: they were more frequently employed (Odds Ratio – OR=2.50, 95% confidence interval – 95%CI=1.19-5.26, p=0.015), had a greater number of sex partners in the last six months (OR=1.39, 95%CI =1.14-1.72, p=0.002), had condomless anal sex (OR=3.23, 95%CI=1.64-6.25, p=0.001) and group sex more frequently in the last six months (OR=4.35, 95%CI= 2.38-7.69, p<0.001), used a greater quantity of alcohol (OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.54-4.00, p<0.001), and had bacterial STIs more frequently in the last year (OR=2.70, 95%CI=1.61-4.54, p<0.001). The frequency of recreational drugs use was lower in those engaged in chemsex (OR=0.59, 95%CI=0.41-0.88, p=0.009).

Conclusion: MSM engaged in chemsex practiced high risk sexual behaviour and suffered from bacterial sexually transmitted infections more frequently. The growing phenomenon of chemsex among MSM requires raising awareness about issues regarding chemsex both among the members of this vulnerable population and healthcare workers

EMPLOYEES' VIEWS ON THE WAYS OF MANAGING AND ORGANIZING WORK PROCESSES IN THE INSTITUTE FOR ANTI-RABIES PROTECTION - THE PASTEUR INSTITUTE, NOVI SAD

Dragana Gazibara — 2024-04-20

-Management in healthcare plays a pivotal role in enhancing the operations of healthcare institutions, integrating technology, and developing human resources. The aim of our research was to examine the attitudes of employees in the Institute for anti-rabies protection - The Pasteur Institute, Novi Sad towards the organization itself, organizational climate (atmosphere and relations between employees, primarily managers and other members of the collective) and management.

Methods: A survey was conducted among 19 employees, using the GoogleForms platform, employing a modified version of The Work Design Questionnaire, which includes 8 demographic questions about the respondent and 26 questions related to the research topic. Respondents, constituting 86.4% of the total of 22 employees, expressed their agreement with the statements using a scale with grades from 1 to 5.

Results: The majority of respondents believe that functions, goals, and responsibilities within the Pasteur Institute, Novi Sad are clearly defined. The position of the employees is that there is room for increasing the participation of employees in decision-making.

Conclusion: It is necessary to introduce a more participatory approach in the decision-making process in the institution and implement measures aimed at the maximum use of employees' abilities, improvement of communication and information of employees, involvement of employees in the decision-making process, strengthening of mutual trust and development of team spirit in order to improve the efficiency of the institution and achieve sustainable improvement of organizational climate and leadership work in the Pasteur Institute, Novi Sad.

UNVEILING THE PROGNOSTIC POWER OF EARLY SYMPTOMOLOGY IN MODERATE TO SEVERE FORMS OF COVID-19 DISEASE

Branko Beronja — 2024-04-20

Introduction: It is not entirely clear what initial symptoms could predict poorer COVID-19 outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the initial COVID-19 symptoms associated with the need for an intensive care unit (ICU) treatment and having fatal outcomes of COVID-19.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who were hospitalized in two health care facilities (in Belgrade and Sombor) from March 2021 to April 2022. Data were collected from the electronic medical records. The main outcomes were treatment in the ICU and ICU mortality. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify the initial COVID-19 symptoms associated with the ICU treatment and mortality.

Results: This research included 457 patients. The average age of patients was 63.77±13.75 years. The most common initial symptoms of COVID-19 were fever (85.1%), cough (77.2%), and fatigue (54.5%). The least common initial symptoms were hoarseness (2.8%), difficulty swallowing (2.8%), and eye itching (1.7%). The adjusted model showed that being older and having chest pain were independently associated with needing the ICU treatment. Furthermore, being older, having shortness of breath, headache and diarrhea, but absence of nasal congestion, were independently associated with poorer survival.

Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the importance of vigilant monitoring and swift intervention in patients presenting with chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, and diarrhea, particularly among older people.

CONTRAST-ENHANCED MAMMOGRAPHY AS THE NEW STANDARD IN BREAST HEALTH CARE

Kristina Stevanović — 2024-04-20

Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) has become a ubiquitous method in breast diagnostics over the last few decades, especially in recent years. There is an increasing body of strong evidence regarding the high diagnostic efficiency and sensitivity of CEM in detecting breast cancer. There is more and more evidence about the high diagnostic effectiveness and sensitivity of CEM in detecting breast cancer. Also, new research has shown similarity in the efficiency and sensitivity of CEM compared to magnetic resonance, with fewer cases of false positive results. As the application of CEM expands from potential use in screening for women with dense breast tissue to the staging of known breast malignancy, it becomes increasingly important to become well-versed in this method and its implementation. This review article will perceive the importance of CEM both for screening and in the diagnostic procedure, with a special emphasis placed on the advantages and disadvantages compared to ultrasound, standard mammography and MRI.

INSTRUMENTS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH LITERACY IN ADOLESCENTS

Katarina Pavić — 2024-04-20

Health literacy is defined as an individual's ability to receive, process and understand health information. Adolescence is a key stage of psycho-physical development, and therefore, improving the health literacy of young people would significantly contribute to the adoption of healthy habits and empower them to take control of their own health. The aim of this review article was to present instruments for assessing health literacy in the adolescent population. The identification of instruments for the adolescent population was carried out through a literature search using different databases. Of 9 instruments, which were compared in relation to the domain of measuring health literacy and the method of data collection, six (HLS-Child-Q15, HELiASeSS, HAS-A, HELMA, eHEALS, HLAT-8) assess health literacy in all three domains, and therefore, they can offer a more complete picture of the level of health literacy in adolescents. Of these 6 instruments, HLS-Child-Q15 and HELMA are available for downloading which can influence the greater implementation in the future for the assessment of health literacy in adolescents.

ETHICAL ASPECTS OF ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION AND TRANSPLANTATION TOURISM

Damir Peličić — 2024-04-20

Modern medicine and technology have advanced significantly since the mid-twentieth century, but transplant medicine is still a hotly debated topic, both medically and religiously, legally and ethically. In order to carry out an organ transplant, whether it is related, unrelated or cadaveric transplantation, a number of conditions must be met in order to adequately prepare the patient and the potential donor. For this review, we used relevant literary data using databases such as: PubMed, SCOPUS, Serbian Citation Index, etc. All publications related to ethical principles and legal aspects of transplantation and organ donation, both in the world and in Montenegro. We referred to the Istanbul Declaration, which was also signed by Montenegro.

CURRENT AND POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INDUSTRY 4.0

Radoje Branislav Jevtić — 2024-04-20

Industry 4.0, i.e. the fourth industrial revolution, has contributed to enormous progress of knowledge and science in many different areas of life and brought lots of benefits. The aim of this paper is to present the current and potential applications of modern technologies as direct consequence of Industry 4.0 in medicine and dentistry and designing the Medicine 4.0 and Dentistry 4.0 concept. Industry 4.0 has a great influence on every field of modern science, and also on medicine and dentistry. It is obvious that complete healthcare transforms in the totally new, modern and different form - Healthcare 4.0 with a huge benefit from Industry 4.0. This means a better and safer future in the form of optimized medical services and treatment, much bigger percentage of cured patients, virtual medical and dental clinics with telemedicine consultations and lot of other things. Also, industry 4.0 enabled the fast and high-quality production of various types of medical and dental implants, which contributes to a significant reduction in costs. The use of new digital technologies and new concepts enable a completely new approach and better results in medicine and dentistry.