Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Aug 2023
SALIVARY MELATONIN VALUES SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATE WITH REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHRONIC SPONTANEOUS URTICARIA PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY.
Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a dermatological disorder accompanied by itching that greatly affects the quality of life and quality of sleep. Therefore, it is assumed that CSU patients consequently experience reduced melatonin secretion and lower values of serum or salivary melatonin. This pilot study included 20 patients with CSU (chronic urticaria of unknown etiology that lasts for more than 6 weeks) and 10 healthy controls. ⋯ Salivary melatonin levels were determined by ELISA and all subjects completed a standardized Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index on the same day they gave a saliva sample for analysis. According to our results, 86% of CSU patients had decreased values of salivary melatonin, and lower salivary melatonin values significantly correlated with a reduced quality of life in CSU patients. This study was the first to analyze melatonin in CSU patients, also suggesting a possible new therapeutic option for the treatment of CSU.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Aug 2023
FADI EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF KINESITHERAPY AFTER ANKLE FRACTURE.
The aim of the study was to analyze the values of Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) after kinesitherapy in subjects with bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture of the ankle after surgery treatment and the obtained values of manual muscle test (MMT) and range of motion (ROM) after rehabilitation, compared with the obtained values of FADI index and on that basis evaluate its possibility in assessing the functionality of the respondents after surgery for bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture of the ankle. The sample included 60 subjects over the age of 18 who underwent surgery for osteosynthesis due to bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture of the ankle. All subjects were treated with kinesitherapy as part of the postoperative rehabilitation program. ⋯ A statistically significant association was found between mean percentage recovery per ROM and MMT (p<0.05). The conducted research confirmed the working hypothesis of the conducted study. The effects of kinesitherapy after ankle surgery can be evaluated using the FADI index, as well as by manual muscle test and ROM measurement.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Aug 2023
IS FLEXIBLE BRONCHOSCOPY A SAFE PROCEDURE FOR CRITICAL CARE PATIENTS WITH RESPIRATORY FAILURE?
Flexible bronchoscopy (FB) plays an important role in critical care patients. But, critical care patients with respiratory failure are at an increased risk of developing complications. Considering the developments in intensive care unit care in recent years, we aimed to evaluate the use of FB in these patients. ⋯ Fifty-five (38.5%) patients developed complications that could be controlled. Multivariate analysis indicated that increased Apache-II score and presence of cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with an increased complication risk. Although critical care patients with respiratory failure are more prone to complications, diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy may be performed following appropriate patient selection, without leading to major complications.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Aug 2023
THE EFFECT OF PALPEBRAL FISSURE HEIGHT IN PRIMARY GAZE POSITION ON TEAR FILM STABILITY.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of palpebral fissure height in primary gaze position in healthy individuals on tear film stability. In this cross-sectional study, 120 subjects (60 male and female each) were enrolled and divided according to age into two groups, i.e., group 1 (aged 18-50 years) and group 2 (aged 51 and older). Palpebral fissure height on both eyes was measured in primary gaze position with a clear plastic ruler held in a central vertical position between the upper and lower lid margin, and the standard tear break-up time (TBUT) test was performed to evaluate tear film stability. ⋯ In all subjects included in the study, palpebral fissure height was not related to TBUT (p=0.589). However, analyzing the two age groups separately, a significant negative correlation was found between the palpebral fissure height and TBUT in both groups of younger (p<0.001) and older (p=0.009) subjects. In conclusion, an enlarged exposed ocular surface due to higher palpebral fissure height in healthy individual's primary gaze position negatively affects tear film stability expressed by TBUT.
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The aim of this study was to establish the impact of air transport on blood samples packaged with and without cooling elements and effect of outdoor temperature on sample quality. Venous samples from 38 blood donors in winter and 36 in summer were tested for hemolysis and complete blood count. One tube per subject was kept in controlled conditions at +4 °C. ⋯ These differences were more pronounced in the samples transported during the summer. Transport conditions without cooling elements had additional negative impact on the sample quality. Transport of samples using cooling elements and controlled warehousing conditions at airports are sometimes not sufficient to maintain laboratory storage conditions.