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The aim of this study was to investigate how sociodemographic and health factors contribute cognitive abilities in the older population of the Republic of Serbia, using data from the 2019 national health survey. The study included 3,743 participants, of whom 2,061 (55.1%) were women and 1,682 (44.9%) were men. The median age of all participants was 72 (10) years. Study used logistic regression on cross-sectional data to analyze how education, social support, and healthcare access affect cognitive abilities, while adjusting for demographic variables. The results revealed negative associations between higher levels of education and lower odds of experiencing memory and concentration problems, while recent visits to specialists were positively associated with increased risk for the same. The highest percentage of participants (22.6%) reporting major difficulties in memory and concentration were in the age group of 85–89 years (p

BackgroundThe objective of this research was to evaluate the occurrence of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as the level of life contentment and coping mechanisms employed by college students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA total of 588 students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Higher School of Medicine, Kraljevo, University of Kragujevac, Central Serbia, participated in an online cross-sectional survey in the period September–October 2022. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) was used to measure the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The Coping Questionnaire—a shorter version (Brief Cope Inventories) assesses the coping strategies a person uses in stressful situations, and the 5-item Life Satisfaction Scale is used to examine the level of life satisfaction.ResultsThe symptoms of depression were reported by 34.9%, of anxiety by 47.1% and of stress by 44.2%. The type of faculty (p = 0.001), and place of residence (p = 0.036) correlated with depression, gender with anxiety (p = 0.001) and stress (p = 0.015). In terms of coping mechanisms, the most frequently mentioned strategies, based on average scores, were acceptance (5.76), positive interpretation (5.55), humor (5.46).ConclusionThe adverse impact of COVID-19 was a risk factor for depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. A negative correlation exists between the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and the overall life satisfaction of university students. Offering the necessary assistance through psychological interventions and effective coping techniques is crucial in ensuring the optimal mental health of university students.

ObjectivesThe aim of this paper is to assess the association of demografic and socioeconomic determinants with utilization of dental services among Serbian adults.Materials and methodsThe study is a part of the population health research of Serbia, conducted in the period from October to December 2019 by the Institute of Statistics of the Republic of Serbia in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia “Dr. Milan JovanovićBatut” and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. The research was conducted as a descriptive, cross-sectional analytical study on a representative sample of the population of Serbia. For the purposes of this study, data on the adult population aged 20 years and older were used.ResultsMen were approximately 1.8 times more likely than women to not utilize dental healthcare services (OR = 1.81). The likelihood of not utilizing dental healthcare protection rises with increasing age, reaching its peak within the 65–74 age range (OR = 0.441), after which it declines. Individuals who have experienced marital dissolution due to divorce or the death of a spouse exhibit a higher probability of not utilizing health protection (OR = 1.868). As the level of education and wealth diminishes, the probability of abstaining from health protection increases by 5.8 times among respondents with an elementary school education (OR = 5.852) and 1.7 times among the most economically disadvantaged respondents (OR = 1.745). Regarding inactivity, respondents who are not employed have a 2.6-fold higher likelihood of not utilizing oral health care compared to employed respondents (OR = 2.610).ConclusionThe results suggest that individual sociodemographic factors influence utilization of dental services by Serbian adults and confirmed the existence of socioeconomic disparities.

IntroductionSocial support as a complex construct has a positive influence not only on a patient’s condition but also on the process of the patient’s emotional adjustment to cancer. The goal of this study is to investigate aspects of the level of social support in oncology patients and its interconnection with sociodemographic and medical variables.MethodThe study was conducted as a prospective observational study in 2020, including 250 patients aged 19 and over, both sexes, with a diagnosis of oncological disease. The research was conducted in the Department of General Medicine of the Health Center Trstenik, Central Serbia, after approval by the Ethics Committee of the Health Center Trstenik, Central Serbia. A social support assessment questionnaire (Oslo-3 Social Support Scale) was used as a research instrument.ResultsData collected from the entire study population showed that bad social support was present in almost 90% of cases. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis showed a statistically significant influence of the following variables on the bad social support: education level, activity limitation, difficulties in performing daily activities, the impact of pain on the performance of activities, the need for additional help with activity, the need for help at home, unfulfilled needs for health care, means of information, anxiety score and depression score.ConclusionInterventions to increase social support may be important for enhancing mental health and quality of life in cancer patients.

Background: We aimed to examine the quality of life of children who engage in regular physical activities. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with intersectional 301 children (182 boys and 119 girls) involved in regular sporting activities and the control group of 100 children (67 boys and 33 girls), not involved in extracurricular sports. Children in both groups were from 8 to 13 years, attending elementary school, and without any associated illnesses. The quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the Quality of Life questionnaire Kidscreen-27 version for parents. For comparison of groups, we used χ2 test, and for comparison of mean values among groups we used ANOVA test. Results: More boys were engaged in sport than girls and the choice of sport is gender-dependent (P

BackgroundThe aims of our study are related to examining the relevance of teachers' attitudes toward the implementation of inclusive education. In addition, its subject is related to the implications on inclusive education policies, limitations of the existing study along with the recommendations for our future research endeavors.MethodsThe research is a cross-sectional study type. The sample included 64 primary school teachers in the lower grades of primary school (grades 1–4), selected by using simple random sampling, in three primary schools on the territory of Belgrade, Serbia in 2021 (26, 17, and 21 primary school teachers). The Questionnaire for Teachers, which was used as a research instrument, was taken from the Master's Thesis Studen Rajke, which was part of the project “Education for the Knowledge Society” at the Institute for Educational Research in Belgrade. Dependent variables measured in the study referred to the attitudes of primary school teachers toward inclusive education. Categorical variables are represented as frequencies and the Chi-square test was used to determine if a distribution of observed frequencies differed from the expected frequencies.ResultsOne in three teachers (32.8%) thought that inclusion was useful for children with disabilities (29.7%), of them thought that schools did not have the conditions for inclusive education, whereas one in four teachers (25.0%) believed that inclusion was not good. No statistically significant differences were found in the attitudes of professors, when observed in terms of their gender, age and length of service.ConclusionInvesting more resources and time in developing and implementing special education policies can promote successful inclusive education.

Introduction: Goodpasture syndrome is a rare autoimmune syndrome with alveolar hemorrhages and glomerulonephritis caused by circulating antibodies against the glomerular-basement-membrane. Anti-glomerular-basement-membrane were administered against a non-collagen (NC-1) α3 chain of collagen type IV, which was found at the highest concentration in the basal membrane of renal and pulmonary capillaries. The aim of case report is a clinical overview of this rare and severe syndrome. Case report: The patient, 22-years-old was sent to Center of Urgent Medicine of Clinical Center Kragujevac from General Hospital of Paraćin because of blood poisoning, fever, symptoms and signs of renal and respiratory weakness, and suspected of Wegener's disease. Antibodies were taken on the basement membrane of the glomerulus were resulted of enormously high. After due to the clinical and immunology diagnosis of Goodpasture syndrome, plasmapheresis treatment was initiated. The standard hemodialysis was continued. Following the guidelines protocols, patient received pulse dozes of cytostatics, corticosteroids, etc. Conclusion: The case report of our patient points to the necessity of multidisciplinary approach of the expert team, consisting of a nephrologist, pulmologist, clinical pharmacologist and other specialists. The prognosis is good, if treatment is started before irreversible pulmonary and/or renal changes (respiratory and/or renal insufficiency). Goodpasture syndrome often progresses rapidly, so it can be fatal if it's delayed with the diagnosis and the treatment. Patients with Goodpasture`s syndrome require an adequate the socio-medical care as a rare and severe syndrome.

BackgroundChanging daily habits such as diet, hygiene and physical activity may be some of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of this pandemic on lifestyle, physical activity, eating and hygiene habits among students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 171 students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. Data were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Marginal homogeneity test and Chi-square test. The differences were considered statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05.ResultsIn this study, it was observed that the most common physical activity before the pandemic was walking, while during the pandemic was home exercising. Compared to the period before the pandemic, there was no difference in the time spent engaging in daily physical activity (p = 0.334). However, there was a significant increase in sitting time during the pandemic (p = 0.005). Difference was noticed in the use of breakfast, the number of meals, and the type of fat in the diet before and during the pandemic (p = 0.000). During the pandemic, there was an increase in the use of fruits (p = 0.000), vegetables, and nuts (p = 0.001), while the use of fast food and alcohol have decreased. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in the use of dietary supplements was observed (40.2%), (p = 0.008).ConclusionsGiven that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, certain changes in lifestyle observed in this study should be confirmed in more extensive population studies.

Serbia is an upper-middle income Eastern European economy. It has inherited system of health provision and financing, which is a mixture of Soviet Semashko and German Bismarck models. So far, literature evidence on long-term trends in health spending remains scarce on this region. Observational descriptive approach was utilized relying on nationwide aggregate data reported by the Republic Health Insurance Fund (RHIF) and the Government of Serbia to the WHO office. Consecutively, the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database1 was used. Long-term trends were extrapolated on existing data and underlying differences were analyzed and explained. The insight was provided across two distinctively different periods within 2000–2016. The first period lasted from 2000 till 2008 (the beginning of global recession triggered by Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy). This was a period of strong upward growth in ability to invest in health care. Spending grew significantly in terms of GDP share, national and per capita reported expenditures. During the second period (2009–2016), after the beginning of worldwide economic crisis, Serbia was affected in a way that its health expenditure growth in PPP terms slowed down effectively fluctuating around plateau values from 2014 to 2016. Serbia health spending showed promising signs of steady growth in its ability to invest in health care. Consolidation marked most of the past decade with certain growth rates in recent years (2017–2019), which were not captured in these official records. The future national strategy should be devised to take into account accelerated population aging as major driver of health spending.

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy is a neuro-ophthalmological entity characterized by acute or subacute bilateral, not simultaneous visual loss with centro cekal scotoma and occasional further visual improvement. This rare ophthalmological disease can be accompanied with dyschromatopsia. It is associated with a matrilineal inheritance pattern. Its diagnosis used to be solely clini¬cal, aided by imaging and neuro-physiological studies, until the advent of descriptions of mitochondrial biochemical abnormalities and genetic testing. We describe a case of 24 year old male with progressive painless deterioration of visual acuity and positive family history.

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy is a neuro-ophthalmological entity characterized by acute or subacute bilateral, not simultaneous visual loss with centro cekal scotoma and occasional further visual improvement. This rare ophthalmological disease can be accompanied with dyschromatopsia. It is associated with a matrilineal inheritance pattern. Its diagnosis used to be solely clini¬cal, aided by imaging and neuro-physiological studies, until the advent of descriptions of mitochondrial biochemical abnormalities and genetic testing. We describe a case of 24 year old male with progressive painless deterioration of visual acuity and positive family history.

We present a patient with a corneal ulcer of the right eye, with eye protrusion and without anamnesis of cancer. On CT examination there was a bulky soft tissue mass in the cranial aspect of the right orbit, without increasing in signal intensity after injection of contrast. Open biopsy revealed undifferentiated tissue that stained strongly positive for breast carcinoma, confirming the diagnosis of metastases of breast carcinoma.