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Introduction : Central nervous system (CNS) tumours represent a significant public health issue worldwide, and their incidence and distribution vary across different populations. Although studies on CNS tumours have been conducted in various countries, there is a lack of information regarding their patterns in Macedonia. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the distribution, histopathological types and subtypes and demographic features of CNS tumours in our country. Materials and Methods : A cross sectional study was conducted using the electronic database of the Institute of Pathology - Medical Faculty, University "Ss. Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje which contains data from 3286 received and analysed surgical specimens, mainly from the University Clinic of Neurosurgery in Skopje, and a smaller number of surgical specimens from the University Surgical Centre "St. Naum Ohridski" in Skopje between 2012 and 2022. The collected and analysed data includes patient age, sex and histopathological types and subtypes of the tumours. Results : The majority of CNS tumours were diagnosed in adults aged between 50-70, with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1. The most common location of the tumours was the cerebrum, followed by the pituitary gland and cerebellum. The most frequent histological groups were gliomas, with glioblastoma as the most common diagnosis, followed by meningiomas. Conclusion : Following a detailed and thorough review of the CNS tumours in our study, we can conclude that the R. of Macedonia follows global statistics and trends regarding brain tumours., (© 2023 Panche Zdravkovski et al., published by Sciendo.)

Introduction Surgical site infections pose a significant problem in the treatment of neurosurgical procedures, regardless of the application of perioperative prophylaxis with systemic antibiotics. The infection rate in these procedures ranges from less than 1% to above 15%. Different antibiotics and administration regimes have been used in the perioperative prophylaxis so far, and there are numerous comparative studies regarding their efficiency, however, it is generally indicated that the choice thereof should be based on information and local specifics connected to the most probable bacterial causers, which would possibly contaminate the surgical site and cause infection, and moreover, the mandatory compliance with the principles of providing adequate concentration of the drug at the time of the anticipated contamination. Objective Comparing the protective effect of two perioperative prophylactic antibiotic regimes using cefuroxime (second generation cephalosporin) and ceftriaxone (third generation cephalosporin) in the prevention of postoperative surgical site infections after elective and urgent cranial and spinal neurosurgical procedures at the University Clinic for Neurosurgery in Skopje in the period of the first three months of 2016. Design of the study Prospective randomized comparative study. Outcome measures Establishing the clinical outcome represented as prevalence of superficial and deep incision and organ/space postoperative surgical site infections. Material and method We analyzed prospectively 40 patients who received parenteral antibiotic prophylaxis with two antibiotic regimes one hour before the routine neurosurgical cranial and spinal surgical procedures; the patients were randomized in two groups, according to the order of admission and participation in the study, alternately, non-selectively, those persons who fulfilled inclusion criteria were placed in one of the two programmed regimes with cefuroxime in the first, and cefotaxime in the second compared group. All relevant demographic and perioperative patient data were analyzed for both comparative groups, especially the factors known to cause disposition (predisposition) to infections. The prevalence of postoperative infections was evaluated as the primary outcome in both comparative groups, while the secondary outcome was the postoperative infection rate after cranial and spinal neurosurgical procedures at the Neurosurgical clinic in Skopje (having in consideration that so far no data have been published in this context), as well as the prevalence of the risk factors for occurrence of postoperative infections, pre-surgically in patients undergoing neurosurgical interventions locally in the Republic of Macedonia. Results A total of three cases of postoperative infections were registered, two of which classified as superficial incisional, while one case organ/space infection - meningitis (elective intervention) without etiological confirmation. Both comparative groups were statistically similar, without any statistically significant differences in the basic demographic and perioperative characteristics, especially in relation to the incidence of the factors, which, regardless of the antibiotic prophylaxis, show predisposition to postoperative infections. All three cases with infections were registered in the group of persons who received prophylaxis with ceftriaxone preoperatively, with isolated etiological S. aureus agent (elective intervention) in one of them, and methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in another (urgent intervention) with superficial incisional SSI. There was no case of SSI in the group of patients who received cefuroxime before surgery. Conclusion Administration of parenteral antibiotics before surgery reduces the incidence of postoperative infections after neurosurgical procedures, especially in cases with increased risk factors for SSI, such as ACA score of ≥ 2/3, the duration of the surgical intervention ≥ 4 hours, contaminated wound and comorbidities. Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis should be directed to better coverage of the S.aureus arrays.

Introduction: Surgical stress response, results in elevated levels of anti-insulin hormones and reduced insulin secretion. This hormonal state may be detrimental for surgical patients due to the presence of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Additionally, pre-operative fasting favors this conditions. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of pre-operative caloric load, with 440kJ from amino acid infusions on the levels of glucose, cortisol and insulin resistance in surgical patients., Material and Methods: The study included 20 female patients scheduled for mastectomy, aged 30-60 years without diabetes and BMI < 30 m(2), divided into two groups. The study group A, the evening before the surgery, received 1000 ml amino acid infusions, while the control group B didn't receive any infusion. In both groups glucose, C-peptide and cortisol levels were determinate preoperatively and postoperatively. From the obtained C-peptide and glucose values, with the help of computer model (HOMA2*), the insulin resistance (IR), functionality of beta cells (BETA) and insulin sensitivity (IS) were calculated., Results: Postoperative values of insulin resistance (0.94 ± 0.12 vs 1.13 ± 0.2; p = 0.02) and glucose (4.79 ± 0.5 vs 5.77 ± 0.6; p = 0.002) were lower in the study group compared to control group. Postoperative cortisol levels in both groups were higher than the preoperative, but no significant difference was found. The study group showed higher values for BETA and IS. Percentage changes between the groups were significant for all parameters., Conclusion: Pre-operative caloric load (amino acids) reduces the level of insulin resistance and glucose in the presence of elevated cortisol levels.