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Background/Aim. Hypervolemia is an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients treated with regular hemodialysis. There is still no reliable method for assessing the status of volemia in these patients. The aim of the study was to assess the status of volemia in patients treated with regular hemodialysis by measuring the parameters of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and bioimpedance. Methods. The effect of hemodialysis treatment on ultrasound parameters of the IVC, as well as on the parameters measured by bioimpedance, was examined before and after hemodialysis. The values of the N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured both before and after hemodialysis. Forty-five patients were involved in this non-interventional cross-section study, including the patients treated with standard bicarbonate dialysis. According to the interdialytic yield, the patients were divided into three groups: I (up to 2,000 mL), II (2,000?3,000 mL), and III (over 3,000 mL). Results. The values of the IVC parameters and the parameters measured with bioimpedance were significantly lower after treatment with hemodialysis (p < 0.005). The third group of patients had a significantly higher total fluid volume in the body com-pared to the group I, as well as a significantly greater volume of extracellular fluid (p < 0.005). The significantly lower values of NT-proBNP in all groups (p < 0.005) were detected after hemodialysis. After treatment with hemodialysis, a positive correlation was observed between the concentration of NT-proBNP in the serum and the extracellular/intracellular water ratio. However, the correlation between NT-proBNP concentration and total fluid measured by bioimpedance spectroscopy did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion. Measurement of the IVC ultrasound parameters and volemia parameters using bioimpedance significantly contributes to the assessment of the status of volemia. Nevertheless, it cannot be used as a separate parameter, only in combination with all other methods.

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Introduction/Objective. Serbia has been burdened with one of the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in Europe. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with compliance to cervical cancer screening among women in the general population. Methods. The study used the data from 2013 National Health Survey of the population of Serbia. Logistic regression analysis was further used to examine demographic and socio-economic factors which affect the disparities in cervical cancer screening practices among the female population. Results. Every third woman (35.4%) has never done a Pap test in her lifetime. The highest percentage of respondents did their Pap tests after they were recommended by doctors (52.3%); 45% of women did it on their own initiative, and only 2.7% did it after they had been summoned to participate in an organized screening by their doctor. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the most important factors in women who had never undergone Pap tests were the following: age (being within the youngest or the oldest age group), rural residence and low level of education, poor socio-economic status, and marital status (have never married). Conclusion. Further strategies and interventions for improving cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates should be focused on socially and economically endangered population groups in order to reduce disparities in cervical cancer screening more effectively.

Introduction/Objective. The most frequent postoperative complication of a successfully performed phacoemulsification cataract surgery is the development of posterior capsule opacification (PCO). It is caused by the proliferation and migration of the remaining residual epithelial cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of two different intraocular lenses and two different anti-inflammatory drugs on the development of PCO in one-year follow-up period. Methods. Investigation included 120 patients (120 eyes), equally divided into four groups. The first two groups included patients who used non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) postoperatively, while the other groups had corticosteroid therapy. The first and third group got hydrophilic intraocular lenses (IOL), the second and fourth group had hydrophobic IOL. Software program EPCO 2000 was used for the analysis of PCO. Student?s t-test, Wilcoxon test, and ANOVA were used for data analysis and p < 0.05 value was accepted as statistically significant. Results. After the first three postoperative months, patients from NSAID groups had mean PCO score 0.25 ?} 0.03, which was statistically significant higher (p = 0.042) comparing to corticosteroid groups. At the end of the investigation, the best result in PCO preventing was seen in the group of patients with hydrophobic IOL and corticosteroid therapy, with the mean PCO score of 0.47 ?} 0.08. Conclusion. This study has revealed that IOL made of acrylic hydrophobic material seemed to be the right choice when choosing intraocular lens to prevent PCO development. On the other hand, NSAID and corticosteroid therapy have showed similar results in preventing postoperative intraocular inflammation. This fact can be very useful in situations when corticosteroids must be used with great caution.

Introduction/Objective. Dry eye development after phacoemulsification is a very common complication of cataract surgery. Combined with other risk factors, such as pseudoexfoliation (PEX), this complication becomes more frequent. The aim of this study was to expose the influence of phacoemulsification associated with PEX on the development of dry eye in patients who underwent cataract surgery. Methods. The study included 160 eyes (160 patients) who underwent phacoemulsification. The patients were divided into four groups (n = 40 patients). Groups I and II involved patients without PEX. The patients from Group II were prescribed artificial tears (AT) postoperatively. The patients from Groups III and IV had a presentation of PEX. The patients from Group IV got AT postoperatively. Ocular Surface Disease Index, the tear breakup time (TBUT) test, fluorescein staining, and Schirmer?s test served as ?dry eye? tests in this study. The ?2 test and paired t-test were used for data analysis. Results. Measurements were taken for every patient preoperatively, on the first and the seventh day after the surgery, one month and three months, and one year after the surgery. The tests showed postoperatively developed dry eye in all the groups, with the recovery of the tear film within three months, except for Group III. The highest statistical significance (p < 0.001) was recorded between Groups II and III, three and 12 months after the surgery. Values of TBUT (6.09 ? 1.29 seconds) and Schirmer?s test (8.91 ? 2.14 mm) in Group III strongly indicated that dry eye was still present one year after phacoemulsification. The greatest recovery of the tear film was recorded in Group II in all the measurements. Conclusion. The study showed how strongly PEX and the use of AT affect the tear film during the first postoperative year. Based on our experience, we highly recommend the use of AT after performing phacoemulsification.

Introduction/Objective. The objectives of the paper are to assess the causes of low vision (LV) in pediatric population in Montenegro and to evaluate the influence of low vision aids (LVA) on reading performance regarding the speed of reading and the understanding of the read text. Methods. A prospective study was conducted on 40 ?treatable? LV children what represent all registered LV children in Montenegro. All participants read the same text before and after using LVA. Reading rate was calculated as the number of words read per minute. Functional speed of reading was calculated as the ratio of the rate of reading and the understanding of the read text multiplied by 100. Results. The study comprised 40 LV children with the mean age of 12.60 ? 4.06 years (20 boys and 20 girls). The most common cause of LV in children were premature retinopathy (10/40 or 25%), retinitis pigmentosa (8/40 or 20%), optic nerve anomaly (5/40 or 13%), degenerative myopia (4/40 or 10%), macular dysgenesis (4/40 or 10%), Stargardt disease (3/40 or 7%), optic nerve atrophy (2/40 or 5%), and albinism (2/40 or 5%). Nystagmus was found in 11 LV children or 28% of the group. LVA were prescribed to all of them. Reading speed before vs. after LVA use was 36.58 ? 35.60 vs. 73.83 ? 27.05 words/minute (p < 0.001), while functional reading was 26.00 ? 30.43 vs. 59.41 ? 29.34 (p < 0.001). Conclusion. LV children demonstrate a significant improvement in reading performance by using LVA.

Background/Aim. The integrity of outer retinal structures, primarily the photoreceptor layer, is important because of its direct correlation with visual acuity. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), the foveal photoreceptorinner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction and external limiting membrane (ELM) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) after the treatment with bevacizumab, as well as the correlation between the above-mentioned parameters and different types of neovascular membrane, classified by fluorescein angiography (FA). Methods. The study included 82 patients with NVAMD, treated with intravitreal bevacizumab. All patients underwent a basic ophthalmological examination, FA and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Based on the results of FA, all the patients were divided into two main groups ? type I (the occult and minimally classic) and type II (classic and predominantly classic) of the choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV). The OCT images revealed either the presence or the absence of IS/OS and ELM. Results. After the treatment, the mean best corrected visual acuity improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.01). Preserved IS/OS and ELM were registered in a smaller number of patients as compared to the condition before the treatment (p < 0.01). After the treatment, the mean BCVA was significantly better in patients with preserved IS/OS and ELM (p < 0.01). In addition, we registered a higher number of patients with preserved ELM in the first group than in the second group (p < 0.01), whereas there was no significant difference in the integrity of IS/OS between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion. The patients with preserved IS/OS and ELM achieved better final visual acuity as compared to the patients without preserved IS/OS and ELM. In our patients, the absence of IS/OS and ELM were more frequent in type II (classic and predominantly classic) CNV than in type I (the occult and minimally classic) CNV.

Introduction/Aim. Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (XPS) is age related systemic disorder characterized by increased production and accumulation of elastic micro-fibrillar material in different tissues of the body: skin, connective tissue portions of visceral organs, periphery blood vessels and the eye, as well. The aim of our study was to determine the significance of atherosclerotic changes in the carotid arteries in the development of XFS and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (XFG). Methods. Our study included 120 patients - 40 patients per each of three defined groups: XFS group, XFG group and age- and sex-matched control subjects (control group) without XFG. Blood samples were collected from the patients before cataract surgery. Serum levels of lipid profiles (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides) were analyzed by standard laboratory techniques. Standard ultrasonography of the carotid blood vessels was performed on all participants. Results. Lipid’s profile was disturbed in patients with XFS and XFG with statistical significance (p

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus is as old as the human race. Retinopathy, being one of complications of diabetes mellitus, is the most common cause of blindness. This study was aimed at analyzing the correlation between retinopathy and duration of disease, metabolic control, and obesity. Material and Methods. The study sample consisted of 135 patients divided into the experimental group of 90 patients with retinopathy and the control group of 45 patients without retinopathy. The patients were examined according to standard protocols: anamneses, endocrinology, ophthalmology exams, biochemical analyses, and anthropometric measurements. Results. The average age of patients was 60.13 ± 9.29 in the experimental group, while it was 57.55 ± 4.85 in the control group. The average duration of disease was 11.71 ± 5.8 and 14.40 ± 7.68 in the control group experimental group, respectively. The following statistically essential differences between the control and experimental group were found: in duration of disease (11.71 ± 5.85; 14.40 ± 7.68; r = 0.000), in glycemia (7.02 ± 2.20; 8.34 ± 3.18; p = 0.000), in glycosylated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) (7.16 ± 1.37; 8.22 ± 2.05; r = 0.000), in triglycerides (1.92 ± 0.72; 2.63 ± 1.60; r = 0.001), and in body mass index (23.94 ± 2.65; 27.66 ± 15.13; r = 0.000). Conclusion. There is a positive correlation between duration of disease, glycosylated hemoglobin A1C, triglycerides, body mass index - obesity and retinopathy. A significant statistical correlation among those parameters has been found in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

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Background/Aim. Graves? ophthalmopthy is one of the most common causes of exophthalmos as well as the most common manifestation of Graves? disease. The treatment of Graves? ophthalmopathy includes ophthalmological and endocrinological therapy. The aim of this study was to clinically evaluate the patients with Graves? ophthalmopathy treated with corticosteroids. Methods. Evaluation of 21 patients was performed in the Ophthalmology Clinic and Endocrinology Clinic, Clinical Centre Kragujevac, in the period from 2009 to 2010. They were treated with pulse doses of intravenous corticosteroids. They were referred to ophthalmologist by endocrinologist in euthyroid condition in the active phase of Graves? ophthalmopathy (ultrasonography of orbit findings and positive findings of antithyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody - anti-TSH R Ab). The clinical activity score (CAS) and NO SPECS classification for evaluation of disease severity were used. Ophthalmological examination includes: best corrected visual acuity, slit-lamp exam, Hertels? test, direct ophthalmoscopy and ultrasonography of the orbit. Results. According to our results 76.19% of the patients were female; mean age of the patients was 35.2 ? 5.6 years. According to CAS classification after 6 months of the treatment recovery was shown in 23.81% of the patients, partial amelioration in 47.62% and no clinical amelioration in 28.57% of the patients. We achieved better results with male, young patients with high clinical activity score. Good results were observed after the first dose of corticosteroids, much better CAS after the third dose, which maintained until 6 months after the first treatment. Conclusion. Our results signify that intravenous pulse dose of corticosteroids treatment of the patients with Graves? ophthalmopthy is safe, comfortable, clinically justified and accessible for the clinicians and patients. Positive results are achieved after the first dose with increasing trend up to the third dose, which was maintained for the next three months.