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Copyright of Socialno Delo is the property of Socialno Delo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Medica Croatica is the property of Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Different studies have tried to identify possible genetic biomarkers of treatment outcomes in schizophrenia. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene was previously associated with schizophrenia, metabolic risk and side-effects as well as with neurocognitive functions and treatment response in schizophrenia. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the association of MHTFR 1298 polymorphisms with treatment response measured by changes in facial emotional recognition (FER) and psychopathology in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). Methods: We conducted a prospective study including 159 patients with FEP recruited from two Croatian psychiatric hospitals. We performed assessment two weeks upon admittance to hospital and after 18 months of follow-up. We assessed psychopathology with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and FER with Penn Emotional Recognition Test. Genotyping of blood samples was preformed according to usual practice. Statistical analysis included ANOVA. Results: Our results did not show statistically significant association of MHTFR genotypes and correct recognition of presented emotions. However, we found significant associations with initial general (F=3.36, p=0.04) and overall PANSS scores (F=3.14, p=0.05) as well as with changes of negative (F=-1.562, p=0.012), general (F=-2.686, p=0.005) and overall PANSS scores (F=-5.417, p=0.006). In all cases, the carriers of the CC alleles had better scores. Conclusions: While we did not find association of specific MHTFR genotypes and FER, they showed strong association with both initial and changes of psychopathology scores after 18 months of follow-up which opens the possibility of their role as potential marker for treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Response to traumatic event is the result of a complex interaction of many variables: type of stressful event, individual characteristics, subjective response and social support. Objectives: To show effects of different internal and external factors on the development of psychosomatic diseases. Methods: We will present a case of a female patient who developed a series of psychosomatic diseases after she was the victim of five armed robberies. The patient has been in psychiatric outpatient treatment since 2015 under the diagnosis of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results: Not being able to defend herself and her colleagues fromthe robbers lead to intense feelings of guilt and humiliation that impacted her daily functioning and became a part of her nightmares. After the robbery, patient developed arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, psoriasis vulgaris and inversa. Risk factor for developing psychiatric and psychosomatic symptoms was her cultural background with ideas that women must not reach out for help, have to act as support for others and suppress their own feelings. After the fourth robbery, helplessness, a feeling previously unknown to her, finally led to her first contact with psychiatrist. In her case, strong social support from family members was a protective factor. Conclusions: As a traumatic event, robbery may have consequences on both psychological and physical integrity of the victims leading to different clinical presentations including PTSD and different psychosomatic diseases. Integrative approach comprising of psychotherapy, sociotherapy and pharmacotherapy is essential in complicated cases like this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has a significant role in fibrinolysis, atherogenesis, cellular senescence, and chronic inflammation. OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) leads to increased PAI-1 levels and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of CPAP therapy on coagulation parameters and PAI-1 in patients with severe OSA. This prospective, controlled study enrolled 57 patients who were newly diagnosed with severe OSA, 37 of whom had had good CPAP adherence after 6 months of therapy (usage of the device for at least 4 h per night), and their data were analyzed. The analysis showed a statistically significant increase in D-dimer values before CPAP therapy (415 (316.5-537.5)) vs. after therapy (499 (327-652)), p = 0.0282, and a decrease in fibrinogen values (3.665 ± 0.752 before CPAP therapy vs. 3.365 ± 0.771 after therapy, p = 0.0075)). PAI-1 concentration values before and after CPAP therapy did not differ significantly (17.35 ± 7.01 ng/mL before CPAP therapy vs. 17.42 ± 6.99 ng/mL after therapy, p = 0.9367). This study shows a tendency for fibrinolytic capacity to improve in patients with OSA after CPAP therapy, although PAI-1 levels did not differ significantly.

With the significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the health, and the functioning of health care system, it has become increasingly important to understand changes in the ways health services were utilized and the factors influencing it. Drop in psychiatric admissions was seen during the pandemic, but also an increase in acute hospitalizations and emergency visits. Our aim was to analyze changes in out- and in-patient services utilization in the largest Croatian psychiatric institution during the first year of the pandemic, observed through the lens of the stringency index, and compare it to the pre-pandemic year. Along with an overall drop in hospitalizations, but a unit-specific rise in hospitalization, we have observed a non-significant overall drop in regular outpatient visits, and a significant drop coinciding with strictest epidemiological measures. There was also a significant increase in emergency visits coinciding with epidemiological measures that failed to return to pre-pandemic values, pointing to an expected significant and prolonged burden on emergency services. Simultaneous analysis of changing dynamics of mental health care service utilization during the pandemic helps us identify specific points of increased burden, and help us plan for early and flexible resources shift in order to adequately respond to evolving challenges., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We reviewed the pleiotropic beneficial effects of the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, three very recent demonstrations that may be essential in the gut-brain and brain-gut axis operation, and therapy application in the central nervous system disorders, in particular. Firstly, given in the reperfusion, BPC 157 counteracted bilateral clamping of the common carotid arteries-induced stroke, sustained brain neuronal damages were resolved in rats as well as disturbed memory, locomotion, and coordination. This therapy effect supports particular gene expression in hippocampal tissues that appeared in BPC 157-treated rats. Secondly, there are L-NG-nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)- and haloperidol-induced catalepsy as well as the rat acute and chronic models of 'positive-like' schizophrenia symptoms, that BPC 157 counteracted, and resolved the complex relationship of the nitric oxide-system with amphetamine and apomorphine (dopamine agents application), MK-801 (non-competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) and chronic methamphetamine administration (to induce sensitivity). Thirdly, after rat spinal cord compression, there were advanced healing and functional recovery (counteracted tail paralysis). Likewise, in BPC 157 therapy, there is specific support for each of these topics: counteracted encephalopathies; alleviated vascular occlusion disturbances (stroke); counteracted dopamine disturbances (dopamine receptors blockade, receptors super sensitivity development, or receptor activation, over-release, nigrostriatal damage, vesicles depletion), and nitric oxide-system disturbances ("L-NAME non-responsive, L-arginine responsive," and "L-NAME responsive, L-arginine responsive") (schizophrenia therapy); inflammation reduction, nerve recovery in addition to alleviated hemostasis and vessels function after compression (spinal cord injury therapy). Thus, these disturbances may be all resolved within the same agent's beneficial activity, i.e., the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157., Competing Interests: None

Research involving vulnerable population of mentally impaired persons is raising considerable controversies from its very beginnings. These controversies are created around everlasting tensions between two positive duties: the duty to protect vulnerable subjects, and the duty not to deny them potential benefits. Most of the contemporary ethical guidelines and regulations, including most recent revision of the Declaration of Helsinki, permit these researches under certain ethical conditions. The notion of informed consent as a cornerstone of bioethics emerges as essential requisite of moral research. We are presenting some key concepts and safeguards regarding informed consent that researcher needs to be aware off when conducting a research involving mentally impaired persons. Theoretical and practical challenges that are arising from these safeguards are discussed with an overview of most recent scientific data. Lastly, we briefly address the most important legal standings that will be introduced in 2015, by new Croatian Law on the Protection of Persons with Mental Disorders.