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The purpose of this study was to compare the results of body temperature measurements obtained by standard axillary thermometers with the results of infrared tympanic and frontal skin thermometry in afebrile children. This study comprises a single-center, prospective comparison trial. A total of 345 afebrile children aged 4 to 16 years hospitalized in the pediatric surgery department for elective surgery were included. One thousand axillary, tympanic and frontal measurements were obtained and compared. We used two different infrared thermometers in this study; one type measured the tympanic temperature, the other the temperature on the forehead. The axillary temperature measured with the glass thermometer was set as the standard. Each patient was exposed to a constant environmental temperature for a minimum of 10 min before simultaneous temperature measurements. The mean-frontal temperature 36.9 ± 0.38 °C was equal to the axillary temperature 36.9 ± 0.16 °C. The mean tympanic temperature was 36.3 ± 0.98 °C. The mean difference between the tympanic and axillary temperatures was -0.4 °C. The tympanic temperature had a threefold greater dispersion than frontal and a fivefold greater dispersion than axillary temperature. The results of this study suggest that the axillary temperature measured with glass thermometer has the least dispersion. Somewhat less reliable is the frontal temperature measured with infrared thermometer. The least reliable is tympanic temperature measurement.

The physical properties of plaster bandages are a very important factor in achieving the basic functions of immobilization (maintaining bone fragments in the best possible position), which directly affects the speed and quality of fracture healing. This paper compares the differences between the physical properties of plaster bandages (mass, specific weight, drying rate, elasticity and strength) and records the differences in plaster modeling of fast bonding 10 cm wide plaster bandages, from three different manufacturers: Safix plus (Hartmann, Germany), Cellona (Lohman Rauscher, Austria) and Gipsan (Ivo Lola Ribar ltd., Croatia). Plaster tiles from ten layers of plaster, dimension 10 x 10 cm were made. The total number of tiles from each manufacturer was 48. The water temperature of 22 °C was used for the first 24 tiles and 34 'C was used for the remainder. The average specific weight of the original packaging was: Cellona (0.52 g/cm3), Gipsan (0.50 g/cm3), Safix plus (0.38 g/cm3). Three days after plaster tile modeling an average specific weight of the tiles was: Gipsan (1.15 g/cm3), Safix plus (1.00 g/cm3), Cellona (1.10 g/cm3). The average humidity of 50% for Safix plus and Cellona plaster tiles was recorded 18 hours after modeling, while for the Gipsan plaster tiles, this humidity value was seen after 48 hours. On the third day after plaster modeling the average humidity of the plaster tiles was 30% for Gipsan, 24% for Safix and 16% for Cellona. Cellona plaster tiles made with 34 °C water achieved the highest elasticity (11.75±3.18 MPa), and Gipsan plaster tiles made with 22 °C had the lowest (7.21±0.9 MPa). Cellona plaster tiles made with 34 °C water showed maximum material strength (4390±838 MPa), and Gipsan plaster tiles made with 22 °C water showed the lowest material strength (771±367 MPa). The rigidity and strength of Cellona and Gipsan plaster are higher in tiles made in warmer water, and for Safix plus are higher in tiles made in cooler water. All three types of plaster differentiate in physical properties. The differences in mass and specific weight before and after plaster modeling are minimal. There are greater differences in drying rate, elasticity and strength between the three different plaster materials.

Croatian Medical Association, Karlovac Branch is established on 27th May 1935. First elected president was Dr. Edmund Sauerbrunn, and on branch meetings topics mostly disguised were class and ethic. After a Second World War, branch activities become more active and in next decade's number of members grew up to todays over 300. Members are medical and dental medicine doctors from Karlovac County. Traditional annual meeting may health days is main branch activity which gathers all medical doctors for 37 years already.

Babesia divergens and B. divergens-like organisms are the main causative agents of human babesiosis in Europe. Recently, the first case of human infection with Babesia microti was confirmed in Germany, implicating the presence of zoonotic isolates. To estimate the presence of zoonotic B. microti in Croatia we analyzed 120 small wild mammals that serve as its reservoir by polymerase chain reaction. Yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) were both found to be infected with prevalence of 16.2%. Sequence analysis of the portion of 18S rDNA gene demonstrated that six polymerase chain reaction-positive samples, detected in both rodent species, were identical to that of the human Jena/Germany strain (EF413181). The other two isolates were identical to the nonzoonotic Munich strain (AB071177). The results of this study indicate the presence of zoonotic B. microti in A. flavicollis and M. glareolus in Croatia and a potential risk for human health.

An epizootiological field study on tick-borne protozoan infections in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was carried out in different parts of Croatia. Spleen samples of 191 carcasses of red foxes killed in sanitary hunting, were examined for the presence of hematozoa by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent sequencing. The investigation revealed four species of hematozoa in 57 foxes (30%), namely Theileria annae, Theileria sp. 3182/05 and Hepatozoon canis. T. annae was found in 10 foxes (5%), Theileria sp. 3182/05 in a single animal (1%), H. canis in 44 (23%) and Hepatozoon sp. was detected in two foxes (1%). T. annae and H. canis were distributed through all the studied regions, while Theileria sp. 3182/05 and Hepatozoon sp. were restricted to the Zagreb and Zagorje, and Istria regions, respectively. Detection of T. annae in all regions of Croatia indicates the presence of the natural cycle of the parasite and raises the possibility of other vectors other than the proposed Ixodes hexagonus.

An epizootiological survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of hepatozoonosis in a population of 924 apparently asymptomatic dogs from different regions of Croatia. DNA was isolated from canine blood and screening PCR on the 666 bp fragment of 18S rRNA revealed that 108 (11.8%) of dogs were infected. Positive samples were confirmed by partial sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. The consensus sequences, derived from various sequence data sets, were compared with sequences of 18S ssrRNA of Hepatozoon spp. available in GenBank. The alignments revealed 106 Hepatozoon canis and two Hepatozoon sp. sequences. Among H. canis isolates, we found a certain amount of heterogeneity, while both Hepatozoon sp. isolates were identical to the Spanish isolate (Accession No. AY600625) from Clethrionomys glareolus. On the basis of eight commonly mutated nucleotide positions in the partial 18S rRNA gene sequence, we divided the H. canis isolates into five groups. The results obtained indicate a higher prevalence and significance of hepatozoonosis in Croatia than previously believed and demonstrate that the organisms belonging to H. canis that infect European dogs are genetically very heterogeneous.

Morphology of the lymph nodes was examined in six bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and three striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Adriatic Sea. All animals had been found dead in nature. One group of the nodes was taken from the tracheal branching area and was marked as bifurcational lymph node, and the other group was taken from the mesenteric root and was marked as mesenteric lymph node. Microscopic analysis showed that the lymph nodes in both dolphin species were surrounded by a connective tissue capsule comprising smooth muscle cells. The parenchyma of the mesenteric and bifurcational lymph nodes in bottlenose dolphin was divided into the peripherally situated cortex with the lymphatic nodules and diffuse lymphatic tissue, and the centrally situated medulla structured of the medullary cords separated by the medullary sinuses. These lymph nodes structurally correspond to the lymph nodes in the majority of terrestrial mammals. The mesenteric lymph node of striped dolphin also had a peripherally situated cortex and a centrally positioned medulla as the majority of terrestrial mammals. In the bifurcational lymph nodes of striped dolphin, there was a central dense lymphatic tissue with the lymphatic nodules and a peripheral less dense lymphatic tissue structured of the cell cords and sinuses. The bifurcational lymph node in striped dolphin resembled porcine lymph nodes and belonged to the inverse lymph nodes.