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Aim: The authors conducted two cross-sectional studies 8 years apart with the aim of assessing temporal trends in the prevalence of asthma and atopic diseases in Međimurje County, Northwestern Croatia., Methods: Studies were conducted in children aged 12 years 0 months to 14 years 11 months in 2005 and in 2013; additionally, in adolescents aged 18 years in 2013 according to the international study on asthma and allergies protocol., Results: In the age group 12-14 years, a significant increase in the prevalence of asthma (5.1% vs 8.31%), allergic rhinitis (10.86% vs 16.24%), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (7.14% vs 10.95%) and atopic dermatitis (5.34% vs 8.12%) was observed. When the age group 12-14 years in 2005 was compared with the age group 18 years in 2013, a significant increase in symptoms of asthma (5.1% vs 11.5%), allergic rhinitis (10.86% vs 19.59%), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (7.14% vs 14.25%), and atopic dermatitis (5.34% vs 7.69%) was observed., Conclusion: This study shows an increasing trend in Međimurje County in the prevalence of all symptoms associated with atopic diseases: Asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic dermatitis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Despite the purported advantages of ultrasound guidance during embryo transfer, and the large number of clinical trials published on this topic, recommendations for the use of this technique in daily clinical practice are still under debate. We designed a meta-analysis based exclusively on evidence from published randomized controlled trials, with the aim of analysing the effect of trans-abdominal ultrasound guidance during embryo transfer versus clinical touch and of transvaginal ultrasound guidance (TV-US) versus the trans-abdominal approach on IVF outcomes. On the basis of 14 randomized trials, we found a moderate quality of evidence supporting the beneficial effects of transabdominal guidance during embryo transfer compared with conventional clinical touch in clinical pregnancy and ongoing or live birth rates. No significant differences were found in miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy rate, with low or very low quality of evidence, respectively. On the basis of three randomized trials, we found the quality of evidence supporting the equivalence of transvaginal versus transabdominal approach in clinical pregnancy and ongoing or live birth rates to be low. Finally, larger randomized controlled trials are necessary to explore the possible benefits of TV-US, three-dimensional ultrasound imaging modality, and uterine length measurement before transfer., (Copyright © 2018 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the last couple of decades fungal infections have become a significant clinical problem. A major interest into fungal steroid action has been provoked since research has proven that steroid hormones are toxic to fungi and affect the host/fungus relationship. Steroid hormones were found to differ in their antifungal activity in ascomycetous fungi Hortaea werneckii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae. Dehydroepiandrosterone was shown to be the strongest inhibitor of growth in all three varieties of fungi followed by androstenedione and testosterone. For their protection, fungi use several mechanisms to lower the toxic effects of steroids. The efficiency of biotransformation in detoxification depended on the microorganism and steroid substrate used. Biotransformation was a relatively slow process as it also depended on the growth phase of the fungus. In addition to biotransformation, steroid extrusion out of the cells contributed to the lowering of the active intracellular steroid concentration. Plasma membrane Pdr5 transporter was found to be the most effective, followed by Snq2 transporter and vacuolar transporters Ybt1 and Ycf1. Proteins Aus1 and Dan1 were not found to be involved in steroid import. The research of possible targets of steroid hormone action in fungi suggests that steroid hormones inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae and H. werneckii. Results of this inhibition caused changes in the sterol content of the cellular membrane. The presence of steroid hormones most probably causes the degradation of the Tat2 permease and impairment of tryptophan import., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)