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Background/Aim. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is one of the most commonly used calcium phosphate bioceramics with osteoconductive properties. Growth factors are capable of directly inducing morphological and functional differentiation of neodontoblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of HAp-based biomaterial in combination with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the creation of new dentine and obturation of the root canal apex in the teeth of an experimental animal model. Methods. Rodent (rabbit) teeth were used as the experimental animal model. After pulp removal with a pulp extirpator in vital pulpectomy, the biomaterial was applied using a Lentulo spiral in the apex portion at the level of the physiological foramen apicale. The experiment was performed in general anesthesia. Animals were kept alive for 3, 6, and 12 months after the treatment. The extracted teeth were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results. Using SEM, it was found that the number of teeth with newly created dentine and apex canal obturation was greater 12 months after the treatment. Conclusion. Apex obturation of the dental root canal with newly created dentine took place in our experimental groups treated by biomaterial with or without TGF-β1.

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Background/Aim. The most important ethiology factor of chronic liver disease that progresses into terminal insufficiency is hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Intravenous (iv) drug abuse is the main cause for spreading HCV. Thus the therapy for such patients is of extreme importance in reducing the incidence of the disease. The aim of the study was to establish efficacy of a combined therapy with peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin in iv opiate substances abusers having chronic HCV infection in relation to sex, age, genotype and level of fibrosis and duration of HCV infection before the treatment. Methods. Thirty one iv opiate substances abusers with chronic hepatitis C (HHC) were enrolled in the examination. The patients were divided according to the genotype into two groups. The patients with genotypes 1 and 4 (n = 18) were treated for 48 weeks, while those with genotypes 2 and 3 (n = 13) for 24 weeks. PCR HCV RNA, genotype determination and liver biopsy were done to each patient. Results. A stabile virological response was achieved in 93.5% of the patients, so the therapy demonstrated statistically significant efficacy i. v. opiate substances abusers with HHC (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in therapeutic response among patient groups formed according to the genotype, sex, duration of the disease and level of fibrosis (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Therapy of of iv opiate substances abusers with HHC has its specificities, and these patients need special treatment. Efficacy of the therapy was equivalent in patient groups formed according to the sex, genotype, level of fibrosis and duration of HCV infection. A combined therapy with peginterferon alfa 2a and ribavirin has high level of success in the treatment of these patients.

Allergic granulomatous angiitis (AGA) - Churg-Strauss syndrome, is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by three distinct clinical phases prodromal, eosinophilic, and vasculitic, and most of respiratory symptoms and signs begin in the first two phases of the disease. Two female patients of different age, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for AGA, and were in different phases and with the different duration of the disease are presented. The first patient (24 years of age) was admitted to the hospital due to aggravation of asthma, heart failure, and polyneuropathy. The second one (45 years of age) was also hospitalized due to the worsening of asthma polyneuropathy, and fever. Both were treated continuously with glucocorticoids. The older patient also received a total of six pulse doses of cyclophosphamide. Satisfactory response to such a treatment was achieved in both cases.

This case report presented a female patient with primary-localized-cutaneous--amyloidosis in the form of lichen amyloidosus. Primary-localized-cutaneous--amyloidosis is a rare idiopathic dermatosis caused by abnormal deposition of amyloid composed primarily of degenerated keratin filaments. In order to establish the final diagnosis, detailed clinical and laboratory investigations were performed, with a particular emphasis on pathohistological analysis of skin specimens, special stains, and electron microscopy.

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Azzopardi and Eusebi were the first to describe pigmented breast cancers in 1977. They postulated that the mammary cancer might become colonized by melanocytes at the expense of the epidermis, which was focally depleted of melanocytes, and that it occurred in most cases of breast cancers in which tumor cells reached the dermal--epidermal interface. Other authors suggested melanocytic differentiation of tumor cells. In this paper a case of a patient with ductal invasive breast cancer with partial melanocytic differentiation was presented, documented by HMB-45 and melan-A reactivity of tumor cells. Tumor was positive with antibodies for estrogene and progesterone receptors, pancytokeratin, negative with antibodies for S-100 protein and vimentin. Masson-Fontana reaction was negative. It was concluded that pigmented tumors should be differentiated from tumors with partial melanocytic differentiation, and that clinical significance of melanocytic differentiation should be analysed on larger number of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epiteloidni vaskularni tumori su neoplazme građene od endotelnih ćelija koje su morfološki slične epitelnim ćelijama. Morfološki izgled ćelija u ovim tumorima se kreće od benignih do malignih formi, što uzrokuje i različiti biološki potencijal ovih tumora. Prikazan je imunofenotipski interesantan epiteloidni vaskularni tumor gornje šuplje vene koji se manifestovao trombotičkim komplikacijama. Karakterisao se solidnim rastom tumorskih ćelija i pokušajem formiranja vaskularnih prostora. Imunofenotipski, ćelije su odgovarale endotelnim ćelijema sa niskim proliferativnim potencijalom i vazoformativnom sposobnošću do nivoa intracelularnih lumena. Zbog toga je ovaj tumor pokazivao sličnost sa epiteloidnim hemangioendoteliomom. Međutim, od njega se razlikovao benignim citomorfološkim karakteristikama tumorskih ćelija, odsustvom patoloških mitoza, izraženijim zapaljenjskim infiltratom sa eozinofilijom i dobrom tkivnom kontrolom rasta tumora (prisustvo pericita). Na osnovu ovakve histološke slike i histohemijskih analiza ovaj tumor smo dijagnostikovali kao intravaskularni, solidni epiteloidni hemangiom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: HCV infection was common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hemophilia before 1986. We wanted to investigate the effect of treatment with combination therapy in HCV positive patients with hemophilia., Material and Methods: The research included totally 13 persons afflicted with hemophilia and HCV infection out of 21 tested. The patients were submitted to laboratory and clinical tests as well as genotypization, whereby a different hepatitis C virus genetic adherence was observed. Parallel with this subcategory the other one was put into comparison, consisting of 12 patients afflicted with chronic C hepatitis, marked as non-hemophilics. The both subcategories were treated with combination antiviral therapy (peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin) during 48 weeks for genotype 1 and 4, in reference to 24 weeks for genotype 2 and 3. Within the treatment, clinical and laboratory side-effects were noticed, which did not require therapy interruption. A more frequent hemorrhage during the therapy was found within the hemophilics, rather than before initiliazing it., Results: After the statistical processing of the results (Students' t-test), statistically significant difference among these two subcategories was noticed as values for ALT (***p<0.0001) after 24 weeks of therapy, red blood cells (*p<0.05), haemoglobin and haematocrite (***p<0.0001) 24 weeks after therapy completing By PCR examination of the patients, 6 months after the end of treatment, a sustained viral response (SVR) of the same percentage was registrated within both subcategories, which is even greater than what the other authors have described., Discussion: Main results were without important difference between two subgroups, except for higher number of spontanuous bleeding in group with hemophilia, which was somewhat expected. Most importantly, we didn't find any difference in SVR rates between groups., Conclusion: HCV positive patients with hemophilia could be successfully treated with combination therapy of peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin.