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The present study aimed to investigate the associations between nature-based intervention and peripheral pulse characteristics of patients with PAOD using new smart technology specifically designed for this purpose. A longitudinal panel study performed between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 included 32 patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) who were treated in the vascular surgeons' hospital "Dobb" in Valjevo. These patients were exposed for six months to moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) in a nature-based environment. They practiced 150 to 300 min of walking 6 km/h and cycling activities (16-20 km/h) weekly as recommended for patients with chronic conditions and those living with disability. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with major improvements in peripheral pulse characteristics of patients with PAOD. After six months of MPA, half of the patients (50%, 16/32) achieved minor, and half of them major improvements in peripheral pulse characteristics. The major improvements were associated with current smoking (OR = 9.53; 95%CI = 1.85-49.20), diabetes (OR = 4.84; 95%CI = 1.09-21.58) and cardiac failure, and concurrent pulmonary disease and diabetes (OR = 2.03; 95%CI = 1.01-4.11). Our pilot study showed that patients with PAOD along with other chronic conditions and risk factors benefited more from continuous physical activity in a nature-based environment.

Introduction: Recognition and epidemiological control of childhood and adolescent tuberculosis (TB) is essential to achieve effective control of TB in general as it presents high risk for transmission in the community. The aim of the study is to provide a descriptive and analytic overview of the trends in childhood and adolescent TB notifications and treatment outcomes and to identify factors associated with treatment success in a twelve-year period in Serbia., Methodology: We performed a retrospective trend analysis and analysis of treatment outcomes of 596 child and adolescent TB cases notified in Serbia in the period 2005-2016 from all health facilities, as well as logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of treatment success., Results: Factors independently associated with treatment success were: new TB (OR=2.60; 95% CI: 1.45-3.74), male sex (OR=2.55; 95% CI: 2.09-3.00), pulmonary TB (OR=3.34; 95% CI: 2.34-4.34), comorbidities (OR=2.58; 95% CI: 2.24-2.91), age below 5 years (OR=0.37; 95% CI: 0.32-0.43), and social vulnerability (OR=0.40; 95% CI: 0.34-0.46)., Conclusions: In order to improve TB treatment outcomes among children and adolescent population in Serbia, it is important to focus on female, age group 5-18, EPTB, retreatment cases and socially vulnerable groups., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2021 Maja B Stosic, Lidija Sagic, Danijela Simic, Verica Jovanovic, Violeta Rakic, Tatjana Adzic Vukicevic.)

We examined whether the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and influenza in Serbia, a Southeast European country with a low TB incidence rate and a mandatory BCG vaccination at birth. The first case of COVID-19 was registered on March 6, 2020. Despite the need for a sudden adaptation of the health care system, routines of mycobacterial laboratories have never stopped. In 2020, the number of newly diagnosed TB patients was significantly lower than expected (p = 0.04), but the number of patients with influenza increased when compared to 2019. Although many patients with influenza A H1N1 were observed before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increment of cases could also be a consequence of cases of influenza with COVID-like symptoms detected thereafter. It may also be attributed to misclassification of clinical cases that were negative for SARS-CoV-2 and reported as influenza. Difficulties to seek medical attention because of the COVID-19 pandemic and possible underreporting are considered as reasons for the decline in the incidence rate of TB. On the other hand, individual and social measures to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 such as wearing face masks, social distancing, lockdown, which were strictly applied to COVID-19 patients, health care staffs and most of the population, could have hindered TB infections more than the two viral diseases, which appear to be more contagious. The increased motivation of the population to protect their health during the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for their effective education. This is crucial in further combating TB as a preventable disease.

Introduction: Between February and November 2016, 17 tuberculosis (TB) cases were identified among high school students in Novi Pazar, Serbia. The objectives of our study were to describe the outbreak, to identify potential risk factors and to evaluate the applied control measures., Methodology: The outbreak was described by time, person and place. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Attack rates, unadjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Multiple log-binomial regression analysis was performed to calculate adjusted RR., Results: Sixteen of the total 17 cases occurred among grade 3 students, AR 5.5%. Previous TB family history, (RR = 5.29; 95% CI = 1.63-17.12), spending time with a known TB case at school (RR = 5.38; 95% CI = 1.48-19.55) and exposure to secondhand smoke (RR = 3.37; 95% CI = 1.11-10.29) were all significantly and independently associated with the occurrence of TB., Conclusions: Delayed diagnosis and reporting resulted in delayed initiation of the contact investigation and non-identification of latent TB cases probably favored the occurrence of this outbreak in a low incidence country. Public health authorities should consider revising the existing guidelines, promoting inter-sectorial collaboration and increasing awareness of public health professionals., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2019 Maja B Stosic, Dragana Plavsa, Nikoletta Mavroeidi, Dragana Jovanovic, Violeta Vucinic, Goran Stevanovic, Lidija Sagic, Sefadil Spahic, Uros Rakic, Anita Grgurevic.)