Petnica Science Center

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, and stroke is the major complication of AF. Over 90% of thrombi associated with atrial fibrillation are located in the left atrial appendage (LAA). Oral anticoagulant therapy represents the first line of therapy as thromboembolic prophylaxis in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. As an alternative to anticoagulant therapy, in certain groups of patients with AF closure of the LAA with the Watchman occluder (LAAC) is used in thromboembolic prophylaxis. The efficacy and safety of LAAC was investigated in three randomized clinical trials and compared with standard anticoagulant therapy (PROTECT-AF, PREVAIL, and PRAGUE). The results of the studies indicate that LAAC represents a good alternative to anticoagulant therapy in certain groups of patients, but that additional studies are necessary.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the health potential of populations around the world. The student population was greatly affect-ed by the conditions of the pandemic, quarantine and state of emergency. Health risks that dominantly affect the level of health potential of the stu-dent population have been significantly changed in these conditions of life and social functioning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health risks that students were predominantly exposed to during the coronavirus disease pandemic. The research is designed as a cross-sectional study, and the research technique is a survey. The research instrument is a survey questionnaire, constructed for the needs of this study. The ques-tionnaire examines the health risks to which the student population was exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted in the period from May to June 2022 at the Faculty of Health and Business Studies in Valjevo, Singidunum University. The sample of respondents is not-randomized, 142 students participated in the research. The research was voluntary and anonymous. The majority of students believe that ex-posure to health risks is greater during the pandemic (80%). Health risks that are dominantly present in the student population are an improper diet, increased stress levels, feelings of anxiety and depression, physical inactivity, sleep and rest disorders, cigarette and alcohol consumption, excessive use of social networks. Health risks were more frequent in the population of female students, while health potential and personal per-ception of one's own health were lower in students with chronic diseases and comorbidities. The pandemic conditions negatively affected the health potential of the student population. The presence of health risks can permanently jeopardize young people's health, quality of life and can lead to irreversible consequences. The presence of multiple health risks in people with chronic diseases can influence the development of chronic diseases and affect the length of life.

The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is one of the most well-known indices, as it is perceived as a leading indicator of economic activity. Reductions in the movement of people, commodities, and capital in the conditions of economic crises, such as the one in 2008 and 2009, as well as the current economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, were affected by the reduction of economic activities. It is interesting to point out that the analysis of the basic trend of the BDI movements in the period before the economic crisis shows that the index fell to near record lows just before the derivatives and credit crisis hit stocks full force. This is a clear signal that the index can be used as a tool for stock market forecasting. The paper aims to examine whether the changes in these raw materials affect the changes in the value of BDI. For these purposes in the paper was use GMM and 2SLS estimator. The results show that different raw materials have a different impact on the value of the BDI, which indicates that based on individual movements value of raw materials which composes the BDI cannot forecast its movement.

Background/Aim. The published data indicate that the appearance of spinal deformities in children is significantly influenced by physical activity. The aim of our study was to examine the influence of physical activity on prevention and occurrence of spinal deformities in children. Methods. The study was conducted as observational, clinical study in the period from 2016 to 2018. Participants were children with spinal deformities, which were examined, for the first time, by physiatrists and pediatric surgeons. The sample included 100 children with spinal deformities, aged 7?17 years. The control group consisted of 100 children without spinal deformity, of similar age. The study instrument was a questionnaire based on a survey filled by children or parents/legal guardians. The questions were related to different parameters of the possible significance for the existence of spinal deformity and especially to the influence of physical activity. The collected data were processed using methods of descriptive and analytical statistics. Results. Scoliosis the most common deformity of the spinal column, represented in about 67% of children (p = 0.0006). Respondents from both groups did not differ significantly in terms of gender. Children in the group with spinal deformities were older (11.5 ? 3.1 years vs. 10.4 ? 3.1 years, p = 0.016), with increased body weight (43.9 ? 16.0 kg vs. 39.3 ? 16.6 kg, p = 0.046) and height (151.7 ? 17.2 cm vs. 145.8 ? 18.2 cm, p = 0.019), as well as with less physical activity (81.0% vs. 92.02%, p = 0.001). Over 80% of children were regularly engaged in physical activity, more often recreationally and on average 2.5?3 hours per week. Conclusion. Children in the spinal deformity group were significantly less involved in physical activity than the control group, but there was no significant difference in the frequency and duration of time spent in physical activities during the week. It is important for children to be involved in physical activities of a recreational nature, and according to our research, 3 hours during the week.

Introduction/Objective. In practice, for more than 10 years there has been ongoing litigation between healthcare institutions and healthcare workers, who have found that reduced working hours may be payment compensation for overtime work (on-call time, on-call duty, stand-by time). The objective of this paper was to analyze the problem and propose a solution in order to stop disputes and eliminate uncertainty. Methods. A case study method, comparative method and normative method were used in this article. Court practice has been analyzed in relation to a number of civil proceedings, as well as the opinion of the State Audit Institution of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government on a specific case. Results. Healthcare workers and healthcare institutions have different legal views about the right to salary supplement based on overtime work of healthcare workers who work reduced working hours. Although the court has taken a stand on the side of healthcare workers, disputes do not stop because healthcare institutions do not change their calculation method. Conclusion. The solution is to amend legal regulations that need to regulate in detail and unequivocally the manner of payment of salary supplements for healthcare workers in order to avoid any doubts and contentious situations.

Introduction: Benzodiazepines belong to the group of anxiolytic sedatives and the most prescribed drugs in the world. The authors conducted this pilot study based n large number of patients reports that they were less anxious and felt better overall by migrating to sunnier environments. Aim: We estimated the impact of the total sunshine hours per month on daily exposure of the population to Benzodiazepine anxiolytic on a monthly basis in the Republic of Serbia. Material and Methods: We conducted a retrospective academic IV phase study, which tested the correlation of time series of monthly sold Benzodiazepine anxiolytics in pharmacies and total sunshine hours per month in the Republic of Serbia, from January 2014 to May 2019. Results: According to the seasons, we did not find any difference in the increase of the population exposure to benzodiazepines. A difference was found between bromazepam consumption compared to cumulative monthly. Bromazepam consumption was negatively correlated with the cumulative monthly sunshine hours. The cutoff value for bromazepam was 131.45 cumulative monthly sunshine hours. Conclusion: This is the first pharmaco-epidemiologic study to prove that the population's exposure to benzodiazepines, in addition to the implicit health and economic effects on physicians' prescribing habits for these drugs, can be independently linked to the cumulative effects of monthly sunshine hours on the population. No difference in Benzodiazepine consumption was found in relation to the seasons (spring/summer vs autumn/winter). In months where sunshine hours was ≥135.45, the need for bromazepam was significantly reduced. Seasonal variation of climatic effects of total monthly sunshine hours is significantly correlated with the population's need for benzodiazepines with anxiolytic effects longer than 12 hours.

Introduction: Benzodiazepines belong to the group of anxiolytic sedatives and the most prescribed drugs in the world. Since these drugs have a potential for rapid anxiolytic effect and sedation, as well as driver capability impairment, there is a lack data of safety of benzodiazepines in traffic accidents. The aim: To make an assessment of the interconnection of time series of traffic accidents outcomes with time series of Benzodiazepine anxiolytic consumption in the Republic of Serbia. Methods: This paper is a part of IV phase academic study regarding the factors potentially affecting Benzodiazepine consumption and effects. We conducted a pharmaco-epidemiological time series analysis study of monthly sold Benzodiazepine anxiolytics in pharmacies and indicators of the crush road outcome on a monthly basis in the Republic of Serbia. The research was performed from January 2014 to December 2018. Results: Applying ARIMAX modeling we found a significantly link between DID of alprazolam with monthly total traffic accident, a high stochastic regression positive association of DID of Diazepam with the dependent variable monthly total traffic accident, the prediction of monthly fatalities of traffic accident or traffic accident with severe or slight injuries per total traffic accident we have demonstrated positive influence of DID of alprazolam in second-order autoregressive and moving average model with constant. In prediction of monthly fatalities traffic accident, a significant positive influence of DID of benzodiazepines (all together) in auto-regression model without constant was demonstrated. Conclusion: Consumption of both long-acting (over 12 h) and short-acting benzodiazepines together with all other causes highly determined the total number of traffic accidents on a monthly basis in 2014-2018 in the Republic of Serbia. An assessment of the interconnection of time series of traffic accidents outcomes with time series of Benzodiazepine anxiolytic consumption in the Republic of Serbia we found a significant positive influence of DID of benzodiazepines on traffic accidents outcomes. In total, all used benzodiazepines increase the number of fatal traffic accidents by 8.5 fold per month. Alprazolam additionally contributed with about ten percent (9.7%) to the frequency of traffic accidents on a monthly basis. Measures to prevent traffic accidents at all levels should be effective immediately in order to achieve positive results timely. The authors suggest that the great responsibility is raising awareness of compliance with traffic regulations with doctors who prescribe benzodiazepines.

Background/Aim. Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and diabetes mellitus (DM) have an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which is not estimated sufficiently-multidimensionally in terms of type and severity of the ACS and/or DM and angiographic findings. The study was intended to validate and develop an index of metabolic, angiographic, anatomic and clinical risk factors for one-year MACE after conducted PCI in patients with ACS and DM. Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in patients with DM and ACS. In the PCI period the following risk factors were recorded: 1) age and metabolic variables ? glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, and triglycerides levels in the blood; 2) endocrinological variables ? DM therapy and type of DM; 3) ACS modality; 4) radiological/anatomical variable ? SYNTAX score, and 5) clinical variables in modified age, creatinine, ejection fraction (ACEF) score. One-year MACE were recorded. Results. From a total of 136 consecutive patients, 55 of them developed at least one MACE in one-year follow-up. A high predictive risk index was evaluated that assessed particular or associated risks for one-year MACE (c statistic = 0.879) in the study population, defined by: SYNTAX score > 21, modified ACEF score > 1.38, HbA1c ? 8%, triglyceridemia ? 2.3 mmol/L in patients with insulin therapy, and ACS modality ? unstable angina pectoris. The constructed risk index for one-year MACE (MACERI) had better predictive characteristics than SYNTAX score (c statistic = 0.798), as well as ACF score (c statistic = 0.744). Conclusion. MACERI can potentially have great application in future risk factors studies for one-year MACE in patients with DM and ACS who underwent PCI, because with it the effects of these factors are measured multidimensionally at valid and accurate manner.

ABSTRACTBreast arterial calcifications (BACs) are common findings on mammography which are associated with an increased risk of the coronary artery disease (CAD). Our aim in the current study was to design measurement instruments of CAD prediction, with or without BACs, and its discriminatory validity in the diagnosis of CAD (expressed by Syntax score) in women. This was observational, prospective study in the women cohort which underwent mammography and angiography. In this study we have demonstrated that the total ‘The Breast Arterial Calcification and Coronary Artery Disease Scale’ (BACCADS) was good additional diagnostic tool for detection of patients with severe CAD.