Early diagnosis of asymptomatic neurocutaneous melanosis (60 month follow‐up)

Neurocutaneous melanosis (NCM) is a rare, sporadic, congenital neuroectodermal dysplasia. Large congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) can evolve in a certain percentage of patients to NCM. Meningeal deposits are benign, but can be prone to malignant transformation in some cases. We describe the case of an infant with asymptomatic NCM, and typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. The diagnosis was established shortly after delivery, and the patient was followed for 60 months. At that time, the girl did not have any neurologic symptoms; she reached normal developmental milestones and did not show mental retardation and did not develop malignant melanoma; further follow‐up will be needed, although there are no reliable guidelines as to the time range of follow up of asymptomatic NCM in the literature. We report the typical MRI signal abnormalities of the brain, and present a review of the literature regarding this rare and mysterious congenital disorder.     

Mortality of Roma population in Serbia, 2002-2005

Aim

To describe and compare mortality and population changes in the Roma and non-Roma population in Serbia in 2002 and 2005.

Methods

The number of cases of death were obtained from the 2002 and 2005 Mortality Database and population data from the Population Census 2002. Standardized sex specific rates of non-traumatic and traumatic mortality in 2002 and 2005 were calculated in relation to the European standard population. We presented population pyramid and aging index for both populations in 2002 and compared sex specific standardized traumatic and non-traumatic mortality rates and the average age of death for 2002 and 2005. The causes of death were coded according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) groups, and the proportional mortalities in the year 2002 and 2005 were compared between the Roma and non-Roma population using χ² test.

Results

Standardized mortality rates were higher in the Roma than in the general population. Non-traumatic mortality rate in Roma men in 2002 was 18.2 per 1000 and in slightly decreased to 18.0 per 1000 in 2005; it was significantly higher than in non-Roma men in both years (11.9 per 1000 in 2002 and 12.5 per 1000 in 2005; P<0.001). Standardized non-traumatic mortality rate in Roma women decreased significantly from 16.78 per 1000 in 2002 to 14.89 per 1000 in 2005 (P=0.014), but it was still significantly higher than in non-Roma women (8.46 per 1000 in 2002 and 8.84 per 1000 in 2005; P<0.001). Morbidity structure indicated that the most common causes of death in the Roma population were cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, and respiratory system diseases. In relation to the general population respiratory system diseases were denoted as main causes of deaths in significantly higher percent (6% vs 3% in 2002 and 7% vs 4% in 2005; P<0.001) and cardiovascular diseases in significantly lower percent (44%:55% in 2002 and 46%:57%; P<0.001).

Conclusions

Our data show that mortality rates in the Roma population are significantly higher than in the general population, and morbidity structure of the most common causes of death significantly different from that of general population.According to the most recent population census in the Serbia from 2002, 108 193 or 1.44% residents declared themselves as Romani. The Roma population is among the most imperiled and potentially most vulnerable groups. Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) conducted in Serbia in 2002-2003 indicated significant differences in living conditions between the Roma and non-Roma population (1). The prevalence of poverty, defined as an average total consumption below the poverty line of 57 euros per month/consumption unit, in the Roma population was as high as 64.4%, which is 6.1 times more frequent than in the general population (10.5%) (1). Extremely low level of education and very high level of unemployment characterize the social status of the Romani people. Almost two thirds (62%) of the Roma older than 15 years did not finish primary school, as opposed to 19% of the general population (1). The unemployment rate is also high, reaching 45%, while in the rest of the Serbian population it amounts to 9% (1). Such findings are not unexpected since these characteristics are highly associated with poverty (1).Although the range of vaccination coverage in Serbian general population is 98%-100%, many Roma children are not included in vaccination programs (2). Twenty nine percent of Roma children aged 18-29 months do not even have vaccination cards. Data regarding the education of Roma children are also discouraging: 62% of them attended pre-school programs one year prior to the first grade, as opposed to 89% children in the general population. Also, the vast majority (98%) of children of primary school age in general population attends school, while the attendance rate among Roma children is significantly lower (74%). The difference between the proportions of Roma children and children in general population who attend secondary schools is even more drastic (only 10% vs 85%).During the last decade, several studies dealing with diverse problems of the Roma population have been conducted in South-Eastern Europe (3-10). Compared with the general populations in Eastern and Central Europe, life expectancy of the Roma population is 10-year shorter because of poor living conditions and poverty (11). A study conducted in the Czechoslovakia in 1989 compared census data and pointed out that life expectancy of the Roma men and women were 12.1 and 14.4 years, respectively, shorter than in the general population (12).The aim of this study was to describe and compare mortality and population changes in the Roma and non-Roma population in Serbia in 2002 and 2005. We present population pyramid and aging index for both populations for the year 2002 and compared sex specific standardized traumatic and non-traumatic mortality rates and the average age of death for 2002 and 2005.     

Inequality, poverty, and material deprivation in new and old members of the European Union

Aim

To analyze the main indicators of income inequality, objective and subjective poverty, material deprivation, and the role of public social transfers in the reduction of poverty in 15 old and 10 new member states of the European Union (EU), undergoing post-communist socio-economic transition, as well as in Croatia, a candidate EU country.

Method

Objective poverty rates, poverty reduction rates, poverty thresholds in purchasing power standards (PPS), total social expenditure, inequality indicators, and risks of poverty according to demographics were calculated using the data from the Eurostat databases (in particular, Household Budget Survey). For Croatia, Central Bureau of Statistics first releases on poverty indicators were used, as well as database of the Ministry of Finance (social expenditure). Subjective poverty rates and non-monetary deprivation index were calculated using the European Quality of Life Survey, which was carried out in 2003 in EU countries and in 2006 in Croatia.

Results

According to the indicators of income inequality and objective poverty, there was a divide among old EU member states (EU15), with UK, Ireland and South European countries having higher and Continental and Nordic countries lower indicators of inequality and poverty. Among new member states (NMS10), Baltic countries and Poland had the highest and Slovenia and the Czech Republic the lowest indicators of inequality and poverty. In all EU15 countries, except Greece, subjective poverty rates were lower than objective ones, whereas in all NMS10 countries the levels of subjective poverty were much higher than those of objective poverty. With some exceptions, NMS10 countries had low or even decreasing social expenditures. The share of respondents who were deprived of more than 50% of items was 6 times higher in the NMS10 than in the EU15 countries. When standard of living was measured by income inequality, relative poverty rates, poverty reduction rates, total social protection expenditures, and non-monetary deprivation, only Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, out of the NMS10, were in the upper half of the distribution, while Croatia had a medium position among NMS10 states.

Conclusion

Our analysis demonstrated that poverty in countries undergoing post-socialist socioeconomic transition is widespread and could seriously limit human development. Continual research and monitoring of different aspects of poverty is needed for setting appropriate policies across the EU to effectively combat poverty and social exclusion and to promote convergence process.Poverty exists in all societies, but its magnitude and depth are very different in different countries. There is also a lack of agreement on the scope of poverty within society, which is influenced by the fact that poverty itself is an ambiguous and controversial notion. Poverty is a “social construct” (1,2) and may be defined in an absolute or relative sense. The absolute poverty is commonly defined as the lack of material or financial resources necessary for survival or meeting basic needs, while the relative poverty implies exclusion from a way of life deemed to be minimally decent or acceptable in a society in which someone lives (3-7). Also, we should differentiate between objective and subjective approaches in measuring poverty. The objective poverty approach refers to objective aspects of one’s well-being, most often measured in terms of available resources, such as income and consumption (8). Subjective poverty is the result of people’s views, perceptions, or feelings about their situation or well-being. As many politicians have argued that absolute poverty has been eliminated in affluent western countries, it is not surprising that the European Union (EU) and Eurostat (Statistical Office of the EU) embraced the concept of relative poverty. Relative poverty is closely connected with the issue of income inequalities. As a matter of fact, relative poverty is a consequence of the distribution of income.There are many different indicators of poverty. Most research studies on poverty provide information about a poverty profile (9), which allows an insight into the scope of poverty, groups exposed to the risk of poverty, and the dynamics of poverty during a certain period of time. In most developed EU countries poverty has been studied for more than a century. In contrast to this, poverty research in Croatia and former communist countries, many of them now EU member states, started much later, in the 1980s. The first national research on poverty in Croatia was carried out only in the late 1990s (10,11).The scope of poverty is correlated with the level of economic prosperity in a society, but it does not depend only on the level of national wealth. Research studies have shown that tax and public social transfer systems have influenced considerably the reduction of poverty and inequality (12,13). Thus, countries with higher social protection expenditures have, as a rule, lower poverty rates and less severe inequalities (14,15).Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon. Being poor is not only associated with lack of resources, but also with unsatisfied housing conditions, poor education, or ill-health. However, the connection between poverty and health is complex in terms of causal relationships. However, our analysis was restricted only to poverty and inequality indicators.This paper aims to analyze main indicators of income inequalities, objective and subjective poverty rates, the composition of the poor, material deprivation, social protection expenditures, and the role of public social transfers in combating poverty in EU countries and Croatia. We aimed to identify the dynamics of poverty and inequality in the 5-year period after 2000 and identify country groups with similar characteristics with regard to the above-mentioned dimensions. In identifying country groups, our aim was also to assess the position of Croatia and new EU member states with regard to the theory of welfare states model, which on the one hand still heavily influences the research on welfare state changes in Western European countries, but on the other hand demonstrates the inability to fully capture all different welfare trends (16-18). In addition, the history and particular post-communist experience, coupled with large differences among different countries, have shown that it is necessary to analyze new emerging social-policy strategies, and not simply to extend Western welfare state models to the new EU member states (19).     

Gastroprotective effects of amifostine in rats treated by T-2 toxin

Cytoprotector amifostine (AMI) was given in a dose of 50, 100 or 150?mg/kg ip in rats treated with several highly toxic doses of T-2 toxin. The best survival rate (24?h and 7?days after treatment) was obtained with AMI50 (50?mg/kg ip). After T-2 intoxication, a peak in the mean number of gastric lesions (petechiae and ulcerations) was reached on the third day (26.40?±?6.24). Administration of AMI50 reduced, almost completely, the total number of gastric lesions in rats acutely poisoned by 0.5 LD₅₀ T-2 (1.5?mg/kg sc), starting with day 1 after intoxication (5.60?±?3.42).     

Correlation of clinical examination,ultrasound sonography,and magnetic resonance imaging findings with arthroscopic findings in relation to acute and chronic lateral meniscus injuries

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ultrasound sonography (USS) performed by orthopedic surgeons is a reliable method of investigating lateral meniscus (LM) knee lesions as compared to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and arthroscopy, which is the gold standard in clinical practice.

Methods

In total, 107 patients were involved in this study. They were hospitalized for arthroscopy due to LM injury of the knee. Clinical examination (McMurray’s, Apley’s, and joint line tenderness tests), USS, and MRI were performed prior to arthroscopy. We compared the results of clinical examination, USS, and MRI with the arthroscopic findings for the knee, which were considered the reference values.

Results

McMurray’s clinical test, which is the most sensitive method of detecting lateral meniscus lesions, gave the same sensitivity rate for both acute and chronic LM injuries: 65 %. USS was observed to be more sensitive and specific for chronic LM injuries (85 and 90 %, respectively) than for acute LM injuries (71 and 87 %). MRI also yielded higher values of sensitivity and specificity for chronic lateral meniscus injuries (75 and 95 %, respectively) than for acute LM injuries (68 and 87 %).

Conclusions

The accuracy of ultrasound examination is demonstrated by the high reliability of this method in the diagnosis of lateral meniscus lesions of the knee, and the evaluation performed in this study showed that ultrasound is a useful clinical tool for diagnosing knee pathology.