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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Schizophrenia in Croatia: interregional differences in prevalence and a comment on constant incidence.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine why differences exist in schizophrenia prevalence and risk in some areas of Croatia, when schizophrenia incidence rates do not appear to vary. DESIGN: Areas differing by schizophrenia admission rates in patients born in 1953 and admitted by the age of 31 years are compared using a number of indicators relating both to general population characteristics and to those of schizophrenic cases in these populations. SETTING: The study covers the whole of Croatia (4,601,469 inhabitants, 1981 census). SUBJECTS: By the age of 31 years, out of 80,445 individuals born in Croatia in 1953, 464 were admitted for and diagnosed as having schizophrenia. MAIN RESULTS: Admission risk rates are higher in those parts of Croatia where emigration rates are high and lower where immigration rates are high. There is also a positive correlation with schizophrenia prevalence and manic depressive psychosis rates. There is a negative correlation with age of onset of schizophrenia and with schizophrenic reproduction rates. In the study areas, hospital incidence rates are not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Economic migration and negative selection in the domestic population are likely to be the most significant factors leading to differences in schizophrenia prevalence. The approximately equal incidence rates in the population, with different prevalence and admission risks, are linked to differences in the disease onset among schizophrenics with a positive family history for this condition. In other words, these patients, when part of the population with a greater prevalence and a greater hereditary loading, experience the onset more often at an earlier age. Thus they have a lower reproduction rate than in a population with a lower prevalence and a lower hereditary loading. Thus incidence rates in populations with different prevalences and different hereditary loads are maintained roughly equal over generations.

Bipolar Disorder

Haplotype distribution and mutations at the PAH locus in Croatia.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) haplotypes and mutations at the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) locus have been studied in 25 unrelated families from Croatia. The results of RFLP analysis demonstrated that 80% of the mutant alleles were associated with three haplotypes (1, 2 and 4). Eight mutations were detected on the background of six mutant haplotypes, comprising 68% of phenylketonuria (PKU) alleles in Croatia. The mutation in codon 408 was most frequent, as was the haplotype 2 allele with which it was associated. These data are in accordance with formerly published population genetic analyses at the PAH locus, and with studies revealing the molecular basis of the phenotypic heterogeneity of PKU. The codon 281 mutation was more frequent in Croatia than previously observed in other populations.

Alleles

[Incidence of skin manifestations of Lyme disease in Croatia].

In the study, the most relevant historical data concerning Lyme-borreliosis are shortly reviewed. The most frequent skin manifestations, i.e. erythema cronicum migrans (ECM), lymphocytoma cutis (LCC) and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) are described. The clinical course of Lyme disease and the chronologic review of the most significant data on the disease are given. The frequency of skin manifestations of Lyme-borreliosis in various areas of Croatia from 1988 to 1989 based on the reports of dermatologists throughout Croatia is presented. According to our results, it can be concluded that skin manifestations of Lyme-borreliosis are much more frequent in the central and western parts of Croatia than elsewhere. The authors hope that the use of a fluorescent method for detecting antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi since 1989 in the Serologic Laboratory of the Department of Dermatology, Salata, Zagreb will lead to more precise results about this disorder in the future.

Croatia

[The University of Zagreb Medical School and the war in Croatia 1991-1992].

School of Medicine, University of Zagreb (as an institution as well as through the efforts of individual faculty and staff members) has actively participated in all the phases of the war against Croatia: the preparatory phase (1990 and the first half of 1991), the phase of local war (July and August 1991) and the phase of total war (September 1991 to January 1992). In defense preparations, leading faculty members, supervised by the Croatian Government, have: 1. prepared the University hospitals for the case of mass casualties, 2. initiated donation of essential medical supplies and equipment, and 3. prepared the preclinical staff and facilities for research, documentation and information services for Crisis management. On July 11, 1992, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia formed the Medical Headquarters to coordinate the health services in the defense of Croatia. Several faculty members were appointed heads of the following Headquarters divisions: Division of Informatics and Research, Division of Education and Publicity, Division of Toxicology, The Fourth Echelon, Division of Mental Health and Division of Rehabilitation. Assistant lecturers, technicians and students actively joined work in the Division of Donations, which acquired and provided almost all medical supplies used in our battlefields and hospitals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Croatia

Occurrence of hereditary bullous epidermolyses in Croatia.

To determine the occurrence of hereditary bullous epidermolyses (EB) in Croatia, Yugoslavia, from 1960 to 1987, cases were gathered from the hospital files of dermatologic and pediatric clinics and departments throughout the area. The diagnosis of EB type was made on the basis of clinical features, patients' histories, and light microscopy and electron microscopy findings. Fifty families with 58 patients were registered; 44 patients were examined personally by one of the authors. The most frequent type of EB in Croatia was recessive dystrophic EB Hallopeau-Siemens, occurring in 35 of the 58 individuals. Regional accumulation of cases within the Varazdin area was noted (13 patients). Prevalence of EB in Croatia is 0.956 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. One case of recessive dystrophic EB Hallopeau-Siemens occurred in about every 52,000 live births.

Epidermolysis Bullosa

[Problems and recommendations for the care of refugees displaced by war in Croatia].

The present situation in Croatia and the principles of displaced person camp organization are described. Displaced person care has become the urgent problem imposed on the Croatian social service and health care system. The up to now work has revealed that their is a need for more precise categorization of displaced persons in order that a comprehensive registration system be developed. The number of registered displaced persons in Croatia up to 26 September 1991 is quoted. Based on problems noted in the organization of displaced person camps, elements of organization and known principles of health care system in Croatia, a new model of displaced person camp organization is proposed.

Humans

[Work at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Medical Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia].

During the summer 1991, the Ward of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Medical Headquarters, Republic of Croatia has been established as a direct reaction to the cruel war in Croatia. The aim of the Ward is to prevent mental disorders among the individuals participating in the war and among the population of Croatia. Special attention is given to the threatened groups. These are: injured patients, displaced persons, children who have lost one or both of its parents, members of families of persons who have been killed or injured and the others. Treatment doctrines have been provided as well. Besides, a regional psychiatric service which has been formed in accordance with the characteristics of this war which is carried out without a known front, mobile psychiatric groups have also been established. They are made up of volunteers. Particular attention has been directed toward the education and publishing. The first Croatian war psychiatry entitled "Introduction into the War Psychiatry" is going to be published very soon. A program of the so-called veterans hospital has been worked out as well.

Humans

[Analysis of the flow of medical information from Croatia into the world].

It is commonly thought that an article published in a renown international journal gives its authors better chances for visibility. The present paper aims at answering three questions: (a) does an article published in a top international journal guarantee that its authors will be visible, (b) is an article published in a domestic journal (not covered by ISI) completely inaccessible to the international public, and (c) which are the information flows and how far does the medical information from Croatia reach. Selected was a corpus of 60 authors, who simultaneously publish in foreign journals and in Lijecnicki vjesnik (LV). The corpus consists of 1053 articles published in the 1961-1986 period. Out of these, 369 articles were published in LV and 684 in foreign journals; 177 among them are covered by the Science Citation Index. A total of 4481 citations were collected for the entire corpus of 1053 articles. The citations pertain to 506 articles, i.e. 48% of articles were cited. There are 190 cited and 83 uncited journals. The citations were distributed among 890 journals. Although the studied authors published their papers in renown international journals, a number of examples proves that this does not guarantee their visibility. An article published in LV need not necessarily remain inaccessible to the world--this depends on the article itself. The present analysis provides a compendious insight into the transfer of information from Croatia into the world. The data from citation analysis enable the deduction of "average number of citations per paper". With an appropriate interpretation it can be used as an indicator of information transfer.

Bibliometrics

Epidemiological picture of respiratory viral infections in Croatia.

This paper presents the epidemiological study of respiratory viral infections in Croatia from 1 September 1986 till 31 August 1987. A total of 527 patients with acute respiratory diseases were examined. Their nasopharyngeal secretion and/or throat swab were taken and the viruses were demonstrated by the method of direct viral diagnosis (isolation and rapid immunofluorescent detection). This 12-month study on acute respiratory infections in Croatia in 1986/1987 shows that viruses were the agents in 47.2% of these infections. Out of a total of 527 patients with acute respiratory disease, 177 patients had RSV (prevalence 33.6%), 40 adenovirus (prevalence 7.6%), 18 enterovirus (prevalence 3.4%), 12 parainfluenza (prevalence 2.3%), 8 herpes simplex virus (prevalence 1.3%) and 3 influenza virus (prevalence 0.6%) infection; (9 patients had mixed infections with two viruses). Viral etiology was proved in 44.0% of upper respiratory tract infections, 86.5% of bronchiolitis, 63.3% of pneumonia, 57.5% of bronchitis, and 33.3% of croup. The epidemical wave of RSV infections started in October 1986 and lasted for the next 7 and a half months with a peak in December 1986. Infections with parainfluenza occurred in November 1986 and subsided in March 1987 with a peak in December 1986. An epidemic of adenovirus occurred in two waves and lasted throughout 9 months. Enteroviruses caused infections during the fall and at the beginning of the winter 1986 but also again in the spring 1987.

Humans

[The epidemiologic situation of chronic obstructive lung diseases in the population in Croatia].

In the introduction the importance of epidemiologic studies of COPD is indicated, thus stressing the complexity of their realization and high cost of these projects. According to the data that are gathered through every day routine work of health service and health statistics the authors try to find out the place of COPD in the population of Croatia studying the year 1987. In general medicine 24.8% visits due to respiratory diseases have been registered, in occupational medicine 24.8%, school medicine 43.2%, pediatric health care 60.8%. In this number COPD are represented by 8.6% with 111.822 visits, occupational medicine by 3.8% with 18.445 visits, school medicine by 4.2% with 22.629 visits and pediatric health care by 5.5% with 40.961 visits. On the whole in this year in Croatia there were 4.214 visits on 100,000 population due to COPD. According to the data of pneumology service the incidence of COPD is 164 0/0000 and the prevalence 691,6 0/0000. In pneumology stationaries 6.207 patients with COPD or 21.5% were treated. In the proclaimed invalidity the COPD is to be found on the fourth place. In the mortality the respiratory diseases are found on the sixth place out of which half of them are COPD. By the follow-up of these data a lot of time and money is wasted without giving the adequate results. The method of analytically-specialistic register for COPD is explained as a simple, economic and efficient method for studying COPD in the population.

Humans

[The present state and future development of permanent pneumonology facilities in Croatia].

According to the questionnaire in 28 hospitals for pulmonary diseases and tuberculosis in Croatia together with the series of data from the public health service the present state and future trend of the development of pneumonologic activity are analysed. The wide spectrum of medical institutions is presented-from the type of sanatorium to the highly qualified pulmonary institutions like clinic. Surplus of pulmonary beds is due to the great number of beds from former sanatoria dislocated from great urban centers. By reduction of beds according to the plans proposed the standard-setting of 0.4 beds has been agreed for pulmonary patients on the region of Croatia. The conception of the "acute" and "chronic" bed in pulmonology is explained. Recommendation of categorization of pulmonary institutions is given on the level of community, region and republic together with the suggestions of cadre policy and organisational normatives. The necessity of application of rationalisation and economics in health care as to the planning of beds is indicated. If one proposition is not accepted, the other would follow and always with restriction. Pneumology service should be its fundamental principles of integral medicine, priority and economics in health analyse the most optimal suggestion of its future evolutive development of pneumology and public health service on the whole.

Hospitals, Special

Macro model prediction of elderly people's injury and death in road traffic accidents in Croatia.

The case of elderly people injured and killed in traffic accidents in Croatia is used to illustrate a prediction method. This method consists of several steps. First, the most important variables are selected. Second, to overcome intercorrelation, new variables are constructed that include the old ones. Third, the new variables and its first derivatives are used in a rank correlation method. The results show good predictive capabilities.

Accidents, Traffic

Genetic variation in Brac, Croatia.

A serological survey of the Dalmatian island of Brac (Croatia), based on a total sample of 747 subjects, shows considerable local genetic variation. While the overall gene frequencies are much as expected from the island's geographical position, the local genetic heterogeneity is made up of differences between the inland and coastal villages, differences between the two coastal areas, and variation among the older inland villages. This heterogeneity is interpreted as deriving from the settlement process (founder effect), random differentiation, and the essentially local marriage pattern.

Blood Group Antigens

Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in various population groups in Croatia.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of antibody to Borrelia burgdorferi in Croatia in various population groups. The study comprised 263 individuals: 93 healthy subjects (travellers); 100 controls separated into 2 subgroups, 50 from high risk zone (endemic) and 50 from low risk zone (non-endemic); and 70 members of a high risk population (forestry workers). Antibody to B. burgdorferi of IgM and IgG class were analysed by an ELISA technique using mixed antigen made of strain B31 (ATCC 35210). IgG antibodies were detected in 9/93 (9.7%) in general population; 22/50 (44.0%) in the control group from high risk zone and 4/50 (8.0%) from low risk zone; and 30/70 (42.9%) among forestry workers. In all tested groups low numbers of IgM positive were found.

Adult

[Presence of viruses in drinking water in Croatia].

Drinking water must be virus-free. However, it has been observed and demonstrated that various pathogenic viruses are capable of transmission through water and that such viral diseases may have far-reaching health and socio-economic implications. Over a four-year period 135 drinking water samples were collected in a middle-sized town in Croatia. The percentages of positive findings varied from 0 to 10%, the average being 3.7%. These results are compared with the ones given by similar studies in different parts of the world.

Croatia

[Kala-azar acquired in Croatia].

Six weeks after his return from a two-week vacation in Croatia a 52 year-old janitor from Graz complained of loss of appetite, fever, headache, and a 9-kg weight loss. The spleen was enlarged to 16cm as measured by sonography. Laboratory tests revealed pancytopenia, a prolonged prothrombin time and elevation of serum LDH concentration. While repeated bone marrow biopsy showed no signs of leishmaniasis, high antibody titers against leishmania antigen led to the diagnosis of kala-azar. The indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (1:128) and a haemagglutination-inhibition test (1:512) showed diagnostic elevations of titers. Therapy with pentostam led to prompt defervescence and resulted in a full recovery of the patient. After six weeks a marked decrease of antibody titers in the haemagglutination-inhibition test (1:16) could be observed. Leishmaniasis has to be considered in patients with fever of unknown origin who return from Mediterranean countries. Despite a negative bone marrow biopsy a diagnosis is possible on the basis of serological tests. This is important because effective therapy is available as illustrated by this patient and because of the fact that the disease runs a lethal course if the diagnosis is missed.

Animals

[The chemical war in Croatia].

During the present war against the Republic of Croatia, chemical weapons have been used by the Yugoslav Federal Army (YFA) against both civilians and Croatian Army soldiers. The use of irritants was suspected (Vukovar, Bogdanovci and Vinkovci, October-November, 1991; Solin in the Split area, September, 1991) and proved (Velika Gorica in the Zagreb area, September, 1991; Cakovec, November, 1991) in many cases. The use of psychochemical incapacitating agents (Bilje near Osijek, July, 1991), as well as of psychostimulants in YFA own soldiers (Zadar, August, 1991) has been suspected on clinical findings or laboratory tests. The use of acetylcholnesterase inhibitors was proved in one aggressor's diversion (Zadar, Krusevo, July, 1991). Phosphorus from projectiles and fuming boxes caused poisoning and skin burns due to incineration (Vukovar, November, 1991). YFA used the civilian's fear of chemical and biological weapons, throwing untoxic substances all over the Croatian territory. Great ecocide problems have occurred with massive industry devastation (Sisak, Osijek, October, 1991-January, 1992), with enumerous amounts of toxic substances released into the soil and river aquatoria.

Chemical Warfare

[Is a military hospital needed in the Republic of Croatia?].

The paper is an attempt to answer the question whether the military hospital is necessary or not in such a small country. Some arguments (and contra-arguments) are listed and discussed. Between the others are: (1) the necessity of developing "war" medical skills and knowledge (cannot be developed during peace-time neither in the military nor civil hospitals, and civilian health services are capable to adapt and to fulfill specific war tasks as it was shown in war in Croatia in 1991), (2) the possibility to develop specific, even peculiar, specialties as hyperbaric or space medicine (these are necessary at the airports, navy bases etc, not in military hospitals), (3) specific health needs of the population of soldiers, officers, and their families (as a rule this population is younger and positively selected i. e. healthier than the general population), (4) security reasons (the data are more accessible from the military service in one place than from the scattered civilian health services), (5) privileges in health care for population of soldiers, officers, and their families due to their particular merits (military forces themselves deny this reason; also, separate military health services is not really the privilege due to bureaucracy, and rather narrow choice of services, (6) separate services could be less expensive and more efficient than the civilian one (experiences from the other countries are completely opposite). The conclusion is that, for such expensive parts of health services, as hospital care (spending between 40% and 70% of the total health expenditure), there is the growing need for rational and planned development within the comprehensive and integral healthcare system. Inside such comprehensive system the military hospital does not look like a rational solution.

Croatia