Evaluation of Risk Factors for the Occurrence of Limb Fractures in Children Due to Unintentional Injury in Podgorica, Montenegro, Mediterranean.

Background and Objectives: Limb injuries in childhood are very common, with most of them being unintentional and often accompanied by soft tissue injuries. The aim of our study was to determine the risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of limb fractures as the most common type of accidental injury to children in our conditions. Materials and Methods: This study was designed as a prospective clinical analysis of predictive factors with a "nested" case-control study. It included all patients under the age of 18 who were diagnosed with unintentional limb injury and limb fracture due to accidental injury, at the Clinical Center of Montenegro, Podgorica, in the period of 7 January 2020-30 June 2021. Results: The gender of the child and the occurrence of the fracture are not related, and a statistically significant relationship was found between the occurrence of the fracture and the place of residence, the child's age, body mass index (BMI), the affected limb, the method of injury, and the mental state of the parents of the injured child, as well as their economic status. It was proved that the older the child was, the lower the chance of injury, while multivariate analysis proved that BMI could be a predictor of accidental fracture. The most common method of accidental limb fractures in children was a fall from a height. Conclusions: The analysis of factors that influence the occurrence of children's injuries is of great importance for public health. Such and similar research can enable a better understanding of the factors that influence accidental injuries, and therefore influence the prevention of these injuries by organizing various educational materials at the primary healthcare level or at the school level, for both children and parents.

Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Atherosclerotic Plaques on Carotid Arteries in Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome: The Role of MDCT Angiography.

INTRODUCTION: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease characterised by arterious and venous thrombosis, miscarriage, and the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in the blood. As we know, APS is also characterised by accelerated atherosclerotic degeneration with an increased risk of thrombosis in all blood vessels, including the carotid arteries. Carotid artery stenosis can manifest in many different ways. The aim of this study is to present the results of our multidetector computerised tomography angiography (MDCTA) analysis of the carotid arteries in patients with primary and secondary APS compared with a control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined 50 patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) and 50 patients with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (SAPS). The results were compared with a control group also comprising 50 patients. The groups were analysed with respect to age, sex and the presence of well-established risk factors for vascular disease. The study was conducted using MDCTA, where we analysed the quantitative and qualitative (morphologic) characteristics of carotid artery lesions. RESULTS: Patients from the control group had significantly elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in comparison with patients with PAPS and SAPS (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05). The results show that carotid artery lesions were significantly more common in patients with APS (PAPS, n = 40, CI95: 0.50-0.75, p = 0.0322 and SAFS, n = 54, CI95: 0.59-0.80, p = 0.0004) than within the control group (n = 23). There was a statistically significant difference between patients with APS and the control group with respect to lesions in the distal segments (n = 27, CI95: 0.67-0.95, p = 0.0001), bulbi and proximal segments (n = 21, CI95: 0.84-1.00, p = 0.000005). The number of patients with one lesion (L) (n = 27) was significantly greater than the number of those with three (n = 10, CI95: 0.56-0.86, p = 0.0051) or four (n = 3, CI95: 0.73-0.98, p = 0.00001) lesions. There were also more patients with two lesions (n = 24) than those with four (n = 3) (CI95: 0.71-0.97, p = 0.00005). Carotid artery stenosis was shown as a percentage of the carotid artery lumen diameter (%DS). Stenosis of up to 30%, was more common in patients in the PAPS group (n = 12) than in the control group (n = 3) (CI95: 0.52-0.96, p = 0.0201), while the SAPS group (n = 17) had an even larger disparity (CI95: 0.62-0.97, p = 0.0017). We observed a highly significant difference in the frequency of stenoses between 30% and 50% DS between the PAPS group (n = 24) and the control group (n = 7) (CI95: 0.59-0.90, p = 0.0023), as well as the SAPS group (n = 30) (CI95: 0.65-0.92, p = 0.0002). A qualitative analysis of plaque morphology revealed that patients with PAPS had significantly more soft tissue lesions (n = 23) compared with calcified lesions (n = 2) (CI95: 0.74-0.99, p = 0.00003), as well as more mixed plaques (n = 9) and calcified plaques (n = 2) (CI95: 0.48-0.98, p = 0.0348). Patients within the SAPS group had significantly more soft tissue (n = 35) than calcified lesions (n = 3) (CI95: 0.79-0.98, p = 0.00000021), as well as more mixed lesions (n = 21) compared with calcified (n = 3) (CI95: 0.68-0.97, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that subclinical manifestations of carotid artery lesions were more common in patients with APS. We came to the conclusion that MDCTA is an accurate diagnostic method because it is a safe method that provides us with a great quantity of accurate information about the characteristics of atheromatous plaques, which aids us in the further planning of treatment for patients with APS.

The Impact of Changes in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index by Body Region on Quality of Life in Patients with Psoriasis.

Psoriasis severity varies by body region, with each affected region having a different impact on patient quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of changes in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores by body region on QoL in patients with psoriasis after treatment. A total of 100 patients with psoriasis were recruited to the study. All patients completed the generic EuroQol-5D instrument and two specific QoL measures, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) at the beginning of the study, and 50 patients successfully completed the same questionnaires four weeks after the end of the treatment. Clinical severity was assessed using PASI total score and PASI body region (head, trunk, arms, and legs) scores. QoL improved after treatment, and PASI improvements on visible body regions (head, legs, and arms) showed significant correlation with the most sub-areas of the Visual Analog Scale (EQ VAS), DLQI, and PDI. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that PASI improvement (particularly on the head), sex, age, and disease duration were predictors of QoL score changes for most domains of the three instruments. Improvement of psoriasis in visible body regions has an appreciable influence on QoL improvement, and may positively affect treatment success in patients with psoriasis.

Septo-optic dysplasia plus: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Septo-optic dysplasia, also referred to as de Morsier syndrome, is a congenital condition characterized by classic triad features: midline brain abnormalities, optic nerve hypoplasia and pituitary endocrine dysfunction. Sometimes, other various malformations appear within syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: An 11 and 1/2-year-old Caucasian Southeast European female patient with earlier established diagnoses of growth hormone deficiency, diabetes insipidus, seizures, mental retardation, optic nerve atrophy and right ptosis, was directed to us for consultative examination.The girl of short stature and low weight for her age had bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia, poor vision, nystagmus and right eye oculomotor palsy. Electroencephalogram revealed epileptic changes. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an empty sella syndrome, partial hypoplasia of corpus callosum, cavum of pellucid septum and diffuse polymicrogyria of the left temporal lobe. We found all elements of septo-optic dysplasia plus syndrome with right oculomotor nerve involvement. CONCLUSION: By earlier findings and evaluation, we established a diagnosis of septo-optic dysplasia plus. The case confirms the existence of various malformations within the syndrome and the need for the cooperation of several specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of children with the syndrome.