Autochthonous dengue fever in Croatia, August-September 2010.

After information about a dengue case in Germany acquired in Croatia, health professionals and the public in Croatia were alerted to assess the situation and to enhance mosquito control, resulting in the diagnosis of a second case of autochthonous dengue fever in the same area and the detection of 15 persons with evidence of recent dengue infection. Mosquito control measures were introduced. The circumstances of dengue virus introduction to Croatia remain unresolved.

Congenital hepatic fibrosis of heterotopic hepatic tissue.

We describe a unique case of a one-month-old infant with congenital hepatic fibrosis in the heterotopic liver within the adrenal gland. The main (orthotopic) liver was normal. Complex congenital heart disease and asplenia were associated.

[Isoproterenol toxicity in the myocardium in an experiment]. / Toksicnost izoproterenola za miokard u eksperimentalnim uvjetima.

The effect of toxic doses of isoproterenol (ISP) on total activities and isoenzyme patterns of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in rat sera was investigated and correlated with histopathological changes in the myocardial tissue. A single dose of 25 mg ISP per 100 g body weight caused a statistically important elevation of CK and LDH total activities and of the activities of cardiospecific isoenzymes CK-MB, LDH-1 and LDH-2 six hours after intraperitoneal administration. The isomorphic LDH isoenzyme pattern, which was also observed, was taken to be a proof of the ISP-induced cardiogenic shock. The increase in the activity of CK-MM and LDH-5 isoenzymes could be explained as a secondary consequence of cardiogenic shock and of the consecutive damage of the tissue with anaerobic metabolism such as liver. The findings were confirmed by a histopathological analysis showing the development of coagulative necrosis and myocytolysis as well as undulations of heart muscle cells as a sign of cardiogenic shock.

[Dermatitis artefacta, onychophagia and trichotillomania in mentally retarded children and adolescents]. / Dermatitis artefakta, onychophagia i trichotillomania u mentalno retardirane dece i omladine.

Systematic dermatovenorological examination included 457 mentally retarded children and adolescents institutionalized at the Institute for Mental Rehabilitation of Children and Adolescents "Novi Sad" in Veternik near Novi Sad. All examined subjects were classified into 3 groups: 1. severely retarded--immobile, 2. severely retarded--mobile, and 3. moderately retarded. Dermatoses were found in 70 (15.32%) of the subjects, the most frequent being: onychophagia in 34 (7.44%), dermatitis artefacta in 17 (3.72%) and trichotillomania in 14 (3.06%) cases. Onychophagia and trichotillomania occurred simultaneously in 5 (1.09%) cases. The authors review pathogenesis of the above dermatoses as well as possible measures for their prevention.