Influence of Severe Thoracic Trauma on Choosing the Correct Surgical Strategy in Patients with Polytrauma from Kosovo.

BACKGROUND Severe thoracic trauma (TT) has a significant impact on the selection of treatment strategy in patients with polytrauma. Our aim was to assess the impact of severe TT on choosing the optimal surgical procedure to decrease mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS Overall, 66 patients with polytrauma and significant TT were analyzed. Demographic data, trauma history, admittance imaging, injury details, injury severity scores, conservative treatment, surgical treatment, days of hospital stay, and mortality data were gathered. Frequencies of thoracic surgical procedures and other treatments were collected and compared with those in the literature. RESULTS All patients had Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores of thorax >3. Injuries to extremities and/or the osseous pelvis accounted for 50% of injuries; 47.0% included the head and/or neck; 45.5% were external injuries; and 27.3% were abdominal injuries or included pelvic organs and/or lumbar spine. Mean prehospital time was 40.3 min. Mean time from trauma occurrence to tertiary treatment was 125 min. Blunt TT (BTT) was recorded in 59 patients (89.4%), and penetrant TT (PTT) was recorded in 7 patients (10.6%). Thoracic drainage, urgent thoracotomy and laparotomy were recorded procedures. The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of all patients was 31.17. Nine patients died (13.6%) and had BTT with a mean ISS of 48.44. The Trauma Injury Severity Score for BTT injuries was 77.08% and for PTT, 85.6%. CONCLUSIONS Factors that decreased hospital stay and mortality and increased survival included arriving in time after injury, aggressive reanimation/intensive care, and mandatory thoracic surgical procedure combined with laparotomy.

Relationship between Ribosomal Protein S6-pS240 Expression and other Prognostic Factors in Non-Special Type Invasive Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of ribosomal protein (RP) S6-pS240 in non-special type invasive breast cancer in relation to other prognostic markers and gain new insights to facilitate more individualized treatment. METHODS: The following clinical and histopathological parameters of 120 patients were determined: S6-pS240 expression, age, menopausal status, tumor size and grade, TNM stage, Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI), lymph node stage, estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) expression, HER2/neu amplification, lymphovascular invasion, and proliferative index as measured by Ki-67. Treatment protocol and disease-free survival were evaluated accordingly. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were seen between S6-pS240 expression and Ki-67 values (rho = 0.530, p < 0.001), and NPI (rho = 0.370, p < 0.001) and HER2/neu amplification (rho = 0.368, p < 0.001). A negative correlation was found between S6-pS240 and ER/PR expression (rho = 0.362, p < 0.001). Patients with negative RP S6-pS240 expression had significantly longer disease-free survival (log-rank test, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Immunohistochemical analysis of RP S6-pS240 is a valuable additional prognostic marker in patients with invasive breast cancer. Routine use of S6-pS240 immunohistochemistry is recommended.

Tobacco Smoking Habits Among First Year Medical Students, University of Prishtina, Kosovo: Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco smoking remains the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in the world, requiring intensified national and international public health response. World Health Organization (WHO) has urged health professional organizations to encourage and support their members to be models for not using tobacco products and promote tobacco-free culture. Healthcare students are the future authority of the health society, they are in a position to play a vital role and have impact on social norms related to smoking. AIM: To determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking among healthcare students of Medical Faculty, University of Prishtina in Kosovo, so that recommendations can be made for its cessation among healthcare providers and thereafter the community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administrated questionnaire prepared for this purpose. A total of 284 first year healthcare students of Medical Faculty, University of Prishtina in Kosovo were enrolled in the study. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: All respondents completed the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 100% (general medicine=180, dentistry = 104). The prevalence of students who have ever smoked was 53.2%. However, only 8.9% (9.1% M vs. 8.7% F) of the general medicine students and 5.8% (4.8% M vs. 6.5% F) of dentistry students declared that smoke tobacco every day. Overall, the research shows that the prevalence of occasional smokers among medical students in Kosova is quite high.