Exploring the Association between Socioeconomic Environment, Eating Habits and Level of Nutrition in Children of High School Age: A Part of National Survey.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: One of the raising public health problems in the adolescent population is obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The aim of this work is to determine the prevalence of obesity in the population of children of secondary school, age 15 to 19 years in Serbia and the determinate connection with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their eating habits and physical activity. METHODS: The research is part of the fourth National Population Health Survey conducted in 2019, which was conducted by the Republic Institute of Statistics, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. As a research instrument, questionnaires were used in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Survey. For the purposes of this research, data on the adult population aged 15-19 and over were used. RESULTS: The association of overweight with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was examined using binary regression. In the univariate model, male gender (OR = 1.95), younger age (OR = 1.57) and Region of Vojvodina (OR = 2.47) stood out as significant predictors of overweight, which was confirmed by the multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study emphasize that the prevalence of obesity in the population of high school youth is at a significant level and that a lot more needs to be done to promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of their benefits on health status.

Small Bowel Perforation Due to Renal Carcinoma Metastasis: A Comprehensive Case Study and Literature Review.

This case report presents a unique instance of small bowel perforation caused by solitary metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a rare and complex clinical scenario. The patient, a 59-year-old male with a history of RCC treated with nephrectomy four years prior, presented with acute abdomen symptoms. Emergency diagnostic procedures identified a significant lesion in the small intestine. Surgical intervention revealed a perforated jejunal segment due to metastatic RCC. Postoperatively, the patient developed complications, including pneumonia and multi-organ failure, leading to death 10 days after surgery. Histopathological analysis confirmed the metastatic nature of the lesion. This case underscores the unpredictable nature of RCC metastasis and highlights the need for vigilance in post-nephrectomy patients. The rarity of small bowel involvement by RCC metastasis, particularly presenting as perforation, makes this case a significant contribution to medical literature, emphasizing the challenges in the diagnosis and management of such atypical presentations.

Vitamin D, Albumin, and D-Dimer as Significant Prognostic Markers in Early Hospitalization in Patients with COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 continues to pose a major challenge to scientists and clinicians. We examined the significance of the serum concentrations of vitamin D, albumin, and D-dimer for the severity of the clinical picture and mortality in COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 288 patients treated for COVID-19 infection participated in the research. The patients were treated in the period from May 2020 to January 2021. All patients were divided based on the need for oxygen therapy (Sat > 94%) into patients with mild or severe clinical pictures. The biochemical and radiographic parameters of the patients were analyzed. Appropriate statistical methods were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: In patients with COVID-19 with confirmed severe clinical pictures, lower values of serum albumin (p < 0.0005) and vitamin D (p = 0.004) were recorded, as opposed to elevated values of D-dimer (p < 0.0005). Accordingly, the patients with fatal disease outcomes had lower levels of albumin (p < 0.0005) and vitamin D (p = 0.002), while their D-dimer (p < 0.0005) levels were elevated. An increase in the radiographic score, as a parameter for assessing the severity of the clinical picture, was accompanied by a decrease in serum albumin (p < 0.0005) and a simultaneous increase in D-dimer (p < 0.0005), without a change in the vitamin D concentration (p = 0.261). We also demonstrated the interrelations of the serum levels of vitamin D, albumin, and D-dimer in patients with COVID-19 as well as their significance as predictors of the outcome of the disease. CONCLUSION: The significance of the predictive parameters in our study indicates the existence of an important combined role of vitamin D, albumin, and D-dimer in the early diagnosis of the most severe patients suffering from COVID-19. Reduced values of vitamin D and albumin, in combination with elevated values of D-dimer, can be timely indicators of the development of a severe clinical picture and death due to COVID-19.

Can MDCT Enhancement Patterns Be Helpful in Differentiating Secretory from Non-Functional Adrenal Adenoma?

Background and Objectives: Primary adrenal tumors (AT) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms due to their functional heterogeneity, which results in the diverse clinical presentation of these tumors. The purpose of this study was to examine cross-sectional imaging characteristics using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) to provide insight into the lesion characterization and functional status of these tumors. The radionuclide imaging using Technetium-99m radiolabeled hydrazinonicotinylacid-d-phenylalanyl1-tyrosine3-octreotide (99mTc-HYNIC-TOC), was also used in the diagnostic evaluation of these tumors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 50 patients with confirmed diagnoses of AT (21 hormone-secreting and 29 non-functional) at the University Clinical Center, Kragujevac, Serbia, during the 2019-2022 year period. The morphological and dynamic characteristics using MDCT were performed, using qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative analysis. Absolute washout (APW) and relative washout (RPW) values were also calculated. A semi-quantitative analysis of all visual findings with 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC was performed to compare the tumor to non-tumor tracer uptake. Results: A statistically significant difference was found in the MDCT values in the native phase (p < 0.05), the venous phase (p < 0.05), and the delayed phase (p < 0.001) to detect the existence of adrenal tumors. Most of these functional adrenocortical lesions (n = 44) can be differentiated using the delayed phase (p < 0.05), absolute percentage washout (APW) (p < 0.05), and relative percentage washout (RPW) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC could have a high diagnostic yield to detect adrenal tumor existence (p < 0.001). There is a positive correlation between radionuclide imaging scan and APW to detect all AT (p < 0.01) and adrenocortical adenomas as well (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The results can be very helpful in a diagnostic algorithm to quickly and precisely diagnose the expansive processes of the adrenal glands, as well as to learn about the advantages and limitations of the mentioned imaging modalities.