As proper wound management is crucial to reducing morbidity and improving quality of life, this study evaluated for the first time the wound healing potential of H. italicum essential oil (HIEO) prepared in the form of ointment and gel in streptozotocin-induced diabetic wound models in rats. After creating full-thickness cutaneous wounds, forty-eight diabetic rats were divided into six groups: (1) negative control; (2) positive control; (3) ointment base; (4) gel base; (5) 0.5% HIEO ointment (6) 0.5% HIEO gel. Wound healing potential was determined by the percentage of wound contraction, hydroxyproline content, redox status, and histological observation. A significant decrease in the wound size was observed in animals treated with HIEO formulations compared with other groups. The HIEO groups also showed a higher level of total hydroxyproline content, and more pronounced restitution of adnexal structures with only the underlying muscle defect indicating the incision site. Hence, our results legitimate the traditional data of the pro-healing effect of HIEO because HIEO in both formulations such as gel and ointment exhibited the significant wound repairing effect in the incision wound model.

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The aim of this study was to establish an evidence-based guideline for the antibiotic treatment of Corynebacterium striatum infections. Several electronic databases were systematically searched for clinical trials, observational studies or individual cases on patients of any age and gender with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, harboring C. striatum isolated from body fluids or tissues in which it is not normally present. C. striatum had to be identified as the only causative agent of the invasive infection, and its isolation from blood, body fluids or tissues had to be confirmed by one of the more advanced diagnostic methods (biochemical methods, mass spectrometry and/or gene sequencing). This systematic review included 42 studies that analyzed 85 individual cases with various invasive infections caused by C. striatum . More than one isolate of C. striatum exhibited 100% susceptibility to vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, piperacillin-tazobactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefuroxime. On the other hand, some strains of this bacterium showed a high degree of resistance to fluoroquinolones, to the majority majority of β-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, lincosamides and cotrimoxazole. Despite the antibiotic treatment, fatal outcomes were reported in almost 20% of the patients included in this study. Gene sequencing methods should be the gold standard for the identification of C. striatum , while MALDI-TOF and the Vitek system can be used as alternative methods. Vancomycin should be used as the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of C. striatum infections, in monotherapy or in combination with piperacillin-tazobactam. Alternatively, linezolid, teicoplanin or daptomycin may be used in severe infections, while amoxicillin-clavulanate may be used to treat mild infections caused by C. striatum .

BackgroundChanging daily habits such as diet, hygiene and physical activity may be some of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of this pandemic on lifestyle, physical activity, eating and hygiene habits among students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 171 students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. Data were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Marginal homogeneity test and Chi-square test. The differences were considered statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05.ResultsIn this study, it was observed that the most common physical activity before the pandemic was walking, while during the pandemic was home exercising. Compared to the period before the pandemic, there was no difference in the time spent engaging in daily physical activity (p = 0.334). However, there was a significant increase in sitting time during the pandemic (p = 0.005). Difference was noticed in the use of breakfast, the number of meals, and the type of fat in the diet before and during the pandemic (p = 0.000). During the pandemic, there was an increase in the use of fruits (p = 0.000), vegetables, and nuts (p = 0.001), while the use of fast food and alcohol have decreased. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in the use of dietary supplements was observed (40.2%), (p = 0.008).ConclusionsGiven that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, certain changes in lifestyle observed in this study should be confirmed in more extensive population studies.

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Allium ursinum L. (A. ursinum, family Amaryllidaceae), better known under the name of wild garlic, ramson or bearís garlic is a perennial herbaceous plant. It naturally grows in fens and marshes of Europe and Asia (1-3). Increasingly, popular in European kitchen A. ursinum can be used as a salad, spice or vegetable since all parts of the plant are edible. Throughout history leaves, bulbs and the aerial part of this plant species have been used in traditional medicine as therapeutic and prophylactic agents (4-6). Numerous biologically active compounds enable this plant species to be implemented in the healing of various conditions for years. The most common are sulfur compounds which are considered to largely contribute to the pharmacological activity and from which originates a characteristic smell and taste (7). In addition to a significant presence of phenols, flavonoids, there are in a lesser extent other steroidal glycosides, amino acids, fatty acids, lecithin, essential oil (4, 8, 9). The aforementioned bioactive compounds can be exploited and used in the form of various extracts. Experimental investigations indicate the efficiency of the application A. ursinum in prevention and treatment of many diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, diabetes, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, elevated cholesterol level, as well as the inflammatory diseases (10-14). Itís been known that the applied extraction method and extraction solvent may substantially affect the quality and concentration of targeted com

Background: Drug-drug interactions are defined as modifications of the drug action that result from the simultaneous administration of another individual drug or several drugs. Nowadays, potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are most frequently detected and analyzed using personal digital assistant software programs (online interaction checker tools). Objective: To determine the risk factors for the emergence of all drug-drug interactions in surgical patients with particular emphasis on clinically significant interactions. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients treated at the Surgical Clinic of the Clinical Center Kragujevac. Three interaction checkers were used to reveal drug-drug interactions: Medscape, Epocrates and Micromedex. Results: The study included total of 200 patients, aged 58.54±17.08 years. Average number of drug-drug interactions per patient was between 10.50±9.10 (Micromedex) and 18.75±17.14 (Epocrates). Number of prescribed drugs, antidepressive therapy, antiarrhythmic therapy, number of pharmacological/therapeutic subgroups (2nd level of ATC classification) prescribed, delirium or dementia, diabetes, heart failure, and number of physicians who prescribed drugs to single patient were identified as risk factors for drug-drug interactions while length of hospitalization in days and age of patient in years emerged as protective factors. Conclusion: Drug-drug interactions are relatively common in surgical patients and predisposed by factors such as number of prescribed drugs or drug group per patient, number of physicians who prescribed drugs, antidepressive therapy, antiarrhythmic therapy, presence of delirium or dementia, diabetes and heart failure. On the other hand, prolonged hospitalization and higher age are factors that reduce the risk of interactions in surgical patients.