bioMérieux.

In the Serbian patients with SMA, a higher SMN2 gene copy number correlated with less severe disease phenotype. A possible effect of other phenotype modifiers should not be neglected.

The first twin study in Serbia began in 2011 as a part of the research project, ‘Psychological Foundations of Mental Health: Hereditary and Environmental Factors’. At the same time, the research team from the Faculty of Philosophy and Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad established the first Serbian twin registry. The registry is intended primarily for the purpose of the research in behavioral genetics, as well as potential future studies in human genetics. It includes information on 1658 volunteers, including twin-pairs, their parent and siblings. The behavioral genetic study of adult twins has been focused on the hereditary and environmental sources of variance of different psychological characteristics, such as personality traits, cognitive abilities, executive functions and aggression, as well as some anthropometric measures and aspects of mental and physical health. Certain molecular genetic analyses have also been performed. The research team is currently starting the longitudinal twin study of children, which will be focused on different indicators of emotional, cognitive and physical development.

Despite a small and unrepresentative sample, the results of this study indicate serious problems and significant risks associated with sexual behavior of children and young people who live and work in streets. This pilot study suggests that it is necessary to conduct new research on sexual behavior of street children and youth on a representative sample and with appropriate methodology. The results of a new study should be used to plan and carry out appropriate preventive measures regarding sexual behavior of street children.

According to UNICEF, street child is any child under the age of 18 for whom the street has become home and/or source of income and which is not adequately protected or supervised by adult, responsible person. It has been estimated that there are between 100 and 150 million street children worldwide. Life and work on the street have long term and far-reaching consequences for development and health of these children. By living and working in the street, these children face the highest level of risk. Street children more often suffer from the acute illness, injuries, infection, especially gastrointestinal, acute respiratory infections and sexually transmitted diseases, inadequate nutrition, mental disorders, and drug abuse. They are more often victims of abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking; they have higher rate of adolescent pregnancy than their peers from poor families. Street children and youth have higher rates of hospitalization and longer hospital stay due to seriousness of illness and delayed health care. Street children/youth are reluctant to seek health care, and when they try, they face many barriers. Street children are invisible to the state and their number in Serbia is unknown. Recently, some non-governmental organizations from Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis have recognized this problem and tried to offer some help to street children, by opening drop-in centers, but this is not enough. To solve this problem, an engagement of the state and the whole community is necessary, and primary responsibility lies in health, social and educational sector. The best interests of the child must serve as a basic guideline in all activities aimed at improving health, quality of life and rights of children involved in the life and work in the street.

Having in mind the incidence and importance of respiratory infections in morbidity and mortality of children, the aim of this article was to show guidelines in treatment of respiratory infections in children. The main point remains that we should take in consideration the individual patient before all.

SummaryBackgroundAnemia represents a significant cause of maternal and perinatal mortality, as well as child mortality. The aim of the research was to determine the serum concentration of hepcidin in children aged 6 months to 2 years and adolescents aged 11 to 19 years which suffer from iron deficiency anemia and compare it with the serum concentration of hepcidin in the control groups, as well as to determine its connection with the parameters of the iron metabolism.MethodsThe research included 173 examinees, 89 of them suffered from iron deficiency anemia and 84 did not suffer from iron deficiency anemia (the latter represented the control group). Blood samples were collected from all study participants. The samples were analyzed for complete blood count and parameters of iron metabolism. ELISA method was used for establishing serum hepcidin levels.ResultsThe research showed that the concentration of hepcidin is statistically lower in children (4.4 ng/mL) and adolescents (4.1 ng/mL) who suffer from iron deficiency anemia in comparison with the control group (14 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, respectively). The positive correlation between serum hepcidin level and iron in the serum, ferritin, the mean corpuscular volume and transferrin saturation was confirmed, but the negative one occurred in serum hepcidin level, transferrin and reticulocytes.ConclusionsThe age of the examinees does not influence the level of serum hepcidin which makes it a more sensitive indicator of the level of iron in the body. Besides this, serum hepcidin is a reliable biological marker for the assessment of iron deficiency anemia.

Introduction. Acute pediatric poisoning has become an increasingly important medical emergency. This study was aimed at determining characteristics of acute poisoning in children and adolescents hospitalized at the Institute of Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina from 2015 to 2017. Material and Methods. Data were collected from medical records of all patients hospitalized for suspected acute intoxication at the Institute of Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina during the observed time. Results. This study included 519 patients hospitalized for suspected exposure to toxic substances. There were 49% male and 51% female patients. The intoxications had no seasonal features. The toxic substances were commonly taken orally. Medications were the most frequent cause of all poisonings, among which the most commonly reported were drugs for central nervous system disorders. Medications were the most frequent cause of poisoning in children and adolescents, as well as in children up to 10 years of age. In adolescents, the most prevalent cause of intoxication was alcohol abuse. Poisoning with suicidal intent and intentional self-poisoning without suicidal attempt were considerably more frequent in girls than in boys. There were no fatalities. Conclusion. It is of great importance to be familiar with the characteristics and circumstances of acute poisoning to plan and implement adequate preventive measures. SažetakUvod. Akutna trovanja predstavljaju jedno od čestih urgentnih stanja u pedijatriji. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se odrede karakterisike akutnih trovanja kod pacijenata hospitalizovanih u Institutu za zdravstvenu zaštitu dece i omladine Vojvodine u periodu od 2015. do 2017. godine. Materijal i metode. Podaci za istraživanje prikupljeni su iz medicinske dokumentacije pacijenata koji su zbog sumnje na akutnu intoksikaciju ksenobioticima bili hospitalizovani u Institutu za zdravsvenu zaštitu dece i omladine Vojvodine tokom posmatranog perioda. Rezultati. Ovom studijom obuhvaćeno je 519 pacijenata koji su hospitalizovani zbog izloženosti toksičnim materijama. Bilo je 49% pacijenata muškog i 51% pacijenata ženskog pola. Učestalost trovanja ni je imala se-Učestalost trovanja nije imala sezonski karakter. Dominantni put unosa ksenobiotika je peroralni. Najčešći etiološki činilac ukupnih trovanja su lekovi, među kojima su najčešći uzročnici trovanja bili lekovi za lečenje bolesti centralnog nervnog sistema. Najčešći uzročnik trovanja kod dece i adolescenata su lekovi, kao i kod dece uzrasta do 10 godina. Kod adolescenata najčešći uzrok trovanja je alkohol, unet u svrhu uživanja, koji su više konzumirali mladići nego devojke. Trovanja sa suicidalnom namerom i namerna samotrovanja bez suicidalne namere bila su značajno češća kod devojaka nego kod mladića. Nije bilo smrtnih slučajeva. Zaključak. Poznavanje karakteristika i okolnosti akutnih trovanja je značajno kako bi se mogle planirati i sprovoditi adekvatne preventivne mere. Ključne