No abstract

Cytochrome P450 genetic polymorphisms are responsible for individual variations in drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions. They are very important for pharmacogenetics, and their frequency varies across different populations. There is a big gap in the knowledge about the CYP gene family polymorphisms in the population of Kosovo, and the aim of our study was to fill that gap by determining the frequency of the most important variant alleles of CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A5 in 234 nonrelated Kosovars. The allele frequencies of CYP2C9*2 and 2C9*3 were 17.52 %, and 10.89 %, respectively. Sixteen participants (6.81 %) were CYP2C9 poor metabolisers. The CYP2C19*2 and *17 variant frequencies were 13.03 % and 19.01 %, respectively. There were 2.13 % CYP2C19 poor and 4.27 % ultra-rapid metabolisers (homozygous carriers of the *17 allele). With regard to CYP3A5, the frequency of the *3 variant allele was 98.29 % (non-expressors), while the remaining participants (1.70 %) were expressors of CYP3A5. These findings are comparable with other European ethnicities, specifically those of Southeast Europe. KEY WORDS: cytochrome P450 enzyme system; drug metabolism; pharmacogeneticsIndividual variability in response to the most common drugs presents one of the major challenges to pharmacotherapy today. This variability depends on a variety of factors (drug interactions, hepatorenal disorders, sex, age, and lifestyle), but the most challenging are the genetic polymorphisms that have a direct and important impact on drug-detoxifying enzymes, drug targets, and drug transporters (1-3). Phase I enzymes metabolise nearly 59 % of the drugs reported for adverse drug reactions (ADR), and cytochromes P450 (CYP450 or CYP) make 75-86 % of these phase I enzymes (2, 4). Their genetic variants are responsible for unintended drug metabolism and interactions (5) that can lead to toxicity or failed pharmacotherapy (6). This has been recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA), as both push policies requiring that pharmacogenetic information is provided for drug development and postmarketing surveillance (7,8).The most important genetic variants of CYP in clinical practice include those of CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A5. Their frequencies vary across populations, and mapping them, so to speak, can be very useful in designing specific pharmacotherapy. To the best of our knowledge no such mapping has been done for the population of Kosovo, a southeast European country of over 1.7 million people, 93 % of whom are ethnic Albanians. The aim of our study was to address this gap and determine the frequency of the pharmacologically most important variant alleles of CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A5 in Kosovo population, hoping that our findings could help to optimise pharmacotherapy in the country. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODSThis study included a mixed population of 234 randomly selected Caucasians (116 women and 118 men) with no blood relation from all parts of Kosovo. Their age ranged between 18 and 65 years (median: 3...

Background and objective:There is paucity of evidence in southeastern Europe and Kosovo regarding dairy products consumption and association with bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore, the objective of present study was to assess calcium intake and dairy products consumption and to investigate relationship with total hip BMD in a Kosovo women sample.Methods:This cross-sectional study included a sample of 185 women divided into respective groups according to total hip BMD. All the study participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to estimate BMD. Nonparametric tests were performed to compare characteristics of the groups.Results:The average dietary calcium intake was 818.41 mg/day. Only 16.75% of the subjects met calcium recommended dietary reference intakes (DRIs). There were no significant differences between low BMD group and normal BMD group regarding average dietary calcium intake, but it was significantly higher in BMDT3 subgroup than in BMDT2 and BMDT1 subgroups.Conclusions:The results of this study demonstrate significant relationship of daily dietary calcium intake with upper BMD tertile. Further initiatives are warranted from this study to highlight the importance of nutrition education.

BACKGROUND:Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in paediatrics. In most cases, antibiotics are started on an empirical basis, without proof of a bacterial infection, either before the start of therapy or afterwards.AIM:The main objective of this study was to analyse the consumption of antibiotics in hospitalised paediatric patients.MATERIAL AND METHODS:This retrospective study investigated the consumption of antimicrobials in defined daily doses (DDDs according to the Anatomical Therapeutical Chemical/DDD index) in Pulmonology, Gastroenterology and Nephrology Departments at Pediatric Clinic of the tertiary hospital. The data on the consumption of antimicrobials were collected for five years by using properly designed form. The consumption was related to days of hospital care.RESULTS:The most utilised antibiotics group in all three departments Pulmonology, Gastroenterology and Nephrology Departments were penicillins. Cephalosporins were mostly used in Pulmonology department. Metronidazole and Chloramphenicol were used in minimal quantities in all three departments.CONCLUSION:This study demonstrates that surveillance programs on antibiotic resistance should be established and accompanied by analyses of drug utilisation data which can aid in the creation of valid cross-national studies on antibiotic usage and resistance, to motivate improvements in prescribing and guideline-directed antibiotic prescribing.