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Volume 39, Issue 2, 2025

Online ISSN: 3042-3511

ISSN: 3042-3503

Volume 39 , Issue 2, (2025)

Published: 12.11.2025.

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31.03.2025.

Review Article

Massive Sinonasal Polyposis in an Elderly Patient: Report of a Case

We present the case of a 70-year-old female patient who sought consultation with an otolaryngologist due to a mass protruding from the left nasal cavity. The patient reported that she had noticed the mass for the past two months, although she had experienced nasal breathing difficulties for over ten years. Upon examination, a large pink mass was observed protruding from the left nostril. Anterior rhinoscopy revealed complete obstruction of both the left and right nasal cavities by the tumor mass. Computed tomography showed that the mass entirely filled both nasal cavities and all paranasal sinuses. Surgical treatment was performed, involving endoscopic sinus surgery, which resulted in the complete removal of the mass. Histopathological analysis confirmed that the mass was a case of massive sinonasal polyposis. At the six-month follow-up, no signs of recurrence were observed. Although sinonasal polyposis is a relatively common condition in rhinologic surgery, such pronounced polyposis with prolapse of polyps through the nostril is a rare presentation that can initially mimic benign or malignant tumors of the nasal cavities.

Svetlana Valjarevic, Sara Dragovic, Jelena Gavric, Djordje Nadjevic, Milan Jovanovic

31.03.2025.

Review Article

Severe Dyspnea Caused by a Massive Neck Mass - Report of a Case

This case report describes a 61-year-old female patient who presented to the emergency room of our hospital with severe dyspnea. The patient reported experiencing breathing difficulties for the past 2 weeks, with daily worsening, as well as swallowing problems persisting for about a year. She denied any comorbidities or history of neck-related injuries or surgeries. Physical examination revealed significant swelling on both sides of her neck. Computed tomography was performed to further investigate her condition. The neck CT showed a massive tumor that completely replaces both lobes of the thyroid gland and extends into the mediastinum. Urgent endotracheal intubation was carried out, followed by angiography to assess the tumor mass's vascularization. The patient was then tracheotomized, and a biopsy of the tumor mass was performed. Histopathological examination revealed insular carcinoma of the thyroid gland. The hospital stay was complicated by respiratory failure and paratracheal tumor bleeding, leading to a fatal outcome.

Svetlana Valjarevic, Milan B. Jovanovic, Jelena Gavric, Sara Dragovic, Teodora Tadic, Djordje Nadjevic

31.03.2025.

Review Article

Cervicogenic headache

Cervicogenic headache is a type of secondary headache that affects 0.17-4% of the general population and is defined by a primary lesion in the cervical spine with a painful syndrome in the head and/or facial area. It is characterized by unilateral pain on the side of the primary lesion in the neck, with variable accompanying symptoms that may pose a differential diagnostic challenge compared to other types of headaches. The most widely accepted mechanism of this headache's onset is the propagation of pain from the neck to the structures of the head, sometimes even to the face, due to the convergence of afferent neurons originating from the C1-C3 spinal nerves and nociceptive fibers of the trigeminal nerve in the trigeminocervical complex. Since most of the clinical characteristics of this headache are nonspecific, in the absence of a clear chronological connection to a lesion in the cervical spine, imaging or targeted nerve blockade is required to establish a diagnosis. The response to pharmacotherapy is often modest, and therapeutic methods include physical therapy, periodic injections of analgesics and/or corticosteroids into the joints of the cervical vertebrae or their associated nerves, as well as neurosurgical methods such as radiofrequency ablation and nerve decompression.

Vladimir Bošković, Armin Korać, Milija Mijajlović

01.01.2023.

Original Article

Prevalence and effect of respiratory syncytial virus infection on clinical course in children up to two years of age hospitalized for small airways infection

The aim of this study was to examine the difference in RSV small respiratory tract infections and small respiratory tract infections of other etiologies, regarding length of hospitalization and need of oxygen therapy. The examined populations were children treated for small respiratory tract infections in KBC Zemun during 2 years, aged from birth to the end of the second year of life. Treatment outcomes were examined: duration of hospitalization, length of oxygen therapy, combined pneumonia (confirmed by X-ray). A total of 78 children with a clinical picture of severe infection were selected. The data were taken from the existing documentation of KBC Zemun. The study found that in the first year a higher percentage of RSV positive girls was 76.19% than boys 73.91%, and in the second year 78.57% of RSV positive girls and 60% of boys. Children with low birth weight, premature birth as well, fed adapted formulas are more likely to develop RSV bronchiolitis. The duration of hospitalization was longer in RSV bronchiolitis, as well as in associated bacterial infection. The length of oxygen therapy was not affected by the presence of RSV infection, but children with bronchiolitis complicated by pneumonia were longer on oxygen therapy. Our research is in line with previous research, existing treatment protocols. Certain deviations can be explained by a small sample, which gives the need for systematic and broader examination of the relationship between risk factors, etiological factors in small respiratory tract infections.

Sladjana Pekmezovic, Nevena Tasic, Mladen Tasic

01.01.2023.

Original Article

Examination of the impact and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the population in the Republic of Serbia in the population aged 30-50

The aim of the survey conducted at the Galen Farm Pharmacy in Belgrade is to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 infection on the mental health of the population aged 30-50. The end of 2019 marked the beginning of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic from China, which affected more than 214 countries and territories around the world. Preventive strategies play a major role in reducing the spread of the virus. The advent of vaccines slows down the transmission of the virus and alleviates the symptoms of the disease. The ongoing pandemic poses a serious threat to human health and the global economy and has resulted in enormous stress on health care systems worldwide, and mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. 104 respondents, users of the services of the “Galen Farm” Pharmacy in Belgrade, were included in the research. An original questionnaire of 15 questions was created, and the research was anonymous. The DASS-21 scale (The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items) was used in the research. For the largest number of respondents, the pandemic affected their quality of life, while a smaller number of respondents estimated that the pandemic had no effect. The largest number of respondents were positive for the virus, while twice as many respondents were not positive. More than half of the respondents were in mandatory isolation. The largest number of respondents reported that someone close to them was positive for the virus. The largest number of respondents had no the experience of the death of a close person. In order to gain insight into the impact of the COVID-19 infection on the mental health of the respondents, the answers of the respondents on the DASS-21 scale were processed in more detail. The respondents more often report experiencing stress symptoms during the past period. Medical workers have statistically significantly higher scores on average, on the individual scales of the DASS questionnaire, compared to non-medical workers, and this also applies to people who have had someone close to them die due to COVID-19. The obtained results are partially consistent with previous research. During the outbreak of any infectious disease, the psychological reactions of individuals play an important role in the spread of the disease, as well as in the frequency of emotional distress and social disturbances during and after the outbreak of a pandemic.

Bojana B. Petrovic, Anita Milanovic, Katarina Bozovic

01.01.2023.

Review article

Damage to the health of employees due to occupational exposure to ionizing radiation

Electromagnetic radiation represents energy transmission through an immaterial medium through a flow of energy particles or quanta of energy. When passing through the material medium, there is an interaction with the medium through which they pass, and energy is transferred to the particles of the material medium. Ionising radiation (JZ) is electromagnetic radiation consisting of EM - --waves or particles with kinetic energy sufficient to ionise the substance they pass. During ionisation, orbital electrons are ejected from the atoms of the environment as negative ions and positive ions are formed from the rest of the particles. The ions formed in this way disturb the biochemical processes in the cells, which can lead to disturbances in their functioning and division and even to the occurrence of diseases, such as tumours. The effect of ionising radiation is reflected in the impact on proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. The following can be recognised as occupational diseases: acute radiodermatitis, acute radiation sickness, acute radiation cataract, chronic radiodermatitis in case of exposure to ionising radiation for at least ten years, regular radiation cataract in case of exposure to ionising radiation for at least five years, malignant diseases and damage to the hematopoietic system. It is necessary to educate the entire population about the consequences that ionising radiation has on human health, provide complete protection to workers who work in radioactive radiation zones, apply all preventive and protective measures against the effects of ionising radiation in the workplace, and provide adequate, timely and professional assistance to all workers who were exposed to ionising radiation.

Svetlana Banovic, Kristina Vojvodic, Dusan Vesovic, Ivana Zivanovic

01.01.2023.

Case Report

Degenerative mitral valve disease, type of Barlow’s disease and papillary fibroelastoma: a case report

In this article, we present the case of a patient with classic signs of Barlow’s disease and discrete mass on the posterior myxomatously altered cusp that were observed on echocardiographic examination. Barlow’s disease is a degenerative disease of the mitral valve in which leaf prolapse and mitral regurgitation occur, which is a significant cause of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Papillary fibroelastoma of the heart is a rare benign tumor of the heart, mostly located on the valves, it is detected incidentally, but it can be the cause of transient neurological defects and ischemia of the heart due to embolization or prolapse in the coronary ostia. Differentiating degenerative mitral valve disease is important, because choice of surgical correction techniques depend on this distinction, and pathohistological analysis (classical, histochemical and immunohistochemical staining) contributes to the confirmation of the diagnosis, which is important for future outcome research.

Marija Milinkovic, Vesna Bozic, Ivana Jovanovic, Olga Petrovic, Duško Terzicć

01.01.2023.

Case Report

Application of brachytherapy in patient with local recurrence of prostate adenocarcinoma after radical radiation therapy: a case report

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the world. Therapeutic options are divided on the basis of staging and accurate diagnosis. Due to the lack of randomized prospective controlled studies on the treatment of prostate cancer, no therapeutic option can be preferred, although there are some recommendations. Therapy options for intraprostatic tumor include: monitoring the course of the disease, radical prostatectomy, or radiation therapy. Radical radiotherapy is an alternative to surgical treatment in the localized form of primary prostate cancer. Radiotherapy treatment has shown good results. In case of local recurrence of the disease, the recommendations are even more scarce. We present a case of a 65-year-old patient who was treated for prostate adenocarcinoma with radical radiation therapy combined with androgen deprivation therapy for one year and then about 6 years after initial therapy he was successfully treated with adjuvant salvage brachytherapy because of local carcinoma recurrence. In addition to certain recommendations for the implementation of this therapy which we proposed in the following text, we certainly recommend a personalized medical approach in such cases.

Nikola Kolarović, Perica Jockić, Predrag Petrašinović, Vesna Libek, Vuk Aleksić

01.01.2023.

Case Report

Delayed epidural hematoma of posterior cranial fossa

We present a 51-year-old patient who sustained multiple brain injuries after falling from a height of 5 meters. The patient was treated conservatively with barbiturate sedation, antiedematous and other supportive therapy. He recovered well. However, fifteen days after injury control, a brain-computer tomography (CT) scan revealed a posterior cranial fossa epidural hematoma on the right side, without signs of brain compression and midline shift. Since the patient was in good condition, without complaints, and with normal neurological findings, and since de novo hematoma didn’t show signs of brain compression, he was observed for a few days and discharged from the hospital in good condition. According to the literature, and which is in our case, occipital bone fracture, antiedematous therapy, and sedation are risk factors for delayed posterior fossa epidural hematoma occurrence after traumatic brain injury, so in similar circumstances, we suggest more frequent control brain CT scans. The most common localization of the epidural hematoma is in the temporal region due to middle meningeal artery injury in temporal bone fractures. Other localizations of epidural hematomas are rare. Posterior cranial fossa epidural hematomas are exceedingly uncommon findings. Also, most epidural hematomas have an acute clinical picture, and delayed epidural hematomas are atypical. So, delayed posterior cranial fossa epidural hematomas are unique findings with an incidence of less than 0.1% of all epidural hematomas.

Milenko Stanić, Lidija Mikić, Sofija Marković, Kristina Krstić, Marina Stojić, Aleksandra Živković, Vuk Aleksić

01.01.2023.

Seminars

Histological techniques: Immunocytochemical staining

The aim of this seminar is to present the basic methodologies of immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical staining, prerequisites for success in their performance and the practical importance of their application in routine practice. The main difference between ICC and IHC is that IHC is performed on tissue without destroying the histological architecture and it is possible to analyze the expression of molecules in the microenvironment as well. Immunochemical staining is a powerful technique routinely used to detect, localize, and quantify (quantify) cellular macromolecules in preserved tissues. Regardless of the specific method used, the first step of this technique is always the selective binding of the primary antibody to its specific antigen. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a method used to determine the expression of biomarkers in tissue. It is used for research and diagnostic purposes in pathology and core branches of medicine.

Dimitrije Milenkovic, Vanja Stanojevic, Biljana Drobac

Partners