Congenital anomalies are the cause of 20.0-25.0% of cases of perinatal death, while 3.0% of children are born with malformations of varying size. We examined the predictive values and defined the credibility ratio of the combined test results. Sensitivity of the test is 94.0%, and specificity is 99.0%. The positive likelihood ratio [likelihood ratio test (LR+)] is 94.00; a negative likelihood ratio [likelihood ratio test (LR-)] is 0.06. The pretest probability that pregnant women carry a fetus with chromosomal abnormality is 1:250. Posttest odds after the combined test to discover this abnormality are 0.3760, and probability of the same case is 0.2732 if it happens that the test result is positive. The result of our study confirms the justification of combined test usage in routine clinical practice, since the posttest odds rate in the case of a positive screening increases several times over (almost 90 times); the probability of detecting a chromosomal abnormality was about 70 times.

High prevalence of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents is seriuous problem of modern society. In order to prevent development of possible complications (cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus type 2) later in life, early recognition of children at risk for developing metabolic syndrome is of great importance. Previous differences in criteria for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents have been significantly decreased by new criteria issued by the International Diabetes Federation. From the aspect of prevention, key elements are proper nutrition and regular physical activity. In a view of treatment recommendations, initial steps should be regulation of energy balance in the diet and increase in physical activity; the drug treatment is reserved for patients with high risk of complications.

During the process of developing herbal drugs with antimicrobial action, one of the most important phases is testing of antimicrobial activity in vitro. The disk-diffusion method is performed in Petri dish, on solid feeding surface. The disks with definite concentrations of antibiotics, pure substances or plant extracts are placed on the top of feeding plates previously inoculated with pure bacterial culture. Growth of the bacterial culture depends on its susceptibility to a tested substance; if the substance has antibacterial effect, a clear zone free of bacteria will form around the disk. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the tested substance is determined by extrapolation of the regression line: concentration of the tested substance/radius or surface of area where growth of bacteria was inhibited. This method of testing microbial susceptibility to antibiotics, pure substances or plant extracts is highly sensitive and specific.

Primary psychiatric disorders are frequently associated with electrolyte disorders, which could be caused by medication. We performed a systematic review of the literature in order to discover published cases of electrolyte disorders associated with risperidone use. The databases Medline and Scopus were searched and 317 publications were retrieved containing the following keywords: risperidone, hyponatremia, hypernat remia, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia. We included in our review the following publication types: the original scientific research, case reports, review of literature and letters to the editor. Case reports and observational studies associating risperidone with hyponatremia or hypokalemia, as well as with hypocalcemia were found. In spite of sporadic case reports of risperidone induced electrolyte disorders, conflicting opinions and results of other studies quest ion the certainty of this association. Further research is necessary to confirm and enlighten the association between risperidone and electrolyte disorders.

Background: Quality of life assessment in patients with Multiple sclerosis (MS) is invaluable for a proper evaluation of disease severity, appropriate choice of therapy and monitoring of its effects. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life of patients with MS and to identify gender differences in examined outcome. Patients and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2010 to May 2011. The data were obtained by anonymous survey of 110 patients. Quality of life of the patients was measured by the instrument 'The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) - BREF'. Data on gender and age of patients, type of MS, the number of relapses during the last 2 years, current therapy, dose regimens of certain drugs, and the amount of money the patients spend each month for the purchase of drugs that are not issued at the expense of health insurance fund, were obtained using a distinct structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and Student's t-test for independent samples. Results: Of the total 110 interviewed patients, 70% (n = 77) were female and 30% (n = 33) male. There were no significant gender differences in the disease duration, number of relapses in the last two years and spending of more than 1000 RSD per month for purchase of drugs that were not issued at the expense of the health insurance fund. Significantly better quality of life was recorded in women than men (p = 0.031), mainly on account of differences in the assessment of the domain of 'Environment' (p = 0.025), as measured by WHOQOL-BREF scale. Conclusion: This study has shown that females tolerate difficulties caused by multiple sclerosis better than men, and also have a better quality of life than men with the same clinical form of the disease and identical symptoms, treated with the same therapy.