Background/Aim. The era of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimen in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) started in 2011. The aim of this study was to assess the antiviral efficacy and safety of DAA regimen, ombitasvir (OBV)/paritaprevir (PTV)/ritonavir (r) + dasabuvir (DSV) + ribavirin (RBV), in patients with chronic HCV infection, genotype 1. Methods. The real-life data were collected. The study was multicentric and included seven infectious diseases and hepatology departments in Serbia. A total of 21 patients were enrolled in the OBV/PTV/r + DSV + RBV early access program, 20 of which were previously treated with pegylated interferon + RBV, while 1 was treatment-naive. All patients received the adequate doses of these antiviral drugs. RBV was not given to the patients with HCV genotype 1b infection according to the therapeutic protocol. For the majority of patient, the treatment duration lasted for 12 weeks. For the patients with liver cirrhosis, who were infected with HCV genotype 1a, the duration of treatment was 24 weeks. Viremia was assessed at four points in time: at baseline, 4 weeks after the treatment beginning (rapid viral response, RVR), 12 or 24 weeks after the treatment beginning (end of treatment response ? ETR) and 12 weeks after the end of treatment (sustained viral response ? SVR). SVR, as a confirmation of the absence of HCV was considered as endpoint of successful treatment. Results. Complete RVR, ETR and SVR were achieved in 64.71%, 85.71% and 95.24% of the patients, respectively. Only 3 patients had mild adverse effects which did not required dose reduction. Conclusion. The treatment of the patients with a chronic HCV infection with OBV/PTV/r + DSV + RBV resulted in excellent antiviral activity and tolerability.

Background/Aim. Drug utilisation monitoring could identify drug-related problems and hence improve the awareness of irrational drug use. The objective of this study was to analyse the drug utilisation patterns in a rehabilitation hospital over the period 2011?2016. Methods. The Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical classification/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology was used to monitor the drug utilisation expressed as a number of DDD per 100 patient-days (HPD). The values of DDDs were obtained from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology. Utilisation trends were analysed by means of the Compound Aggregate Growth Rate (CAGR), which is defined as an average annual change rate of some value during the period of interest. Results. The number of patient-days increased during the six years period; the CAGR being1.8% annually. At the same time, the total number of dispensed DDDs as well as the number of DDD/HPD decreased with the CAGR of -2.0% and -3.7% respectively. The average drug cost per patient-day varied from BAM 1.38 in 2013 to 0.95 in 2016; the CAGR being -1.8%. The most utilised drugs belonged to the ATC groups C, A, B, M and N and they contributed to an average of 77% of all drugs used each year. On the top of the list of most utilised drugs were: hydroxocobalamin, thioctic acid, enalapril, diclofenac, amlodipine, acetylsalicylic acid, pantoprazole, paracetamol and bromazepam. Conclusions. The overall drug utilisation in the hospital was modest and almost equal in 2016 compared to 2011. Besides the leading consumption of vitamin B12 and thioctic acid, this study points out some interesting prescribing patterns, such as predominant use of diclofenac over ibuprofen, and overuse of proton pump inhibitors. There is a need for educative interventions among physicians in order to improve their prescribing practice.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the antiviral efficacy and safety of the direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in therapy of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods: This real-life multi-centric study was performed at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, University Clinical Centre of the Republic of Srpska, Banja Luka and it included a total of 89 patients. All patients received the adequate doses of ombitasvir (OBV)/ paritaprevir (PTV)/ritonavir (RTV) + dasabuvir (DSV) plus ribavirin (RBV). RBV was given to all patients except to those with HCV sub-genotype 1b. DSV was not administered to patients infected with HCV genotype 4. For the majority of patients the treatment duration was 12 weeks. For ten patients with liver cirrhosis the duration of treatment was 24 weeks. Viraemia was assessed at three points in time: at baseline, 12 or 24 weeks after the beginning of treatment (end of treatment response ETR), and 12 weeks after the end of treatment (sustained viral response SVR). Results: Complete ETR after 12 weeks of treatment was achieved in 79 patients, while in 10 high-risk patients it was achieved after 24 weeks of treatment. Full SVR was recorded in 88 patients 12 weeks after the end of treatment. This therapy was well tolerated and mild adverse effects were recorded in only 10 patients. Conclusion: Treatment of patients with chronic HCV infection with OBV/PTV/ RTV+ DSV + RBV resulted in excellent antiviral activity and mild adverse events.

The introduction of the Bologna process to European universities has stimulated the movement of students. The aim of this study was to analyse the students' motivation to learn and use English, and to explore their attitudes to using English as a lingua franca (ELF), as well as their ELF identity while studying abroad.

The purpose of the study is to defining and assessment of the impact of the determinants affecting the development of entrepreneurship in Vojvodina’s sustainable tourism. The empirical part of the study was conducted using the Survey method. The basic research instrument was a questionnaire. Its construct was based on the factor models of entrepreneurship, amended and adapted with item entries which can be deemed correspondent with particularities of the tourism environment of the AP of Vojvodina. The results indicate that the factors of Education and Partnership are the determinants with the strongest influence on the development of entrepreneurship in Vojvodina’s sustainable tourism. Factors such as education and partnership are rated with the highest impact. Partnership, education, and cooperation between all interested stakeholders are a prerequisite for sustainable tourism in Vojvodina. © 2019 EA. All rights reserved.

Purpose –Regional and local governments have recognized the importance of tourism for the regional economy, especially when it comes to budget revenues and expenditures. Efficiency is crucial for making sure beneficiaries receive the best-possible services in a given tourist destination. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of regional government expenditures in 20 Croatian counties in the 2011-2016 period. Methodology – A data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied to analyze the efficiency of regional government expenditures in smart tourist destinations. This is a non-parametric linear programming method for assessing the efficiency and productivity of decision-making units. For the purpose of this empirical investigation, 20 Croatian counties were observed, along with their average budget expenditures, in the 2011-2016 period. Findings – The results of the empirical analysis showed that there are an equal number of coastal and inland Croatian counties when it comes to regional government expenditure efficiency. This is interesting to mention, since more international tourists are gravitating towards smart tourist destinations located on the Croatian coastline, especially in the summer season. The results may provide regional and local governments with more information on the concept of “smartness” when it comes to tourist destinations, and their potential for sustainable development and economic growth. Contribution – This paper provides an empirical analysis on the efficiency of regional government expenditures in 20 Croatian counties in the 2011-2016 period. Its theoretical contribution consists of presenting the “smartness” concept and its importance for tourist destinations.