Introduction. Acute otitis media is a very common disease in the early childhood age, with typical symptoms such as otalgia and fever. Otogenic complications are divided into extracranial and intracranial. Although the introduction of antibiotics has significantly reduced the incidence of intracranial complications, they are still present. Clinical picture usually develops fast, with the predominance of neurologic symptoms. Case outline. An 11-year-old boy was admitted to a tertiary health care children?s hospital because of fever, agitation, altered behavior and disorder of consciousness. Based on the anamnesis, clinical examination, CT, MRI, and lumbar puncture, it has been established that it is a case of meningoencephalitis as complications of acute otitis media. Besides intense antibiotic and symptomatic therapy, surgical treatment too was conducted as well. Firstly, mastoidectomy with the implantation of ventilation tube was done, followed by radical tympanomastoidectomy, because there was no improvement. The treatment was followed by numerous complications, such as toxic hepatitis, mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, and hemolytic anemia. The treatment lasted for 71 days, and the patient was discharged from the hospital in a good general condition, without the focal motor failure. Conclusion. Meningoencephalitis is unusual and rare complication of acute otitis media that requires urgent diagnostic procedure and multidisciplinary approach to the treatment. Surgical treatment of the ear that caused complications should not be postponed, and the choice of surgical method must be adapted to each patient individually. Hospital treatment of these patients is often prolonged and auditory and neurological sequelae are substantial and require long-term treatment.

Background/Aim. The protective effect of periconceptional folic acid supplementation in reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) and other adverse pregnancy outcomes has been scientifically confirmed. The present study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) of community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with regards to counselling women of reproductive age on adequate folate intake. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted among the nationwide stratified sample of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, practicing in both private and state-owned community pharmacies in Serbia. The detailed literature review, expert consultation and pre-testing were employed in the questionnaire development. The descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software ver. 22. Results. Among 730 survey participants, 96.6% correctly identified types of deformities that could be prevented by folic acid and 77.0% recognized recommended dosage for women capable of becoming pregnant. However, fewer were able to recognize the optimal timing for folic acid supplementation (61.1%) and the proper dose for the NTD recurrence prevention (42.9 %). While 43.2% of pharmacy technicians thought that it was not their responsibility to provide a counselling concerning the measures for the prevention of congenital anomalies, only 4.7% of licensed pharmacists and none of the interns were of that opinion (?2 = 198.287; df = 4; p < 0.001). The majority of respondents (54.7%) reported provision of informative consultation concerning folic acid once a week, or few times a month, while only 10 stated to do so on a daily basis. In addition, based on self-report, only 36.7% of participants communicates information and advice regarding adequate folate status at their own initiative, while the rest addresses this topic only on the patients request, i.e., reactively. Conclusion. Although participants acknowledged the importance of their role in preconception health promotion, our findings revealed certain knowledge gaps as well as dominantly reactive counselling practice. Tailored educational interventions and professional support are needed to improve the engagement of community pharmacy personnel in this area of public health.

Background/Aim. Valid and reliable instruments were emphasized in the studies of pharmacotherapy literacy which is the capacity to obtain, evaluate, calculate, and comprehend basic information about pharmacotherapy and actions necessary to make appropriate medication-related decisions. The aims of this study were: to develop an instrument for assessment of pharmacotherapy health literacy among parents of pre-school children in Serbia (PTHL-SR) and to evaluate psychometric properties. Methods. This study was a four-stage methodological one, conducted from November 2015 to October 2016. The instrument content was established through qualitative and quantitative expert reviews in the first and second phase. Experts had to answer about the clarity and relevance of questions. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and index (CVI) were calculated based on the necessity and relevance of questions. Third phase was pre-testing of initial instrument to assess comprehensibility of questions. In the fourth phase, 300 parents completed questionnaire at several kindergartens in Belgrade, to determine questionnaire?s reliability through internal consistency, using the Cronbach?s alpha coefficient and correlation between classes. Results. The 14-items questionnaire was developed (initial PTHL-SR) and pre-tested on a pilot sample. It had 4 groups of questions about knowledge, understanding, numerical skills and access to medicines-related information. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR = 0.875) was significant and adequate (Lawshe CVR8 = 0.780). Conclusion. PTHL-SR is a reliable instrument for assessment of pharmacotherapy literacy among parents of pre-school children in Serbia and can be used for the evaluation of understanding, calculating and accessing medicines-related information.

The rapid pace of change continues to be a hallmark in cardiovascular medicine and many see that pace accelerating in adult cardiovascular medicine as well as in paediatric cardiology medicine. Cardiovascular medicine is an area of clinical practice with a continually rapid expansion of knowledge, guidelines, best practices and new technology. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world and cause major costs for the health sector and economy. Primary care clinicians are challenged to optimally manage a multitude of diseases including congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, valvular diseases, arrhythmias, lipid disorders, and hypertension. Multimodality imaging techniques are being used more frequently as their utility is better appreciated. Echocardiography has been the mainstay approach, cardiac computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging provide a good imaging alternative for patients with multiple complex surgeries. 3D printing has seen a rapid growth in use for planning treatments for patients with congenital heart disease. Simulation using 3D models is emerging as a fundamental resource for teaching procedural techniques and a new standard of care. Artificial intelligence holds the greatest potential for revolutionizing medicine. Innovative technologies in the world of cardiovascular health are expanding every day: wearable computing technologies, bioresorbable stents, leadless pacemaker, valve-in-valve procedure, protein patch for heart muscle growth and others. As a part of lifelong learning process for all professionals in cardiovascular medicine, the imperative is to have continuity of reviewing novelties, with results data from numerous researches in order to treat patient according to best practices and evidence-based medicine.