Background and objectives: Persistent infection with carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer. The study explored students’ knowledge about cervical cancer and awareness of human papillomavirus and the HPV vaccine. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was carried out among 1616 first-year female college students at the University of Niš. It examined socio-demographic characteristics, measured the score of knowledge about cervical cancer, assessed awareness regarding HPV and the HPV vaccine and inquired about the source of information about cervical cancer and HPV. Results: The average cervical cancer knowledge score was 16.35 ± 7.92 (min 0, max 30), with medical professional education, parents’ education level, place of residence and relationship status having significant effects on the score. The awareness about HPV and the HPV vaccine was low, with only 14.2% of students having heard about both HPV and its vaccine. The most commonly reported sources of information were the media, while the most competent one was organized health education. Conclusions: Health promotion campaigns and educational programs are necessary in order to reduce cervical cancer burden and should be directed particularly towards those who have demonstrated low cervical cancer knowledge and low awareness regarding HPV and its vaccine.

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis (RVVC) represents a major health problem that significantly affects a patient’s quality of life (QoL). This infection presents with a plethora of clinical manifestation, and this is the first study that carries out a cluster analysis of these signs and symptoms (SS). The goals are to evaluate the distribution of species causing RVVC, their in-vitro susceptibility to antifungals, and the patient’s QoL. Additionally, the clinical characteristics are analyzed using cluster analysis. Prospective analysis of data was performed for women diagnosed with RVVC in the period from January 2016 to December 2019 based on the analysis of data from a single-center’s records. The standard mycological methods and antifungal susceptibility testing were done. Clinical characteristics and QoL were examined by appropriate questions. The cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of SS. A total of 320 women were diagnosed. The dominant species was Candida (C.) albicans. Non-albicans Candida (NAC) yeast was found in 24.4%, and the most common was C. glabrata. Interestingly, Saccharomyces (S.) cerevisiae was detected in 2%. All of the isolated species, except C. parapsilosis and C. kefyr, demonstrated reduced susceptibility to antifungals. We confirmed the emergence of the NAC species and S. cerevisiae with reduced susceptibility to antifungals. Cluster analysis represented by a dendrogram revealed three SS clusters: irritation, uncommon, and discharge, but further studies are needed to examine the relationship between clusters, Candida strains, and outcomes.

Dirofilariasis is a mosquito-borne zoonosis caused by several species of the genus Dirofilaria. This disease can manifest as nodular lesions in subcutaneous tissues, various structures of the eye, the lungs and/or visceral organs. The Dirofilaria species and the vectors responsible for transmitting infection differ among various geographical regions. The most competent reservoirs of infection are domestic and wild canids (for Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis), raccoons (for Dirofilaria tenuis) and bears (for Dirofilaria ursi), and humans represent aberrant or accidental hosts. Recently, there has been an increasing number of reported clinical cases of dirofilariasis in both animals and humans. It is known that changes in climatic conditions, including increased temperature, relative humidity and rainfall, can contribute to favorable conditions for the development of mosquitoes and larval stages of filarial parasites within the vector. Despite advances in our knowledge of nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria and the pathological changes that they can induce in different hosts, many clinicians are unfamiliar with dirofilariasis. Thus, in clinical settings, nodules associated with dirofilariasis are often misdiagnosed as neoplastic lesions. Often, physicians surgically excise such nodules from affected patients, sometimes in very sensitive or difficult-to-reach anatomical locations, which may be accompanied by complications or serious consequences for the patients' health, including a stressful experience in the period from the discovery of a nodule to a definitive diagnosis.