Urinary incontinence (UI) is a growing global health problem that affects both women and men of all ages and can seriously negatively impact quality of life. Healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes significantly influence UI prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. However, there is a notable lack of research exploring healthcare students’ understanding and perceptions of UI. In many countries, they, as future healthcare professionals, must also have continence care competency before graduation. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare students toward UI. The study was designed as an observational, analytical, and comparative cross-sectional with 378 healthcare students in Serbia during the winter semester of the 2023/2024 academic year. A general questionnaire for obtaining sociodemographic data, the Urinary Incontinence Knowledge Scale (UIKS) and the Urinary Incontinence Attitude Scale (UIAS) were used as students’ report measures. Kuder-Richardson Coefficient (K-R 20) showed high reliability of the UIKS at 0.83, while Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.62 for the UIAS. The UIKS score was 16.6 ± 3.9/30. Healthcare students achieved the highest score in the domain of knowledge about the impact of UI on quality of life and the lowest in the domain of UI control. There is a significant difference in students’ knowledge level concerning the study program and whether they had a course focusing on UI. The UIAS score was 45.1 ± 4.6/60, indicating a positive attitude to UI. A statistically significant positive but weak correlation was obtained between knowledge and student attitudes about UI. The study findings highlight a concerning gap in understanding UI among healthcare students despite their pivotal role as future healthcare professionals and underscore the urgent need for comprehensive educational strategies to bridge the knowledge gap and foster more positive attitudes toward UI and their implementation in clinical practice to improve patient health outcomes.

Background/Aim. Depression, as a common comorbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), has been found to affect the disease diagnosis and treatment response. Accordingly, the aim of the study was to investigate the occurrence of depressive symptoms among patients with RA and the association between RA and depression. Methods. The cross-sectional study included 69 patients with RA. The depressive symptoms in patients with RA were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and RA activity was measured by Disease Activity Score-28 for RA with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and Clinical Dis-ease Activity Index (CDAI). Results. It was found that 42% of respondents reported having depressive symptoms of different severity, among which the majority (23.2%) presented with mild symptoms. A mild positive correlation was found between the BDI and the DAS28-ESR (r = 0.39 p = 0.001), as well as between the BDI and the CDAI (r = 0.40 p = 0.001). Place of residence (t = -2.14 p = 0.03) and employment status (t = -2.81 p = 0.00) associated with depressive symptoms were also found to have statistically significant differences within the group of respondents. In addition, age had a positive correlation with the disease activity, as well as the place of residence and employment status. Conclusion. It has been observed that depressive symptoms in patients with RA were associated with disease activity, employment status, and place of residence. Therefore, there is an important need for integrating rheumatologic and mental health services for future research toward a better understanding of both depression and RA.

Children with developmental disabilities (DD) require early and coordinated services, yet parents often face obstacles in accessing adequate support. This study examined parents’ experiences with early intervention in Serbia to identify barriers, supports, and context-specific challenges. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 parents of children aged ≤ 6 years. Interviews (30–50 min) were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed in line with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies. Seven themes emerged: recognition of concerns, first steps in seeking help, complexity of procedures, information gaps, emotional and practical challenges, collaboration with professionals, and recommendations for improvement. Parents typically noticed developmental delays, especially in language and motor skills, by age two but encountered lengthy and fragmented referral pathways, long waiting lists, and insufficient guidance. Parents emphasized the value of empathetic professionals and peer networks while also reporting stigma and social isolation. This study contributes new evidence on how structural barriers and cultural attitudes in Serbia shape families’ access to early intervention. Findings highlight the need for streamlined referral systems, transparent and accessible information for families, and interdisciplinary training for professionals. Addressing these issues could reduce delays, alleviate parental stress, and promote better developmental outcomes for children with DD.

Introduction. The use of propylthiouracil can be associated with mild adverse reactions, but severe complications such as agranulocytosis and vasculitis can also be seen. Direct toxicity and immune-mediated induction of anti-neutrophile cytoplasmic antibodies have been described as possible mechanisms responsible for agranulocytosis. The majority of vasculitis is antimyeloperoxidase antibodies associated, but the exact mechanism for anti-neutrophile cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis as an adverse effect of propylthiouracil treatment is still unclear. Case report. We presented a 61-year-old female patient with Graves? disease who experienced a fever and throat pain two weeks after propylthiouracil therapy was initiated. Agranulocytosis alongside basal left-sided pneumonia was noted. Propylthiouracil was discontinued, and the treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics was started, as well as Lugol?s solution, methylprednisolone, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. Further course of treatment was complicated by the occurrence of a generalized erythematous-papillomatous rash. The patient was diagnosed with agranulocytosis and antimyeloperoxidase, anti-neutrophile cytoplasmic antibodies positive vasculitis as an adverse effect of propylthiouracil. Conclusion. Patients presenting with concomitant agranulocytosis and anti-neutrophile cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis as a complication of propylthiouracil therapy for Graves? disease are rare in clinical practice. Prompt discontinuation of the antithyroid drug is of great importance to reduce damage to target organs. Similarities in the pathogenesis of both conditions could be the potential explanation for these two adverse events occurring at the same time, which points out the need for a deeper understanding of this topic.

Inflammation, as one of the common factors contributing to erythropoietin treatment resistance, is lately being assessed by using new markers of inflammation, which are platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Their association with this therapy has not been fully investigated. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship between PLR, NLR and erythropoietin therapy responsiveness. Methods: A cross sectional study included 90 hemodialysis patients who underwent physical examination, biochemical analysis and calculation of erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness index (EHRI). Results: It is shown that EHRI has a statistically significant positive correlation with PLR (p < 0.01) and negative correlation with hemoglobin levels (p < 0.01). Significant differences for logarithmically converted EHRI and PLR (p < 0.05) have been found but not for EHRI and NLR (p=0.13). Conclusion: 4 PLR, together with NLR could be used in assessing not only inflammation, but also erythropoietin resistance in hemodialysis patients.