Introduction. Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory lesion of peri-implant tissues. Eradication of the causative bacteria and decontamination of the implant surface is essential in achieving predictable and stabile clinical results. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is non-invasive adjuvant therapeutic method to surgery in the treatment of bacterial infection. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate early clinical and microbiological outcomes of periimplantitis after surgical therapy with adjuvant PDT. Methods. Fifty-two diagnosed peri-implantitis sites were divided into two groups. PDT was used for decontamination of implant surface in the study group; in the control group, chlorhexidine gel (CHX) followed by saline irrigation was applied. Several clinical parameters were recorded before the treatment (baseline values) and three months after surgical treatment. Samples for microbiological identification were collected before therapy, during the surgical therapy (before and after decontamination of implant surface), and three months thereafter, and analyzed with identification systems using biochemical analysis. Results. The use of PDT resulted in significant decrease of bleeding on probing in comparison to CHX (p < 0.001). It showed significant decontamination of implant surfaces with complete elimination of anaerobic bacteria immediately after surgical procedure and three months later. Conclusion. The results indicate that PDT can be used as an adjuvant therapy to surgery for decontamination of implant surface and surrounding peri-implant tissues within the treatment of peri-implantitis.

The genetic context of the bla _NDM-1 gene in the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa MMA83 was investigated. Sequencing of the cosmid selected for the bla _NDM-1 gene revealed the presence of two bla _NDM-1 copies in the genome of P. aeruginosa MMA83 in a unique genetic environment. Additionally, mating assays, DNA-DNA hybridization, and an S1 nuclease assay strongly suggest that the bla _NDM-1 gene in P. aeruginosa MMA83 is chromosome borne.

The aim of this study was to characterize a collection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates of human and animal origin from Serbia. In total, 36 MRSA isolates—30 obtained from humans and six from companion animals—were investigated by PCR for the presence of antibiotic and biocide resistance determinants and virulence genes (PVL—Panton–Valentine leukocidin, ETs—exfoliative toxins, TSST—toxic shock syndrome toxin, SEs—staphylococcal enterotoxins, and MSCRAMMs—microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules and biofilm). Isolates were analyzed by staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), spa, and dru typing, as well as by multiple locus variable number of tandem repeat analyses (MLVA), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and subsequently, eBURST. The majority of human MRSA isolates were resistant to gentamicin, erythromycin, clindamycin, and ciprofloxacin. Different antibiotic resistance genes were detected: aac-aphD, ant(6′)-Ia, erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), tet(K), tet(M), fexA, and cat_pC221. All isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin and linezolid. SCCmec type III was prevalent in human isolates, while SCCmec elements in animals were mostly nontypeable. t037 was the predominant spa type in human and t242 in animal MRSA isolates. The prevalent dru type was dt11c in human and dt10a in animal MRSA isolates. MRSA isolates exhibited 27 different MLVA types. ST239 was predominant in human, while ST5 was prevalent in canine MRSA isolates. PVL was found in two, while tsst-1 was detected in three human isolates. Human-associated clones belonging to ST5, ST45, and ST239 MRSA clones were discovered in companion animals, which suggests anthropozoonotic transmission.

This ecological study is the largest to date examining the association between rates of antibiotic use (AU) and hospital-onset (HO) Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in a tertiary university hospital in Serbia. There was no clear trend in the incidence of HO-CDI over time. Total utilization of antibacterials for systemic use increased from 38.57 DDD/100 bed-days (BD) in 2011 to 56.39 DDD/100 BD in 2021. The most commonly used antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins, especially ceftriaxone, with maximum consumption in 2021 (19.14 DDD/100 BD). The share of the Access group in the total utilization of antibiotics ranged from 29.95% to 42.96% during the observed period. The utilization of the Reserve group of antibiotics indicated a statistically significant increasing trend (p = 0.034). A statistically significant difference in the consumption of medium-risk antibiotics from 2011 to 2021 was shown for penicillins and a combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. The consumption of cefotaxime showed a statistically significant negative association with the rate of HO-CDI (r = −0.647; p = 0.031). Ampicillin and the combination of amoxicilline with clavulanic acid have shown a negative statistically significant correlation with the ID of HO-CDI (r = −0.773 and r = −0.821, respectively). Moreover, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between consumption of “medium-risk antibiotics” and the rate of HO-CDI (r = −0.677). The next challenging step for the hospital multidisciplinary team for antimicrobials is to modify the antibiotic list according to the Access, Watch, and Reserve classification, in such a way that at least 60% of the AU should be from the Access group, according to the World Health Organization recommendation.

The long-term use of antifungal therapy in denture stomatitis (DS) treatment could be accompanied by antifungal-resistant strain onset, leading to compromised therapeutic procedure and disease reappearance. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown the ability to eradicate oral infections and resistance strains. This prospective clinical study aimed to assess the PDT's effectiveness compared to the conventional treatment on clinical and microbiological parameters in patients with DS without denture wear during the treatment and follow-ups. Forty-two patients diagnosed with DS were randomly assigned to one-session single PDT application (test group) or conventional antifungal therapy (control group). Clinical and microbiological parameters were assessed and analyzed before and at 3rd, 15th, and 30th day following the treatments. Microbiological samples were analyzed by a Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The data was statistically analyzed. Prior to the treatment, Candida species, including C. albicans (100%), C. glabrata (33%), C. tropicalis (31%), C. krusei (31%) were isolated in all patients. Both treatment procedures demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in C. albicans at all follow-up time intervals (p < 0.05). However, PDT displayed a statistically significant reduction in C. krusei compared to the conventional treatment at all follow-up periods (p < 0.05). Clinical parameters improved considerably in the test group compared to the control group at the 3rd and 15th day of follow-up. One-session single PDT application demonstrated significant improvement in both clinical and microbiological outcomes in a short-term period, resulting in complete Candida spp. eradication compared to conventional antifungal therapy.

Fear of needles can significantly limit professional and social functioning of a person, and is highly prevalent in general population (4%). The aim of our study was to reveal risk factors that are associated with fear of needles among healthy university students of medicine and pharmacy. The study was of a cross-sectional type. In total, 301 students of medicine or pharmacy (82% female and 18% male) attending from 1st to 5th year of study were surveyed at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. The students were surveyed using a questionnaires (scales) for assessing the fear of needless, a visual analog scale for self-assessment intensity of the fear of needless, and a general questionnaire with questions about socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. Using a score on the scales as out-come variables, multiple regressions were employed to reveal factors that may influence the fear of needles. Average values of Blood/Injection Fear Scale, Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety and Medical Avoidance Survey scores were 7.89 ± 9.48, 4.46 ± 5.18 and 89.95 ± 12.73, respectively. The following factors affected significantly the score of the scales: course of study, chronic disease in the family, fear of a dentist, smell of the room phobia, sound phobia, score on the Beck’s anxiety scale and fear of a situation when medical staff give an injection. The presence of chronic disease in the family was a protective factor, while the other six factors were contributing to the fear of needles. Fear of needles is more prevalent among the students of pharmacy than among the students of medicine. It is less frequent among students with chronic disease in their family, while fear of dentist, smell of the room phobia, sound phobia, general anxiety and fear from the situation when medical staff give an injection are all factors that predispose students of medicine or pharmacy to develop fear of needles.