Background/Aim. Mental health of university students is under increasing concern worldwide, because they face challenges which predisposes them to depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to identify demographic and socioeconomic variables associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students. Methods. This cross-sectional study on 1,940 university students was performed using a questionnaire including demographic and socioeconomic variables, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in students was 23.6%, while the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 33.5%. The depressive symptoms were significantly related to the study year (p = 0.002), type of faculty (p = 0.014), satisfaction with college major choice (p < 0.001), satisfaction with grade point average (p < 0.001). Female students (odds ratio - OR = 1.791, 95% confidence interval - CI = 1.351-2.374), older students (OR = 1.110, 95% CI = 1.051-1.172), students who reported low family economic situation (OR = 2.091, 95% CI = 1.383-3.162), not owning the room (OR = 1.512, 95% CI = 1.103-2.074), dissatisfaction with graduate education (OR = 1.537, 95% CI = 1.165-2.027) were more likely to show depressive symptoms. The anxiety symptoms were significantly related to study year (p = 0.034), type of faculty (p < 0.001), family economic situation (p = 0.011), college residence (p = 0.001) satisfaction with the college major choice (p = 0.001), and satisfaction with graduate education (p < 0.001). Female students (OR = 1.901, 95% CI = 1.490-2.425), and students who reported parents high expectations of academic success (OR = 1.290, 95% CI = 1.022-1.630) were more likely to show anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. This is one of the largest study examining mental disorders in a sample of university students in Serbia. These findings underscore the importance of early detections of mental problems and prevention interventions in university students.

Background/Aim: Analysis of the agreement between admission diagnostic groups and discharge diagnostic groups of patients in the Clinical Centre in Kragujevac in the period from 01/01/2006 to 31/12/2013 on the basis of the hospitalization report. Methods: From the basic set of reports, 5% of random samples are singled out and they contained 20.422 reports. Out of the given number of reports, 18.173 hospitalization reports were complete and they have been further analyzed in the paper. Admission diagnostic groups given by a primary care doctor are compared with the discharge diagnostic groups filled out by a practicing physician in the hospital ward from which a patient is discharged. The agreement of these two diagnostic groups represents an indication of the high-quality performance of the primary care doctor. Agreement analysis is conducted using Cohen’s Kappa statistic. Results: Agreement analysis shows that the values of the Kappa coefficient for the five leading admission diagnostic groups are in the range of k=0.61 to k=0.94. The value of the Kappa coefficient for the five most common discharge diagnostic groups is in the range of k=0.55 to k=0.81. Conclusion: Hospitalization report is a reliable individual report on inpatient care and it can be used in determining the degree of agreement between the admission diagnostic groups and discharge diagnostic groups.

Background/Aim. Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder which affects approximately 7% of the world?s older population. This study aimed at examining the prevalence of depression among older adults and its relations to chronic illnesses. Methods. Study was con-ducted within the National Health Survey of the Serbian population in 2013. The questionnaires used as instruments in this study were created in accordance with the questionnaires of the European Health Interview Survey ? Second Wave. The Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) was used to evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms. The relations between depression symptoms (a de-pendent variable) and a set of independent variables were examined with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results. The study showed that there was a 10.0% prevalence of depression within this population with statistically significant differences between the genders ? 12.6% of women and 6.5% of men. The multivariate analysis revealed that multimorbidity [odds ratio (OR) = 1.89], chronic pain (OR = 2.35) and self-evaluations of poor health (OR = 8.37) were strongly associated to depression. In terms of individual chronic illnesses, the study showed that strokes double the odds of developing depression (OR = 1.82) while the deformities of lower spine increased this odds by 27%. Conclusion. Depression is very frequent in older persons who suffer from chronic diseases and medical conditions. It is crucial to enable ad-equate screening in primary healthcare institutions in order to diagnose depression in its early stages and start its treatment as soon as possible.

Background/Aim. Depression and anxiety problems are a major public health concern due to their high prevalence rates, difficult treatment, and often chronic course. This study examined the impact of somatic symptoms on depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students in Serbia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed among 1,940 students using a questionnaire specially designed for this study which included presence of Somatic and Non-specific Mental Symptoms (SNMS), Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. The presence of somatic and associated non-specific mental symptoms over the last six months served as the basis for creating a new variable called SNMS score. Results. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the SNMS score might be a very good marker for the distinction of students with or without depressive symptoms (area = 0.754, p < 0.05). The threshold value was 8.50 (sensitivity 67.6%, specificity 69.4%). Binary logistic regression showed that Odds ratio was 1.052 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.045?1.059], which means that an increase in the value of the SNMS score by 1 increases the risk of depressive symptoms by 5.2%. ROC curve showed that the SNMS score might be an excellent marker for the distinction of students with or without anxiety symptoms (area = 0.800, p < 0.05). Limit value (cut-off) was 7.50 (sensitivity 74.2%, specificity 71.6%). Binary logistic regression showed that odds ratio was 1.056 (95% CI 1.049?1.064), which means that increasing the value of SNMS score by 1 increases the risk of anxiety symptoms by 5.6%. Conclusion. The SNMS score might be a state marker for the screening and distinction of students with depressive symptoms, and excellent state marker for screening and making distinction between students with anxiety symptoms and the students who do not have these symptoms.

Bearing in mind that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is associated with a wide range of laboratory abnormalities, the aim of this study was to examine the importance of determining the parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant protection as well as markers of inflammation and hemostasis in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The study population included 105 patients with severe COVID-19 and 65 healthy control subjects. The parameters of oxidative stress and the activity of enzymes of the antioxidant system were determined from the obtained samples using spectrophotometric methods. Standard laboratory methods were performed for the determination of the biochemical and hematological parameters. Patients with COVID-19 showed a significantly higher level of pro-oxidative parameters (hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and the index of lipid peroxidation in the form of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARSs)) and a significantly lower activity of the antioxidant system (catalase (CAT)). Patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher values of inflammation parameters (C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), ratio of the number of neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR), and ratio of the number of platelets to lymphocytes (PLR)) and parameters of hemostasis (activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT), D-dimer, fibrinogen) than the control healthy subjects. In addition, changes in hemostatic parameters correlated positively with inflammatory markers in the group of patients with COVID-19. The early determination of hemostasis parameters and the parameters of inflammation can help in the prediction of poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Several studies indicate the impact of antipsychotics like risperidone and paliperidone on oxidative stress parameters, yet data remain inconsistent. We investigated the link between these medications, hyperprolactinemia (HPRL), and oxidative stress. This study was conducted at the Psychiatry Clinic, University Clinical Center, Kragujevac, between November 2022 and August 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised diagnosed psychotic disorders from the ICD-10-based F20-F29 spectrum and clinical stability on risperidone/paliperidone for ≥12 weeks with no recent dose adjustments. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, breastfeeding, relevant medical conditions, or co-therapy with prolactin-secreting drugs. Data encompassed drug choice, administration method, therapy duration, and daily dose. Prolactin (PRL) levels, oxidative stress parameters (TBARS, H₂O₂, O₂⁻, NO₂⁻), and antioxidant system (CAT, GSH, SOD) were assessed. Of 155 subjects, women exhibited significantly higher PRL levels (p < 0.001) and symptomatic HPRL (p < 0.001). Drug choice and regimen significantly influenced TBARS (p < 0.001), NO₂⁻ (p < 0.001), O₂⁻ (p = 0.002), CAT (p = 0.04), and GSH (p < 0.001) levels. NO₂⁻ levels were affected by drug dose (p = 0.038). TBARS (p < 0.001), O₂⁻ (p < 0.001), and SOD (p = 0.022) inversely correlated with PRL levels, suggesting PRL’s protective role against oxidative stress. The female sex association with higher PRL levels implies additional factors influencing PRL’s antioxidant role. Antipsychotic choice and dosage impact PRL and oxidative stress markers, necessitating further exploration.