Background and Objectives: Smartphone use has been rapidly increasing worldwide, which has brought possible smartphone addiction into the focus of research. In order to identify potential smartphone addicts, several scales were developed to assess smartphone addiction. Among them, the Smartphone Addiction Scale was frequently used. The study aimed to test the reliability and validity of the Serbian version of the SAS-SV and estimate smartphone addiction prevalence among medical students. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in December 2018 on a convenience sample of 323 third-year medical students. The cross-cultural adaptation was performed following the well-established guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of self-reported measures. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the structure of the questionnaire. Factor extraction was performed by principal component analysis with Varimax rotation. For test–retest reliability, students completed the questionnaire twice within seven days. Results: The Serbian version of the SAS-SV showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89) and excellent reliability for test–retest scores (ICC = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.92–0.96). Factor analysis supported the extraction of one factor, which explained 51.538% of the variance. To explore convergent validity furthermore, the SAS-SV was correlated with time indicators of smartphone use. According to cut-off values for the SAS-SV score, 19.5% of students could be regarded as “addicted”, and often spent more time on smartphones and social networks on working days and weekends than “not addicted” students. Conclusions: The Serbian version of the SAS-SV is a reliable and valid instrument for detecting smartphone addiction among university students. Further research on this issue is encouraged to enable a better understanding of this ever-increasing public health issue.

Objectives: The main aim has been to examine psychometric properties of STOP-Bang (snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, high blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), age, neck circumference, male gender) scoring model (Serbian translation), an obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening tool, in a...

The predisposing factors for pericarditis recurrence in the pediatric population have not yet been established. This study aimed to define the risk factors for the unfavorable prognosis of pediatric acute pericarditis. This was a retrospective study that included all patients with acute pericarditis treated from 2011 to 2019 at a tertiary referent pediatric center. The study included 72 children. Recurrence was observed in 22.2% patients. Independent risk factors for recurrence were: erythrocyte sedimentation rate ≥ 50 mm/h (p = 0.003, OR 186.3), absence of myocarditis (p = 0.05, OR 15.2), C-reactive protein ≥ 125 mg/L (p = 0.04, OR 1.5), and non-idiopathic etiology pericarditis (p = 0.003, OR 1.3). Corticosteroid treatment in acute pericarditis was associated with a higher recurrence rate than treatment with non-steroid anti-inflammatory therapy (p = 0.04). Furthermore, patients treated with colchicine in the primary recurrence had lower recurrence rate and median number of repeated infections than those treated without colchicine (p = 0.04; p = 0.007, respectively). Independent risk factors for recurrence are absence of myocarditis, non-idiopathic etiology pericarditis, C-reactive protein ≥ 125 mg/L, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate ≥ 50 mm/h. Acute pericarditis should be treated with non-steroid anti-inflammatory therapy. A combination of colchicine and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs could be recommended as the treatment of choice in recurrent pericarditis.

Problematic internet use (PIU) can be defined as internet use that is not well-controlled. The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire Short Form (PIUQ-SF-6) among Serbian medical students and to examine the prevalence of students at risk of problematic internet use and social, lifestyle, and mental health characteristics associated with it. We conducted a cross-sectional study that included a total of 735 medical students (66.8% female and 33.2% male) attending classes in Social Medicine during the 2023/2024 school year. The instrument used was a questionnaire developed based on the questionnaires in similar studies. A total of 160 students (21.8%) were in the problematic internet use group, and 575 were in the non-problematic internet use group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis with PIU as the outcome variable showed an association between PIU and the Patient Health Questionnaire−9 score (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03–1.16) and impulsivity (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05–1.10). The mental health of medical students, as future health professionals, should be promoted through tailored interventions that are widely accessible and long-lasting.

Background and Objectives: Recurrence of pericarditis (ROP) is an important complication of the acute pericarditis. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of aetiology, clinical findings and treatment on the outcome of acute pericarditis. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from medical records of patients treated from 2011 to 2019 at a tertiary referent heart paediatric center. Results: Our investigation included 56 children with idiopathic and viral pericarditis. Relapse was registered in 8/56 patients, 2/29 (7.41%) treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and 6/27 (28.57%) treated with corticosteroids (CS) and NSAID. Independent risk factors for ROP were viral pericarditis (p = 0.01, OR 31.46), lack of myocardial affection (p = 0.03, OR 29.15), CS use (p = 0.02, OR 29.02) and ESR ≥ 50 mm/h (p = 0.03, OR 25.23). In 4/8 patients the first recurrence was treated with NSAID and colchicine, while treatment of 4/8 patients included CS. Children with ROP treated with CS had higher median number of recurrence (5, IQR: 2–15) than those treated with colchicine (0, IQR: 0–0.75). Conclusions: Independent risk factors for recurrence are CS treatment, viral aetiology, pericarditis only and ESR ≥ 50 mm/h. Acute pericarditis should be treated with NSAID. Colchicine and NSAID might be recommended in children with the first ROP.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may induce multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in children, which may be associated with Kawasaki-like disease and cardiac injury. In this study, we presented three male adolescents with MIS and myocardial injury admitted to the hospital during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. All of the three patients had a history of fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, polymorph rash, non-exudative onjunctivitis, and signs of acute myocarditis (AM). One of them had renal failure. Previously, they did not have an acute infection. Upon admission, they were hypotensive and tachycardic. A nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was negative, but neutralizing viral antibodies were positive. In combination with blood tests, lectrocardiogram, echocardiography, and computerized tomography, a MIS associated with acute myocarditis with mild to moderate systolic dysfunction and dilated coronary arteries were diagnosed. Two of three patients had shock syndrome andrequired inotropic support. All patients were treated with intravenous imunoglobulins (Ig). The second patient had a fever up to 102.2°F (39°C) 3 days after intravenous Ig. Further, he was treated according to protocols for refractory Kawasaki disease, with an intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy and aspirin. After a few hours, he became afebrile and the clinical signs disappeared. The favorable short-termoutcome may reflect early recognition and adequate therapy; however, the long-term outcomes are currently unknown.