There is mounting evidence stating that Ureaplasma urealyticum causes non-gonococcal urethritis in males, whereas Ureaplasma parvum does not seem to be of clinical significance. However, the clinical role of U. parvum and U. urealyticum in lower urogenital tract infections in females remains unclear. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of U. parvum and U. urealyticum among 145 Ureaplasma spp. culture-positive women with symptoms of lower urogenital tract infection (n = 75) and those without (n = 70), and to determine possible associations between the detection of U. parvum and U. urealyticum with selected characteristics. Endocervical, urethral, and vaginal swabs, and first voided urine were obtained. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to differentiate ureaplasmas. No significant association between the detection of U. parvum or U. urealyticum and symptom status was found. Significantly more women aged 25 years and younger were infected with U. urealyticum (23.4 %) compared to those aged above 25 years (9.2 %) [odds ratio (OR) 3.0 (1.1; 8.1); p = 0.03] and significantly less women aged 25 years and younger (83.5 %) were infected with U. parvum compared to those aged above 25 years (95.5 %) [OR 0.2 (0.1; 0.9); p = 0.03]. The detection of Chlamydia trachomatis was significantly associated to both U. parvum and U. urealyticum (p = 0.021), and to U. parvum alone with borderline significance (p = 0.063). Although neither U. parvum nor U. urealyticum seem to cause symptoms in females, their role in the female urogenital tract remains unknown, taking into account their ubiquity, possible augmentation of the urogenital microenvironment, and ascending capability to the sterile upper reproductive tract.

Introduction: Sepsis represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment have a crucial influence on survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of presepsin (sCD14) in patients with sepsis. Methodology: Fifty-four consecutive adult patients with sepsis and 26 patients with aseptic meningitis as a control group were included in this prospective observational study. In all patients included in the study, levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), presepsin, lactate, and a count of leukocytes and neutrophils were determined on admission. In those with suspected bacterial infection, two separate blood cultures were obtained and procalcitonin (PCT) concentration was detected. Plasma presepsin and PCT concentrations in septic group patients were followed on days 2, 3 and 7 after enrollment. Results: The median presepsin serum concentration in patients with sepsis was 1614 pg/mL and in the control group it was 203 pg/mL (p < 0.001). Presepsin levels in patients with septic shock were higher than in sepsis patients (p < 0.014). The mean presepsin concentrations were higher in deceased than in surviving patients (p = 0.009). The trend of changes in presepsin concentrations in deceased patients was significantly different than in the surviving patients (p = 0.018). There were no statistically significant differences in the concentration of presepsin or other biomarkers in patients with Gram negative or Gram positive bacteria. Conclusions: Presepsin may be used as a diagnostic marker of systemic bacterial infection and can predict the severity and outcome of sepsis.

Background: To prevent the spread of infectious diseases, several state armies implemented obligatory vaccination programs also practiced in the former Yugoslav National Army (YNA). Iatrogenic hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmissions during vaccinations in the armies were well documented, but to the best of our knowledge, no such study has been performed in the former Yugoslavia. Objectives: In the present study, we determined risk factors for acquiring chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection in patients in Slovenia. This study focused on the detection of a statistically significant risk factor in males, namely “vaccination in the YNA”. Methods: One thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine patients from all Slovenian regions who tested positive for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) at the national referential laboratory for viral hepatitis diagnostics between January 1997 and December 2010 were included retrospectively. Accordingly, demographic, epidemiological, virological, and clinical data were extracted from the medical documentation and were statistically analyzed. Results: For 1,122 (64.9%) out of 1,729 patients, data regarding risk factors for acquiring HBV infection were available. The risk factor for infection of almost 60% of HBV chronically infected individuals with available data, followed by “HBV infection in the family” (19.8%) and “blood/blood products transfusion before the nineties” (8%) was unknown. Seven males (0.6%) (mean age ± SD, 53.7 ± 4.50 years) reported “vaccination in the YNA” as a risk factor for acquiring chronic HBV infection. “Vaccination in the YNA” was a significant risk factor for CHB infection in men over 46 years of age (P = 0.006). Conclusions: A significant risk factor for infection in Slovenian men over 46 years of age was identified as “vaccination in the YNA”, which is specific to this geographic region and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously described in the peer-reviewed literature.

Introduction In Slovenia national strategies to prevent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in children were introduced in the mid-nineties. The aim of the present study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of chronic hepatitis B infection in children in Slovenia after the introduction of mandatory HBV vaccination of children and mandatory screening of pregnant women for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) with consecutive active and passive immunization of newborns of HBsAg-positive mothers. Methods Children from all regions of Slovenia whose blood samples tested positive for HBsAg at the national reference laboratory for viral hepatitis between January 1997 and December 2010 were included. Demographic, epidemiological and virological data were reviewed retrospectively. Statistical evaluation of the patients’ characteristics was performed and possible trends during the observation period determined. Results Among 52 HBsAg-positive children, there were 22 (42.3%) girls and 30 (57.7%) boys. Among 40 children tested for HBeAg, 17 were positive (42.5%). The most frequent risk factor for acquiring HBV infection was “presence of HBV infection within the family” (24/35; 68.8%). A significant association between the presence of HBeAg and a viral load of >20,000 IU/ml was found (p=0.001). The difference in the proportion of children of Slovenian origin born before 1994 and after was statistically significant (p=0.039). A statistically significant negative linear trend of the number of diagnosed children in the observed period was found (p=0.006). Conclusions Prevention strategies adopted in the mid-nineties have resulted in the elimination of chronic hepatitis B in children of Slovenian origin born in Slovenia.

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