Browsing by Author "Dunić, Ivana (6506548358)"

Penis size is a major body image concern for the majority of men in western nations, while in gay culture the penis has become a body part linked to sexual attractiveness and viability. The aim of this study was to reveal influence of the perceived penis size on sexual behaviour, condom use, sexually transmitted infections and men's sexual positioning among men who have sex with men. In this cross-sectional study, the data were collected from consecutive men who have sex with men who attended Counselling for Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases in Belgrade, Serbia. Out of 319 participants, 6.6% perceived their penis as below average, 71.5% as average, and 21.9% as above average. In comparison with men with an average penis, men with below average penis were more frequently unsatisfied with their penis size (p < 0.05), more frequently lied to others about their penis size (p < 0.001) and took more frequently the passive sexual role (p < 0.05). Men with above average penis were more frequently satisfied with their penis size (p < 0.001), took more frequently the active sexual role (p < 0.01), they had more sexual partners (p < 0.05), more problems with a tight condom (p < 0.001) and more gonorrhoea/Chlamydia infections (p < 0.001) than men with an average penis. Perception of one's penis size was associated with some aspects of sexual behaviour and the frequency of sexually transmitted diseases. © 2019 Milan Bjekić, et al., published by Sciendo 2019.

A prospective study to evaluate the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) as an immune restoration disease in patients with AIDS during highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was conducted in a series of 115 patients diagnosed with AIDS initiated on HAART between 1 January 2000 and 31 July 2001. Of these, a single dermatomal HZ episode occurred in 14 (12%) patients within one and 15 months of HAART (median eight months). The HZ patients were similar to the non-HZ patients in age, sex, and HIV transmission risk factor, but had a more advanced disease. Compared with the baseline values, the viral loads significantly (P < 0.01) decreased, while the mean CD4+ T-cell counts increased by almost four-fold (P < 0.01) in both groups at the time of the HZ episode (or equivalent in non-HZ), but remained below 400/mL in the HZ patients. HZ during HAART is an immunopathological consequence of the improvement of the host immune response, correlating with the beginning of immune restoration.

Chronic venous disease (CVD) has been reported to substantially affect patients' quality of life (QoL). To evaluate the impact of CVD on patient-reported QoL in a patient series in Serbia, a cross-sectional study of 570 CVD patients, classified according to the CEAP clinical classification into classes (C) 1-6, was performed in a Belgrade outpatient clinic. QoL was assessed by the general short-form (SF)-36 questionnaire, and additionally by a brief CVD-specific questionnaire. The SF-36 scores for all QoL dimensions showed a progressive reduction from C1 to C6. Class 5 and 6 patients scored the lowest across all dimensions, with significant (p < 0.05) reductions in physical functioning, role-physical, general health, vitality and mental health. The score for bodily pain decreased from C1 to C4, but increased in C5 and C6 as compared to C4 patients. Interestingly, despite an increasing rate of aesthetic concerns as the disease progresses, no variations were found in the social functioning and emotional role scores across the groups. There were no age or gender differences in any QoL item across the classes. The data presented show that QoL of CVD patients decreases, particularly after the appearance of skin changes, and suggest that even patients in the early stages consider CVD a disease and not merely a cosmetic problem.

Introduction Chronic venous disease has been shown to have a significant impact on patients' quality of life (QoL). Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) on QoL in patients with terminal stages of HVI, classified according to the CEAP clinical classification into classes C5 (healed ulcers) and C6 (active ulcers), on admission and after applied therapy. Methods A cross-sectional study performed between October 2007 and June 2008 in a Belgrade outpatient clinic involved a total of 82 patients with venous ulcers (38 C5 and 44 C6) examined at the beginning of therapy. Of these, 14 C5 and 15 C6 patients in remission were re-examined after therapy from November 2007 to January 2010. QoL was assessed using a standard short-form (SF-36) questionnaire, and additionally by a brief CVD questionnaire specific for chronic venous disease. Results At the beginning of therapy the SF-36 scores showed significant (p<0.05) reductions in all QoL domains of C5 and C6 patients regarding physical, general health, and vitality in C5 and C6 patients. After therapy QoL was significantly improved in both classes of patients, but remained unchanged in the domain of emotional functioning suggesting the patients' fear and worry of HVI progression. Conclusion In patients with terminal stages of CVI QoL was decreased at the beginning of therapy, but with the remission of the disease and ulcer healing it was significantly improved. This indicates the significance of prevention and timely treatment, and the need for patients' education about the chronic nature of the disease.