Editorial

Esteemed colleagues,

I am very proud of the fact that I am writing an editorial for a national journal, for a journal that has taken on its own life and existence; that I am writing in front of the Editorial Board on behalf of the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, which is a co-publisher of this journal; and that I'm writing for the issue that will close the year 2023, which was in so many ways better than the previous ones, as far as the health of the nation is concerned, after the collective COVID affliction. I deeply believe that this journal, and through it all of us individually, are contributing to the further development of our profession and of medical science. Ambitions are, of course, much higher.

I am now becoming familiar with this publication, now our joint journal, which has already been recognized and classified as a journal of national significance, and in it I see articles, views and interpretations that can help us all – clinicians, researchers, and teachers alike. Each of these individual occupations and professions cannot stand and exist alone, rather they must be synergistic, they must complement each other, and collaborate. This is where I see both our common and my own individual role and possible contribution. Namely, the abovementioned components make up our common pylons, the pylons that hold us up and help us, so that we can help further. This is health, this is science, and this is education. This is the essence which we must persevere in, as each of these components alone is not sufficient. We must come together, wherever we can, as this is how we gain strength and significance.

With great respect and honor, I present this issue of the Serbian Journal of the Medical Chamber – the result of the joint effort of the Editorial Board, our associates, the authors of the articles, and the reviewers.

This issue of the Journal opens with an invited paper, an article written by two colleagues from abroad, Ivers￾en and Plesner. The article analyzes the role of daratumumab in the treatment of multiple myeloma. The authors microenvironment. They conclude that the use of daratumumab, alone or in combination with other drugs, im￾proves the treatment outcome in patients with myeloma, without a significant increase in toxicity.

This issue of the Journal also presents several original articles.

The first among them is an article by Životić et al., which analyzes the effect of the co-expression of certain molecules and their influence on renal cell carcinoma. The study stipulates that the biological behavior and characteristics of renal tumors depend on the expression of the studied molecules. However, certain limitations to this effect are stated in the conclusion.

The following article is a study by our colleague Mioljević and associates, which also deals with kidney diseas￾es, i.e., the degree of fibrosis in the kidney and the expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule in the renal interstitium. The authors conclude that the presence of these cells in the renal interstitium are a characteristic of the early stages of chronic kidney disease.

Our colleagues Dejanović and Jovanović examined the relationship between cytokines in the plasma and lymphocyte apoptosis, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The general conclusion is that there is no correlation, however, it is noted that interleukin-12 does demonstrate a positive correlation in advanced stages of disease.

The next paper is about something different - the availability of specialist medical doctors in Montenegro. The authors observe doctors by comparing the types of specializations, but also their age and gender structure, in relation to other countries in the European Region. The study reports a significant shortage of groups of doctors defined in this way in Montenegro, as compared to most countries in the European Region, as well as an inade￾quate age structure.

The regional level is also examined in the next paper, this time concerning mandatory vaccination coverage in the territory of the Mačva District, during an eleven-year period. Pajičić et al. analyzed data from community health centers concluding that vaccination coverage during the observed period decreased, pointing out the need for promoting vaccination.

Analysis of the Emergency Medical Service Pančevo, which observed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and mea￾sures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, indicates a small number of initiated measures, as well as a significant portion of unrecognized out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by dispatchers. The authors believe that it is necessary to educate the population and indicate the need to introduce a uniform protocol for dispatchers.

The impact of perioperative factors on the outcome in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, by Čović et al., is a retrospective study based on medical records covering a two-year period. This study demon￾strates the significant and unpredictable impact of these factors on the outcome in patients surgically treated at the Clinical Center of Vojvodina, due to ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The Journal further introduces case series.

Coauthors Zečić and Zečić discuss the application of intraoperative ultrasound in the localization of non-palpable breast lesions, and in a large retrospective study which included many surgically treated patients, they conclude, based on the surgical findings, that all non-palpable lesions in the breasts were successfully localized by intraoperative ultrasound, and then excised.

In their study, co-authors Maljković and Matić consider the functional results of the treatment of patients with soft tissue injuries of the wrist. Analysis of functional tests and questionnaires indicates the importance of timely treatment.

The first case report in this issue of the Journal was written by a group of authors gathered around our colleague Pavlović Stojanović, who describe the situs inversus condition of their female patient's internal organs. In this case report they indicate the importance of identifying such persons when diagnosing certain diseases.

Inić et al. describe a giant phyllodes tumor, which, due to its rarity, presents a dilemma and requires an accu￾rate preoperative diagnosis.

Krivokapić et al. present a case report of a nineteen-year-old patient with a long history of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, a relatively common childhood hip disease. The relatively demanding procedure described in the article results in shorter hospital stay, reduced risk of complications, and lower costs, as compared to pelvic and femoral osteotomy.

Our colleagues Dimitrijević et al. describe neuropsychiatric lupus in two patients, with different clinical manifestations of the disease, and emphasize the necessity of additional clinical trials that would lead to new thera￾peutic options.

Finally, I would like to invite my colleagues – clinicians, researchers, and teachers alike, to join us so that we can contribute to the Journal together and make it an integral part of our further professional work.

Sincerely