Dear colleagues,
In circumstances of challenging and very dynamic global events, the Editorial Board of the Serbian Jour- nal of the Medical Chamber, successfully and with undiminished enthusiasm, continues the planned activities of improving its quality and scientific and professional credibility. It goes without saying that these activities would not be possible without the unwavering and constant support of the Regional Medical Chamber of Belgrade and the Medical Chamber of Serbia, nor without respect for high scientific and ethical standards in selecting and publishing articles.
As is already known, late last year, our Journal was officially classified as a journal of national significance (M54) in the Republic of Serbia. This is, of course, only the first but necessary step in its scientific recognition and positioning within the spectrum of domestic and regional medical publications. The bibliometric anal- yses carried out by our strategic partners and competent government institutions, along with the irreplace- able contribution and joint effort of all our authors, associates, reviewers, and readers, justify our optimism in expecting further swift and positive progress, both in the development of the Journal itself, as well as in its professional and scientific validity.
As always, in this issue of the Journal as well, we present articles dealing with various currently relevant topics – from issues focused on public health (patient safety, challenges of European integration in the field of health, vaccination of students against the human papillomavirus, the quality of workers' nutrition), to specific medical issues (fever of unknown origin, prognostic significance of premature birth, preoperative care of high-risk surgical patients), and very interesting presentations of challenging clinical cases (resolving severe soft tissue defects after sarcoma surgery, anaphylaxis due to immunotherapy). Finally, we present the review of a new book – Selected Chapters in Pulmonology.
The invited paper Navigating Uncertainty and Complexity: Understanding Healthcare Professionals in Ad- dressing Patient Safety Challenges by Jose Joaquin Mira deals with adverse events that often have a systemic cause, meaning they can result from a combination of organizational, cultural, and environmental factors. Despite the best efforts of healthcare providers to deliver high-quality care, unexpected adverse events can affect a patient. These events can be difficult for both patients and healthcare providers to deal with, partic- ularly when they result in severe harm to the patient.
The original paper Advantages and disadvantages of integration into the European Union: a survey among medical freshmen in Serbia by Milena Šantrić-Milićević et al., summarizes the results of research identifying factors associated with pro-integration attitudes to the European Union (EU) among medical freshmen in
Serbia. The author's conclusion unequivocally emphasizes the need for a stronger international initiative by the EU and national stakeholders in promoting pro-integration attitudes and creating conditions for reduc- ing the emigration of young doctors.
The author of the original article Utilization of baby-friendly services in maternity wards in Serbia, Mirjana Živković-Šulović, analyzes the factors affecting the promotion of breastfeeding, using data obtained from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 6 (MICS 6), for the national and the Roma ethnic group sample, in Ser- bia, in 2019.
In their original article Determinants of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination intention among stu- dents, Mirjana Milošević-Gačević and Sandra Petrović point out that the strongest predictor of HPV vacci- nation intention among young people is related to the subjective norm, i.e. social pressure from peers and other persons who are important to them. Distrust of the benefits of vaccination, concerns about commer- cial profiteering, and vaccine conspiracy beliefs have a significantly smaller but statistically significant con- tribution.
Luka Ilić and Aleksandar Jeremić, in their original article Septic state in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin examined the incidence of septic condition, as an etiological cause, in a clinical sample of patients with fever of unknown origin. The conclusion of the study indicates that in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin, one should always consider a potential systemic infection as a possible cause, wherein the septic condition occupies a very important place.
In the original article by Smiljana Donić et al. Cause of premature birth as a prognostic factor of neonatal outcome and type of delivery, the authors point out that the significant frequency of premature birth, as com- pared to the total number of births, indicates the seriousness of this problem as well as a continued rising trend in the number of premature births, despite all preventive measures.
The review article by Svetlana Andjelković and Maje Babić points out that shift workers usually experi- ence a discrepancy between their daily routines (including the meal schedule) and those they have with family and friends, which further leads to even more severe disorders of dietary habits.
In their presentation of two case reports of preoperative preparation of surgical patients with complex cardiac conditions and diseases Perioperative management of high-risk cardiovascular patients in abdominal surgery, Ana Anđelković and Stefan Tanasić emphasize the need for a multidisciplinary approach, as well as for adapting modern guidelines to the individual needs of the patient.
In their case report Pedicled trapezius musculocutaneous flap in the reconstruction of a shoulder defect after the resection of soft tissue sarcoma – case report and literature review, a group of authors led by Bojan Petrović report their experience in using a local myocutaneous flap, which is, in clinical practice, rarely used in that re- gion in similar cases, emphasizing, in particular, the lack and inconsistency of literature data and references.
Milan Dimitrijević et al., in their article Anaphylactic shock caused by subcutaneous immunotherapy with the allergen Ambrosia elatior – case report, present a patient who developed a clinical presentation of ana- phylactic shock during the induction phase of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) with Ambrosia elatior pollen extract, his clinical course as well as the rapid and effective therapeutic management of this life-threatening condition.
In the review of the Selected Chapters in Pulmonology, one of its authors, Mihailo Stjepanović, very mean- ingfully and vividly explains the motives and values of such a publishing undertaking, which, after more than 20 years, has filled the gap in the national professional literature in this field of medicine.
On behalf of the Editorial Board and myself, I wish you all good health and success in your work.
Sincerely
