UMC Ljubljana Research Articles

The Genetic Architecture of Congenital Heart Disease in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients-The Experience of University Medical Centre, Ljubljana.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most commonly detected congenital anomaly and affects up to 1% of all live-born neonates. Current guidelines support the use of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) as diagnostic approaches to identify genetic causes. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of CMA and NGS in a cohort of neonates with both isolated and syndromic CHD. The present study included 188 infants under 28 days of age with abnormal echocardiography findings hospitalized at the Department of Neonatology, UMC Ljubljana, between January 2014 and December 2023. Phenotypic data were obtained for each infant via retrospective medical chart review. We established the genetic diagnosis of 22 distinct syndromes in 17% (32/188) of neonates. The most frequent genetic diagnoses in diagnosed cases were 22q11.2 microdeletion and CHARGE syndromes, followed by Noonan syndrome and Williams syndrome. In addition, we detected variants of uncertain significance in 4.8% (9/188) of neonates. Timely genetic diagnosis is important for the detection of syndrome-related comorbidities, prognosis, reproductive genetic risks and, when appropriate, genetic testing of other family members.

PAX5 Alterations in a Consecutive Childhood B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cohort Treated Using the ALL IC-BFM 2009 Protocol.

In this study, we aimed to identify patients within our B-ALL cohort with altered PAX5. Our objective was to use a comprehensive analysis approach to characterize the types of genetic changes, determine their origin (somatic/germline), and analyze the clinical outcomes associated with them. A consecutive cohort of 99 patients with B-ALL treated at the Children's Hospital of the UMC Ljubljana according to the ALL IC-BFM 2009 protocol was included in our study. We used RNA sequencing data for gene expression analysis, fusion gene detection and single nucleotide variant identification, multiplex-ligation dependent probe amplification for copy number variation assessment, and Sanger sequencing for germline variant detection. PAX5 was impacted in 33.3% of our patients, with the genetic alterations ranging from CNVs and rearrangements to SNVs. The most common were CNVs, which were found in more than a third of patients, followed by point mutations in 5.2%, and gene rearrangements in 4.1%. We identified eight patients with a PAX5-associated genetic subtype that were previously classified as "B-other", and they showed intermediate outcomes. We showed higher minimal residual disease values at the end of induction and poorer event-free survival in hyperdiploid cases carrying duplications in PAX5 compared to other hyperdiploid cases. We also report an interesting case of a patient with PAX5::FKBP15 and a pathogenic variant in PTPN11 who underwent an early relapse with a monocytic switch. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the presence, frequency, and prognostic significance of diverse PAX5 alterations in B-ALL patients, highlighting the complexity of genetic factors and their impact on patient outcomes.

Preimplantation Genetic Testing within the Public Healthcare System in Slovenia.

Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is the earliest form of prenatal diagnosis that has become an established procedure for couples at risk of passing a severe genetic disease to their offspring. At UMC Ljubljana, we conducted a retrospective register-based study to present 15 years of PGT service within the public healthcare system in Slovenia. We collected the data of the PGT cycles from 2004 to 2019 and compared clinical outcomes for chromosomal and monogenic diseases using different embryo biopsy and testing approaches. In addition, we assessed the extent to which PGT has become the preferred option compared to classic prenatal diagnostics. We treated 211 couples, 110 with single gene disorder, 88 with structural chromosome rearrangement and 13 for numerical chromosome aberration. There were 375 PGT cycles with oocyte retrieval, while embryo transfer was possible in 263 cases resulting in 78 deliveries and 84 children. Altogether, the clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was 31% in 2004-2016 (blastomere biopsy) and 43% in 2017-19 (blastocyst biopsy), respectively. We assessed that approximately a third of couples would opt for PGT, while the rest preferred natural conception with prenatal diagnosis. Our results show that providing a PGT service within the public healthcare system has become a considerable option in pregnancy planning for couples at risk of transmitting a severe genetic disease to their offspring. In Slovenia, approximately a third of couples would opt for PGT. Although the number of cycles is small, our clinical results are comparable to larger centres.

Abstract 065: Advancing Stroke Care Services through Collaborative Efforts: Mission Thrombectomy Surveys of Slovenia

Introduction Acute stroke care must always be improved because stroke is still a leading cause of mortality and adult‐onset disability. The Mission Thrombectomy Slovenia Regional Committee (RC) has established a forward‐thinking initiative to improve stroke treatment services in response to this challenge. With a focus on showcasing the complete picture of stroke systems and identifying areas for improvement to achieve better patient outcomes and increase accessibility to mechanical thrombectomy (MT) treatments in Slovenia, this partnership aims to conduct extensive surveys, analyses, and propose a roadmap to overcome obstacles and optimize the stroke care ecosystem. The SVIN Mission Thrombectomy Slovenia Regional committee (RC) comprises distinguished experts, including Zoran Miloševič as Neurointerventional co‐chair, and Senta Frol and Janja Pretnar Oblak as stroke co‐chairs, respectively, and Igor Rigler as ER co‐chair, whose expertise and collaborative efforts form the backbone of this initiative. Methods As an initial step, we have commenced surveys with UMC Ljubljana, Slovenia. UMC Ljubljana, as a Mechanical Thrombectomy Center, has demonstrated consistent growth in the number of procedures conducted. There is a projection of 180 procedures in 2023, an increase from 135 in 2021 and 109 in 2022. The increased projected procedure volume indicates the hospital's proactive approach in delivering cutting‐edge stroke treatments. A pivotal aspect of UMC Ljubljana's stroke care model lies in its advanced imaging capabilities, including CTA/CTP and MRI/MRP, enabling precise and swift diagnoses, fostering better treatment planning, and optimizing patient outcomes. Furthermore, the presence of a well‐equipped Angio suite, staffed with competent MT operators, ensures seamless execution of interventional procedures. Results The collaboration's future vision involves conducting surveys and analyzing data to identify barriers to MT access, streamlining the patient journey, and improving overall stroke care efficiency. The ongoing efforts of building a Stroke Registry at UMC Ljubljana will enable in‐depth analysis, fostering continuous evolution in stroke care practices. Additionally, investments in Intermediate/Step down care and Telemetry beds will play a vital role in strengthening the continuum of care, enabling smooth patient transitions, and reducing potential delays in treatment. Healthcare practitioners' awareness for stroke triage and Physician Training emerge as the most impactful Thrombectomy Patient Health Initiatives. By prioritizing these initiatives, UMC Ljubljana and Mission Thrombectomy aim to foster early recognition, prompt treatment, and streamlined care for stroke patients. Conclusion In conclusion, the collaborative efforts of UMC Ljubljana and Mission Thrombectomy Slovenia RC are poised to elevate stroke care and MT services through data‐driven analysis and the proposed roadmap. By incorporating future surveys and continuous improvement strategies, the collaboration aims to create a paradigm shift in stroke care, ensuring accessible, efficient, and optimized services to patients in need. Moving forward, we will continue to conduct surveys within the current EVT and stroke centers examining the calculated MT Operator availability (MTOA), MT Center availability (MTCA), and MT Access Rate (MTAR) scores to identify the current barriers to increase access to mechanical thrombectomy.

Conduction system pacing with AV node ablation versus catheter ablation for treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) current guidelines recommend treatment of AF with catheter ablation (CA) (1). Recurrence of either AF or atrial flutter, often requiring additional procedures, are not uncommon, thus optimal long-term treatment of these patients is still unknown. Recently conduction system pacing (CSP), with more physiological ventricular activation, has made the ‘’pace and ablate’’ strategy an attractive alternative for the treatment of PeAF refractory to medical therapy (2). Purpose Long term data comparing CA with conduction system pacing and AV node ablation (CSP/AVNa) for treatment of patients with PeAF and HFrEF is lacking. Hence, we sought to compare clinical outcomes of both treatment modalities. Methods In a retrospective study consecutive patients under 75 years of age, with PeAF and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 50%, treated with CSP/AVNa from 2018 to 2021 in UMC Ljubljana were included. A control patient treated with CA for PeAF matched in age, sex and LVEF was assigned for each included CPS/AVNa patient. Both groups were compared for procedure-related characteristics, echocardiographic parameters, hospitalisations for heart failure and all-cause mortality. Results Among 771 patients referred for interventional treatment of AF, 23 patients treated with CSP/AVNa were included and compared with 23 CA matched controls. The general characteristics of both groups are summarised in Table 1. The mean follow-up was 20 ± 10 and 21 ± 8 months for CPS/AVNa and CA group, respectively (p=0.76). In CPS/AVNa group 83% received his bundle pacing and 17% left bundle branch area pacing. A selective CSP was achieved in 43% of CSP/AVNa patients. In addition to pulmonary vein isolation, additional ablation lines were performed in 35% of patients in the CA group. Significant improvement in LVEF was observed in both groups, 12% ± 11% (p<0.001) in CSP/AVNa and 21% ± 12% (p<0.001) in CA group. Hospitalisations for HF were rare during the follow-up, with 9% in CSP/AVNa and 4% in the CA ablation group (p=0.561). All-cause mortality was 9% in CSP/AVNa and 0% in CA group (p=0.153). However, major comorbidities were more common in the CSP/AVNa group than in the CA group, 3.4 ± 1.6 and 2.3 ± 1.5, respectively (p=0.017). Procedure-related characteristics are summarised in Table 1. In each group, 2 minor procedure-related adverse events were observed: 2 acute rises in pacing threshold post-AVNa in CSP/AVNa group and puncture site hematoma and transient pericardial effusion in CA group. Conclusion In patients with PeAF and HFrEF, CSP/AVNa treatment strategy seems to derive similar clinical outcomes compared to CA approach. Larger prospective randomised data are needed to further confirm these initial findings and determine optimal long-term treatment strategy for this group of patients.

PB2225 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AIDING IN DIAGNOSIS OF JAK2 V617F NEGATIVE PATIENTS WITH WHO DEFINED ESSENTIAL THROMBOCYTHEMIA

Background:Smart Blood Analytics (SBA) is an artificial intelligence program using machine learning algorithm in order to provide a list of most probable disease diagnosis in numerical order based on patient's blood test results. It was successfully tested in diagnosing hematological diseases and is especially targeted for medical doctors without detailed knowledge in the field of hematology.Aims:Our aim was to determine the applicability of SBA algorithm in patients with suspected essential thrombocythemia (ET).Methods:We analyzed 237 patients that presented at UMC Ljubljana between 04/2011 and 09/2016 with the referral diagnosis of ET. Based on the presence of CALR or MPL mutation and bone marrow examination we defined patients with true ET according to WHO 2008 or modified WHO criteria. All 237 patients were subsequently analyzed by SBA algorithm in order to determine the most probable hematologic diagnosis based on patients’ blood test results obtained at the time of referral. The diagnosis of interest according to ICD10 classification was D47 describing other neoplasms of uncertain behavior of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue, including ET. We defined sensitivity and specificity of ET diagnosis by using SBA machine learning algorithm.Results:10.5% (25/237) of patients were diagnosed with ET according to WHO 2008 or modified WHO criteria. 22 patients were CALR positive, 1 patient was MPL positive and 3 patients were triple negative. 89.4% (212/237) of patients were diagnosed with either secondary thrombocythemia or other neoplastic disease, such as myelodysplastic syndrome. The sensitivity of SBA algorithm to detect patients with ET was 100% and the specificity was 50.4%.Summary/Conclusion:The number of patients with true ET referred to our center was low. An improved referral and diagnostic approach for patients with thrombocythemia should be used. The SBA machine learning algorithm could be useful, especially in circumstances where hematologic consultation is not available. Further development of SBA machine learning algorithm is warranted.

Efficacy of the trans‑obturator and retropubic mid‑urethral slings for stress urinary incontinence

Background: The aim of our study was to report the extended long-term results of the use of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and trans-obturator tape (TOT) for the treatment of female urinary stress incontinence (SUI) at the Division of Gynaecology and Obstetrics / UMC Ljubljana. There are few data on this topic in the literature. Our aim was to find out whether and how the procedure improved the patients’ quality of life and for how long, whether the patients had complications after the procedure, and how this type of procedure affected the long-term results.Methods: A retrospective clinical trial comparing the use of TVT and TOT was carried out from January to August 2017 and included all the patients operated on at the Division of Gynaecology and Obstetrics / UMC Ljubljana with TVT or TOT procedure for stress or mixed urinary incontinence (UI) associated with urethral hyper mobility (the stress component was clinically predominant). The exclusion criteria were more than 10 years from procedure, age more than 80 years in 2016, previous anti-incontinence surgery and/or pelvic organ prolapse more than stage I on POP–q in any vaginal compartment. After inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1104 patients were sent quality-of-life questionnaires (PGI-S, PGI-I, SANDVIK SEVERITY SCALE, UDI-6, IIQ-7, ICIQ-UI Short Form (Slovenian)) with questions about the diagnosis, procedures, complications, reoperations, post-operative results, and satisfaction with the procedure. Till August 2017 (6 months after sending) we received 466 questionnaires (42.2 % response rate). After 225 questionnaires were excluded due to incomplete data, 241 questionnaires were analysed.Results: In the analysed group of patients (N = 241), 189 (78 %) had TOT and 52 (22 %) had TVT. Our retrospective study has confirmed that the efficacy and safety of TOT and TVT in the surgical treatment of SUI are comparable. The TOT and TVT groups did not differ significantly from each other in PGI-S, PGI-I, SANDVIK SEVERITY SCALE, UDI-6, IIQ-7, and ICIQ-UI Short Form or in postoperative complication rate. Repeat surgery was needed in 25/189 (13.2 %) TOT patients and 12/52 (23.1 %) TVT patients; p = 0.082. Urinary retention appeared in 18/189 (9.5 %) TOT patients and 7/52 (13.5 %) TVT patients; p = 0.411. Mesh erosion/inflammation appeared in 12/189 (6.3 %) TOT patients and 2/52 (38 %) TVT patients; p = 0495.Conclusion: We can conclude that the efficacy and safety of TOT and TVT in the surgical treatment of SUI are comparable. The choice of the technique should be based on the relative pros and cons of techniques and the surgeon’s experience.

Analiza bolnikov z anemijo zaradi pomanjkanja železa v hematološki ambulanti

Background: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most prevalent type of anaemia and a common cause for patient referrals to the haematology outpatient clinic. The aim of this study was to determine the number of patients with IDA treated at the Haematology Outpatient Clinic of the UMC Ljubljana in the period of two years, as well as to inquire into the causes for their referrals to the clinic, patient characteristics, their complete blood count results at initial examination, the prescribed therapy, the number and the causes of their follow-up visits. We draw special attention to the IDA onset mechanism, the microcytic anaemia therapy principles and the indications prompting a referral of an IDA patient to the haematology specialist.Methods: We undertook a retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients who were referred to the Haematology outpatient clinic of the UMC Ljubljana for examination in the two-year period between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2015 and had been diagnosed with IDA on the basis of their clinical picture and their CBC values. Data were collected with the Hipokrat IT system and statistically evaluated with Microsoft Excel.Results: In the period relevant for our research, 277 patients of those who were referred to the Haematology outpatient clinic for medical examination were diagnosed with IDA. 11.6 % of these patients were male and 88.4 % female; 62.1 % of the female patients were of childbearing age. IDA was specified as the referral diagnosis in the cases of no more than 39 % of the patients referred to the specialist outpatient clinic, whilst the medical condition of the remaining percentage of patients was not identified by the referring doctor. Comorbidities were observed in 50.2 % of the patients, and for 62.5 % of the patients a follow-up appointment was scheduled by the treating haematologist. Of all patients, 63.5 % were treated with an intravenous iron preparation during their first examination at the outpatient clinic and a transfusion of erythrocytes was administered during such an examination to 4.3 % of the patients.Conclusion: Patients with IDA were often treated at our Haematology Outpatient Clinic in the relevant two-year period. The data indicates a poor recognition rate of this prevalent type of anaemia. IDA is not a blood disorder and the referral of IDA patients to the Haematology Outpatient Clinic is justified in the case of severe microcytic anaemia, when the patient does not respond to the oral or intravenous iron replacement therapy or if a concomitant change in the CBC persists despite the effective treatment with iron preparations.

Neurological Recovery after Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury is Superior if Surgical Decompression and Instrumented Fusion are Performed within 8 h versus 8–24 h after Injury: A Single Centre Experience

Introduction Traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is a catastrophic event with enormous personal, social and economic impact. Despite recent progress in understanding the pathophysiology of acute tSCI and the positive effects of acute spinal cord decompression on neurological recovery reported in standardized preclinical studies, neurological benefits of early surgical decompression (SD) remain elusive in the clinical setting. Material and Methods A prospective study was performed to evaluate the impact of SD and instrumented fusion within 8 hour versus 8–24 hour after injury on neurological recovery after cervical tSCI in patients operated on in the UMC Ljubljana, Slovenia. Only patients with the ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) grades of A through C and with MRI-confirmed spinal cord compression were enrolled. The primary outcome was the change in AIS grade at the six-month follow-up. Results Of the 48 enrolled patients, 22 patients who underwent surgery within 8h (Group-8h) and 20 patients who underwent surgery between 8 and 24h (Group-8–24h) after injury concluded the study. At admission, there was no statistically significant difference in AIS grade between the study groups. At the six-month follow-up, an improvement of at least two AIS grades was found in 45.5% of patients in Group-8h and in 10% of patients in Group-8–24h ( p = 0.017). In a multivariate analysis, adjusted for the preoperative AIS grade and the degree of spinal canal compromise, the odds of an at least two-grade AIS improvement were at least 106% higher for patients in Group-8h than for patients in Group-8–24h (OR = 11.08, p = 0.004). No statistically significant difference was found in the rate of pneumonia, the number of ventilator-dependent days or the mortality between the groups. Conclusion Our results suggest that the patients with tSCI who undergo SD within 8h after injury have superior neurological outcomes than patients who undergo SD 8 to 24h after injury, without any increase in the rate of adverse effects.

Neurological Recovery after Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Is Superior if Surgical Decompression and Instrumented Fusion Are Performed within 8 Hours versus 8 to 24 Hours after Injury: A Single Center Experience.

A prospective study was performed to evaluate the impact of surgical decompression (SD) and instrumented fusion within 8 h versus 8-24 h after injury on neurological recovery after cervical traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) in patients operated on in the UMC Ljubljana, Slovenia. Only patients with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) grades of A through C and with MRI-confirmed spinal cord compression were enrolled. The primary outcome was the change in AIS grade at the 6-month follow-up. Of the 48 enrolled patients, 22 patients who underwent surgery within 8 h (group 8 h) and 20 patients who underwent surgery between 8 and 24 h (Group 8-24 h) after injury concluded the study. At admission, there was no statistically significant difference in AIS grade between the study groups. At the 6-month follow-up, an improvement of at least two AIS grades was found in 45.5% of patients in group 8 h and in 10% of patients in group 8-24 h (p=0.017). The median improvement in the ASIA motor score was 38.5 (10.0-61.0) motor points in group 8 h and 15.0 (8.8-34.0) motor points in group 8-24 h (p=0.0468). In a multivariate analysis, adjusted for the preoperative AIS grade and the degree of spinal canal compromise, the odds of an at least two-grade AIS improvement were at least 106% higher for patients in group 8 h than for patients in group 8-24 h (odds ratio=11.08, p=0.004). No statistically significant difference was found in the rate of perioperative complications, pneumonia, and the number of ventilator-dependent days or the mortality between the groups. Our results suggest that the patients with tSCI who undergo SD within 8 h after injury have superior neurological outcomes than patients who undergo SD 8-24 h after injury, without any increase in the rate of adverse effects.

Treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia at the departement of hematology of the UMC Ljubljana in the period from 2000–2011

Background: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an acquired hemolytic anemia and can be treated as an idiopathic or primary disease or can be associated with some other hematologic diseases (secondary). AIHA is a disease characterized by the presence of auto-antibodies directed against antigens on the red cell membrane, rare can the result of Coombs test be negative although there are all signs of AIHA present. Depending on the temperature at which auto-antibodies bind to the surface of an erythrocyte, we talk about AIHA with warm agglutinins and AIHA with cold agglutinins. Treatment is diverse as are also the causes of AIHA. The most important thing is to decrease the production of antibodies or to prevent the erythrocyte from decomposing with bound antibodies and to treat the disease symptomatically. Patients and methodes: With a retrospective analysis we searched through database of 70 patients with idiopathic (90 %) and secondary (10 %) autoimmune hemolytic anemia with warm (84.3 %) and cold (10 %) type agglutinin, who were treated at the Hematologic Department of the UMC Ljubljana during the period from 2000–2011. I processed the data with the SPSS program system. Results: Methylprednisolone was the first choice of treatment in 92. 5 % patients with primary and secondary AIHA with response rate of 79 % and 70.9 % complete remission rate. 22.7 % of the patients with complete remission after corticosteroids treatment , relapsed during the period of time and received a second-line treatment with cyclosporine (87 % response rate), rituximab or underwent splenectomy. Another attempt was made with methylprednisolone. The patients, who were refractory to the initial methylprednisolone treatment or required a higher maintenance dose, were treated in second line with cyclosporine (69 % response rate), rituximab (57 % responsee rate). One patient was treated successfully with mycophenolate mofetil and two patients, who were refractory to all other treatments, achieved a stable state of disease with splenectomy. The effective treatment for patients with cold agglutinin AIHA were corticosteroids and rituximab. We achieved an improvement of the condition in secondary AIHA when we treated the underlying disease. 6 % of all patients were refractory to any kind of treatment. Conclusions: Treatment with glucocorticoids is the most efficient treatment for patients with AIHA with warm and cold agglutinin. If the patients are refractory to the first-line therapy, we switch to a second-line therapy, which depends on etiology and concomitant diseases. Patients who are resistant to standard available treatments generally present with severe complications.

The avidity of anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies in patients with or without antiphospholipid syndrome: a collaborative study in the frame of the European forum on antiphospholipid antibodies

The objective of this study was to extend the findings of the preliminary study by measuring the avidity of IgG anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-β2-GPI) on a larger group of patients with primary or secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and anti-β2-GPI positive patients without APS in the frame of the European Forum on antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Serum from 137 patients with primary APS, APS associated with autoimmune diseases, and patients with autoimmune diseases other than APS from five EU rheumatology centres were tested for anti-β2-GPI antibodies. The 109 patients who were sera positive for anti-β2-GPI by the in-house anti-β2-GPI enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at the Immunology Laboratory, UMC Ljubljana were selected for further testing on avidity with chaotropic anti-β2-GPI ELISA. High, low and heterogeneous avidity IgG anti-β2-GPI was found in 32/109, 17/109 and 60/109 patients respectively. Significantly more patients with APS were in the high avidity than in the low avidity anti-β2-GPI group, while the opposite was observed for non-APS (both p < 0.001). The most common clinical feature among patients with high avidity anti-β2-GPI was thrombosis, mainly due to venous thrombosis (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, versus low avidity anti-β2-GPI group). Patients with or without APS had anti-β2-GPI of high, low or heterogeneous avidity. High avidity anti-β2-GPI was associated with thrombosis and APS, while in the low avidity anti-β2-GPI group non-APS (predominantly SLE) patients prevailed. Determination of anti-β2-GPI avidity should be considered in the analytical strategies for further differentiation of patients with anti-β2-GPI antibodies.

Isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from blood of adult patients with borrelial lymphocytoma, Lyme neuroborreliosis, Lyme arthritis and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans

Reports on patients with European Lyme borreliosis in whom borreliae were isolated from the blood are rare and nearly exclusively limited to those with solitary or multiple erythema migrans. Here we report on patients with other manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in whom borreliae were isolated from their blood. This is a retrospective review of the medical files of patients diagnosed with borrelial lymphocytoma, Lyme neuroborreliosis, Lyme arthritis and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans at the Department of Infectious Diseases of the UMC Ljubljana, Slovenia, for whom a borrelia blood culture was ordered. The clinical features of patients whose blood culture tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were reviewed, and the association between the proportion of patients with a positive blood culture and various clinical manifestations was examined. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was isolated from the blood of 1/53 (1.9%) patients with borrelial lymphocytoma, 6/176 (3.4%) patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis, 1/13 (7.7%) patients with Lyme arthritis, and 3/200 (1.5%) patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. The time interval from the onset of symptoms attributed to Lyme borreliosis and the blood culture ranged from 1day to >2years (median 3.5weeks). At the time of the blood culture, erythema migrans was present in 4/11 (36.4%) borrelia blood culture-positive patients, i.e. in the patient with borrelial lymphocytoma, the patient with Lyme arthritis and the 2/6 patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis. Only two of these 11 (18.2%) patients had fever at the time of the blood culture. In European patients with Lyme borreliosis, borreliae can be cultured from the blood not only early in the course of the disease but also occasionally later during disease progression.

Species diversity and concentration of moulds in air samples from hospital indoor and outdoor environment.

Background: Prophylactic antifungal treatments as well as an appropriate protective environment are essential for prevention of invasive fungal infections in the immunocompromised patients. h e aim of our study was to determine the species and concentrations of airborne moulds in various hospital indoor environments as well as the immediate outdoor environment. We have also tested three dif erent growth media in an attempt to establish which one is the most appropriate for air sampling. Methods: Between October 2007 and March 2008 air samples have been collected from two construction sites at UMC Ljubljana and the immediate outdoor environment with no construction works as well as in a regular hospital ward and an ICU of UMC Ljubljana. h e recovered moulds were then identified

Treatment results of colorectal cancer: 10-years series of UMC Ljubljana (1991-2000)

In Slovenia the incidence of colorectal cancer is growing rapidly. In 1998 1022 new cases were registered. Our study compares results of two groups of patients with colorectal cancer. Patients and methods. In the period from 1.1.1991 to 31.12.2000 1478 patients with a colorectal carcinoma underwent potentially curative resection. We divided them in two groups, one operated in the first 5-years and second in later 5-years period. 5-years survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier statistical analysis. Patients who died within 30 days after the operation were censored. Differences in survival curves between both groups were assessed by the log rank test. We resected 1478 /1599 (92,4%) patients. There was 913 (61,7%) patients resected with colon cancer and 528 (35,8%) with rectal cancer and 37 (2,5%) with sinhronius tumors. R0 resection was performed in 1174 (79,4%) patients, R1 in 29 (2,0%), and R2 in 273 (18,5%) patients. Postoperative mortality rate in resected patients was 5,48% (81/1478), in the group with paliative operations was 17,35% (21/121). Overall five-years survival rate was 54,9% (56,18% for colon cancer and 52,4% for rectal cancer Five-years survival rate for the patients with radical resection (R0) was 66,54% for colon cancer and 59,47% for rectal cancer. 5-years survival for R0-resected patients with colon cancer was in the last period from 1996 to 2000 statistically significantly better compared with the period from 1991 to 1995 (76% vs 60%) in stage I (p = 0,04048) and in stage III (p = 0,01842). 5-years survival for R0-resected patients with rectal cancer was significantly better in the same period (63% vs 55%) (p = 0,03627) in stage III (p = 0,01663).