Costs and consumption of analgesics, with special reference to opiates in Serbia and Montenegro from 2015 to 2019

Background/Aim: Patients in developing countries do not always receive adequate painrelieving treatment. Monitoring of analgesic consumption is of great importance, since this can help assessing the quality of painful condition management. The aim of this paper is to present a five-year consumption and costs of drugs with analgesic effects in developing countries, exemplified by Serbia and Montenegro, and indicate the main reasons for their (in)adequate prescribing. Methods: The observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in order to analyse consumption of all analgesics, both opioid and non-opioid, in Serbia and Montenegro, as developing countries. The data concerning analgesic consumption and drug prices were obtained from annual editions of the publications of the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia and Montenegro. The WHO methodology with defined daily dose (DDD) as a unit of measure (it is defined by the number of DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day) was used in these publications. Results: In the course of the fiveyear period (from 2015 to 2019) in Serbia, the total allocations for analgesic therapy had a rising trend; from about 43.6 million to 63.3 million of Euros, while in Montenegro expenditures showed annual variations with highest value in 2018. Most of the money in both countries was invested in M01A group of drugs, for which the highest consumption was also recorded. Significantly higher consumption of opioid analgesics in Montenegro comparing with Serbia was observed in the same period, and it predominatly reflected the difference in fentanyl (N02AB03, transdermal patch) prescribing. In Montenegro, consumption of M01group of drugs was prominently higher in comparison to M01AE group during the whole five-year period, similarly like in Serbia in which this was not the case only in 2018. Conclusions: Taking into account the importance of analgesics for everyday medical practice, more rational prescribing of these drugs is necessary both in Serbia and Montenegro in the future.

THE SERBIAN VOJVODINA AND MONTENEGRO: 1848–1849

The revolution of 1848–1849 had a significant effect on the Serbs in the Habsburg Monarchy, who established their own self-governing entity, the Serbian Vojvodina, within the monarchy. These events also attracted the attention of Serbs living outside the monarchy’s borders, especially those in Montenegro and, in particular, the Metropolitan of Cetinje, Petar II Petrović Njegoš. He wanted to assist his compatriots in the monarchy, and considered this action to be only the first step, albeit a very important one, in the ultimate fight for the liberation and unification of all Serbs within two independent countries: Serbia and Montenegro.

Occurrence of P. aeruginosa in Water Intended for Human Consumption and in Swimming Pool Water

Considering the fact that water is a basic need of every living being, it is important to ensure its safety. In this work, the data on the presence of the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa in drinking water (n = 4171) as well as in pool water (n = 5059) in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Croatia in the five-year period (2016–2020) were analysed. In addition, the national criteria were compared with those of neighboring countries and worldwide. The proportion of P. aeruginosa-positive samples was similar for drinking water (3.9%) and pool water (4.6%). The prevalence of this bacterium was most pronounced in the warmer season. P. aeruginosa-positive drinking water samples were mostly collected during building commissioning, while pool samples were from entertainment and spa/hydromassage pools. Outdoor pools showed a higher percentage of positive samples than indoor pools, as well as the pools filled with freshwater rather than seawater. The highest P. aeruginosa load was found in rehabilitation pools. Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro are countries that have included P. aeruginosa in their national regulations as an indicator of the safety of water for human consumption as well as for bottled water, while Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have limited this requirement to bottled water only. In the case of swimming pool water, this parameter is mandatory in all countries considered in this study.

Is there a room for optimism for the near-future enlargement of the European Union?

The sense of optimism for the enlargement of the European Union in the near-future has been evaporating. A new strategy paper on EU enlargement which was issued by the European Commission in February 2018 seems to still be based on a ‘fatigue from expansion’ approach to enlargement, even though it states that Serbia and Montenegro ‘could potentially be ready for membership [by] 2025’. This paper discusses the bumpy road the Western Balkan states have faced towards EU accession from the early 2000s to the present day. In addition to more challenging domestic political and economic conditions, these states have also been required to meet tougher and more variable accession conditions in comparison to the post-communist states that joined the EU in and after 2004. The inconsistency and vagueness of the EU approach to the accession of the Western Balkan states remains the most important factor behind the continued postponements of their accession dates.

Comparative Analysis of the Banking Sector Competitiveness in Serbia and Montenegro

Central banks often use certain concentration indices in their official reports to determine the degree of intensity of competition, of which the most common are the concentration ratio and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index. It is important to emphasize that when calculating the value of these indices, the National Bank of Serbia most often uses the absolute value of assets. In addition to the mentioned indices, the values of the Gini coefficient, Entropy coefficient, Rosenblatt index and graphical representation of the Lorenz curve in the period 2015–2019 are presented in this paper, using the balance sheet position loans and receivables from customers, but not including loans and receivables from banks and other financial organizations. The results of the static and dynamic analysis of concentration indicate that, compared to Montenegro, the banking sector of Serbia is characterized by a larger number of banks, less concentration on the market, and stronger intensity of competition. Although market changes are reflected in a reduced number of banks while a change in the dispersion of market shares affected the change in the market structures of the banking sectors, instability and uncertainty of the analysed sector remained unchanged in the case of both countries.

Male Costume of Serbia and Montenegro on the Frontispieces of 19th Century Books (From the Slavic Literature Fund of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library)

The article analyzes eight frontispiece portraits of Serbian and Montenegrin statesmen from the 12–19th century as well as one collective ethnographic image of an inhabitant of the Bay of Kotor. These consist of prints found in seventeen Serbian and Montenegrin 19th century publications which were found in the Slavic Literature Fund of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg). The portraits are considered as works of book graphics, as historical and ethnographic sources. They were compared with other pictorial sources — originals of portraits, images of genuine clothing and jewelry, as well as ethnographic materials. There are detailed descriptions of the costumes depicted in the portraits, the names and characteristics of the clothes, hats and decorations. As a result of the comparison, it was found that some engravings are fictitious images, while others, made from pictorial lifetime originals, can serve as important material for the reconstruction of Serbian and Montenegrin appearance and costume, including specific historical figures. An attempt was made to reveal the relationship of the costume of the ruler at the end of the 18th — first half of the 19th century both with the fashion trends of the era, and with his national identity and political views. These aspects manifested themselves with particular vividness in the portraits of Milos Obrenovich, Karageorgy, Vladyka Daniel and Peter Petrovich Njegos. The analysis of portraits in chronological order made it possible to touch upon the theme of Serbian and Montenegrin costume history, which has been insufficiently studied in the Russian press.

One and a half century of the history of Serbia: The lessons of modernization

The book under review focusses on the following periods of the history of Serbia: the period between 1878 and 1918, the interwar and military history (1918–1945), Tito rule (1945–1991), and Milošević rule (1991–2006) of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), as well as Serbia after Milošević. The following problems are addressed in the book: historiography, Russian-Serbian relations, the specific nature of Socialist Yugoslavia, the Serbian version of post-socialist modernization against the background of Eastern European transformation.