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BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event either experiencing it or witnessing it. Although the pathogenesis is still unknown, some researches indicate inflammatory background and liver dysfunction as a part of the disease. We wanted to determine inflammatory markers' levels and investigate the correlation with liver enzymes in PTSD patients. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 60 male subjects aged between 40 - 60 years. Subjects were divided into two groups: a group of veterans with combat exposure and PTSD according to DSM-IV criteria and a control group of healthy subjects without combat exposure. WBC count, leucocytes ratios, levels of inflammatory markers (C reactive protein- CRP, fibrinogen, and erythrocyte sedimentation rateESR), and liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase- AST, alanine aminotransferase- ALT, creatine kinase- CK, and gamma-glutamyl transferase- GGT) were determined in all respondents. RESULTS The concentrations of CRP, fibrinogen, ESR, platelet-lymphocyte ratio and monocytelymphocyte ratio in subjects with PTSD were statistically significantly higher than those in the control group. Levels of AST and GGT in PTSD subjects were statistically significantly higher than of those in the control group subjects. Statistically significant positive correlation was found between serum AST and CRP concentration (Rho = 0.416; P = 0.022), as well as GGT and CRP concentration (Rho = 0.395; P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS Results indicate the relationship between liver pathology and inflammation in the complex pathogenesis of PTSD. These can be used in future researches and development of a new diagnostic approach and treatment that may lead to a longer lifespan of PTSD patients. KEY WORDS PTSD, Inflammation, Liver Enzymes

This chapter presents the possibilities of applying cryptography and steganography in design advanced methods of medical software. The proposed solution has two modules: medical data encryption and medical data hiding. In the first module for the encryption of patient data a Catalan crypto-key is used combined with the LatticePath combinatorial problem. In the second module for hiding patient data, the Catalan stego-key and medical image is used. The objective of the second part is to explain and investigate the existing author's method to steganography based on the Catalan numbers in the design of medical software. The proposed solution is implemented in the Java programming language. In the experimental part, cryptanalysis and steganalysis of the proposed solution were given. Cryptanalysis is based on time and storage complexity, leaking information and machine learning-based identification of the encryption method. Also, steganalysis is based on the amount of information per pixel in stego image, approximate entropy and bit distribution in stego-images.

Exosomes are small particles secreted from cells through an endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT)-mediated pathway that releases vesicles into the extracellular matrix following fusion of the endosomal multivesicular body to the plasma membrane. Initially thought to be a waste disposal system for the cell, exosomes are now recognized as important mediators in cellular communication, transporting nucleic acid, protein and lipid. We hypothesize that microRNA (miRNA) transcriptomic profiles isolated from exosomes are distinct for each cardiovascular lineage in healthy control patients. Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), established differentiation protocols and a high-yield mechanical-sorting device (ExoTIC), we characterized the transcriptomic profiles of exosomal secretions derived from cardiomyocytes (CM), cardiac fibroblasts (CF) and endothelial cells (EC). We identified 120 miRNAs from 94 miRNA genes to be secreted at appreciable levels. We discovered 1) let-7 miRNA precursors are depleted in iPSC secretomes; 2) only a subset of total cellular miRNAs are present; 3) a common core of miRNAs are secreted by all three cardiac cell types; and 4) distinct enrichment or depletion of different mature miRNAs in each exosome type. The exosomal transcriptomic profiles of each lineage was compared to a published atlas of miRNA from seventeen tissue types from the human body. miR-302c known to be specific to pluripotent cells and is enriched in iPSC exosomes and found in bone, reflecting hematopoietic stem cells. miR-1, critical for cardiac development and pathology, is secreted by iPSC-CM and enriched in striated muscle and myocardium. miR-151 is secreted by iPSC-CF and is expressed ubiquitously. The relative enrichment of miRNAs in different cardiac tissues could be used to quantifying the cellular content of heterogenous mixtures of iPSC-derived cardiac lineages. We developed a ratiometric cell purity assay that can sensitively detect iPSC contamination in iPSC-CM differentiations.

Background Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. To decrease the high case fatality rates and morbidity for sepsis and septic shock, there is a need to increase the accuracy of early detection of suspected sepsis in prehospital and emergency department settings. This may be achieved by developing risk prediction decision support systems based on artificial intelligence. Methods The overall aim of this scoping review is to summarize the literature on existing methods for early detection of sepsis using artificial intelligence. The review will be performed using the framework formulated by Arksey and O’Malley and further developed by Levac and colleagues. To identify primary studies and reviews that are suitable to answer our research questions, a comprehensive literature collection will be compiled by searching several sources. Constrictions regarding time and language will have to be implemented. Therefore, only studies published between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2020 will be taken into consideration, and foreign language publications will not be considered, i.e., only papers with full text in English will be included. Databases/web search engines that will be used are PubMed, Web of Science Platform, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and ACM Digital Library. Furthermore, clinical studies that have completed patient recruitment and reported results found in the database ClinicalTrials.gov will be considered. The term artificial intelligence is viewed broadly, and a wide range of machine learning and mathematical models suitable as base for decision support will be evaluated. Two members of the team will test the framework on a sample of included studies to ensure that the coding framework is suitable and can be consistently applied. Analysis of collected data will provide a descriptive summary and thematic analysis. The reported results will convey knowledge about the state of current research and innovation for using artificial intelligence to detect sepsis in early phases of the medical care chain. Ethics and dissemination The methodology used here is based on the use of publicly available information and does not need ethical approval. It aims at aiding further research towards digital solutions for disease detection and health innovation. Results will be extracted into a review report for submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Results will be shared with relevant local and national authorities and disseminated in additional appropriate formats such as conferences, lectures, and press releases.

BACKGROUND: Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a rapidly growing epithelial tumour with histopathologic and clinical features similar to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and a certain tendency toward spontaneous regression.CASE PRESENTATION: This article presents a unique and rare case of keratoacanthoma arising from the upper lip of a young male patient. These two features are in contrast to most of the reported cases in elder male individuals and on the lower lip. Relevant management protocol of the case has also been discussed.CONCLUSION: The article emphasises the significance of discerning such lesions from squamous cell carcinoma thus carrying diagnostic and therapeutic implications. However, in case of the dilemma it is prudent to assume that the lesion is SCC unless proved otherwise clinically and histologically.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a global epidemic affecting over 400 million people and causes significant morbidity and mortality. T2DM has a strong association with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the number one cause of death globally with 17.5 million deaths per year. A precursor of T2DM, insulin resistance is central to the development of T2DM and is a risk factor for CVD. Insulin resistance is difficult to diagnose and individuals are often untreated prior to the onset of T2DM or CVD. South Asians are more likely to have insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease when compared to age matched European cohorts. The molecular mechanisms of why South Asians are predisposed to insulin resistance and consequently cardiovascular disease were investigated using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived endothelial cells (iPSC-EC). Endothelial cells line blood vessels of the cardiovascular system. Unlike previous models, iPSC-EC are unique because they contain the individual's genetic information and the environmental influences retained in epigenetic marks are removed via reprogramming and differentiation. iPSC-ECs from insulin resistant South Asians show evidence of impaired insulin signaling as evidenced by decreased Akt phosphorylation, and paradoxically overexpression of eNOS and adiponectin receptor 3. In the cellular milieu of prediabetes, insulin resistance iPSC-ECs show impaired tubule formation and nitric oxide release. When adiponectin receptor 3 expression is suppressed using siRNA, eNOS expression decreases and expression of components of the insulin signaling cascade are improved to levels observed in control iPSC-ECs. Multiple linear regression modeling of clinical characteristics and gene and cellular phenotype was used to develop a scoring system that predicts a patient’s risk of developing insulin resistance and hence subsequently diabetes and cardiovascular complications. To our knowledge, this is the first iPSC-derived endothelial cell risk calculator with the potential to identify South Asian patients at risk for developing insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease before disease onset, which would allow for the early implementation of interventions that prevent morbidity and mortality.

A method of encryption of the 3D plane in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is presented. The method is derived using Voronoi-Delaunay triangulation and properties of Catalan numbers. The Voronoi-Delaunay incremental algorithm is presented as one of the most commonly used triangulation techniques for random point selection. In accordance with the multiple applications of Catalan numbers in solving combinatorial problems and their "bit-balanced" characteristic, the process of encrypting and decrypting the coordinates of points using the Lattice Path method (walk on the integer lattice) or LIFO model is given. The triangulation of the plane started using decimal coordinates of a set of given planar points. Afterward, the resulting decimal values of the coordinates are converted to corresponding binary records and the encryption process starts by a random selection of the Catalan key according to the LIFO model. These binary coordinates are again converted into their original decimal values, which enables the process of encrypted triangulation. The original triangulation of the plane can be generated by restarting the triangulation algorithm. Due to its exceptional efficiency in terms of launching programs on various computer architectures and operating systems, Java programming language enables an efficient implementation of our method.

Introduction: Many epidemiological studies have shown that there are numerous risk factors for acute coronary disease. The aim is to determine the effect of risk factors on the echocardiographic changes and quality of life in patients treated with different methods 1 year after myocardial infarction. Methods: The research was a prospective–retrospective, clinical, epidemiological study and was conducted at the Clinic of Cardiology, University Clinical Center Sarajevo. Patients were divided into four groups based on the therapy treatment they got. The patients were divided into four groups based on the therapy treatment they received. The first group consisted of 40 patients who had had myocardial infarction and were treated with medications. The patients in the groups II and III were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) [who immediately after incident underwent primary PCI or delayed PCI], and each group consisted of 40 patients. The group IV consisted of 40 patients, who underwent surgical revascularization (coronary artery bypass surgery). After the treatments have finished, an echocardiogram was performed on every patient. The Short Form (SF)-36 health survey was used for testing the life quality. Echocardiogram and the quality of life (QoL) testing were repeated a year after the treatment. Results: The study included 160 patients with a history of myocardial infarction, of which 130 (81.3%) were men, and 30 (18.8%) were women. The average age in the total sample was 54.9 ± 8.8 years. The review of risk factors’ presence showed that in the total sample, most present was hypertension with 134 (83.8%), smoking with 120 (75.0%), and hypercholesterolemia with 110 or 68.8% of patients. Hypertension showed a statistically significant negative effect on the SF-scales only in the group III according to the mental health (P = 0.020), social functioning (P = 0.013), and pain (P = 0.011). A statistically significant effect of smoking was observed in the group III according to left ventricular internal dimension in end-diastole (P = 0.000) and left ventricular internal dimension in end-systole (P = 0.001) in the sense that smokers have the higher values of these parameters, and negative to ejection fraction (EF) (P = 0.001) in the sense that smokers have lower EF. In the group IV, positive correlation was observed to EF (P = 0.038), and negative toward the mitral regurgitation (P = 0.032). Conclusion: High blood pressure negatively affected the QoL. Smoking is negatively associated with all observed echocardiographic parameters in all the groups except with the size of the left atrium.

Introduction Atrial fibrillation represents the most common cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice. By year 2030, 14-17 million AF patients are anticipated in the European Union. Atrial fibrillation remains one of the major causes of stroke, heart failure, sudden death all over the world. Research objectives The objective of our study is to determine the cardiac and cerebrovascular events (myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, sudden cardiac death) and their cumulative incidence during 11 years follow up period. Patients and methods This study includes 2352 ambulant and hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were enrolled during the follow up period. All patients underwent clinical evaluation in order to determine cardiac and cerebrovascular events (myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, sudden cardiac death) and their cumulative incidence. Results The results of cumulative incidence for sudden cardiac death was 1.71%, for stroke 2.56%, for myocardial infarction 1.20% and for heart failure was 5.73%. In our study the age-adjusted incidence and prevalence of AF are slightly lower in women. The study shows that the risk of death is higher in females than in males with AF. Conclusion Despite good progress in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), this arrhythmia remains one of the major causes of stroke, heart failure, sudden death. Effective treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation includes not only rate control, rhythm control, and prevention of stroke, but also management of cardiovascular risk factors and concomitant diseases.

The research in this paper refers to two areas: programming and data storage (data base) for computing the weighted Moore–Penrose inverse. The main aim of this paper analysis of the execution speed of computing using PHP programming language and data store. The research shows that the speed of execution gives considerable difference between the Procedural programming and Object Oriented PHP language, on the middle layer in the three tier of the web architecture. Also, the research concerning the comparison of relation database system, MySQL and NoSQL, key value store system, ApacheCassandra, on the database layer. The CPU times are compared and discussed.

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is commonly used for structural analysis at the nm scale in material and biological sciences. Fast acquisition and low dose are desired to minimize the influence of external factors on the acquisition as well as the interaction of electrons with the sample. However, the resulting images are very noisy, which affects both manual and automated analysis. We present a comparative study of block matching, wavelet domain, energy minimization, and deep convolutional neural network based approaches to de-noise short exposure high-resolution TEM images of cilia. In addition, we evaluate the effect of denoising before or after registering multiple short exposure images of the same imaging field to further enhance fine details.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice and its prevalence increases with age. Patients who develop AF also have cardiovascular risk factors, structural heart disease, and comorbidities, all of which can increase mortality. AF causes a significant economic burden with the increasing trend in AF prevalence and hospitalizations. Research Objectives: The objective of our study is to evaluate the impact of the most common known risk factors on the incidence of atrial fibrillation as an important precursor of cardiac and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality among our patients in Bosnia and Herzegovina during median follow up period (September 2006 - September 2016). The other objective is to estimate the CHA2DS2-VASc score among our patients based on clinical parameters. Patients and methods: This study includes 2352 ambulant and hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation. All patients underwent clinical evaluation which includes thorough assessment for potential risk factors and concomitant conditions in order to determine which of them represent the most common among examinees with atrial fibrillation. Results: The results show that male gender has slightly more incidence of AF. Obesity and overweight with BMI ≥ 27, cigarettes smoking and sedentary life style are almost present in patients with AF. Arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic renal dysfunction, structural and valvular heart disease and peripheral vascular disease are the most common comorbidities among our patients. The mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.2±1.4 and the mean HAS-BLED score was 2.1±1.2. Conclusion: Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac rhythm disorder. The study shows that obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking cigarettes and dyslipidemia can be considered as triggers and predisposing factors for appearance of AF. Arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, Peripheral vascular disease and chronic kidney disease are playing important role in developing of AF.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum nitric oxide (NO) and C reactive protein (CRP) concentration in veterans with and without PTSD. Furthermore, we aimed to assess whether there is a correlation between serum NO and CRP concentrations in tested groups. Subjects and methods: Cross-sectional study included 90 male individuals, with and without experience of direct war combat, divided into three equal groups (n=30): group 1- included war veterans with PTSD, group 2 - included war veterans without PTSD, and control group - 30 apparently healthy volunteers, without experience of direct war combat. The diagnosis of PTSD was assessed according to the guidelines in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). High-sensitivity CRP was determined by immunonephelometry. The serum NO level was determined by classic colorimetrical Griess reaction. Results: Serum CRP concentration in veterans with (3.54±1.19 mg/L) and without PTSD (3.24±2.04 mg/L), was significantly higher (p

INTRODUCTION: It affects most frequently middle aged recreational male sportsmen (30-50 years old), previously followed by prodromal symptoms (5-33%). Rupture spot is 3 to 5 cm above heel bone vertex (90-95%). Retrospective study. WORKING OBJECTIVE: Comparison of functional results and complications of cast immobilization non-operative treatment and open suture surgical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Overall 46 patients included who were treated at the Clinic for Orthopedics and Traumatology within the Clinical Center of Montenegro in Podgorica between 2004 and 2012. Patients were divided into two groups: I group consisted of 21 patients (45.65%) who were treated by cast immobilization and the II (control) group consisted of 25 patients (54.35%) who were treated by open surgical technique. Division by gender: 44 male patients (95.65%) and 2 female patients (4.35%). WORKING RESULTS: The average age of patients was 38.8+2.79 (21-60 years of age); for the patients treated operationally 37.1+3.98 years of age, for the patients treated non-operationally 40.2+2.39; 28 right side patients (60.86%), 18 left side patients (39.14%); Surface infection detected on 1 patient (2.17%) 2 patients with partial rupture, while 3 patients had complete rupture during early rehabilitation period after immobilization was taken off. Complete rupture detected on 3 patients (6.25%) has been recovered surgically. Thromboembolism noticed on 3 patients (6.52%) while 2 patients (4.34%) were affected by pulmonary embolism. Tendon elongation present on 3 patients (Magnetic Resonance (MR) Diagnostics) and on 1 patient reoperation was performed 3 months after the primary surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: This study didn’t show significant statistical difference between two ways of treatment, but early immobilization is recommended because of better results. In case of Achilles tendon rupture, the advantage should be given to the surgical treatment, especially if younger population is treated.

A system based on a pixel-parallel CMOS active pixel sensor architecture is demonstrated for capturing the location and approximate size of an object. The object is distinguished from the background by a global threshold. Three prototype sensors are implemented in standard CMOS technologies. In the first, a high fill factor three-transistor pixel with integral comparator is demonstrated. It is shown that performance of this sensor is limited by device nonuniformities, so a novel in-pixel fixed-pattern noise correction circuit using a single capacitor is demonstrated in the second sensor. The system concept is further enhanced by a cumulative cross section readout architecture which provides additional information regarding the object with little reduction in speed. The application of these systems to centroid determination using multiple thresholds is discussed.

Background Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mitochondrial disorder. However, few countries have published their population-based findings related to this multisystemic disease. The aim In order to get a better insight into the epidemiological and clinical picture of this maternally inherited disorder, we performed the first population-based clinical and molecular-genetic study of LHON in the Serbian population. Methods Prospective study included patients who were diagnosed with LHON after detailed medical examination and molecular-genetic confirmation. Results We identified 41 individuals from 12 genealogically unrelated families, carrying one of the three “primary” mitochondrial (mt) DNA point mutations associated with LHON. Fourteen of them were clinically affected, giving a minimum point prevalence of 1.9 per 1 000 000. The minimum point prevalence for mtDNA LHON mutations was 5.2 per 1 000 000. Male to female ratio was 6:1. Only one affected patient harboured mutant mtDNA in heteroplasmic condition. All patients were presented with common clinical findings. Conclusion We observed significantly lower prevalence and higher gender ratio than expected. However, frequencies of primary mutations, incidence of heteroplasmy and clinical findings are in accordance with other studies in Caucasoid populations. Our results might be a consequence of poor recognition and misdiagnosis due to lack of diagnostic possibilities of the entity in different region of our country or less likely be in part due to specific haplotype background of Serbian population which should be further investigated.

Vanishing point and Z-tranform image center calibration techniques are reported for a prototype “compound-eye” camera system which can contain up to 25 “eyelets”. One application of this system is to track a fast-moving object, such as a tennis ball, over a wide field of view. Each eyelet comprises a coherent fiber bundle with a small imaging lens at one end. The other ends of the fiber bundles are aligned on a plane, which is re-imaged onto a commercial CMOS camera. The design and implementation of the Dragonfleye prototype is briefly described. Calibration of the image centers of the eyelet lenses is performed using a vanishing point technique, achieving an error of approximately ±0.2 pixels. An alternative technique, the Z-transform, is shown to be able to achieve similar results. By restricting the application to a two-dimensional surface, it is shown that similar accuracies can be achieved using a simple homography transformation without the need for calibrating individual eyelets. Preliminary results for object tracking between eyelets are presented, showing an error between actual and measured positions of around 3.5 mrad.

Rapidly moving objects are a challenge to track with a camera system, particularly when the range varies from near-field to far-field and there is a complex background. In the present work, the problem is restricted to a well-defined small object that is readily distinguished from the background scene. The emphasis is on the maintenance of an accurate trajectory estimation as the target moves from the near field to the far field (or vice versa) and traverses a large field of view. To address this and related scenarios, a prototype compound-eye image sensor, named "DragonflEYE", has been designed and fabricated. In essence, the compound-eye sensor uses a large number (10/sup 1/-10/sup 3/) of identical "eyelets" to cover a large angular field of view. The degree of overlap of the eyelet fields of view is an important system parameter that strongly influences the tracking problem. Selected highlights of the design and implementation of DragonflEYE are described. For the precision-tracking function, the following factors need to be assessed: coverage overlap, update rate, frame timing, subpixel calibration of multiple eyelet lenses and processing algorithms and approaches. Investigations with conventional cameras indicate that the instantaneous location precision can be 0.01 to 0.1 pixel for the centroid of a suitable 'spot object' in a favourable scenario. The calibration of multiple "eyelets" of the compound eye to the same level of precision is expected to be important for precision tracking over a wide field of view. Preliminary experimental results for calibration for tracking applications are presented and evaluated.

Compound eyes are a highly successful natural solution to the issue of wide field of view and high update rate for vision systems. Applications for an electronic implementation of a compound eye sensor include high-speed object tracking and depth perception. In this paper we demonstrate the construction and operation of a prototype compound eye sensor which currently consists of up to 20 eyelets, each of which forms an image of approximately 150 pixels in diameter on a single CMOS image sensor. Post-fabrication calibration of such a sensor is discussed in detail with reference to experimental measurements of accuracy and repeatability.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate liver function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with and without metabolic syndrome (MS) by determining serum levels of gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). We also investigated correlation between levels of liver enzymes and some components of MS in both groups of patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 96 patients (age 47–83 years) with T2DM. All patients were divided according to the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) in two groups: 50 patients with T2 DM and MS (T2DM-MS) and 46 patients with T2DM without MS (T2DM-Non MS). The analysis included blood pressure monitoring and laboratory tests: fasting blood glucose (FBG), total lipoprotein cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), fibrinogen and liver enzymes: GGT, ALT and AST. T2DM-MS group included patients which had FBG ≥ 6,1 mmol/L, TG ≥ 1,7 mmol/L and blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mm Hg. Results: T2DM-MS patients had significant higher values of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and medium arterial pressure compared to T2DM-Non MS patients. Serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, VLDL-C and FBG were significantly higher in the T2DM-MS group compared to the T2DM-Non MS group. Serum fibrinogen level and GGT level were significantly higher in patients with T2DM-MS compared to the serum fibrinogen level and GGT level in T2DM-Non MS patients. Mean serum AST and ALT level were higher, but not significantly, in patients with T2DM and MS compared to the patients with T2DM without MS. Significant negative correlations were observed between TC and AST (r= -0,28, p

Objective: In recent years regional anesthesia has gained great popularity. However, like any other medical procedure, the regional anesthesia carries certain risk of unintended intraneural injection and consequential neurological complications. Studies in animals have suggested that intraneural application of local anesthetics may cause mechanical injury. Previous studies, however, have used small animal models and clinically irrelevant injection speed or equipment. In this study we used equipment and injection methods in common clinical use to study the consequences and pressure dynamics of intraneural injection. Our hypothesis is that an intraneural injection is heralded by higher injection pressure and leads to neurologic impairment in pigs. Materials and Methods: Ten pigs of mixed breed (21-26 kg, 4-6 months old) were studied. After general anesthesia, the sciatic nerves (n = 20) were exposed bilaterally. Under direct vision, a 25-gauge insulated nerve block needle was placed either intraneurally (n = 10) or perineurally (n = 10), and 4 ml of preservative-free lidocaine 2% was injected using an automated infusion pump (15 ml/min). Injection pressure data were acquired using an in-line manometer coupled to a computer via an analog-to-digital conversion board. After injection, the animals were awakened and subjected to serial neurologic examinations during next 7 days. Results: All perineural injections resulted in injection pressures below 40 kPa. In contrast, intraneural injections resulted in significantly higher peak pressures (P < 0.01). In seven (70%) intraneural injections, the injections pressures were over 140 kPa (140-350 kPa). Neurologic function returned to baseline within 24 hours in all sciatic nerve receiving perineural injections. In contrast, residual neurologic impairment was present in seven sciatic nerves after intraneural injection and was associated with injection pressures >140 k Pa. Conclusion: High injection pressure (>140 kPa) predicts intraneural injection and consequential neurologic deficit. As long as the injection pressure is low, injection into poorly compliant tissue can be avoided and neurological complication can be prevented.

Introduction: Willis arterial circle (circulus arteriosus cerebri Willisi) is the most important part of the collateral circulatory system of the brain. It functions in normal and pathological situations such as valvular mechanism and thus allows optimal blood supply of all parts of the brain tissue, which reduces the risk of transient ischemic attack (TIA) and stroke. The main pre-requisite for the normal function of the circle is its completeness and the lack of hypoplastic vessels. Materials and Methods: In this research, we used 100 angiograms of carotid system shown by serial angiography by Seldinger taken from the archives of the Department of Radiology, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo. For morphometric analysis of blood vessels, we used specially designed software program ELLIPSE (ViDiTo, Zoltan Tomoris, Kosice, Slovak Republic, tomori@saske.sk. In this way, it was possible to more easily store and analyze angiograms that were used for morphometric analysis. Results: In our study, larger diameters of blood vessels in Willis circle were observed in the younger subjects compared to older except the diameter of the internal carotid artery, which was about 0.2 to 0.3 mm larger in the older subjects. In both age groups among males, we recorded larger diameters of the internal carotid artery and segment before the circle of the posterior cerebral artery in relation to the female population, while the rear communicating artery in females was 0.1 mm wider in diameter compared to men in category of younger respondents.

Introduction: Quality of life is a broad term that refers to the total well-being of the individual in terms of physical, psychological, emotional, mental, and social well-being, and which is in turn influenced by numerous factors including age, gender, socioeconomic status, risk factors in behavior, the environment, and the absence or presence of disease. Goal: The goal was to determine the presence of respiratory symptoms in smokers and to compare them with non-smokers as well as determine the relationship between quality of life with the frequency of respiratory symptoms from the aspect of gender, age, the environment in which they live, and the total monthly income of smokers compared to non-smokers. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on a sample of 600 subjects who were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of regular smokers (300 subjects) and the second group consisted of non-smokers. Former smokers were not included in the study. The survey questionnaire was designed on the basis of the following. A questionnaire to test the quality of life SF-36; Inventory of socioeconomic status EuroQoL; Basic respiratory symptoms were examined by MRC questionnaire (consisting of 9 questions). Results: The presence of respiratory symptoms was not associated with gender and the area of origin of the respondents, while the level of education, age, total monthly household income, and smoking status were directly related to the presence of respiratory symptoms, so that respondents with lower education levels, older ones, those with lower incomes, and smokers have more pronounced symptoms of respiratory problems. There is large negative impact of respiratory symptoms presence on respondent's quality of life. Conclusion: Smoking status were directly related to the presence of respiratory symptoms. There is large negative impact of respiratory symptoms presence on respondent's quality of life.