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In medicine, 3D printing represents one of the fastest-growing fields, which has awakened the highest expectations in biomedicine. It is predominantly used when replacing autografts and xenografts with alloplastic personalized tissue substitutes and constructs. This publication will present an overview of contemporary literature dealing with acellular 3D printing in reconstructing bone defects. It will also describe the 3D printing technology, the scope and the main problems it faces in reconstructing bone defects. This review will include the application of 3D printing technology in preoperative surgical planning, the creation of personalized medical models and surgical guides, as well as acellular 3D printing in bone tissue engineering, i.e. in the production of bone scaffolds. It will briefly refer to the application of 3D printing in our country since the available literature indicates a contrast between the current needs and the use of this technology in reconstructive skeletal surgery in Serbia. The neglected and unused benefits of modern 3D printing methods burden the health system with significant socio-economic consequences for public health.

Our primary objective was to investigate whether HEXACO personality profiles predict different coping strategies during the first wave of the COVID–19 pandemic. We chose a person-centered approach as it enabled visibility of personal structures differentiating between adaptive and maladaptive coping in a nonclinical sample. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct personality profiles, each profile complemented by its specific choice of coping strategies. The Resilient (conscientious extroverts) used strategies focused on the stressor (Problem-focused, Emotion-focused coping, and Humor); the Undercontrolled (conscienceless) turned to Avoidance of problem-solving strategies; the Overcontrolled (emotionally reactive and conscientious introverts) avoided Humor and handling of their own emotions. Combination of Conscientiousness scores differentiated between adaptive and maladaptive resilience. However, high Emotionality in conjunction with Introversion and high Conscientiousness produced both vulnerability and maladaptation. Absence of Avoidance is the paramount feature of adaptive resilience. Thus, personality related variance in stress response is mostly determined by traits responsible for control, proactivity, and affectivity.

Introduction/Objective. Finite element analysis (FEA) is mathematical method which can be used for the assessment of biomechanical behavior of dento-alveolar complex. The objectives were to analyze biomechanical behavior changes of teeth and supporting tissues under occlusal load in cases of horizontal and vertical alveolar bone loss, to assess potential impact of tooth displacement and altered stress distribution on further damage, and to evaluate the impact of regenerative periodontal therapy. Methods. Three patient-specific three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) models were developed from the acquired cone beam computed tomography, comprising the patient’s upper left canine, first and second premolar, and adjacent bone. Model 1 represented horizontal bone loss. Model 2 included intrabony defect along distal aspect of tooth #24. Model 3 represented situation six months after the regenerative periodontal surgery. Displacement, Von Mises, and principal stresses were evaluated through FEA, under moderate vertical occlusal load. Results. FEA demonstrated that in the model with vertical bone loss significant tooth displacement was present, even though the clinically evident tooth mobility was absent. Biomechanical behavior and stress distribution of teeth and surrounding tissues under moderate occlusal load was much more altered in case with vertical bone loss in comparison with horizontal bone loss. Six months following the regenerative therapy, the values of all evaluated parameters were noticeable reduced. Conclusion. Regenerative periodontal therapy improved the biomechanical characteristics of the affected teeth and the related periodontal structures.

Bones encompass a diverse network of sensory, sympathetic and even parasympathetic nerve fibers. While there is still insufficient understanding of the exact roles of these fibers in the skeleton, there is increasing evidence that they serve both afferent and efferent functions. Apart from pain transmission, some of their functions are regulation of bone remodeling, skeletal growth and fracture healing. That indicates that further research on bone innervation may shed more light on the main topics of bone biology, such as bone fragility in aged and osteoporotic individuals, alterations in fracture healing in various conditions, bone cancer pain, etc. This review article will present main morphological and functional characteristics of bone innervation.

The burden of hip fractures in elderly population has been growing worldwide. A particular focus has been directed towards identifying persons at high risk of fracture. However, bone mineral density (BMD), which is currently used in clinical settings as an indicator of risk of age-related fracture, cannot explain all fracture cases in the elderly. In fact, the risk of hip fractures in the elderly is associated with numerous bone features that degrade bone strength. This review focuses on complexity of bone features that could account for increased bone fragility in advanced age. Besides a decrease in BMD, various macroscopic and microscopic structural parameters, as well as the material of which the bone is composed, are subject to age-related changes. Therefore, in order to have a more thorough assessment of the fracture risk, it is essential to provide integrative approaches that combine BMD measure with other relevant bone features. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 45005]

Introduction. In contrast to numerous reports on long-term psychological consequences of disasters, the literature addressing the acute impact of intentional collective disaster is limited. Objective. This research aimed to examine the impact of the bombing campaign on the behavior of people living in Belgrade during the air attacks in 1999. Methods. The questionnaire was designed and administered to 231 participants. Psychological distress symptoms were assessed using the Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R). Results. Participants reported fear and anger as dominant feelings, and the majority of them complained about sleep disturbance, body weight change, and loss of interest for sexual activity. Regression analysis of the scores of the SCL-90-R revealed significant effects of the duration of living under the stress of air attacks, age and gender of the participants and living in the risky areas of the city, upon the scores on Anxiety and Depression dimension. Conclusion. The results of the study contributed to our understanding of the processes through which individuals pass during a long lasting bombardment. It can be beneficial for mental health services in evaluating which actions of care and support could be most suitable. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 45005]

Background/Aim. The basic task of a forensic examiner during the exhumation of mass graves or in mass accidents is to establish identity of a person. The results obtained through these procedures depend on the level of perceptibility of post mortal changes and they are compared with premortal data obtained from family members of those missing or killed. Experience with exhumations has shown significant differences between the results obtained through exhumation and the premortal data. The aim of the study was to suggest the existance of the difference between premortal data and the results obtained by exhumation regarding the some parameters, as well as to direct premortal data colection to the specific skeletal forms. Methods. We performed comparative analysis of the results of exhumation of skeletal remains in a mass grave and the premortal data concerning the identified persons. The least number of individuals in this mass grave was calculated according to the upper parts of the right femur and it helped in calculating the smallest number of individuals in mass graves to be 48. A total of 27 persons were identified. Sex was determined by metrics and morphology of the pelvis. Personal age in the moment of death was determined by morphology features of groin symphisis and morphology of sternal edge of ribs and other parts of scelets observations. The hight was calculated as average results of length of long bones and Rollet coefficients. Results. There was a complete match in terms of sex and age matched within an interval that could be established based on the skeletal remains. All the other parameters were different, however, which made identification significantly more difficult. Conclusion. The premortal data is an important element of identification process and it should be obtained by the forensic doctor and directed towards more detailed examination of the skeletal system.

Introduction. In contrast to a plethora of studies on the proximal femur in adults, its external and internal morphology in growing children has not been sufficiently analyzed. Objective. We analyzed changes in external and internal morphology of the proximal femur during growth and development to interpret the links between them and concepts of the human femoral biomechanics. Methods. We assessed external geometry, internal trabecular and cortical arrangement, and bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal femur in 29 children (age at death from 1 month to 14 years) from archaeological context by using microscopic and radiographic methods. Results. The results showed that both the femoral neck width and length increased with age, with the femoral neck becoming more elongated, while the collo-diaphyseal angle decreased. A strong relationship between age and adjusted areal BMD was found, showing continuous increase during childhood. Parallel trabecular pattern at birth changed to mature three distinct trabecular groups (longitudinal – principal compressive, transversal – tensile and randomly scattered) starting from the age of 8 months. In older children the superior and inferior aspects of the femoral neck differently changed with growth, with medial neck having thicker cortex and trabeculae. Conclusion. In the light of bone adaptation principle, the observed changes in external and internal morphology are governed by mechanical forces acting on the developing femur. Our findings on the development of trabecular pattern and cortical distribution are compatible with recent views on the femoral biomechanics which point out the predominance of compressive stresses in the femoral neck, adaptation to shear stresses, multiaxial loading perspective, prevalence of muscle effects over body weight, and existence of adaptational eccentricity. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 45005]

INTRODUCTION Hemodialysis (HD) is one of the most accessible methods for the treatment of the growing number of patients suffering from terminal-stage renal insufficiency. Although headache is the most frequently encountered neurological symptom during HD, there are few studies reporting its prevalence and clinical features. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the frequency, demographic and clinical features of headache during HD, and to compare these parameters among patients with and without headache. METHOD The study involved 126 patients (48 female and 78 male) with chronic renal failure on regular HD for at least six months, at the Dialysis Unit of Nephrology Department, Kruševac. All patients were inquired about their possible problems with headache using the standardized questionnaire designed according to the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition, published in 2004 (ICHD-II). Subsequently, the patients were clinically evaluated and patients with headaches were further sub classified by a neurologist with special interest in headache disorders. Patients with headache were compared to the patients without headache regarding age, sex, duration of HD, causes of end-stage renal disease, arterial diastolic and systolic blood pressure, and serum values of the most important blood parameters such as sodium, potassium, urea and creatinine. In the group of patients with headache we analyzed the characteristics of specific headache type according to ICHD-II classification. We also analyzed the most important clinical features of hemodialysis headache (HDH). RESULTS In the group of 126 evaluated patients, 41 (32.5%) patients had headaches. There were no statistically significant differences between the patients with headaches and those without headaches regarding sex, age, BMI, duration of HD, causes of end-stage renal disease, arterial blood pressure, red blood cell count, serum concentration of hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glucose, MCHC, total protein, sodium and potassium. Fourteen patients (34% of those with headaches) experienced headache during the HD session and were sub classified as HDH using diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society. Tension type headache (41% of those with headaches) and migraine without aura (10%) were most common in the primary headache group and headache due to arterial hypertension (7%) was the most prevalent among the secondary headaches. Although there were some common clinical characteristics, we could not find a unifying clinical pattern in the patients with HDH. CONCLUSION Hemodialysis headache is the most common headache in patients undergoing hemodialysis, and despite some common symptoms, it does not appear to be uniform in its clinical characteristics.

Background/Aim. Hemodialysis (HD) is a therapeutic procedure used to partially correct homeostatic disorders and prevent complications of uremia to appear in the terminal stage of renal insufficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate and analyze the incidence and features of headaches in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods. A total of 143 patients, 50 women and 93 men, undergoing hemodialysis, were questioned about their problems with headache using a questionnaire designed according to the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Classification of Headache Disorders from 2004. The patients were separated into two groups: the patients without headache and the patients with repeated headaches. Afterwards, the patients with headaches were further divided into subgroups: the patients who had the headaches before the beginning of HD and patients who experienced repeated headaches with the beginning of HD headache (HDH). In the group of patients with headaches we analyzed characteristics of headache according to which diagnoses of headaches were made, as well as the effects of HD on headaches. We also analyzed features of HDH. The patients with headache were compared to the patients without headache regarding sex, age, duration of HD, causes of end-stage renal disease, arterial diastolic and systolic blood pressure and serum concentration of hemoglobin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, sodium and potassium. The results were statistically compared. Results. In the group of 143 patients examined, 27 (18.9%) patients had headaches. There were no statistically significant differences between the group of patients with headaches and those without headache regarding to sex, age, duration of HD, causes of end-stage renal disease, serum concentration of hemoglobin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, sodium and potassium. The patients with headaches showed significantly higher mean values of systolic blood pressure during HD in comparison to the patients without headaches (p = 0.029). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean values of diastolic blood pressure. Nineteen (13.3%) patients had had headache before starting HD. HD did not have any effect on the characteristics of headaches in more than a half of these patients. In 8 (5.6%) patients we diagnosed HDH using the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Classification of Headache Disorders from 2004. HDH showed similar characteristics in all the patients: it appeared mostly in men, during the 4th hour of HD, lasted less than four hours, it was localized bilaterally in the frontal parts of the head, strong in intensity, throbbing and without the associated symptoms. Conclusion. The results of our study clearly showed that HDH was a particular entity of headache, not only because of its connection with HD, but because it had similar characteristics in all the patients in which it had appeared. Finding out the pathophysiological mechanisms of their occurrence would significantly improve the quality of life style of patients on hemodialysis. .

Introduction. Oval root canals are all groups of human teeth. In such canals it is a challenge to fulfill the necessary preconditions for a successful outcome of root canal therapy - complete cleaning, shaping and obturation. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the shape and diameter of root canals in the apical and middle third of human mandibular molars and premolars, to determine the prevalence and extent of long oval canals. Materials and methods. The study was carried out on 80 extracted human teeth, 40 molars and 40 premolars. The teeth were placed in a specially designed muffle mould and embedded in transparent acrylic resin. After the polymerization of the acrylic resin, the teeth were taken out of the mould and sectioned at levels 3 and 6 mm from the apex. The cross-sections were photographed under 30Х magnification using a digital camera. The long and short canal diameter were measured on the images and their ratio calculated. Results. In the apical third 22% of the premolars and 35% of the molars had oval root canal morphology. In the middle third 36% of premolars and 41 % of molars. Conclusion. Root canals of mandibular molars and premolars are often oval in their cross-section. They seem to be more frequently oval in their cross-section than previous studies have shown.

This paper analyzes the reliability of the Işcan’s sternal rib-ends phase method for the assessment of individual age at the time of death in the Balkan population. The method is based on the morphological age changes of the sternal rib ends. The tested samples consisted of 65 ribs from autopsy cases in the Institute for Forensic Medicine, University of Belgrade, during 1999-2002 (23 females, and 42 males of various ages, ranged from 17-91 years), according to the forensic documents. Significant differences between the real chronological age of the individuals and the values established by the Işcan’s method was found, especially in the older categories (phases 6 and 7), in both males and females. The results of the discriminative analysis showed the values of the highest diagnostic relevance for the assessment of age in our population: the change of the depth of the articular fossa, the thickness of its walls, and the quality of the bones.

Background. The determination of age at the time of death is an important method in forensic anthropology and paleodemography. The possible postmortem investigation of the teeth and jaws enables the determination of age at the time of death, as the bones and teeth are both resistant to degradation in soil and characterized by age-related morphological changes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the age-related changes visible on panoramic radiography correlated with age, and enabled the assessment of individual age. Methods. Seven radiographic parameters were used in the study: tooth loss, occlusal tooth wear, pulp stones, carious teeth, periapical disease, tooth restoration, and alveolar bone loss associated with periodontal disease. Results. The material comprised 314 dental panoramic tomograms of living patients of both sexes with documented age (18 to 77 years). Multiple regression equations were constructed for the age estimation, including four parameters (the number of missing teeth, the number of intact teeth, the distance of cement-enamel junction from the alveolar ridge, the number of abraded teeth). The nature of data treated by regression analysis required the careful choice of parameters, appropriate functional model for each parameter, and the experience of the investigator. With the four parameters included in equations, the error was ± 2.55 years. Conclusion. This preliminary analysis showed that the conventional regression technique could be appropriate for the age estimation based on panoramic radiography, and that an additional study with a larger sample and on wider population was required.

Evolution as in all segments of human behavior and existence has left traces on human teeth. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of the supernumerary teeth in skeletal remains found at the archeological site Stara Torina and SEM evaluation of the changes on the supernumerary teeth. The study included 90 skulls and 81 jaws of both sexes with average age 20-60 years. Supernumerary teeth were prepared for SEM for analyzing dental tissues. Six supernumerary teeth were found, among them five mesiodensand one paramolar. The frequency of hyperdontia in these skeletal remains is 2,1%. Mesiodens is different morphologically from the incisor it replaced and took part in occlusal contacts during mastication. Paramolar is different morphologically from molar teeth and it did not take part in occlusal contacts during mastication because of its low adherence for bone tissues and small dimensions.