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Za potrebe ovog rada napravljena je jednostavna računalna igra, koja je poslužila kao baza ograničenog istraživanja o praćenju fizioloških reakcija igrača za vrijeme igre. Igrač se mora upoznati sa raznim stanjima igre i naučiti što ona znače. Odabrana mjerena fiziološka reakcija je bila vodljivost kože, zbog veće dobivene količine informacija u odnosu na ostale mjerene reakcije. Na kraju su izneseni zaključci o tehnologiji mjerenja fizioloških parametara i područjima njenog potencijalnog korištenja. For the purposes of this work, a simple computer game was created, which served as a basis for limited research on monitoring the physiological reactions of players during the game. The player must familiarize himself with the various states of the game and learn what they mean. The selected measured physiological reaction was skin conductivity, due to the greater amount of information obtained compared to other measured reactions. At the end, conclusions were presented about the technology of measuring physiological parameters and the areas of its potential use.

Potreba za disanjem tijekom zadržavanja daha rezultira nastankom nevoljnih dišnih pokreta. Ovom se studijom željelo utvrditi pokreću li IBM-e kritične razine hiperkapnije i/ili hipoksije tijekom maksimalne apneje. Zbog toga su određivani plinovi u arterijskoj krvi tijekom maksimalnog voljnog zadržavanja daha. Jedanaest zdravih ispitanika zadržavalo je dah nakon što su prethodno udisali zrak, hiperoksično-normokapničnu, hipoksično-normokapničnu i normooksično-hipekapničnu mješavinu plinova. Prethodno udisanje plinskih mješavina olakšalo je nastup IBM-a, skraćujući vrijeme njihova nastupa za oko 46% (hiperoksični uvjeti), odnosno za oko 80% (hipoksični uvjeti) u usporedbi s prethodnim udisanjem zraka. Zamijećena jaka korelacija (r=0.83, p=0.002) između parcijalnog tlaka ugljičnog dioksida (PaCO2) i trenutka nastupa IBM-a, a nakon prethodnog udisanja hiperoksične i hiperkapnične plinske mješavine, govori u prilog postojanja mogućeg PaCO2 praga za nastup IBM-a, koji iznosi oko 6.5 ± 0.5 kPa. Prag za parcijalni tlak kisika u arterijskoj krvi (PaO2) pri kojem nastupa IBM nije se mogao odrediti. Međutim, zamijetili smo da je nastup IBM-a, tijekom maksimalne apneje, barem djelomice ovisan o međuodnosu PaO2 i PaCO2. Prema tome, ova studija ukazuje na složen odnos između O2 i CO2 u arterijskoj krvi i fiziološkog odgovora na maksimalno zadržavanje daha., The growing urge to breathe that occurs during breath-holding results in development of involuntary breathing movements (IBMs). The present study determined whether IBMs are initiated at critical levels of hypercapnia and/or hypoxia during maximal apnoea. Arterial blood gasses at the onset of IBM were monitored during maximal voluntary breath-holds. Eleven healthy men performed breath holds after breathing air, hyperoxic–normocapnia, hypoxic–normocapnia, and normoxic–hypercapnia. Prebreathing of the gas mixtures facilitated the IBM onset, reducing the time-to-onset for ~46% (hyperoxic condition) and for ~80% (hypoxic condition) compared to the normoxic air breathing time. A strong correlation (R = 0.83, P = 0.002) between arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PaCO2 ) at IBM onset after pre-breathing hyperoxic and hypercapnic gas mixtures was observed, suggesting the existence of a possible IBM PaCO2 threshold level of ~6.5 ± 0.5 kPa. No clear “threshold” was observed for partial pressure of arterial O2 (PaO2 ). However, we observed that IBM onset was influenced, in part, by an interaction between PaO2 and PaCO2 levels during maximal apnoea. This study demonstrated the complex interaction between arterial blood-gases and the physiological response to maximal breath holding.

IPAVA su krvne žile velikog promjera 15-500 μm (čak i do 1000 μm), prisutne u >95% zdravih osoba, dok je PFO prisutan u ~ 1/3 opće populacije i oboje predstavljaju mogući izvor desno-lijevog šanta. U Studiji I smo istražili učinak nitroglicerina, noradrenalina i aminofilina na otvaranje i novačenje intrapulmonalnih arteriovenskih anastomoza u zdravih ispitanika u mirovanju. Ovi lijekovi primijenjeni u ranije navednim dozama nisu imali učinka na filtrirajuću sposobnost pluća u zdravih ljudi u mirovanju. Čini se da ovi lijekovi nemaju utjecaja na otvaranje i novačenje IPAVA, krvnih žila velikog promjera, kako direktnim (putem receptora) tako niti indirektnim (putem povećanja tlaka ili protoka) učinkom. Unatoč njihovim različitim vazoaktivnim i hemodinamskim učincima, nijedan od lijekova nije uzrokovao značajan porast srčanog minutnog volumena i/ili sistoličkog tlaka u plućnoj arteriji stimulusa ranije dokazanih da pasivno otvaraju i novače IPAVA. Naposljetku valja naglasiti da primjena ovih lijekova, u navedenim dozama, ne otvara mogući put za sistemsku embolizaciju vitalnih organa. U Studiji II smo istražili mogući doprinos protoka krvi kroz IPAVA-e i PFO na arterijsku hipoksemiju u CHF bolesnika sa i bez plućne hipertenzije. Otkrili smo da je arterijska hipoksemija u mirovanju bila prisutna samo kod CHF PH+ bolesnika s PFO-om. S obzirom da protok krvi kroz IPAVA-e nije bio prisutan ili je bio beznačajan, čak i kod onih s plućnom hipertenzijom, zaključujemo da protok krvi kroz IPAVA-e nije pod utjecajem povećanog tlaka u plućnoj arteriji te da isti ne pridonosi arterijskoj hipoksemiji kod ovih bolesnika. Pridonosi li PFO vježbanjem induciranoj arterijskoj hipoksemiji u CHF bolesnika ostaje nepoznato. Podatci dobiveni u ovoj studiji, kao i prethodno publicirani, dokazuju da starenje negativno utječe na IPAVA-e, što podrazumijeva da se sa povećanjem životne dobi protok krvi kroz IPAVA-e značajno smanjuje. Potrebno je istražiti kakve su posljedice, ako ih ima, povezane s tim smanjenjem. Također, u ovoj studiji smo dokazali izvrsnu podudarnost detekcije i kvantificiranja desno-lijevog šanta (protok krvi kroz IPAVA-e i/ili PFO) transtorakalnom kontrastnom ehokardiografijom i transkranijskim doplerom. Dakle, obje metode mogu poslužiti za istu svrhu, što je osobito značajno kada izvođenje jedne od njih nije podobno ili nije moguće. Kirurško/intervencijsko zatvaranje PFO-a može se uraditi zbog različitih indikacija, kao što su, npr. preboljeni ishemijski moždani udar ili tranzitorna ishemijska ataka. Međutim, s obzirom da PFO pridonosi arterijskoj hipoksemiji u CHF bolesnika s plućnom hipertenzijom, ova grupa bolesnika mogla bi profitirati od zatvaranja PFO-a s ciljem da se poboljša i oksigenacija, osobito u onih s težim stupnjem hipoksemije. Postojanje IPAVA je poznato najmanje posljednjih 50 godina, međutim, njihova fiziološka i klinička značajnost nije do kraja istražena. Iako, trenutno predložene uloge uključuju mogućnost alternativnog puta embolima iz venskog sustava da dosegnu sistemsku cirkulaciju, zatim da služe kao paralelna vaskularna mreža, koja se u određenim uvjetima otvara za preusmjeravanje potencijalno štetne hidrodinamske energije od krhkih plućnih kapilara čime čine desno-lijevi šant, zbog čega mogu negativno utjecati na plućnu izmjenu plinova. Proučavanje protoka krvi kroz IPAVA-e i PFO predstavlja značajno istraživačko područje s ciljem da se predložene uloge bolje odrede, zbog čega detektiranje i kvantificiranje protoka kroz IPAVA-e i PFO može postati mnogo važnije i u kliničkoj praksi., IPAVA are large diameter 15-500 μm (up to 1000 μm) vascular conduits, present in >95% of healthy humans, while PFO is present in ~ 1/3 of general population and both represent possible source of right to left shunt. In Study I we investigated the effects of nitroglicerine, norepinephrine and aminophylline on opening and recruitment of intrapulmonary arteriovenous anastomoses in healty humans at rest. We found that these drugs applied in above named doses did not seem to modify the filtering capability of the lung in healthy humans at rest which speakes in fovour that drugs are not affecting the large-diameter inducible intrapulmonary arteriovenous anastomoses by direct effect on opening and recruitment of the IPAVA (via receptors) nor indirect (via increase in pressure and flow). Despite their various vasoactive and hemodynamic effects, none of the drugs caused a substantial increase in QT and/or PASP, stimuli previously shown to passively open IPAVA. Finally, application of these drugs, in named doses, does not open the pathway for systemic micro/embolization of vital organs. However, further research is needed to examine their effect on IPAVA during physical activity intensities required for ordinary daily activities or in moderate and strenuous exercise as well as in others than healthy subjects. In Study II we examined the potential contributions of blood flow through IPAVA and PFO to arterial hypoxaemia in subjects with CHF with and without pulmonary hypertension. We found that arterial hypoxaemia at rest was present in CHF PH+ subjects with PFO. Given that blood flow through IPAVA was absent or insignificant, even in those subjects with pulmonary hypertension, we conclude that blood flow through IPAVA is not influenced by increased pulmonary pressures and does not contribute to arterial hypoxaemia in these subjects. Whether or not PFO contributes to exercise-induced arterial hypoxaemia in subjects with CHF remains unknown. Data from our study and previous data indicate that aging process may negatively affect IPAVA, assuming that blood flow through IPAVA is reduced with increasing age. We still need to investigate what consequences, if any, are associated with this decline. Also, in this study we have shown excellent correlation between detection and quantification of right to left shunt (blood flow through IPAVA and /or PFO) using transthoracic contrast echocardiography and transcranial Doppler. Thus, both methods can be used for the same purpose which is especially important when performing one of them is not suitable or possible. Surgical closure of the PFO may be undertaken for various reasons, such as history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack, yet PFO closure for this purpose remains controversial. However, because PFO contributes to arterial hypoxaemia in subjects with CHF and pulmonary hypertension, these specific subjects may also benefit from PFO closure as an intervention to improve oxygenation, particularly in those subjects with more severe levels of hypoxaemia. IPAVA have been known to exist for over 50 years, but their physiological and clinical significance are still being established; although, currently suggested roles for IPAVA include allowing emboli to reach the systemic circulation, also serve as a parallel vascular network that under certain conditions open to divert potentially damaging hydrodynamic energy from fragile pulmonary capillaries thus creating the right to left shunt which could adversely affect the pulmonary gas exchange. Studying blood flow through IPAVA, as well as through PFO, is an important area of research and as the suggested roles become better established, detecting and quantifying flow throug IPAVA and PFO may become significantly more important in the clinic.

V primeru znanstvene monografije Dejavniki spolnega zadovoljstva v Sloveniji, avtorjev Andrej Starc, Raja Dahmane Gošnak, Branko Gabrovec gre za obsežno in zahtevno delo, v katerem so avtorji podrobno predstavili dejavnike spolnega zadovoljstva ter rezultate raziskave, v okviru katere so proučevali značilnosti spolnega zadovoljstva med prebivalci v Sloveniji. Analiza temelji na odgovorih, ki so jih je posredovali 6903 udeleženci raziskave z izpolnitvijo mednarodno validiranega vprašalnika.

Zgornja dihala in prebavila tvorijo: zunanje, srednje in notranje uho, nosni organ, ustna votlina, zgornje, srednje in spodnje žrelo ter grlo. Nekateri med zgornja prebavila štejejo tudi požiralnik. V tem predelu najdemo še ščitnico, obščitnice ter žleze slinavke. Ti organi so sestavljeni iz različnih tkiv, iz katerih lahko vznika rak. To so: koža ter sluznice, ki jih pokriva večinoma ploščatocelični epitel, na nekaterih mestih respiratorni epitel, mišice, hrustanec, limfatično tkivo v žrelu in druga tkiva. Naloge zgornjih prebavil in dihal so: sluh in ravnotežje, dihanje, vohanje, žvečenje in požiranje ter začetek prebave hrane, tvorba glasu in govora, zaščitna – imunološka funkcija ter zaščita spodnjih dihal pred vdorom tekočine in hrane. Motorično in senzibilno oživčenje omogočajo možganski živci, arterijska preskrba poteka skozi arterije karotis interne in eksterne ter njunih vej. Drenaža limfe poteka skozi globoke in povrhnje vratne bezgavke, ki so številne. Venska kri odteka skozi venski pletež v veno jugularis.

The study investigates exposure to stress by respondents working in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and differences in using three instruments to measure stress. The survey was conducted from September to October 2018 in Dubrava Clinical Hospital in the ICU unit, with forty-one (41) healthcare professionals. Three forms of testing were set up: self-evaluation of stress, measurements of physiological indicators, and cortisol levels. The results show a statistically significant difference in mean cortisol levels, with the first sample much higher than other samples. There were significant interactions between skin conduction (SC) and stress levels, where all participants exhibited increases in SC. Heart rate variability (HRV) shows a slight correlation with stress levels in the group possessing substantially more stress experience. Although some differences were observed, all stress elements for professionals working in ICUs indicates that they cope well with stressful situations., Studija istražuje izloženost stresu ispitanika koji rade u Jedinici intenzivnoga liječenja (JIL-u) i razlike u upotrebi triju mjernih instrumenata stresa. Istraživanje je provedeno od rujna do listopada 2018. u Kliničkoj bolnici Dubrava u JIL-u, na četrdeset i jednom (41) zdravstvenom djelatniku. Postavljena su tri oblika testiranja: samoprocjena stresa, mjerenje fizioloških pokazatelja i razine kortizola. Rezultati pokazuju statistički značajnu razliku u srednjim razinama kortizola, pri čemu je prvi uzorak znatno viši od ostalih uzoraka. Postojale su značajne interakcije između provodljivosti kože (SC) i razine stresa, pri čemu su svi sudionici pokazali povećanje SC-a. Varijabilnost srčanoga ritma (HRV) pokazuje blagu korelaciju s razinama stresa u skupini koja ima znatno više iskustva sa stresom. Iako su uočene neke razlike, svi mjerni pokazatelji stresa pokazuju da se zdravstveni djelatnici u JIL-u dobro nose sa stresnim situacijama.

Proces starenja utječe na funkciju osjeta mirisa i okusa (kemosenzorska funkcija) koja posljedično mijenja prehrambene navike i ima negativan utjecaj na nutritivni status i zdravlje starijih osoba. Ovo istraživanje imalo je u prvom dijelu svrhu utvrditi funkciju osjeta okusa i mirisa starijih osoba i analizirati utjecaj na unos hrane i nutritivni status. Upotrijebljene su metode senzorske analize (detekcija i prepoznavanje mirisa, prag detekcije i prepoznavanja slanog okusa), te antropometrijske i dijetetičke metode za procjenu nutritivnog statusa i prehrambenog unosa. U drugom dijelu istraživanja primijenjena je nutritivno-senzorska intervencija za istraživanje potencijala smanjenja unosa soli dodatkom začina u tri jela standardnog jelovnika doma za starije i nemoćne osobe. Istraživanje je uključilo 123 ispitanika iz doma za starije i nemoćne osobe, prosječne dobi 80,7±5,8 godina, od čega 76,4 % žena. Rezultati su pokazali značajno slabljenje olfaktorne funkcije kod 85 % ispitanika i povećani prag detekcije za slani okus (22,1±14,9 mM) (p < 0,0001). Prosječan indeks tjelesne mase ispitanika bio je 29,6 ± 5,2 kg/m2. Pothranjenih je bilo 8,1 %, a 41,5 % ispitanika je imao prekomjernu tjelesnu masu ili su bili pretili. Ispitanici unose veće količine natrija od preporučenog u prosjeku 3971 mg/dan (173 % preporuke). Kemosenzorska funkcija općenito ima slab utjecaj na nutritivni status i unos makronutrijenata. Olfaktorna funkcija ima statistički značajan utjecaj na unos mikronutrijenata (p

Studija istražuje izloženost stresu ispitanika koji rade u Jedinici intenzivnoga liječenja (JIL- u) i razlike u upotrebi triju mjernih instrumenata stresa. Istraživanje je provedeno od rujna do listopada 2018. u Kliničkoj bolnici Dubrava u JIL- u, na četrdeset i jednom (41) zdravstvenom djelatniku. Postavljena su tri oblika testiranja: samoprocjena stresa, mjerenje fizioloških pokazatelja i razine kortizola. Rezultati pokazuju statistički značajnu razliku u srednjim razinama kortizola, pri čemu je prvi uzorak znatno viši od ostalih uzoraka. Postojale su značajne interakcije između provodljivosti kože (SC) i razine stresa, pri čemu su svi sudionici pokazali povećanje SC-a. Varijabilnost srčanoga ritma (HRV) pokazuje blagu korelaciju s razinama stresa u skupini koja ima znatno više iskustva sa stresom. Iako su uočene neke razlike, svi mjerni pokazatelji stresa pokazuju da se zdravstveni djelatnici u JIL-u dobro nose sa stresnim situacijama.

Cilj rada bio je istražiti utjecaj proteolitičkih, lipolitičkih i oksidacijskih procesa na teksturu, boju i aromu dimljenoga pršuta tijekom tehnološkog procesa proizvodnje. Istraživanje je provedeno paralelno na mišićima biceps femoris (BF) i semimembranosus (SM) izuzetih nakon šest faza proizvodnje. Provedene su analize: boje, teksture, fizikalno-kemijskih parametara, proteolitičkog indeksa, sastava proteina, aminokiselina i dipeptida, oksidacije masti i proteina, profila masnih kiselina (MK) i spojeva arome i senzorsko ocjenjivanje. Utvrđen je različit tijek istraživanih procesa tijekom proizvodnje. BF dimljenog pršuta karakteriziran je višim vrijednostima parametara boje (L*, a* i b*), višim udjelima vode, pepela i NaCl-a, većom adhezivnom silom, adhezivnosti i kohezivnosti, a SM višim udjelima proteina, većom tvrdoćom, gumenosti, žvakljivosti i prijelomom. Određen je porast indeksa proteolize i udjela aminokiselina te degradacija sarkoplazmatskih i miofibrilarnih proteina, uz veći intenzitet u BF. Mišići dimljenog pršuta imali su sličan sastav MK (38,72-38,77 % SFA, 51,59-52,64 % MUFA i 8,56-9,23 % PUFA). Formiranje oksidacijskih produkata stabiliziralo se nakon zrenja. Utvrđena je pozitivna korelacija oksidacije proteina i proteolize. Identificirano je 95 spojeva arome, predominantno aldehida, fenola i alkohola. SM je karakteriziran većim (p

Cilj je ovog rada bio ispitati kvalitetu i sigurnost dodataka prehrani na bazi pčelinjih proizvoda. Provedene su analize vezane uz prisutnost teških metala i mikronutrijenata, konzervansa i sladila u odabranim uzorcima kao i ispitivanje mikrobioloških parametara te parametara kvalitete. Provjerena je usklađenost deklaracija ispitivanih uzoraka s važećim zakonskim propisima za označavanje dodataka prehrani. U svrhu procjene sigurnosti ispitivanih uzoraka provedeno je istraživanje putem anketnog upitnika među širom populacijom kao i putem službenih upita prema tijelima državne uprave, agencijama i institucijama nadležnima za pitanja dodataka prehrani i pčelinjih proizvoda. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju kako od ukupno ispitanih uzoraka njih 11 (21,57 %) sadrži povećanu koncentraciju ukupnog arsena, 3 uzorka (5,88 %) sadrže povećanu koncentraciju ukupnog željeza, 8 uzoraka (15,68 %) ima povećanu koncentraciju ukupnog nikla, 3 uzorka (5,88 %) sadrže povećanu koncentraciju cinka dok 1 uzorak (1,96 %) sadrži povećanu koncentraciju selena. Kao parametri kvalitete u dodacima prehrani na bazi propolisa određeni su suha tvar i koncentracija tri flavonoida (kvercetin, apigenin, krizin), dok je kod 15 uzoraka na bazi matične mliječi analizirana prisutnost 10-HDA kao potvrda njihove izvornosti. Pregledom označavanja ispitivanih uzoraka iz ovog rada, za njih nešto više od 41 % utvrđeno je kako nisu u skladu s propisima označavanja. Izostavljanje označavanja tvari ili proizvoda, koji uzrokuju alergije ili intolerancije predstavlja najveću opasnost za zdravlje potrošača. Na osnovi rezultata dobivenih ovim istraživanjem može se zaključiti kako postoji potreba za uspostavom sustava nutrivigilancije za dodatke prehrani na bazi pčelinjih proizvoda, a koji trenutno ne postoji u Republici Hrvatskoj. The aim of this study was to examine the quality and safety of food supplements based on bee products. Analyses related to the presence of heavy metals and micronutrients, preservatives and sweeteners in selected samples as well as testing of microbiological parameters and quality parameters were performed. The compliance of the declarations of the tested samples with the applicable legal requirements for the labelling of food supplements was checked. In order to assess the safety of the tested samples, a survey was conducted through a questionnaire among the general population as well as through official inquiries to state administration bodies, agencies and institutions responsible for food supplements and bee products. The obtained results show that out of the total tested samples 11 of them (21.57%) contained increased concentrations of total arsenic, 3 samples (5.88%) contained increased concentrations of total iron, 8 samples (15.68%) had increased concentrations of total nickel, 3 samples (5.88%) contained increased zinc concentrations while 1 sample (1.96%) contained increased selenium concentrations. Dry matter and concentrations of three flavonoids (quercetin, apigenin, chrysin) were determined as quality parameters in propolis-based food supplements, while the presence of 10-HDA was analysed in 15 royal jelly-based samples to confirm their authenticity. By reviewing the labelling of the tested samples from this paper, slightly over 41% of them were found to be inconsistent with the labelling requirements. Omission of the labelling of substances or products that cause allergies or intolerances poses the greatest danger to consumers’ health. Based on the results obtained in the course of this study, it can be concluded that there is a need to establish a nutrivigilance scheme for food supplements based on bee products, which currently does not exist in the Republic of Croatia.

Učestalost ozljeda prednje ukrižene sveze kod profesionalnih sportaša i sportski aktivne populacije posljednjih godina raste. Kod ozljede u većini slučajeva je operacijski zahvat jedino rješenje za kvalitetan povratak pacijenta svakodnevnim aktivnostima. Trenutačno se koriste dva kirurška načina liječenja puknute sveze, rekonstrukcija i popravak. Iako popravak sveze nije zlatni standard liječenja puknute sveze, postoji veliki potencijal za primjenu te tehnike jer ona, za razliku od rekonstrukcije, iskorištava potencijal cijeljenja sveze nakon proksimalnog puknuća. Prvi cilj doktorskoga rada bio je eksperimentalno in vitro i numerički ispitati tri trenutačno dostupne tehnike popravka prednje ukrižene sveze radi utvrđivanja biomehaničkih nedostataka postojećih rješenja. Eksperimentalno su se biomehanički nedostaci utvrđivali mjerenjem vrijednosti sila i pomaka na kidalici i umaralici te bilježenjem općeg stanja sveze i kostiju nakon ispitivanja. Numeričko ispitivanje provodilo se primjenom programskog paketa Abaqus. Trodimenzionalni modeli ovčjih kadaveričnih koljena dobiveni su rekonstrukcijom geometrije iz podataka računalne tomografije. Izrada prototipa biomehaničke potpore cijeljenju prednje ukrižene sveze, bio je drugi cilj ovoga doktorskog rada. Konstrukcijsko rješenje biomehaničke potpore odabrano je na temelju računalnih simulacija i rezultata eksperimentalnog ispitivanja sklopa bedrena kost – biomehanička potpora – goljenica. Rezultati eksperimentalnog ispitivanja pokazali su da od tri postojeće tehnike, tehnika popravka s unutarnjom potporom ima dobra biomehanička svojstva, usporediva s nativnom prednjom ukriženom svezom. Međutim, sve tri postojeće tehnike imaju biomehaničke nedostatke vidljive kroz povećanje vrijednosti von Mises naprezanja i pomaka na samoj svezi te manjih iznosa najvećih vlačnih sila uspoređujući ih s vrijednostima vlačnih sila nativne sveze. Dinamičkim ispitivanjem utvrđena je pojava proširenja provrta na mjestima dodira implantata s unutarnjom potporom, dok je numeričkim ispitivanjem utvrđena pojava većih iznosa von Mises naprezanja na mjestima dodira bedrene kosti i gumbića postojećih tehnika popravka što je u kliničkoj praksi povezano s otkazivanjem implantata i smanjenjem gustoće kostiju – Stress Shielding. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da se može napraviti prototip biomehaničke potpore koji ne djeluje destruktivno na okolna tkiva i nema iste biomehaničke nedostatke kao i postojeća rješenja uz zadržavanje dobrih mehaničkih svojstava. Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in professional and recreational athletes has increased in recent years. The main function of the ACL is to connect the back of the thigh to the front of the tibia, providing stability to the knee joint and limiting rotation during movement. A tear of the anterior cruciate ligament affects the biomechanics of the entire knee joint, increases the risk of secondary injury and osteoarthritis, and limits the patient's quality of life, especially in professional athletes. In most cases where the ACL is significantly damaged, surgery is the only treatment that allows patients to return to their daily activities with good results. Currently, two surgical treatments can be performed in medical practice when an ACL tear is diagnosed. The first treatment, which is now considered the gold standard, is ACL reconstruction, and the second is ACL primary repair. ACL reconstruction involves reconstructing the ligament with a graft of healthy donor tissue, while ACL repair involves fusing the torn remnants of the ligament together to take advantage of the healing potential. Both techniques have certain biomechanical disadvantages. However, the ACL repair technique has more significant biomechanical disadvantages and biological defects in the ligament itself that prevent this healing technique from becoming a new gold standard for the medical treatment of proximal ACL rupture. Despite the biomechanical disadvantages, the primary ACL repair technique has great potential in terms of ligament healing properties. Namely, the union of ligamentous remnants after proximal rupture allows healing and preservation of natural tissue as well as preservation of proprioceptive sensory fibers. Therefore, this topic was selected as a research problem to be addressed in this thesis. The proposed research objective is to develop a biomechanical support that improves the healing of the ACL using a minimally invasive surgical procedure. In order to achieve the proposed goal, three currently available ACL repair techniques must be studied experimentally "in vitro" and numerically to identify the biomechanical shortcomings of the existing solutions and to avoid these shortcomings in the development of a new biomechanical support. The research is based on the following hypothesis: it is possible to develop a biomechanical support for the healing of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee joint with good mechanical properties, ensuring the stability of the knee and the installation of the support without destructive effects on the surrounding tissues. Materials: Experimental studies were performed on fresh knee joint sheep carcasses. The use of animal by-products was approved by the Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia, under class: UP / I-322-01 / 20-01 / 32. The specimens were supplied in one piece; the hind legs with all the supporting tissue. There were 35 specimens in total, divided into five groups of seven specimens each. The specimens were prepared for testing in predefined groups before freezing to prevent deterioration of the material properties of the ACL. All soft tissues were removed from the specimens; the only connective tissue remaining in the joint was the ACL. The fibula was also removed from the specimens, leaving only the femur and tibia as bone tissue. Finally, a femur - intact ACL - tibia (FATC) was obtained. After the speciman preparations, it was necessary to adjust the length of the bones for the experimental tests. Therefore, the femur and tibia were cut 20 cm from the joint capsule and drilled with a Φ 6 drill to fit into the mechanical holders constructed according to the available literature to perform experimental tests on the FATC. After the initial preparation of the FATC, techniques to repair the ACL were incorporated into the complex. Rupture of the ACL on the specimens for the ACL repair groups was performed at the proximal level. Five groups of specimens were formed: - Group 0 - FATC with intact ACL; - Group 1 - FATC with proximally dissected ACL repaired using an end-to-end suture ACL repair technique; - Group 2 - FATC with proximally dissected ACL repaired with a primary ACL repair using an Internal Brace bridging technique [1]; - Group 3 - FATC with proximally dissected ACL repaired with a non-absorbable suture using a bridging technique with a distally placed spring - "dynamic bridge". - Group 4 - FATC with proximally dissected ACL repaired with a new biomechanical support. The first test group 0 served as a control group. In group 1, the ACL was repaired using the end-to-end ACL repair technique with 0.2 mm thick Krakow-style medical sutures at the ACL stumps. The proximally dissected ACL was sutured with three self-locking sutures longitudinally on the side of the ligament to its midpoint, then the suture was moved to the other side of the ligament and three more sutures were placed proximally. In group 2, the repair technique was performed with a braided suture tape installed in the FATC by passing a 2.5-mm-thick polyethylene suture through a drilled tibial tunnel, the dissected ACL, and the drilled femoral tunnel and fastening it to the lateral cortical part of the femur and the medial metaphyseal part of the tibia with four-hole buttons. The four-hole buttons, 12 mm in length and 2 mm in diameter, were made of steel and cut with a laser. In group 3, the ACL was repaired with non-absorbable suture in a bridging fashion with a distally placed spring - "dynamic bridge", where the spring mechanism is uniquely designed according to the literature data. Self-locking is provided by a bearing ball to prevent damage to the suture material. The installation of the dynamic bridge repair solution required the creation of two tunnels in which the polyethylene suture is placed using the "dynamic bridge" technique. The support is attached to the lateral part of the femur with a button and a slightly larger hole is drilled in the tibia to place the spring system, through which the polyethylene brace is passed and attached to the end of the system with a bearing ball and screw. Group 4 is a group in which a new biomechanical support was applied to a proximally dissected ACL and developed as part of the doctoral research. Numerical testing setup: For FATC three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, it was necessary to collect the sheep knee CT scans. To obtain CT scans, the sheep knee joint cadaver was processed in the radiology laboratory on a Siemens SOMATOM Definition Edge ultra-computed tomography (Siemens Healthcare GmbH), in Sestre milosrdnice Clinical Hospital Center (Clinical Department of Radiology, Zagreb, Croatia). Data from CT were imported into Mimics (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium), and models were further refined in SolidWorks 2018. For mesh generation, C3D10: A 10-node square tetrahedral finite element type was used. The load applied to the finite element model corresponds to the performed experimental tensile loading testing. For the numerical tests, the femur was loaded with a tensile force of 100 N for all groups except group 1 for which a force of 10 N was applied. The entire tibia was fixed (U1=U2=U3=UR1=UR2=UR3=0) for all groups. Therefore, to simplify the calculations, isotropic, homogeneous, and elastic material properties were assigned to all parts, including the bone. Five test models were created: - Model 0 corresponds to experimental group 0; - Model 1 corresponds to experimental group 1; - Model 2 corresponds to experimental group 2 [1]; - Model 3 corresponds to experimental group 3 - Model 4 corresponds to experimental group 4 Methods: Experimentally, the biomechanical deficits were determined by measuring the forces and displacements on the static and servo-hydraulic testing machine on sheep cadavers and by recording the general condition of the ligament and bones after testing. Experimental testing was divided into three types. The first type was the cyclic loading test, which was performed on a servo-hydraulic fatigue testing machine type LFV-50-HH, Walter+Bai (Switzerland). The purpose of the cyclic loading tests was to determine the mechanical properties, such as the stability of the FATC, under native and repaired ACL and the condition of the tissue itself due to exposure to the same cyclic loading regime. Tests were performed under 2000 cycles at a frequency of 1 Hz under an applied force ranging from 5 N - 100 N for group 0, group 2, group 3, and group 4. Since the same force range could not be obtained for group 1, the group was tested with a force in the range of 5 N - 10 N. In a dynamic cyclic loading test, the tibia was tightened while the femur was loaded under limited displacement conditions. The second type of test was an extension and flexion simulation performed on a specially designed biomechanical device attached to the servo-hydraulic testing machine. Tests were performed under 5000 cycles at a frequency of 1 Hz without any load being applied. During experimental testing, the tibia was tightened while the femur could move within the specified limits of 27 ± 4 degrees. Determining the stability of the joint, as well as the effect of ACL repair technique methods on bone fixation after a specified number of cycles, was the goal of dynamic testing on a biomechanical device. The last group was a uniaxial tensile test on a static testing machine Beta 50-5, Messphysik (Austria) with a maximum loading force of 50 kN. In a uniaxial tensile test, the tibia was clamped while the femur was loaded with tensile force at a speed of 200 mm/s until failure. Within this test, force-displacement curves were compared to determine the maximum load to failure (Ft,max) that a given test group could withstand. The mechanical bone holders were used for the tensile load tests. These holders are designed to allow positioning of the axis of the femur and tibia in accordance with the axis of the ACL to avoid the occurrence of varus / valgus and changes in torsional rotation. The specimens were removed from the freezer 24 hours before testing and were moistened with saline (NaCl) throughout the test period. Numerical tests were performed in the Abaqus software package using three- dimensional models of sheep knees obtained by geometry reconstruction from computed tomography images. The new design of biomechanical support was selected based on computer simulations and in vitro experimental testing of the bone-implant complex, while measurement of displacement was performed using the digital image correlation method. The conditions and type of experimental and numerical testing were the same as for testing the existing ACL repair techniques. The biomechanical support was made of thermoplastic polyethylene, circular in shape with three adhering parts on which are the holes for the screws with which the support is fixed to the bone. Results: Comparing all four techniques based on experimental testing results, the highest stress to failure was in group 0, followed by group 2, group 3, and finally ACL repair with suture (group 1). All groups showed satisfactory stability during dynamic testing, except for group 1. In the controlled displacement group, the test was performed within the set displacement limits. In group 2, shear action and notch effect occurred at the site of button suture fixation, but the ligament remained preserved. Based on the collected results of the von Mises stress and displacement values, it can be concluded that the lowest stress and displacement values are those at the native ACL (Model 0). The increase in the value of von Mises stress in the comparison of other models is: 22.4% higher in the end - to - end suture technique (Model 1), 49.736% higher in the Internal Brace technique (Model 2), and 24.542% higher in the internal support technique with a distally placed spring (Model 3). The occurrence of significantly higher stress values 458.3 MPa was observed in Model 2 at the contact of the button, and in Model 3 at the same place, and is 400 MPa. The more significant von Mises stress values are those at the suture of the Model 2 and Model 3 and are 547 MPa and 513.7 MPa, respectively. The maximum displacement value at the ACL in Model 1 is 46.226% higher compared to the ACL value in Model 0, 63.548% higher in Model 2 compared to Model 0 and 71.27% in Model 3 compared to Model 0. The appearance of stresses on the femur at the point of contact with the button is indicative of the occurrence of the notch effect and shear action. These stresses may lead to instability of the knee joint during the rehabilitation process and may be the cause of failure for an ACL repair technique with internal brace augmentation. The occurrence of higher stresses on the button and Internal Brace support may cause the suture to pull out during the application of external forces on the knee during rehabilitation. Based on clinical studies, the ACL usually ruptures at the contact points between the bone and the ligament, or these injuries are usually proximal. Consequently, the results of the numerical analysis showed that the distribution of maximum von Mises stress is at these locations. New biomechanical support maintained the stability of the assembly during the dynamic test. Von Mises stress values on the ACL repaired with new biomechanical support are lower than in any of the techniques tested. The design solution showed good mechanical properties compared to existing solutions. The data obtained using the ARAMIS optical system were not applicable as the paint layer peeled off the ligament during the test. Limitations: The entire study was done on an animal model, although the animal model is more acceptable for preclinical studies. The original implant for the DIS technique could not be obtained, so a replica of this ACL repair solution was made. Numerical models are simplified. The ACL is assigned the property of linear elasticity. Since the properties of existing anterior cruciate ligament repair techniques and the impact on surrounding tissues were examined as part of the rehabilitation process where the forces on the knee are of smaller amounts, such a simplification was acceptable. Although the experimental 1DOF ACL tests do not have great clinical significance, the proposed studies can be used for comparison with relevant clinical findings and can be a basis for further identification of biomechanical deficiencies of the tested techniques. Conclusion: Based on the results of the experimental test performed, it is possible to determine the biomechanical flaws of ACL repair techniques through static and dynamic tests. The results of the dynamic test showed that the end-to -end suture repair technique is not a technique that contributes to the stability of the femur-repaired anterior cruciate ligament-tibia complex, while the repair technique Internal Brace and internal support with a spring system provide satisfactory stability of the FATC. The dynamic study showed the occurrence of the notch effect of the femur and tibia in the Internal Brace and DIS technique. This phenomenon is associated with the risk of implant failure in scientific and clinical studies. Fibrous damage in ACL is visible after a dynamic test in all repair techniques. The results of a numerical study of the existing techniques showed that the von Mises stress values at the ACL increase with the repair techniques compared with the native ACL. The critical stress is at the contact between the femur and the button in the Internal Brace technique. Clinical evidence suggests that this site is the cause of potential implant failure. In addition, the occurrence of greater stress at this site is the cause of Stress Shielding, resulting in the weakening of the bone tissue. The design of the new biomechanical support has a lower tensile load compared to other repair techniques. However, based on dynamic testing, the design was found to have satisfactory stability. In addition, the design of the biomechanical support reduces the von Mises stress on the ligament itself and precludes the occurrence of large values of von Mises stress on the femur. The design of the biomechanical support precludes the drilling of a bone tunnel and the placement of implants in the bone marrow, which is the cause of Stress Shielding. In addition, the notch effect on the femur was not noticed. It was found that it is possible to design biomechanical support that has satisfactory mechanical properties in terms of sufficient stability of the knee joint and stress reduction for the ACL itself and, unlike existing solutions, does not have a destructive effect on other surrounding tissues. Future work: The biomechanical support prototype can be improved in various ways. One way is to look like a fishing net. The arrangement of threads within the net can be made by methods of different types of weaving that differ in the different interconnection of vertical and horizontal threads. Weaving threads can be with or without reinforcement. Different designs of the biomechanical support enable the real potential application of the newly constructed solution, which is the goal of such and similar research, and not just a theoretical presentation of a possible solution. Finally, the application of the newly constructed biomechanical support is not limited to the knee joint, but there is the potential to apply it to other tendons and ligaments of the locomotor system to improve the quality of human life.

Ciljevi: Ronioci na dah koriste tehniku glosofaringealne insuflacije (engl. glossopharyngeal insufflation, GPI) kako bi dosegli volumen pluća koji nadilazi njihov ukupni plućni kapacitet (engl. total lung capacity, TLC) te time postigli što dublji zaron u što duljem trajanju. Elitni ronioci na dah na taj način postižu plućnu hiperinflaciju koja dovodi do porasta intratorakalnog tlaka i posljedično smanjenog priljeva venske krvi u srce te kompresije srca. Srčani udarni volumen se time bitno smanjuje, što rezultira smanjenjem prokrvljenosti mozga i ostatka tijela. Kompenzacijski odgovor organizma koji nastaje uslijed plućne hiperinflacije nije u potpunosti razjašnjen. Nije poznata točna količina krvi koja se preraspodjeljuje nakon GPI te gdje se ona nakuplja. Smanjeni volumen srca, odnosno smanjeni volumen srčanih pretklijetki bi mogao utjecati na razinu atrijskog natriuretskog peptida (ANP) u krvi. ANP je ključni čimbenik u akutnoj i kroničnoj regulaciji ravnoteže tjelesnih tekućina. Rastezanje atrija uzrokovano povišenim intravaskularnim volumenom i povišeni intraatrijski tlak potiču otpuštanje ANP-a iz atrijskih miocita. Indirektna procjena centralnog volumena krvi iz venske krvi bi bila dragocjena u slučajevima sumnje na centralnu hipovolemiju. Nije poznato može li se ANP iz venske krvi koristiti kao pokazatelj akutnih promjena centralnog volumena krvi. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati gdje se preraspodjeljuje krv koja se pri GPI istisne iz prsnog koša, zatim odrediti količinu krvi koja se gubi iz centralnog i plućnog volumena krvi te čimbenike koji bi mogli utjecati na njenu preraspodjelu u prvoj fazi držanja daha nakon GPI. Također, planirano je ispitati odgovor ANP-a na promjene u volumenu atrija koje se događaju pri plućnoj hiperinflaciji. Ispitanici i metode: Istraživanje je podijeljeno u 3 studije u kojima je sudjelovalo 7 – 13 elitnih ronilaca na dah, ovisno o studiji. Magnetnom rezonancijom (MR) su određeni plućni volumeni i volumen srčanih komora u mirovanju i nakon GPI. Plućni volumen krvi je izračunat iz plućnog tranzitnog vremena (engl. pulmonary tranist time, PTT) za gadolinij i plućnog protoka krvi. Hemodinamski parametri su određeni digitalnom fotopletizmografijom. Promjeri velikih intratorakalnih i ekstratorakalnih arterija i vena su praćeni ultrazvučno i MR, a periferna akumulacija tekućine u koži i skeletnom mišićju je procijenjena električnom impedancijom. U venskom uzorku krvi određena je koncentracija ANP-a metodom radioimunoeseja. Rezultati: Nakon GPI, promjeri torakalnih krvnih žila (torakalne aorte, gornje šuplje vene i intratorakalnog dijela donje šuplje vene) su se smanjili, dok su se promjeri interne jugularne, nadlaktične, jetrene, bedrene i abdominalnog dijela donje šuplje vene povećali kako bi zaprimili veću količinu krvi koja je istisnuta iz prsišta. Promjer bedrene vene se povećao u prvoj fazi apneje uz GPI, zatim se postepeno smanjivao tijekom borbene faze da bi na kraju apneje dosegao početnu vrijednost. Nije zabilježena promjena u električnoj impedanciji što upućuje na odsustvo izljeva tekućine na periferiji. U prvoj fazi apneje s GPI količina krvi u plućnom i centralnom volumenu krvi se smanjila za 45 %. Iako je prosječni PTT ostao nepromijenjen, individualne promjene u PTT-u su pokazale negativnu korelaciju s desnom srčanom izbačajnom frakcijom i srčanim minutnim volumenom. Zabilježena je pozitivna korelacija između dobi ronilaca i smanjenja plućnog i centralnog volumena krvi. Pri umjerenoj plućnoj hiperinflaciji zabilježeno je smanjenje volumena desnog atrija od 58 %, a pri maksimalnoj hiperinflaciji za čak 65 %. Nije zabilježena promjena razine ANP-a u venskoj krvi pri različitim razinama plućne hiperinflacije. Nadalje, nije pronađena korelacija između razine venskog ANP-a i promjena u volumenu desnog plućnog krila ili atrija pri različitim razinama plućne hiperinflacije. Zaključak: GPI dakle dovodi do gotovo 50 % smanjenja centralnog i plućnog volumena krvi te do preraspodjele krvi iz centralnog volumena krvi u abdominalne, zdjelične i periferne vene proksimalno od venskih zalistaka koji onemogućuju perifernu ekstravazaciju tekućine. Nakupljanje krvi u ekstratorakalnim venama objašnjava trenutni oporavak centralnog volumena krvi i srčanog minutnog volumena kada se intratorakalni tlak smanji, bilo s pojavom nevoljnih kontrakcija dijafragme ili po prestanku apneje. Bez obzira na značajnu kompresiju desnog atrija, koncentracija venskog ANP-a se ne mijenja nakon GPI i ne odražava akutne promjene u centralnom volumenu krvi., Objectives: To prolong submersion time and withstand lung collapse at depths, breath-hold divers (BHD) hyperinflate their lungs by glossopharyngeal insufflations (GPI). Pulmonary hyperinflation increases the intrathoracic pressure and compresses the heart and thoracic blood vessels with a decrease in venous return. Cardiac filling and output is thus decreased, potentially with resultant arterial hypotension and syncope. The exact amount of blood lost from central blood volume during pulmonary hyperinflation is still unknown. Decreased atrial volume could have an effect on venous plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) level. ANP is considered an important element for acute and chronic regulation of body fluid homeostasis. Atrial distension caused by volume loading and increased atrial pressure leads to ANP release from atrial myocytes. Venous plasma ANP could be used as a marker of acute changes in central blood volume. The aim of this study was to examine blood redistribution and quantify central blood volume loss during GPI in experienced BHD. Furthermore, we wanted to evaluate how changes in venous plasma ANP reflect the changes in lung and atria volume during pulmonary hyperinflation Subjects and methods: We recruited 7-13 experienced BHD for three separate studies. Lung volumes and cardiac chamber volumes were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging at rest and during apnea with GPI. Pulmonary blood volume was determined from pulmonary blood flow and transit times (PTT) for gadolinium during first-pass perfusion after intravenous injection. Heart rate, cardiac output and beat-to-beat blood pressure were determined by finger photoplethysmography. Filling of extrathoracic veins was determined by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging and peripheral extravasation of fluid was assessed by electrical impedance. Venous plasma ANP was determined by radioimmunoassay. Results: Thoracic aorta, superior caval and thoracic inferior caval vein diameters decreased after GPI; but jugular, brachial, femoral, hepatic, and abdominal inferior caval vein diameters all increased. High and low frequency electrical impedance over the thigh and forearm remained unchanged thereby excluding peripheral fluid extravasation. Femoral vein diameter increased during the easy-going phase and decreased during the struggle phase, reaching rest values in the recovery after the breath-hold.During the easy-going phase of breath-hold, the pulmonary and central blood volume both decreased by 45%. The decrease in cardiac and pulmonary blood volume was positively correlated with age. Overall PTT remained unchanged, but individual PTT was negatively correlated with right ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac output. Right atrium decreased in volume by 58 % after moderate GPI, and by 65 % after maximal GPI. ANP did not change after pulmonary hyperinflation. There was no correlation between venous ANP and changes in pulmonary or atria volume. Conclusion: Pulmonary hyperinflation as seen during breath-hold with GPI leads to an almost 50 % decrease in both the pulmonary and the central blood volume. Blood lost from the central volume accumulates in extrathoracic capacitance veins proximal to venous valves. Blood pooling in extrathoracic veins explains restoration of the central blood volume during IBM or with breath-hold cessation. Venous plasma ANP is not a marker of acute central blood volume changes which occur as a result of compressed atria and pulmonary vasculature during pulmonary hyperinflation.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of raw potato (cv. Birgit and Lady Claire during aging), processing conditions (anti-browning agent, type of packaging), and storage conditions on the quality and safety as well as sensory properties of minimally processed potatoes (MPP) (raw and subsequently thermally treated). Regardless of tubers age, cv. Birgit, treatment with sodium ascorbate solution (2%), vacuum packaged and storage for 8 days at 3 and 10°C showed the best results in terms of preserving the quality and safety as well as sensory properties of MPP (for both raw and thermally treated samples). The acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content in the fried samples were also analyzed and they were under the limits according to the official regulation independently of investigated sources of variation. Cilj ovoga rada bio je ispitati utjecaj sirovog krumpira (sorte Birgit i Lady Claire) tijekom starenja, uvjeta proizvodnje (sredstvo protiv posmeđivanja, uvjeti pakiranja) i uvjeta skladištenja na kvalitetu i sigurnost kao i senzorska svojstva minimalno procesiranoga krumpira (MPK) (sirovog i naknadno termički tretiranog). Sorta Birgit tretirana otopinom natrijevog askorbata (2%), pakirana u vakuumu i skladištena tijekom 8 dana pri 3 i 10°C, bez obzira na starost gomolja, dala je najbolje rezultate u pogledu očuvanja kvalitete i zdravstvene ispravnosti te senzorskih svojstava MPK (sirovog i naknadno termički obrađenog). Udio akrilamida i policikličih aromatskih ugljikovodika (PAH-ova) u prženim uzorcima također je bio analiziran, a njihova vrijednost je bila ispod maksimalno dozvoljenih granica propisanih zakonskim odredbama neovisno o istraživanim izvorima varijacija.

Spermatogeneza, hormonska regulacija muških reproduktivnih funkcija i izvođenje muškog spolnog čina tri su glavne skupine reprodukcijskih funkcija muškarca koje su moguće zahvaljujući integritetu anatomskih struktura i ujednačenosti fizioloških procesa u organizmu. Neplodnost je definirana kao nemogućnost začeća nakon najmanje godine dana nezaštićenih spolnih odnosa, a globalno zahvaća između 8% i 12% parova, od čega je muški faktor odgovoran za trećinu slučajeva. Poremećaj plodnosti očituje se na tri osnovne razine, a to su pretestikularna, testikularna i posttestikularna razina. Pretestikularni uzroci neplodnosti endokrinološke su naravi gdje dolazi do poremećaja osi hipotalamus-hipofiza s posljedičnom smanjenom produkcijom testosterona ili spermija. Testikularni uzorci povezani su s patološkim promjenama u testisu (kromosomski poremećaji, kriptorhizam, varikocela). Posttestikularni uzroci podrazumijevaju sva stanja koja ometaju odvodnju spermija od mjesta proizvodnje do uretre. Glavnina evaluacije muške neplodnosti zasniva se na kvalitetno uzetoj anamnezi i fizikalnom pregledu. Ostatak počiva na analizi sjemena i hormonskog statusa te se po potrebi proširuje i na dodatne dijagnostičke pretrage (kromosomsko testiranje, postkoitalni test, biopsija testisa), a sve s ciljem pronalaska reverzibilnih uzroka neplodnosti koji se mogu uspješno liječiti. Terapijski pristup može biti nekirurški i kirurški, a u današnje vrijeme sve veći značaj kao modalitet liječenja zauzimaju metode asistirane oplodnje. Ako se navedene metode ne pokažu uspješnima, u obzir treba uzeti i posvajanje djeteta. Pacijentima treba pružiti i psihološku pomoć, ukoliko je ona potrebna., Spermatogenesis, hormonal regulation of male reproductive functions and performance of the male sexual act are the three main groups of male reproductive functions that are possible due to the integrity of anatomical structures and the uniformity of physiological processes in the body. Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse. It globally affects between 8% and 12% of couples, of which the male factor is responsible for a third of cases. Fertility disorder manifests itself at three basic levels: pretesticular, testicular and posttesticular. Pretesticular causes of infertility are endocrinological where there is a disorder of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis with a reduced production of testosterone or sperm. Testicular causes are associated with pathological changes in the testis (chromosomal disorders, cryptorchidism, varicocele). Posttesticular causes include all conditions that interfere with the drainage of sperm from the site of production to the urethra. The majority of the evaluation of male infertility is based on a well-taken medical history and physical examination. Other tests are analysis of semen and hormonal status, and if necessary additional diagnostic tests are performed (chromosomal testing, postcoital test, testicular biopsy), all with the aim of finding reversible causes of infertility that can be successfully treated. The therapeutic approach can be non-surgical and surgical, and nowadays assisted reproductive technology is becoming increasingly important as a treatment modality. If these methods are not proven successful, child adoption should also be considered. Patients should also be provided with psychological assistance, if needed.

A successful rowing performance depends on physiological factors and technical preparedness. Accurate measures are inevitably important for assessment of competitive athletes. The aim of this review is to identify physiological and biomechanical parameters used for performance evaluation in rowing considering testing conditions: on-water or ergometer. Methods Electronic databases were searched using a variety of keywords relating to rowing performance evaluation and physiological factors of a competitive rower. Included studies followed the criteria: published since 2011 in English, investigated biomechanical or physiological factors of professional rowers during on-water or ergometer testing. Studies that involved non-rowers, athletes with disabilities, supplementation effects for performance were excluded. The following information was extracted: (a) participant characteristics; (b) study design, rowing conditions, tests performed, biomechanical and physiological parameters tested. Results Parameters used for physiological evaluation of the athlete were maximal oxygen consumption, heart rate, minute ventilation, ventilatory threshold, respiratory exchange ratio, blood lactate concentration, rating of perceived exertion, muscle electrical activity, anthropometric and body composition measures. For biomechanical evaluation rowing speed, distance, acceleration, velocity, stroke rate, frequency, power, total stroke time and velocity, also stroke frequency at selected time points, kinematic data were used. Incremental, all-out power tests were performed in various distances and different conditions. Additionally, anthropometry, dynamometry, strength, jump tests, electromyography, audio-feedback tests were executed. Conclusions Performance evaluation of rowers on ergometer is still more used than on-water testing because of the environmental conditions and limitations to individual evaluation of each member of the crew., Sėkmingas irklavimas priklauso nuo fiziologinių sportininko ypatybių ir techninio pasirengimo. Tikslūs matavimai yra neišvengiamai svarbūs vertinant sportininkus. Šios sistematinės apžvalgos tikslas yra nustatyti fiziologines ir biomechanines ypatybes naudojamas vertinant irklavimą atsižvelgiant į testavimo sąlygas: vandenyje ar naudojant irklavimo ergometrą. Metodai Elektroninėse duomenų bazėse buvo ieškoma straipsnių naudojant įvairius raktinius žodžius bei jų kombinacijas susijusias su irklavimo ar fiziologinių sportininko ypatybių vertinimu. Įtraukti tyrimai turėjo atitikti šiuos kriterijus: publikuoti nuo 2011m. anglų kalba, tirti profesionalių irkluotojų fiziologiniai ir irklavimo biomechaniniai veiksniai atliekant testavimus vandenyje ar naudojant ergometrą. Buvo gauta ši informacija: a) dalyvio charakteristikos; b) tyrimo planas, irklavimo sąlygos, atlikti bandymai, ištirti biomechaniniai ir fiziologiniai parametrai. Rezultatai Parametrai, naudojami fiziologiniam sportininko vertinimui, buvo maksimalus deguonies suvartojimas, širdies susitraukimų dažnis, minutinė ventiliacija, ventiliacijos slenkstis, kvėpavimo mainų santykis, laktato koncentracija kraujyje, suvokiamo krūvio įvertinimas, raumenų elektrinis aktyvumas, antropometrija ir kūno sudėties matai. Biomechaniniam vertinimui buvo naudojami irklavimo greitis, atstumas, pagreitis, yrio dažnis, galia, bendras yrio laikas ir greitis, taip pat yrių dažnis pasirinktais laiko momentais, kinematiniai duomenys. Prieauginiai, visos galios bandymai buvo atlikti įvairiose distancijose ir skirtingomis sąlygomis. Be to, buvo atlikti antropometriniai matavimai, dinamometrija, šuolio testai, elektromiografija, garso ir grįžtamojo ryšio testai. Išvados Irkluotojų vertinimas naudojant ergometrus vis dar naudojamas dažniau nei testavimai vandenyje dėl ribojančių aplinkos sąlygų ir kiekvieno įgulos nario individualaus vertinimo apribojimų.

Namen raziskave je bil preveriti vplive jezdečeve telesne mase, izkušenj in spola na odziv fizioloških, hematoloških in biokemijskih parametrov lipicanskega konja pred in po zmerni fizični aktivnosti. Za poskus smo uporabili 6 konj lipicanske pasme, ki sta jih v 30-minutnem delovnem testu (10 min korak, 10 min kas in 10 min galop) jezdila dva jezdeca različnih spolov, z različno telesno maso in z različnimi izkušnjami v dresurnem jahanju. Prvi jezdec (prvi delovni test) je bil moškega spola, z 21-letnimi izkušnjami v dresurnem jahanju in je predstavljal za konja 20 % obremenitev konjeve lastne telesne mase. Drugi jezdec (drugi delovni test) pa je bil ženskega spola, s 6-letnimi izkušnjami dresurnega jahanja in je za konja predstavljal 15 % obremenitev konjeve lastne telesne mase. Naši rezultati kažejo, da je prvi jezdec vplival na povišanje frekvence srca in koncentracijo laktata v krvi. Med ostalimi preiskovanimi parametri pa razlike med delovnima testoma niso bile dovolj velike, da bi bile statistično značilne, kljub temu, da smo pri večini preiskovanih parametrov opazili nekoliko višje vrednosti pod prvim jezdecem. Dokazali pa smo tudi, da zmerna fizična aktivnost poviša večino priskovanih parametrov. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of rider's body weight, riding experience and sex on the response in physiological, hematological and biochemical parameters of the Lipizzan horse before and after moderate physical activity. For the experiment, 6 horses of Lipizzan breed were used, which were ridden in a 30-min work test (10 min walk, 10 min trot and 10 min canter) by two riders with different body weight, experience in dressage riding and gender. The first rider (first work test) was male, had 21 years of dressage riding experience, and represented a load of 20% of the horses' own body mass. The second rider (second working test) was female, with 6 years of dressage experience, and represented 15% of the horses' own body mass. Our results showed that the horses under the first rider had a significant increase in heart rate and blood lactate concentration. For other parameters analyzed, the differences between the working tests were not large enough to be statistically significant, although we observed slightly higher values under the first rider for most of the parameters analyzed. We also proved that moderate physical activity increased most of the analyzed parameters.

Unatoč nekim ranijim značajnim otkrićima i raširenoj uspješnoj praksi vakcinacije, povijest razumijevanja imunoloških mehanizama zapravo je razmjerno kratka i povezuje se tek s drugom polovicom 20. stoljeća kada se, između ostaloga, iznalaze i zakonitosti aktivacije tih mehanizama od ključnog značenja za transplantacijsku medicinu. Među prvim stručnjacima koji su se u Hrvatskoj okrenuli ovim temama bio je Šime Vlahović. Rođenjem Splićanin, diplomirao je i doktorirao u Zagrebu. Na problemima transplantacijske imunologije radio je 1963. – 1965. u najboljim centrima u SAD-u. Riječki zavod za fiziologiju vodio je 1965. – 1977., od 1976. u zvanju redovitog profesora. Bio je dobitnik nagrade Ruđer Bošković i drugih, ali je njegov krucijalni prinos riječkoj i hrvatskoj medicinskoj baštini svakako premalo poznat. Temeljeći se na obiteljskoj arhivi i sjećanjima, ovaj rad uzeo je zadaćom pokušati makar i dijelom ispraviti tu prazninu. Zahvaljujući upravo Šimi Vlahoviću i njegovoj imunološkoj pripremi bolesnika i, naravno, velikom timu predvođenom kirurgom Vinkom Frančiškovićem, u siječnju 1971. izvedeno je prvo presađivanje bubrega u Hrvatskoj sa živog srodnika (s majke na sina), a godinu dana poslije i s kadavera. U desetljećima koja slijede razvijan je u Rijeci i eksperimentalni program transplantacije jetre i gušterače. Danas možemo samo spekulirati o intrigantnim pravcima razvitka riječke transplantacijske i imunologijske škole kojima bi je poveo Šime Vlahović da nije preminuo već s nepunih 45 godina.

Priručnik je namijenjen studentima specijalističkog diplomskog stručnog studija „Preventivna fizioterapija“ kao nastavni materijal kolegija Fiziologija sporta i vježbanja i u potpunosti je napravljen prema trenutnom nastavnom planu i programu te uključuje vježbe koje se izvode u okviru ovog kolegija. Priručnik se sastoji od pet poglavlja koja opisuju pet vježbi. Svako poglavlje nudi teoretski dio koji sadrži objašnjenje osnovnih pojmova i koncepata važnih za usvajanje znanja i ostvarenje planiranih ishoda učenja kroz vježbu te detaljne protokole i upute za praktično provođenje vježbe.

Cilj disertacije: Svrha ovog istraživanja bila je ispitati mogu li se vaskularne promjene u perifernoj i cerebralnoj cirkulaciji izazvane ronjenjem spriječiti oralnim dodavanjem antioksidansa. Nadalje, ispitali smo hipotezu da će promijenjeni hemodinamski parametri nakon zarona SCUBA dovesti do promjena cerebralnog protoka krvi u mirovanju i tijekom vježbanja. Materijali i metode: Ovo kliničko istraživanje provedeno je u Zavodu za integrativnu fiziologiju Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Splitu. U prvoj fazi istraživanja, 14 ronioca izvelo je jedno podvodno ronjenje na 18-metarskoj morskoj dubini tijekom 47 minuta. 12 ronioca sudjelovalo je u naknadnom istraživanju koja je uključivalo udisanje 60% kisika pod atmosferskim tlakom tijekom 47 minuta. Prije oba istraživanja sudionici su 6 dana unosili vitamin C (2 g/dan) ili placebo. Nakon 2 tjedna ispiranja, studija je ponovljena s različitim stanjima. Vazodilatacija ovisna o endotelu brahijalne arterije procijenjena je prije i nakon intervencije pomoću tehnike dilatacije posredovane protokom (FMD). U drugoj fazi istraživanja, 16 ronioca izvršilo je jedan zaron na na 18-metarskoj morskoj dubini tijekom 47 minuta. Nadzorna laboratorijska mjerenja provedena su tjedan dana kasnije. Transkranijski Doppler ultrazvuk korišten je za mjerenje intrakranijskih brzina krvi. Rezultati: FMD je smanjen za ~32,8% i ∼21,2% nakon zarona u ispitivanju s placebom i vitaminom C, a posthiperoksično stanje u ispitivanju s placebom za ∼28,2% (P0,05). Povišenje brzine intrakranijalne krvi 30 minuta nakon izranjanja na površinu od ronjenja smanjeno je u studiji s vitaminom C u usporedbi s ispitivanjem placeba (P0,05). Profilaktičko uzimanje vitamina C učinkovito je poništilo perifernu vaskularnu disfunkciju nakon izlaganja 60% O2, ali nije ukinulo smanjenje FMD-a nakon post-zarona. Prolazna povišenja intrakranijalnih brzina nakon zarona smanjena su vitaminom C. Nakon zarona u mirovanju, srednja brzina cerebralne arterije (MCAv) povišena je 15 i 30 minuta nakon izranjanja (za 3,3±5,8, odnosno 4,0±6,9 cm/s; P 0.05). Elevations in intracranial blood velocities 30 min after surfacing from diving were reduced in the vitamin C study compared with the placebo trial (P0.05). Prophylactic ingestion of vitamin C effectively abrogated peripheral vascular dysfunction following exposure to 60% O2 but did not abolish the postdive decrease in FMD. Transient elevations of intracranial velocities postdive were reduced by vitamin C. Following the dive at rest, middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) was elevated 15 and 30 min after surfacing (by 3.3±5.8 and 4.0±6.9 cm/s, respectively; P

Svrha rada bila je: (i) odrediti utjecaj nutritivne intervencije u osoba oboljelih od šećerne bolesti tipa 2 na regulaciju glikemije (glukoza u plazmi, glikirani hemoglobin HbA1c), lipidnoga profila (ukupnog kolesterola, LDL-kolesterola, HDL-kolesterola i triglicerida) i antropometrijske parametre (tjelesnu masu i indeks tjelesne mase- ITM), (ii) odrediti odnos između prehrambenih navika i znanja o prehrani u šećernoj bolesti tipa 2 te njihov utjecaj na regulaciju glikemije i lipidnoga profila kroz dvanaest mjeseci, (iii) analizirati jelovnike i odrediti adekvatnu bazu podataka za planiranje prehrane u šećernoj bolesti, (iiii) validirati upitnik znanja o prehrani. U istraživanje je bilo uključeno 160 bolesnika s nereguliranom šećernom bolešću tipa 2 (HbA1c > 7,5 %) prosječne dobi 61,8 ± 8,5 godina; ITM 32,57 ± 6,48 kg/m² te duljine trajanja bolesti 10,9 ± 7,6 godina. Bolesnici su sudjelovali u petodnevnom programu dijabetološke dnevne bolnice u kojoj su prolazili intenzivnu nutritivnu intervenciju i edukaciju te su praćeni kroz kontrolne preglede nakon 3, 6 i 12 mjeseci. Validiranim upitnikom provjeravalo se znanje o prehrani u šećernoj bolesti, a prehrambene navike praćene su kroz odabir jelovnika mediteranske, dijabetične ili dijete s većim udjelom ugljikohidrata. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su kako primjena nutritivne intervencije statistički značajno utječe na smanjenje koncentracije HbA1c (p < 0,001); glukoze u plazmi (p = 0,003); LDL kolesterola (p = 0,022); triglicerida (p = 0,019) i ukupnog kolesterola (p = 0,021) tijekom promatranog razdoblja. Na kraju istraživanja došlo je do statistički značajnog povećanja udjela bolesnika (10,3 vs. 23,1 %; p < 0,05) s normalnom tjelesnom masom (ITM < 25 kg/m²) te smanjenja udjela (64,5 vs 53,8 %; p < 0,05) pretilih bolesnika (I, II i III stupanj) u ispitivanom uzorku. Ustanovljeno je kako prehrambene navike i odabir jelovnika koreliraju s biokemijskim parametrima. Bolesnici koji su tijekom edukacije najviše birali mediteransku dijetu, na početku, tijekom perioda praćenja te na kraju studije imali su najmanje vrijednosti svih biokemijskih parametara u odnosu na ostale bolesnike (p < 0,05). Dokazan je statistički značajan (p < 0,05) utjecaj nutritivne intervencije na promjenu znanja o prehrani u šećernoj bolesti te utjecaj istih na sniženje vrijednosti koncentracije HbA1c i lipidnog profila. Provedeno istraživanje ustanovilo je da primjena nutritivne intervencije koja uključuje edukaciju o pravilnoj prehrani, provjeru znanja o prehrani i prehrambenih navika rezultira boljom regulacijom šećerne bolesti, utvrđenom smanjenjem vrijednosti koncentracije HbA1c te ima povoljni učinak na smanjenje tjelesne mase i poboljšanje lipidnoga profila u oboljelih od šećerne bolesti tipa 2. Dobiveni rezultati povećavaju razumijevanje kako se stjecajem znanja o prehrani omogućuje bolja kontrola šećerne bolesti tipa 2. The purpose of this work was to: (i) determine the impact of nutritional intervention in persons with type 2 diabetes on the regulation of glycaemia (plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin HbA1c), lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) and anthropometric parameters (weight and body mass index - BMI) (ii) determine the relationship between dietary habits and knowledge about nutrition in type 2 diabetes and their influence on the regulation of glycemia and lipid profile during the twelve months follow-up, (iii), analyse hospital menus and determine adequate food composition database for diet planning in diabetes, (iiii) validation of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for patients with diabetes. The study included 160 patients with non-regulated type 2 diabetes (HbA1c > 7.5 %), median age 61.8 ± 8.5 years, BMI 32.57 ± 6.48 kg/m² and disease duration 10.9 ± 7.6 years. All subjects have participated in an intensive 5-day program in daily hospital, involving education and nutritional intervention, followed by three follow-up visits after 3, 6, and 12 months. A validated questionnaire was used to determine knowledge about nutrition in diabetes and dietary habits were monitored through patient’s selection of menus from diabetic, Mediterranean or higher-carbohydrate diets. The study showed that nutritional intervention had a statistically significant effect on lowering concentrations of HbA1c (p

Fiziologija detruzorja je zelo zapletena, zaradi česar predstavlja preučevanje njegove fiziologije in odzivov na različne dražljaje velik izziv. Do danes je bilo v literaturi opisanih več in vitro metod preučevanja fiziologije sečnega mehurja, vsaka s svojimi omejitvami. Po drugi strani se uroginekologi v svoji klinični praksi srečujejo z naraščanjem incidence prekomerne aktivnosti sečnega mehurja (PASM). Vse to nakazuje potrebo po razvoju novih in učinkovitih metod preučevanja detruzorja, ki bi se potencialno lahko uporabile tudi pri preučevanju različnih terapevtskih možnosti zdravljenja PASM. Namen naše raziskave je bil razviti novo metodo za preučevanje fiziološke aktivnosti GMC detruzorja, ki bi zajemala akutno pripravo tkivnega preparata in uporabo konfokalne mikroskopije. Dodatno smo želeli to metodo uporabiti še za opredelitev učinka pulzirajočega elektromagnetnega polja (PEMP), ki je ena izmed možnih metod zdravljenja PASM, na GMC detruzorja, saj po naših podatkih le-ta v literaturi še ni bil opredeljen. Za pripravo tkivnega preparata smo uporabili izolirane delce detruzorja predhodno žrtvovane odrasle miši NMRI. S svetlobno in transmisijsko elektronsko mikroskopijo smo preučili morfologijo GMC znotraj tkiva. Nato smo s pomočjo konfokalne mikroskopije preučevali kalcijevo dinamiko posameznih GMC med stimulacijo z naraščajočimi koncentracijami karbamilholina (CCh). GMC smo identificirali na podlagi njihove morfologije in kalcijevih odzivov. Odzive GMC smo opredelili z naslednjimi spremenljivkami: zamik do odziva, rekrutacija in relativna aktivnosti celic ter kontrakcija tkiva. Za opredelitev vpliva PEMP na GMC detruzorja smo dva preparata detruzorja iste živali dvakrat zapored dražili s 25 µM CCh. En delec smo med obema stimulacijama izpostavili PEMP, drugi pa je služil kot kontrola. Nato smo opredelili naslednje spremenljivke odziva GMC pred in po stimulaciji s PEMP v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino: število aktivnih GMC, kontrakcija tkiva, čas do kontrakcije tkiva, maksimalni premik tkiva in površina kontrahiranega tkiva. S pomočjo stimulacije tkiva z naraščajočimi koncentracijami CCh smo opredelili tri različne fenotipe odzivov GMC: spontano aktivne GMC z in brez odziva na stimulacijo s CCh ter GMC brez spontane aktivnosti, ki so se odzvale na stimulacijo s CCh. Rekrutacija GMC v aktivno stanje je potekala znotraj ozkega koncentracijskega območja (1–25 µM), ki je povzročilo aktivacijo praktično vseh GMC. Maksimalna kalcijeva aktivnost GMC je bila pri koncentraciji 25 µM, kar je sovpadalo z vidno kontrakcijo tkiva. Dodatno smo pri višjih koncentracijah CCh opažali krajše zamike do pričetka odzivov celic. Ugotovili smo tudi, da bi PEMP lahko imelo neposreden učinek na GMC detruzorja, saj je bil po stimulaciji s PEMP v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino prisoten manjši maksimalni premik tkiva med drugo stimulacijo s CCh kot med prvo stimulacijo s CCh. Dodatno smo ugotavljali tudi statistično značilno manjše razmerje premika tkiva med obema stimulacijama s CCh v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino in večjo razliko v površini kontrahiranega dela tkiva med obema stimulacijama s CCh v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino. Zaključimo lahko, da se je naša nova in situ metoda preučevanja morfologije in fiziologije detruzorja izkazala za učinkovito in reproducibilno. Odzivi GMC na stimulacijo s CCh so bili znotraj fiziološkega območja in primerljivi z rezultati drugih raziskav s tega področja. Ker sama metoda omogoča zadostno prostorsko in časovno ločljivost za preučevanje odzivov več GMC hkrati, verjamemo, da bi lahko imela velik doprinos k preučevanju fiziologije detruzorja. Dodatno smo uspeli dokazati možen učinek PEMP na GMC detruzorja, kar predstavlja pomembno izhodišče za nadaljnje raziskave. Te bodo v prihodnosti skušale raziskati terapevtski učinek na večjem vzorcu in za večjo translacijsko relevantnost modela tudi na človeškem tkivu, pridobljenem pri operacijah sečnega mehurja. Physiology of detrusor muscle is very complex, which makes the investigation of detrusor physiology and its responses to different stimuli very challenging. Several different in vitro techniques for investigating urinary bladder physiology have been described in the literature, each with inherent drawbacks. On the other hand, urogynecologists are faced with increasing incidence of overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. All of this emphasizes a need to develop new and efficient approaches to investigating detrusor physiology that could potentially also be used in evaluation of new OAB therapeutic modalities. The aim of our study was to develop a novel approach to investigating mouse detrusor SMCs physiological activity by utilizing an acute tissue dissection technique and confocal calcium imaging. Then, we aimed to use this novel approach to evaluate the effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation, which is one of the possible OAB therapeutic options, on mouse detrusor SMCs, as it has not been previously investigated in the literature. For acute tissue preparation, the bladder of a sacrificed adult female NMRI mouse was dissected. We used light and transmission electron microscopy to assess morphology of SMCs within the tissue. Calcium imaging in individual SMCs was performed using confocal microscopy during stimulation with increasing concentrations of carbamylcholine (CCh). SMCs were identified according to their morphology and calcium activity. We determined several parameters describing the SMC responses: delays to response, recruitment, relative activity, and contraction of the tissue. For investigation of PEMF effect on detrusor SMCs, two pieces of detrusor muscle of the same animal were stimulated with 25 µM CCh two times consecutively. One piece was exposed to PEMP in between the two stimulations, while the other served as a control. Then, we determined the following parameters describing the SMC responses before and after PEMP compared to the control group: number of active SMCs, tissue contraction, time to tissue contraction, maximal tissue displacement, and the area of contracted tissue. CCh stimulation revealed three different SMC phenotypes: spontaneously active SMCs with and without CCh-enhanced activity and SMCs with CCh-induced activity only. SMCs were recruited into an active state in response to CCh-stimulation within a narrow range (1–25 µM) causing activation of virtually all SMCs. Maximum calcium activity of SMCs was at about 25 µM, which coincided with a visible tissue contraction. Finally, we observed shorter time lags before response onsets with higher CCh concentrations. Moreover, we discovered that PEMF might exhibit a direct effect on detrusor SMCs responses, as maximal tissue displacement during second stimulation with CCh was smaller than during the first one in preparations, exposed to PEMF, but not in the control group. Additionally, we observed lower ratio of maximal tissue displacement between both stimulations with CCh and larger difference in the area of contracted tissue between both stimulations with CCh in preparations, exposed to PEMF, compared to controls. In conclusion, our novel in situ approach proved to be a robust and reproducible method to study detrusor SMC morphology and physiology. SMC responses to CCh stimulation were within physiologic range and comparable to results of other studies in this field. We believe that our method could add an important insight to detrusor physiology investigation, as it allows sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to investigate responses of several SMCs simultaneously. Furthermore, we managed to demonstrate a possible effect of PEMF on detrusor SMCs, which represents an important foundation for future studies. These shall clarify the abovementioned therapeutic potential on a larger sample, and for a better translational relevance on human tissue obtained during bladder operations.

Diplomski rad se bavi intertekstualnim kontekstom Tolstojevog romana Anna Karenina. Pojam intertekstualnost, koji je osmislila teoretičarka poststrukturalizma Julija Kristeva 1967. godine, označuje aktivne odnose između teksta kao mreže znakovnih sustava i sustava prakse označitelja pripadajuće mu kulture. U radu se slijedi shvaćanje Pavličića prema kojemu u intertekstualnost ulaze dijaloški odnosi među tekstovima koji ispunjavaju sljedeća tri uvjeta: veza među tekstovima treba biti uočljiva, veza se treba ostvarivati određenim sredstvima (stilom, kompozicijom, fabulom, parafraziranjem...) i činjenica da postoji veza među tekstovima treba pridavati novomu tekstu (koji inzistira na odnosu) novo značenje. Istraživanje, u skladu s navedenim Pavličićevim tumačenjem, objašnjava dodatni smisao koje romanu Anna Karenina pridaje njegov intertekstualni odnos s Biblijom, Platonovom Gozbom, Gospođom Bovary te polemikom između Kavelina i Sečenova. Rad analizira koju dimenziju značenja Tolstojev roman dobiva ako ga se čita kroz prizmu njegovog intertekstualnog odnosa prema bilo kojemsvakom od navedenih intertekstova. Pritom, treba naglasiti da, iako smo svakom od navedenih tekstova s kojima Anna Karenina uspostavlja intertekstualni odnos posvetili zasebno poglavlje, te veze nisu u oprečnom odnosu jedna prema drugoj, već se međusobno nadopunjuju i sudjeluju u izgradnji cjelokupnog značenja romana. U tom pogledu, svaki od obrađivanih intertekstualnih odnosa promovira ideje praštanja, harmonije između tjelesnog i duhovnog te iskrenosti u odnosu prema sebi i drugima nauštrb nagonu za osvećivanjem, obmanjivanju drugih i sebe te oslanjanju isključivo na fiziološke zakone u ponašanju i reagiranju pojedinca.

Fizioloģijā balstīta metformīna matemātiskā modeļa izveide pelei un cilvēkam. Dārta Maija Zaķe, darba vadītājs Latvijas Universitātes Mikrobioloģijas un Biotehnoloģiju Institūta direktors, Dr.sc.ing. Egils Stalidzāns. Maģistra darbs, 68 lpp., 83 literatūras avoti, 1 pielikums, 12 attēli un 10 tabulas. Latviešu valodā. Darba mērķis bija noteikt metformīna koncentrāciju dinamiku tā galvenās iedarbības audos cilvēkā. Mērķa sasniegšanai tika veikta eksperimentālajiem datiem atbilstoša, fizioloģijā balstīta metformīna farmakokinētikas matemātiskā modeļa izveide pelei. Izmantojot parametru novērtēšanas metodes un peles modeli, tika noteikti metformīna galvenās iedarbības audiem specifiski plazmas-audu pārneses koeficienti (Ktp). Tika izveidots eksperimentālajiem datiem atbilstošs, fizioloģijā balstīts metformīna farmakokinētikas matemātiskais modelis cilvēkam, kurā, izmantojot 10 galvenās iedarbības audiem specifiskas Ktp vērtības, tika noteikta metformīna koncentrāciju dinamika šajos audos., Physiology-based mathematical modelling of metformin for mice and human. Author Dārta Maija Zaķe, supervisor, the director of University of Latvia Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Dr.sc.ing. Egils Stalidzāns. Master’s thesis, 68 pages, 83 sources of information, 1 annex, 12 figures and 10 tables. Language – Latvian. The purpose of the thesis was to find out the concentration dynamics in major compartments of metformin action in the human body. To achieve this goal a physiology- based pharmacokinetic model of metformin was developed using experimental data from mice. Using parameter estimation techniques and the mouse model, plasma-tissue partition coefficients (Ktp) of the major compartments of metformin action were established. A physiology based pharmacokinetic model of metformin in humans was developed by using 10 tissue-specific Ktp values concentration dynamics in the major compartments of metformin action were determined.

Pretilost, upala, inzulinska rezistencija, hiperglikemija, dislipidemija i hipertenzija značajni su čimbenici rizika za kardiovaskularni morbiditet i mortalitet. Nedavno otkriven razred hidroksiestera masnih kiselina (engl. Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids, FAHFA) djeluje protuupalno, inzulinsenzitizirajuće i hipoglikemizantno, a razina im je snižena u inzulin-rezistentnih pojedinaca. Cilj istraživanja je detaljno kvalificirati i kvantificirati FAHFA u hrani biljnog porijekla, budući da je do sada istražen njihov djelomičan sastav samo u jabuci, brokuli, jajetu, piletini i govedini. Analizirano je 20 namirnica iz svakodnevne prehrane te jelovnika za metaboličku optimizaciju. U analizi je primijenjena nova tehnika: ionizacija u negativnom načinu rada spektrometra masa na nanoLC-ESIMS hifeniranom sustavu uz primjenu postkolumnog modifikatora. Obuhvaćeno je 16 FAHFA, izmjerene su nanogramske količine uz značajnu varijabilnost među namirnicama. Najviše koncentracije nađene su u zobi. U hrani s metaboličkim benefitima SAHSA (engl. Stearic acid hydroxystearic acid) je bila najzastupljenija FAHFA, dok PAHSA (engl. Palmitic acid hydroxystearic acid), jedine prethodno istraživane u antihiperglikemijskom i inzulin-senzitizirajućem smislu, u nekim vrstama hrane uopće nema. Ovo je istraživanje, uz razvoj novih analitičkih metoda, dovelo do novih spoznaja o FAHFA sastavu hrane te ukazalo na važnost otkrivanja istog u što većem broju namirnica. Cilj je u budućnosti hranu bogatiju FAHFA inkorporirati u jelovnike za metaboličku optimizaciju te pronaći adekvatne nosače FAHFA, kako bi se ciljne namirnice mogle njima obogaćivati. Obesity, inflammation, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and hypertension are risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recently discovered fatty acids (Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids, FAHFA) provide antiinflammatory, insulin-sensitizing and glucose-lowering effect, and show a decreased level in insulin-resistant individuals. Aim of this study was a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of FAHFA in plant foods, as to date only partial analyses in apple, broccoli, egg, chicken and beef are performed. In this study, 20 plant foods from everyday meals and diet plans for metabolic normalization were analysed. Analysis included a new technique: negative ionization mode of nanoLC-ESI-mass spectrometry system and postcolumn modifier addition. 16 FAHFA were analysed (hydroxyesters of palmitic, oleic, palmitoleic and stearic acids). Nanogram levels were detected, showing a significant interfood variability. Highest concentrations were found in oat. In foods with metabolic benefits, SAHSA (stearic acid hydroxystearic acid) was the most abundant FAHFA, whereas PAHSA (palmitic acid hydroxystearic acid), the only FAHFA previously investigated in anti-hyperglycemic and insulin-sensitizing manner, showed no presence in some foods. This study, along with development of new analytic methods, provided new knowledge about FAHFA composition of foods and emphasized the importance of further research in extended number of foods. Future aims are to enable incorporation of FAHFA-rich foods into diet plans targeting metabolic control, and to find adequate FAHFA carriers that could enable food enrichment.

Kognitivni razvoj, slušanje i govor razvijaju se uz potporu motorike i percepcije odnosa u prostoru. Razvoj slušanja i govora ne ovisi samo o perifernoj slušnoj funkciji, već o cijelom spaciocepcijskom statusu, o vidu, sluhu, propriocepciji, dodiru i vestibularnom osjetilu. Verbotonalna rehabilitacija slijedi fiziološki razvoj slušanja i govora uključujući svih pet spaciocepcijskih osjetnih organa. Ona je senzomotorna, stereoreceptivna, steregnostička, stereofonska i stereoskopska. Rehabilitacija se ostvaruje preko cijele spaciocepcije, a dobiva zamah spaciomotorikom, čime se pokreće cjelovita komunikacija. Plastičnost mozga odnosi se na promjene moždanih struktura kao odgovor na osjetni podražaj. Ona postoji bez obzira na vrstu i opseg oštećenja, pa je moguća i kod jakih oštećenja. Transfer, prenošenje puta i obrade podataka s jednog (oštećenog) mjesta u drugo ( neoštećeno), unutar jednog osjetila te iz jednog u drugo osjetilo, pojam kojeg je profesor Guberina uveo prije više od pola stoljeća, danas potvrđuje slikovni prikaz moždane djelatnosti. Govori se o značajnim mogućnostima prilagodljivosti (plastičnosti) moždanih struktura.