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Jelena Jakab,1,2 Blaženka Miškić,2,3 Štefica Mikšić,2 Brankica Juranić,2,4 Vesna Ćosić,2 Dragan Schwarz,2,5 Aleksandar Včev2 1Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; 2Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; 3Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital “Dr. Josip Benčević”, Slavonski Brod, Croatia; 4Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; 5Special Hospital Radiochirurgia Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaCorrespondence: Jelena JakabFaculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Crkvena 21, Osijek 31 000, CroatiaTel +385 91 224 1502Email jelena.jakab@fdmz.hrAbstract: Obesity is recognized as a severe threat to overall human health and is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Abnormal expansion of white adipose tissue involves increasing the existing adipocytes’ cell size or increasing the number through the differentiation of new adipocytes. Adipogenesis is a process of proliferation and differentiation of adipocyte precursor cells in mature adipocytes. As a key process in determining the number of adipocytes, it is a possible therapeutic approach for obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in adipogenesis that could serve as suitable therapeutic targets. Reducing bodyweight is regarded as a major health benefit. Limited efficacy and possible side effects and drug interactions of available anti-obesity treatment highlight a constant need for finding novel efficient and safe anti-obesity ingredients. Numerous studies have recently investigated the inhibitory effects of natural products on adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation. Possible anti-obesity effects of natural products include the induction of apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest or delayed progression, and interference with transcription factor cascade or intracellular signaling pathways during the early phase of adipogenesis.Keywords: adipogenesis, transcriptional cascades, signaling pathways, anti-obesity treatment, bioactive molecules

Background: Heart failure is a prevalent disease state associated with limitations in function, hospitalization, and death. The 2022 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Failure Society of America guidelines recommend medications including sacubitril/valsartan to decrease morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure. However, if patients are nonadherent to treatment or experience barriers to care, they will forgo these benefits., Objective: To assess the pharmacy staff compliance rate to a workflow protocol for sacubitril/valsartan prescriptions received by Cleveland Clinic Home Delivery (HD) and Adherence Pharmacy (AP) and determine the nonclinical benefits experienced by the patients enrolled in the protocol., Methods: At Cleveland Clinic, there are 2 mail-order pharmacies: HD and AP. Both pharmacies offer a variety of benefits and adherence services, with each pharmacy having their own unique services offered. With numerous adherence services provided by both pharmacies, it is likely that patients with heart failure would see clinical and nonclinical benefits, such as cost savings. This project created a triage protocol for patients deemed to experience the most benefit from services offered through AP. The primary endpoint of this project was determining the feasibility of a medication-specific workflow protocol for sacubitril/valsartan prescriptions at HD and AP., Results: There were 114 qualifying prescriptions per the protocol, and 98 of those prescriptions were appropriately screened by the pharmacy staff, equating to an 86% compliance rate for the primary outcome. Of the 98 patients included in the workflow protocol, prior authorization was completed by pharmacy staff for 41 patients (41.8%), manufacturer copay card was applied for 13 patients (13.3%), 17 patients (17.3%) were enrolled in grant funding programs, and patient assistance program enrollment was initiated for 9 patients (9.2%)., Conclusions: Medication-specific workflows may be a feasible option to implement for pharmacies to ensure the offering of adherence services to patients with high-risk disease states using treatment with expensive, branded medications.

Urbanization has resulted in the widespread development of built-up areas, often without considering the local geology and geomorphology. To improve risk assessments related to landslides, it is essential to determine the physical and chemical properties of sediments. The aim of this study is to exemplify an already mobilized and reworked layer based on granulometric properties of the sediments and characterize the chemical and physical properties which have changed during or after the mass movement. Ten red clay layers were sampled near Kulcs (Hungary) from a sliding surface and its environment. We measured grain size distribution, major element and modal composition, furthermore, conduct particle shape analysis, respectively. Grain size distribution suggest that samples from the sliding surface are weathered, with the exhibiting reworking characteristics. We calculate the weathering index from the major elements, which, in combination with the particle shape analyses of the silt fractions, indicate that the morphological parameters of the samples are in relation with weathering index. According to our results, while a fresh sliding event leaves marks on the granulometric properties, the main process which affects the grain morphology is the chemical abrasion (post the mass movement) and not the landslide event., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Gabora and Steel (Gabora L, Steel M. 2021 An evolutionary process without variation and selection. J. R. Soc. Interface 18, 20210334. [doi:10.1098/rsif.2021.0334]) claim that cumulative adaptive evolution is possible without natural selection, that is, without variation and competition. To support this claim, the authors modelled a theoretical process called self-other reorganization (SOR) that envisages a population of reflexively autocatalytic sets that can accumulate beneficial changes without any form of birth, death or selection, that is without population dynamics. The authors claim that despite being non-Darwinian, adaptive evolution happens in SOR, deeming it relevant to the origin of life and to cultural evolution. We analysed SOR and the claim that it implements evolution without variation and selection. We found that the authors, by design, ignore the growth and/or degradation of autocatalytic sets or their components, assuming all effects are beneficial and all entities in SOR are identical and immutable. We prove that due to these assumptions, SOR is a trivial model of horizontal percolation of beneficial effects over a static population. We implemented an extended model of SOR including more realistic assumptions to prove that accounting for any of the ignored processes inevitably leads to conventional Darwinian dynamics. Our analysis directly challenges the authors' claims, revealing evidence of an overly fragile foundation. While the best-case scenario the authors incorrectly generalize from may be mathematically valid, stripping away their unrealistic assumptions reveals that SOR does not represent real entities (e.g. protocells) but rather models the triviality that fast horizontal diffusion of effects can effectively equalize a population. Adaptation in SOR is solely because the authors only consider beneficial effects. The omission of death/growth dynamics and maladaptive effects renders SOR unrealistic and its relevance to evolution, cultural or biological, questionable.

Background: The migration of healthcare workers is attracting growing attention worldwide. Attitudes towards emigration develop over the years, and it is possible that, in addition to social factors, they are influenced by the characteristics of a person's personality and the sense of belonging to the social environment. This study aimed to determine the tendencies of final-year medical students' from Osijek, Croatia, towards emigration after graduation and after specialization, as well as their specialty preferences and to investigate whether introversion and ethnocentrism have an impact on attitudes toward leaving the country in search of employment elsewhere., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year (6th year) medical students from Osijek, Croatia, in two consecutive academic years - 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Students completed a questionnaire about sociodemographic characteristics, academic and scientific performance, preferences about their future medical career, the medical specialty of choice, emigration tendencies after graduation and specialization, ethnocentrism and introversion., Results: There were 124 students who participated in the study (response rate: 96%). A quarter of participants agreed that they are likely or very likely to emigrate after graduation (25.0%) or after specialization (23.39%). Variables associated with the intention to emigrate were specialty preferences (students that prefer endocrinology and psychiatry had the highest emigration tendencies), academic year in which the participants were included (students included in 2014/2015 were more prone to emigrate after specialization, p = 0.060), prior involvement in scientific projects (students with experience in scientific projects expressed higher tendencies to emigrate after graduation, p = 0.023), and ethnocentrism (higher ethnocentrism was associated with a lower tendency towards emigration after specialization, Spearman's rho = -0.191)., Conclusion: Our finding that a quarter of final-year medical students from the Faculty of Medicine Osijek were considering emigrating from Croatia in search of employment elsewhere after graduation or specialization is not as high as in previous Croatian studies or studies conducted in other European countries. Even though these data may be encouraging, considering the lack of physicians in Croatia, interventions are needed to prevent permanent emigration to protect the future functioning of the Croatian health system. Furthermore, our study did not find significant associations between levels of introversion and ethnocentrism and tendency to emigrate from Croatia. It seems that the phenomenon covering the emigration of students is more complex and influenced by many other factors which were not included in our study., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Prediabetes is a disordered state of glucose metabolism defined by an elevated blood glucose level that is below the level required for the diagnosis of diabetes. Prediabetes is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The onset and progression of macrovascular disease occur during the prediabetes phase. Early diagnosis and screening of prediabetes are essential steps to prevent diabetes and its associated complications., Objective: To assess the prevalence of prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes in patients with cardiovascular disease according to the ADA criteria., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2968 a high cardiovascular risk patients aged 40 to 75 years admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine. Sociodemographic variables and other relevant medical history information were collected by the researchers during the clinical interview. A fasting blood sample was obtained to determine HbA1c levels and other relevant laboratory findings., Results: Of the total number of participants, 1496 participants were not diagnosed with diabetes, 485 (32.4%) of them had HbA1c values indicating prediabetes and 158 (10.6%) of them had HbA1c values indicating new diagnosed diabetes. Up to one-third of those with undiagnosed prediabetes had already been diagnosed with cardiovascular complications., Conclusion: Routine screening of glycemic metabolism could be valuable in identifying high-risk individuals before a cardiovascular event occurs., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2023 Vesna Cosic, Jelena Jakab, Marijana Knezevic Pravecek, Blazenka Miskic.)

Many published reports have documented an increased prevalence of chronic medical conditions among veterans, but there were only a few studies that compared these increases with the general population. The aim of this study was to determine differences in chronic medical conditions between Croatian war veterans and the general population. This study included two groups of subjects, i.e. 1453 participants who are Croatian war veterans and 1429 participants from the general population. Medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests and specific diagnostic procedures were taken during systematic physical examination in both groups. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, malignancy, psychiatric diseases, cholelithiasis, nephrolithiasis, smoking and alcohol consumption was analyzed. Croatian war veterans were found to be more likely to develop hypertension than individuals in the general population (29.5% vs. 24.3%), as well as diabetes (7.3% vs. 3.8%), hyperlipidemia (56.4% vs. 27.3%), hyperthyroidism (3.1% vs. 0.8%), coronary heart disease (4.3% vs. 1%), malignancy (4.1% vs. 2.2%), psychiatric diseases (15.4% vs. 1.1%), and alcohol consumption (53% vs. 29%). Significant difference was found in favor of the general population for hypothyroidism (14.3% vs. 8%). There were no differences in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cholelithiasis, nephrolithiasis, and smoking. Our findings confirmed the hypothesis of a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, malignancy and psychiatric diseases among Croatian war veterans and emphasized the need of better control of their medical conditions., (Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital.)

This study intended to investigate whether the workload of nurses in the course of providing end-of-life care correlated with their religiousness, spiritual experience and level of agreement with dysthanasia procedures. The respondents included 279 nurses from four Croatian hospitals. A structured and validated instrument was applied. Almost 90% of respondents are religious, and almost 45% of them have daily spiritual experiences. Respondents, especially those with high levels of religiousness and spiritual experience, express a low level of agreement with dysthanasia (mean = 58.21; score = 25−125). Moreover, nurses self-rated (on a scale of 1−5) their workload as quite high, especially when performing contradictory tasks imposed on them by their superiors (mean = 3.05) and during direct contact with dying patients and their family members (mean = 2.56). This significantly highest level of workload was experienced by the youngest nurses (p = 0.01) and nurses with little work experience (p < 0.01). This study also indicated that nurses who agree with dysthanasia experienced a higher level of workload when providing end-of-life care (r = 0.178; p < 0.01), while more frequent spiritual experiences reduced the level of workload (r = −0.205; p < 0.01). A deeper understanding of nurses’ attitudes toward dysthanasia, as well as of their religiousness and spiritual experiences, may ensure the collection of data beneficial to the timely identification of potential risks caused by workload.

Purpose: Difficulties in sexual functioning are very frequent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sexual dysfunction (SD) can significantly diminish the quality of life (QOL) of affected individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of SD in female patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis (CHD) and after renal transplantation (RTx) and to compare these groups with each other and with healthy control., Methods: The survey was conducted among 123 female participants in a relationship, 28 of them undergoing CHD, 39 after RTx, and 56 healthy women without CKD. For the assessment of the sexual function and comorbidities, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and Ifudu Comorbidity Index were used, respectively., Results: Median age of all female participants was 60 (50-68). The median age of female CHD patients was 66 (61.3-72.8), RTx patients 56 (48-61), and the control group 59.5 (47.5-67.75). Among all participants, CHD female patients had the lowest scores in all sexual functioning domains. Compared to their age-adjusted control group, CHD patients had lower scores in desire, orgasm, and FSFI full score, whereas RTx patients had lower total FSFI scores and scores in all domains except for desire compared to their controls. Women with lower education, in marriage, and with more comorbidities had lower scores in sexual function domains., Conclusion: Our study shows that SD in female patients undergoing CHD treatment or those after RTx is substantially higher than that in healthy women. We suggest that female patient treated for CKD should have proper care regarding their sexual health, and differences in demographic and medical factors should be taken into consideration during the treatment management., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Throughout history, Osijek and Slavonia were parts of numerous empires and states. In this paper, the authors depict dental health care of the inhabitants of Osijek and Slavonia throughout their history, since the ancient prehistoric times when dental medicine and medicine in general were 'in the hands' of gods and medicine men, throughout the period of the Roman Empire and Middle Ages, as well as the Turkish sovereignty, all the way to the modern era when Osijek and Slavonia became part of the Austrian Empire and many novelties were introduced in the society, among other things, and for those times, modern procedures of medicine and dental protection. Those were the true beginnings of medicine and dental protection. The authors illustrate the work of various 'dentists' who worked in Osijek, from military and town surgeons, barbers, and especially the work of doctors that needed to have formal school and specialist education after the reforms implemented in the 19 th century. Thanks to the reforms of the Austrian, and later the Austrian-Hungarian authorities, the practice and work of people who were allowed to perform dental procedures started being regulated, prices were established, and punishments introduced for those who performed dental procedures without having the proper qualifications.

Aim: To validate the Croatian translation of the Body Image Scale in breast cancer and chronic kidney disease patients., Methods: The scale was administered to 172 breast cancer patients and to 89 chronic kidney disease patients. Measures of depression and anxiety were used to assess the convergent validity. Both groups were divided based on their treatment types., Results: In both samples, the scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha 0.958 for breast cancer patients, 0.855 for chronic kidney disease patients) item-total correlations (0.72-0.88 for breast cancer patients, 0.46-0.65 for chronic kidney disease patients), and convergent validity. In the breast cancer group, the factor analysis showed a single-factor solution, while in the chronic kidney disease group it showed a two-factor solution. Good discriminant validity was obtained among breast cancer patients, with patients who underwent complete mastectomy scoring higher than patients who underwent partial mastectomy. The scale showed no discriminant validity among chronic kidney disease patients., Conclusion: The Croatian BIS shows good psychometric properties.

Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue driven by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of adipocytes through adipogenesis. Adipogenesis plays a key role in the development of obesity and related metabolic disorders, which makes it potential target for the therapeutic approach to obesity. An increasing number of studies confirm the pleiotropic action of the combined treatment with metformin and statins, suggesting their anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-adipogenic effect. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of different doses of metformin (MET) and simvastatin (SIM) on the expression of key transcription factors of adipogenesis. Mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were induced to differentiation in adipogenic medium with sustained MET and SIM treatment to assess the effect on adipogenesis. Nine days after initiating adipogenesis, the cells were prepared for further experiments, including Oil Red O staining, RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunocytochemistry. Treating the cells with the combination of MET and SIM slightly reduced the intensity of Oil Red O staining compared with the control group, and down-regulated mRNA and protein expression of PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP-1C. In conclusion, the inhibitory effect of MET and SIM on adipocyte differentiation, as indicated by decreased lipid accumulation, appears to be mediated through the down-regulation of adipogenic transcription factors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer binding pro-tein α (C/EBPα), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1C).

Background: The most crucial decision in the physician's career after graduation is undoubtedly the choice of specialization. It is conditioned by many factors such as intellectual challenges, clinical experience, economic and social influences. The aim of this study was to determine whether personality traits affect the choice of medical specialty at the University of Osijek, Croatia., Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 407 medical students. To assess the personality traits, the IPIP Big-Five questionnaire was used., Results: There were no differences in four of the five personality traits of the Big-Five questionnaire when comparing the groups based on their specialty preference: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability. A significant difference was found for openness to experience (intellect/imagination) trait, where students who preferred psychiatry specialties achieved the highest score, and those who chose public health specialties scored the lowest. We observed no significant effect between gender and specialty preference based on personality traits., Conclusions: We could not attribute the differences in personality traits to specialty preference. Medical students with higher scores on agreeableness and openness (intellect/imagination) scales were more inclined to psychiatric specialties, and more conscientiousness students preferred the anesthesiology and emergency medicine specialties. Even if variations in personality traits do not exist across different specialties, many other factors influence specialty preference.

Background: Postpartum depression is a psychiatric disorder that starts from the second to the sixth week after birth. Breastfeeding is considered a protective factor for postpartum mood swings. This paper aims to examine the effect of breastfeeding on postpartum depression and anxiety, and how it affects child development., Methods: The study included 209 pregnant women, 197 puerperea, and 160 women at the end of the third month after delivery, followed through three time-points. The instruments used in the study were the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI)., Results: Postpartum mothers with low risk of PPD breastfed their children more often than mothers with a mild or severe risk of perinatal depression. Mean values on the BDI scale three months after giving birth were higher in mothers who did not breastfeed their child (M = 3.53) than those who did breastfeed their child (M = 2.28). Postpartum anxiety measured by BAI was statistically negatively correlated (rs-, 430) with the duration of breastfeeding., Conclusion: Nonbreastfeeding mothers are more depressed and anxious compared to breastfeeding mothers.

The aim was to evaluate sexual function of healthy women in Croatia and the possible impact of depression, anxiety, and sociodemographic factors. A total of 204 healthy women filled in a basic sociodemographic questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Anxiety Disorder-7, and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Almost half of study subjects (47.1%) reported at least some degree of sexual dysfunction defined as an FSFI score lower than 26.55. Study results suggest sexual dysfunction of women in Croatia as a still unrecognized problem. More room in research and in the public must be given to this issue.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown to affect many tissues other than liver. However, of the many extrahepatic manifestations (EMs) that have been associated with HCV, including cryoglobulinemia, lymphoma, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders, only a few have been shown to be directly related to HCV infection of extrahepatic tissues. HCV-triggered immune-mediated mechanisms account for most of the EMs. It is estimated that up to 74% of patients with chronic hepatitis C can develop at least one EM. All HCV patients with EMs should be considered for antiviral therapy, although not all will resolve with sustained virological response., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests related to this publication.

Peptic ulcer is a chronic disease affecting up to 10% of the world's population. The formation of peptic ulcers depends on the presence of gastric juice pH and the decrease in mucosal defenses. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection are the two major factors disrupting the mucosal resistance to injury. Conventional treatments of peptic ulcers, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2 (H2) receptor antagonists, have demonstrated adverse effects, relapses, and various drug interactions. On the other hand, medicinal plants and their chemical compounds are useful in the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases. Hence, this review presents common medicinal plants that may be used for the treatment or prevention of peptic ulcers.

Background: Prescribing medications is one of the most common medical decisions that is made by primary care providers (PCPs). In the Republic of Croatia, PCPs hold a key position in prescribing and evaluating the medications that are provided for patients. Accordingly, providing advice for patients regarding the potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is frequently the responsibility of the PCPs. The aim of the current study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and counseling practices of PCPs regarding drug interactions and adverse effects., Methods: After enrolling 195 PCPs that were selected at random, a survey was conducted while using an anonymous questionnaire that was created based on previously published studies, adjusted in a way that includes the most commonly prescribed medications in Croatia., Results: Of the 10 questions on knowledge about DDIs and ADRs, the median number of correct responses by PCPs was 5 (interquartile range 4 to 7). More than half of respondents (56%) agreed with the claim that knowledge of drug side effects facilitated their work in family medicine. Almost all of the respondents (92.8%) explained side effects and drug interactions to special groups of patients (pregnant women, elderly patients etc.)., Conclusion: The results show a need for additional education in the field of drug prescribing. However, PCPs were aware of the importance of counseling practices about adverse drug reactions and interactions and counseling practices among special patients populations are satisfactory.

Background: Tobacco use is the second major cause of morbidity and the 4th most common health risk factor in the world. Medical professionals have a critical role in the process of smoking cessation both as advisers and behavioural models for the citizens. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of smoking among health care professionals, their smoking habits and personal attitudes toward smoking, role and the responsibility of health care professionals in the prevention of smoking., Results: Out of the total number of examinees, 175 (35,1%) are active smokers, 29 (5,8%) are former smokers, and 295 (59,1%) are non-smokers. Nurses with secondary education disagree the most with the claim that passive smoking is more harmful to health (χ2 test, p = .008), also with the claim that the introduced Smoking Act is fair to smokers (χ2 test, p = .021). More nurses with secondary education disagree completely or partially that one should pay attention to smoking in the presence of non-smokers (χ2 test, p = .012)., Conclusion: Training programs for health care workers are needed to improve their ability in smoking cessation techniques to provide active support to their patients.

In this case study, the principles of quality risk management were applied to review sampling points and monitoring frequencies in the hormonal tableting unit of a formulation development pilot plant. In the cleanroom area, premises of different functions are located. Therefore a general method was established for risk evaluation based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) method to evaluate these premises (i.e., production area itself and ancillary clean areas) from the point of view of microbial load and state in order to observe whether the existing monitoring program met the emerged advanced monitoring practice. LAY ABSTRACT: In pharmaceutical production, cleanrooms are needed for the manufacturing of final dosage forms of drugs-intended for human or veterinary use-in order to protect the patient's weakened body from further infections. Cleanrooms are premises with a controlled level of contamination that is specified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a specified particle size or number of microorganisms (i.e. microbial count) per surface area. To ensure a low microbial count over time, microorganisms are detected and counted by environmental monitoring methods regularly. It is reasonable to find the easily infected places by risk analysis to make sure the obtained results really represent the state of the whole room. This paper presents a risk analysis method for the optimization of environmental monitoring and verification of the suitability of the method., (© PDA, Inc. 2017.)

Glaucoma is a chronic, asymptomatic disorder which affects 2% of the population over 40 years of age. Glaucoma causes a significant vision impairment with the consequences on daily activities of patients which affect negatively their quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this paper is to give a review of instruments used in the QoL assessments of glaucoma patients and methods of performance based assessment of visual function in glaucoma in daily life. The PubMed was searched for the relevant literature. Thirteen quality of life scores used in glaucoma patients, method of performance-based assessments of the ability to carry out daily activities, and three utility measures were investigated. Despite the fact that there are no ideal instruments for the assessment of QoL of glaucoma patients, it should be incorporated in the plan of glaucoma patients treatment because of multiple benefits in optimizing the plan of treatment, education of the patients, the patients’ self satisfaction, and in the reduction of financial burden of the health care system. The Glaucoma Quality of Life (GQL-15) score is acceptable in clinical practice due to its shortness and implementation.

The floodwater mosquito Aedes vexans can be a massive nuisance in the flood plain areas of mainland Europe, and is the vector of Tahyna virus and a potential vector of Dirofilaria immitis. This epidemiologically important species forms three subspecies worldwide, of which Aedes vexans arabiensis has a wide distribution in Europe and Africa. We quantified the genetic and phenotypic variation in Ae. vexans arabiensis in populations from Sweden (northern Europe), Hungary, and Serbia (central Europe). A landscape genetics approach (FST , STRUCTURE, BAPS, GENELAND) revealed significant differentiation between northern and southern populations. Similar to genetic data, wing geometric morphometrics revealed two different clusters, one made by Swedish populations, while another included Hungarian and Serbian populations. Moreover, integrated genetic and morphometric data from the spatial analysis suggested groupings of populations into three clusters, one of which was from Swedish and Hungarian populations. Data on spatial analysis regarding an intermediate status of the Hungarian population was supported by observed Isolation-by-Distance patterns. Furthermore, a low proportion of interpopulation vs intrapopulation variance revealed by AMOVA and low-to-moderate FST values on a broader geographical scale indicate a continuous between-population exchange of individuals, including considerable gene flow on the regional scale, are likely to be responsible for the maintenance of the observed population similarity in Aе. vexans. We discussed data considering population structure in the light of vector control strategies of the mosquito from public health importance., (© 2016 The Society for Vector Ecology.)

Active pharmaceutical ingredients may have unique properties when applied as nanoparticles or in nanostructured carrier systems due to the size and shape, as well as to the high surface to volume ratio. Therefore nanopharmaceuticals are surrounded by huge expectations on the part of nanomedicine and today nanotechnology is crucial for the development of pharmaceutical products. Nanopharmaceuticals have several benefits such as improved dissolution and bioavailability, targeted drug delivery, and they allow the introduction of nanotheranos tics. All these advantages offer an unprecedented opportunity for personalized therapy, aiding also the patient-centered formulation in order to ensure the efficacy and tolerability. Nanoparticle or nano-structured drugs offer unique advantages, but on the other hand the formulation could be a challenge which can be compared to their specific characteristics.