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Depending on the existence and dominance of a resource in a certain rural area, different forms of rural tourism can be developed. Human resources are the most important factor in all forms of tourism business, including rural tourism. The subject of this paper is a survey of employee satisfaction in rural tourism, in Eastern Serbia - in the villages of the Timok region. The authors aimed to highlight the most important motivating factors of employees in smaller rural households. The technique of survey questionnaires was applied, while the obtained data were processed by the appropriate statistical method. The paper represents a modest contribution to the research of human resources motivation in the field of rural tourism, but the results obtained by the research can be recommendations to the general managers of rural households, in which way to best motivate their employees.

The article presents promising catalysts, applicable for direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFC) for portable and mobile applications. The goal of this work is development of Pt and Pd catalysts deposited on interactive nanocrystalline Ru doped SnO2 support with improved performance. The structure and the morphology of the prepared metal-oxide catalyst support and Pt and Pd based catalysts were examined using XRPD, SEM/EDX and TEM techniques. Electrocatalytic activities of the prepared Pt or Pd based catalysts were evaluated in both alkaline and acidic conditions. The ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) was studied using conventional electrochemical techniques. The interactive nature of the novel Ru doped SnO2 catalyst support was confirmed, resulting in the enhancement of the EOR kinetics, in comparison to commercially available catalysts. New and simplified synthetic route applied for preparation of interactive catalyst support was presented with the aim to enable easy scale-up of the catalyst production process. Obtained results on the novel catalysts promise great potential in improving the performance and durability of the DAFC.

Aim Crohn's disease (CD)-related rectovaginal fistulas (RVFs) are rare, challenging to treat and associated with a high morbidity. Due to a significant lack of data, we aimed to analyse the safety and feasibility of allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in the treatment of CD-related RVF. Method Four consecutive patients with CD-related RVF underwent treatment with expanded allogeneic ASCs extracted from a healthy donor in a tertiary referral centre in 2019. None of the patients had an intestinal diversion at the time of the treatment. Follow-up was performed 6 months postoperatively. Results The median operation time was 45 min with a median hospital stay of 3 days. No intra-operative complications occurred. Three patients (75%) developed recurrent RVF after a median follow-up of 19 days. Two patients required surgical treatment including loose seton drainage due to discharge and pain. One patient developed recurrence of symptoms after 10 days, but refused further surgical therapy. Only one patient (25%) showed healing of the RVF, with re-epithelialization of both the vaginal and rectal opening and absence of clinical symptoms. Conclusion Expanded allogeneic ASC therapy represents a novel safe treatment option for CD-associated RVF. Although efficacy appears limited, further controlled studies are required to draw robust conclusions.

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Amiodarone represents the most widely used antiarrhythmic drug with an indication for administration in heart failure (HF) with many of its side effects. Dronedarone reduces the risk of recurrent atrial fibrillation, with increased mortality due to worsening HF, but necessary experimental data is missing. Purpose Investigate chronic, dose-dependent effects of Dronedarone and Amiodarone on cardiodynamic and oxidative stress of spontaneusly hypertensive rat (SHR) heart. Methods The present study was carried out on 42 SHR Wistar Kyoto male rats: Control (n=6), and 6 experimental groups treated by oral lavage for 4 weeks: rats treated with 100 mg/kg of Amiodarone (n=6), rats treated with 50 mg/kg of Amiodarone (n=6), rats treated with 10 mg/kg of Amiodarone (n=6), rats treated with 50 mg/kg of Dronedarone (n=6), rats treated with 10 mg/kg of Dronedarone (n=6) and rats treated with 5 mg/kg of Dronedarone (n=6). Isolated rat hearts were perfused by Langendorff perfusion apparatus and following cardiodynamic parameters were continuously registered: dp/dt max, dp/dt min, systolic left ventricular pressure, diastolic left ventricular pressure, heart rate and coronary flow on each of predetermined values of coronary perfused pressure. Parameters of oxidative stress were determined spectrophotometrically. Results Amiodarone in the low dose significantly improved dp/dt max and dt/dt min, this effect was less pronounced in the middle dose of Amiodarone, while Amiodarone in the high dose significantly decreased all parameters of cardiac function. Amiodarone in low dose significantly increased levels of parameters of oxidative stress including levels of O2- and nitrites, when compared to other doses of Amiodarone. Significant changes in cardiac function were also observed in Dronedarone treated rats, however function was significantly decreased in all Dronedarone groups. Dronedarone severely depressed cardiac function with dose-dependent effect. Comparison between Amiodarone and Dronedarone groups revealed that Amiodarone was better in improvement of cardiac function in all dose-regimes (Figure 1). Dronedarone significantly lowered levels of H2O2 and TBARS without dose-dependent effect, concentrations of O2-, NO2- remained unchanged. Amiodarone increased O2-, NO2- and TBARS with a dose-dependent effect. When compared to Amiodarone, Dronedarone lowered all oxidative stress parameters in high, middle and low-dose (Figure 2.) Conclusion Dose-dependent, chronic administration of Dronedarone severely depressed SHR cardiac function. Amiodarone shows less pronaunced effects in high and middle dose, while low dose increased cardiac function. By comparing the effects of Amiodarone and Dronedarone, Amiodarone showed better effects on SHR cardiac function in all doses, while Dronedarone significantly reduced parameters of oxidative stress in all doses, when compared to their parallel doses of Amiodarone.

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy—Melanoma (FACT-M) questionnaire in the Serbian language. The FACT-M was translated into Serbian using the standard methodology after obtaining the licence from the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) translation project team. This version of FACT-M was distributed to a cohort of consecutive patients with histologically confirmed high-risk skin melanoma treated at the tertiary referral center. To examine construct validity of the FACT-M in Serbian, we performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The FACT-General (FACT-G) did not fit the original 4-domain structure. Instead, we accepted a 7-domain structure which, aside from physical, emotional, social and functional well-being, had domains of ‘friends’ support’, ‘illness acceptance’ and ‘fear of death’. Melanoma scale (MS) and Melanoma surgery scale (MSS) did not fit the original one-dimensional structure. The MS was observed to have 4 domains: ‘pain’, ‘skin problems’, ‘abdominal metastases’ and ‘other problems’. The MSS was observed to have 2 domains: ‘having symptoms’ and ‘no symptoms’. It is suggested that the FACT-M questionnaire is analyzed using the newly extracted domains to examine quality of life of people with high-risk melanoma in Serbia.

Background We compare the health-related quality of life (QoL) of patients with incision hernias before and after surgery with two different techniques. Methods In this prospective randomized study, the study population consisted of all patients who underwent the first surgical incisional hernias repair during the 1-year study period. Patients who met the criteria for inclusion in the study were randomized into two groups: the first group consisted of patients operated by an open Rives sublay technique, and the second group included patients operated by a segregation component technique. The change in the quality of life before and 6 months after surgery was assessed using two general (Short form of SF-36 questionnaires and European Quality of Life Questionnaire—EQ-5D-3L), and three specific hernia questionnaires (Hernia Related Quality of Life Survey-HerQles, Eura HS Quality of Life Scale—EuraHS QoL, and Carolinas Comfort Scale—CCS). Results A total of 93 patients were included in the study. Patients operated on by the Rives technique had a better role physical score before surgery, according to the SF-36 tool, although this was not found after surgery. The postoperative QoL measured with each scale of all questionnaires was significantly better after surgery. Comparing two groups of patients after surgery, only the pain domain of the EuraHS Qol questionnaire was worse in patients operated by a segregation component technique. Conclusion Both techniques improve the quality of life after surgery. Generic QoL questionnaires showed no difference in the quality of life compared to repair technique but specific hernia-related questionnaires showed differences.

We aimed to assess awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of healthy pregnant women towards human papillomavirus (HPV), to estimate factors associated with a positive attitude towards HPV immunization and to assess the uptake of the vaccine among their children. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Belgrade, Serbia among pregnant women attending their regular gynecological check-ups at the 12th gestational week. Knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccine was assessed using a specifically designed 12-item and 5-item questionnaires. Out of total 265 included women, 79.3% had heard of HPV, and 37.5% knew that HPV vaccine exists. HPV vaccine knowledge score was associated with higher odds for a positive attitude towards vaccination of both female (OR = 4.10, 95% CI 1.50–11.29) and male (OR = 3.71, 95% CI 1.52–9.01) child. The number of children (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.04–1.67) and high vaccine knowledge score (OR = 1.64 95% CI 1.13–2.39) were independent predictors associated with willingness to vaccinate child against HPV. The gynecologist was the preferable point of reference for information seeking about the HPV vaccine. Despite relatively high HPV awareness and knowledge among pregnant women in Serbia, about one-third of them are HPV vaccine aware, and are willing to vaccinate their children against HPV.

The data about the incidence and risk factors for surgical site infections (SSIs) following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in middle-income countries are still scant. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and risk factors associated with 30-day SSIs following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The study was conducted at the Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Clinical Center of Serbia (CCS) in Belgrade, from May 2016 to April 2018. All patients undergoing THA or TKA were followed throughout hospitalization until day 30 after discharge. Of the 1073 admitted patients, 459 had THA and 230 had TKA. The incidence rate of surgical site infections (SSIs) among the patients who underwent THA was 5.4%, which is 3.8 per 1000 postoperative patient-days, while the rate among those who had TKA was 4.8%, i.e., 3.4 per 1000 postoperative patient-days. Out of the 36 SSIs, 15 were deep and 21 were superficial incisional ones. Among the variables examined, the independent risk factors for SSIs after THA were the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score &gt, 2 (RR = 3.17, 95% CI&mdash, 1.26&ndash, 8.02), smoking (RR = 3.14, 7.82) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (RR = 6.09, 2.35&ndash, 15.77), and after TKA, only PVD (RR = 3.87, 1.09&ndash, 13.76) was the risk factor. Incidence rates of SSIs after arthroplasty are higher compared to reports from developed countries. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance infection prevention and control measures with strict control of modifiable risk factors.

Background As the only non-European Union (EU) country, Serbia participated in a second point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use (AMU) organized by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in the EU countries. Here, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of HAI and AMU in patients who had recently undergone a surgery and to compare risk profile, HAI rates, and AMU among surgical patients and non-surgical patients. Methods A national PPS was performed in 65 Serbian acute-care hospitals, in November 2017. In this paper, the data of 61 hospitals for adult acute-care were analyzed. To ensure the comparability of study design we used the Serbian translation of ECDC case definitions and ECDC PPS protocol. The trained infection control staff, led by a hospital coordinator, reviewed medical records to identify HAI active at the time of the survey and AMU. Only inpatients admitted to the ward before 8 a.m. on the day if the survey were included. Results A total of 12,478 patients from 61 hospitals for adult acute-care were eligible for inclusion in this study. Significantly higher proportions of surgical patients were female, belonged to the 60-to-79 age group, and were less severely ill. Also, extrinsic factors (invasive devices, hospitalization at the ICU, and prior antibiotics therapy) were more frequent in surgical patients. Prevalence of HAIs was higher among surgical patients (261/3626; 7.2%) than among non-surgical patients (258/8852; 2.9%) (p p Conclusion We have provided an insight into the burden of HAIs and AMU among Serbia acute-care hospitals, and highlighted several priority areas and targets for quality improvement.

Background Dietary supplements use continues to increase in many countries. They are often used without a full understanding of the potential benefits and risks associated with their use, and without consultation with a health care professional. This study aimed to explore health beliefs and patterns of dietary supplement usage among fitness club participants. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in fitness clubs of the city of Nis, Serbia. Male adults, age 18-45 years, participated. Data from participants were collected through an original structured, self-administered questionnaire describes the prevalence and type of supplements used, the reasons for using and the information source. Results The prevalence of dietary supplement intake among participants was 85.86%. Most participants were between the age of 20 and 40 years, had a college degree (57.1%), non-smokers (80.5%), without chronic disease (86%), perform exercise at least thrice weekly (76.2%) and 63% had at least1 hour. The percentage of participants who had favorable health views on dietary supplements was significantly higher among the supplement users than among the non-users (P Conclusions Male fitness club member are large consumers of dietary supplements. Public health campaigns could be useful to educate Serbian population regarding using dietary supplements during fitness activities. Key messages Male fitness club members are large consumers of dietary supplements in Serbia. Public health campaigns are needed to educate fitness participants about using dietary supplements.

Modern technologies offer many opportunities to companies everywhere in the world. Marketing's and manager's job is to get to know all those possibilities, to know their positive and negative side, put it in context and use it in marketing strategy in order to upgrade business of the company, improve sales effectiveness, and finally, raise revenues and value for all stakeholders. This paper contains data on using social networks and technology in advance in company actions, so informations are firstly collected using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and other social platforms, and the same networks are used to spread informations about business and products, along with feedback used to correct future actions. Informations gathered can be extremely useful, but some can be recognized as unneeded. The main goal of this paper is to show how social networks influence modern businesses and how they can be used as a part of marketing mix in order to improve business effectiveness.

Dry micronizing grinding of mineral raw materials is a very complex process and depends on a whole range of parameters such as: shape, particle size, size distribution of the starting and micronized material, hardness, moisture, density, surface properties, structural characteristics of mills, etc. In order to obtain a clear picture of dry micronizing milling process, a good knowledge of the theoretical principles of high-energy mills operation is necessary. Classical mills are not suitable for micronization to a fine and particularly very fine particles size (upper particle size limit below 5 μm), which is necessary for modern industrial application domains. The intensive fundamental and developmental research of the dry micronizing milling process for the new materials development has also enabled the development of new construction solutions for ultra-fine high-energy mills - mechanics. These mills have found application into the state-of-the-art production technologies of new very profitable materials. For the production of powders - particles of micron dimensions, the mechano-actuators are used and all micronizers - disintegrators, colloidal (perl mills), vibratory, planetary, ultra-centrifugal mill, Jet-current mills and others operate on the principle of impact, shock and friction. This paper presents the experimentally achieved results of dry micronizing grinding of zeolites in a vibrating mill with rings, as well as the improvement of its reactivity. All experimental micronization investigations were carried out on a previously prepared coarse particle size class (- 3.35 + 0) mm with different starting mass (50 g and 200 g), and carried out in different grinding time intervals (45, 120, 900 seconds), in order to examine the impact of these parameters on the micronization process. Grinding success was evaluated by the particle size measurements and content of class (- 5 + 0) μm, and particle specific surface. It was shown that for a sample of four times larger initial mass it is need longer grinding time to achieve the maximum content of the class (- 5 + 0) μm, but for a sample of the bulk class (- 3.35 + 0) mm with a lower starting mass the effects of amorphization due to prolonged micronizing grinding are very pronounced, and the zeolite minerals in crystalline form are practically in the trace and the largest part is amorphous. Generally, it can be concluded that a vibrating mill with a rings proved to be a good device for efficient ultra-fine micronizing grinding.

Background/Aim. In recent years, many studies have demonstrated a proximal shift in the distribution of adenomas and colorectal cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in the incidence and anatomical distribution of adenomas and colorectal cancers spanning a 20 year time gap. Methods. We performed a retrospective observational study of colorectal adenomas and cancers diagnosed during total colonoscopy in a high volume tertiary care facility in two 1-year periods of time ? 1990 and 2010. Results. During the analyzed period, 4,048 colonoscopies were performed, 1,148 were performed in 1990 and 2,900 were done in 2010. The study included 466 patients with adenomas and 121 patients with colorectal cancers. Frequency of proximal adenoma changed from 16.5% to 32.7% (p < 0.001). By analyzing colonoscopies in 2010, an increase in the incidence of adenomas compared to 1990 was noticed. The number of adenomas sized 0?5 mm rose from 32.8% to 56.9% (p < 0.001). Frequency of colon carcinoma changed from 5.3% to 2.0% (p < 0.001). Incidence of cancers in the proximal colon rose from 21.3% to 48.4% (p = 0.002). A higher incidence of cancers in the proximal colon and a lower incidence of distal cancers were observed, while no difference was observed in the incidence of rectal cancers. Conclusion. Presence of proximal colon adenoma and cancer is higher, while the overall incidence of colon cancer is lower. This finding should be taken into account when planning the screening for colorectal cancer.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are denoted by International Agency for Research on Cancer as mutagens, teratogens and carcinogenic to humans. In 2013, Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences was hired to determine whether PAHs are present in significant quantities in the concrete walls of newly built residential buildings (about 15,000 m(2) of apartments), and to propose appropriate technical solution for PAH removal in this case. As PAH occurrence, determination and remediation in concrete is, to our knowledge, a completely new field, it was necessary to face a number of challenges, including lack of regulations considering contents of PAHs in concrete, investigation of the origin of PAH contamination in concrete (if established), as Well as finding feasible and non-expensive remediation method, which would be appropriate for residential space. In first part of this study, a Markedly high concentrations of 5 PAHs were detected by UPLC/PDA analysis in samples of both concrete walls and mineral oil used for coating of planks during formwork, while control concrete and mineral oil, taken from independent construction site, were taken as a reference. Such coincidence, as well as the fact that mineral oil has penetrated into the concrete which is proven by ASAP/MS analysis, pointed to the mineral oil as the most probable source of PAH contamination of the concrete. In the second part, an efficient and easy-applicable method for PAH oxidation in concrete (called FHO3AOP), using UV light, H2O2 and ozone, was presented and discussed in terms of previous literature data. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transformer health index (HI) is a powerful tool for quantifying the overall health of a power transformer, due to the fact that it appraises its condition based on different criteria that are related (often in complex ways) to the long-term degradation factors that cumulatively lead to its end-of-life. Several authors have proposed different approaches to the HI calculation, e.g., analytical expressions, binary logistic regression, fuzzy logic models, support vector machines, and artificial neural networks. This paper proposes using Bayesian "Wide & Deep" machine learning model for the HI calculation, where the wide model part is the Bayesian ordered robust "probit" regression, while the deep part is the Bayesian artificial neural network. Both model parts are trained simultaneously within the Bayesian setting, using the so-called "joint learning" process with a Markov-chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Model is demonstrated using the actual transformer data.

There is a need for identifying molecular prognostic biomarkers to better predict clinical outcomes in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study investigated the pattern of cyclin D1 and p57 expression in RCC patients and evaluated their relation with clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival (OS).Immunohistochemistry was applied to paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 74 RCC patients. Two cut-off groups were defined by the fraction of positive cells as follows: ≤10% and10% positive cells for cyclin D1, and ≤5% and5% positive cells for p57.Cyclin D1 expression in10% of positive cells was observed mostly in the clear cell RCC, while p57 expression in ≤5% of positive cells was found in 86% of chromophobe RCC specimens. The higher expression of cyclin D1 and lower expression of p57 were more frequent in grade I-II tumors. OS was associated with unfavorable clinicopathological characteristics. However, cyclin D1/p57 expression did not influence the survival rates.Although cyclin D1 and p57 expression did not affect survival rates in RCC patients, proper validation and establishment of the qualitative cut-off point are needed for these tumors.

Over the years, alternative procedures to the Bond grindability test have been proposed aiming to avoid the need for the standard mill or to reduce and simplify the grinding procedure. Some of them use the standard mill, while others are based on a non-standard mill or computation techniques. Therefore, papers targeting to propose a better alternative claim to improve validity, to reduce test duration, or to propose simpler and faster alternative methods for determining the Bond work index (wi). In this review paper, a compilation and critical analysis of selected proposals is performed, concluding that some of the short procedures could be useful for control purposes, while the simulation-based procedures could be interesting within a process digitalisation strategy.

The Bond work index (BWI) is a well-known method used when selecting comminution equipment, to evaluate the grinding efficiency and to calculate the required grinding power. Although considered an industry standard, Bond did not fully define that procedure, and therefore significant discrepancies in test results can sometimes be obtained due to some undefined steps in the method. One of these cases is the initial sample size for grinding, why it must be the initial sample size of 3.35 mm, and whether it is possible to determine the BWI on samples of finer classes. In practice, it is possible to find materials whose size is finer than 3.35 mm. This paper examines the determination of the BWI on finer samples and proposes an equation for the determination of the BWI on finer samples.

Polytrauma is a term describing patients with injuries involving multiple body regions that compromises function of the body and/or organ involved. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential role of erythropoietin in predicting poorer outcome in trauma patients. This prospective study included 86 patients admitted to the Emergency Center of Serbia due to polytrauma assigned according to Injury Severity Score (ISS). The patients were further evaluated using the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores and erythropoietin levels. There was a significant difference among erythropoietin levels at admission, after 48 and 72 hours, and on day 7 of hospital stay, with significantly higher levels in patients with ISS values 49-75. Based on the results, ROC curves were used to identify cut-off levels to predict ISS score with critical clinical course. It was concluded that erythropoietin could be a good marker of injury severity. Further research has to be performed to determine the cut-off values of erythropoietin that are significant for injury severity., Politrauma je termin koji opisuje bolesnike s povredama koje uključuju više dijelova tijela i koje ugrožavaju funkciju ­tijela i/ili organa. Cilj studije je bio procijeniti potencijalnu ulogu eritropoetina u predviđanju lošeg ishoda kod bolesnika s poli­traumom. Ova prospektivna studija obuhvatila je 86 bolesnika koji su primljeni u Urgentni centar Srbije zbog politraume dijagnosticirane prema rezultatu težine povreda (Injury Severity Score, ISS). Bolesnici su dalje procijenjeni pomoću rezultata Akutnog fiziološkog bodovnog sustava i bodovnog sustava kronične procjene zdravlja II. te procjene insuficijencije organa i razine eritropoetina. Postojala je značajna razlika između razine eritropoetina kod prijma, poslije 48 i 72 sata te sedmog dana boravka u bolnici, sa znatno višim razinama kod bolesnika s vrijednostima ISS 49-75. Na osnovi rezultata krivulje ROC su primijenjene za identifikaciju graničnih vrijednosti kako bi se predvidio rezultat ISS s kritičnim kliničkim tijekom. Zaključeno je da eritropoetin može biti dobar pokazatelj ozbiljnosti povreda. Potrebno je daljnje istraživanje za određivanje graničnih vrijednosti eritropoetina koje su značajne za ozbiljnost povreda.

Background & Aims: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is characterized by a rapid progression to multiple organ failure and is associated with a very high mortality rate of 50-90%. Novel therapies are being investigated such as Erythropoietin (EPO). The aim of this prospective cohort study was to analyse the value of EPO in predicting prognosis and determine which patients may benefit most from EPO therapy. Methods: According to the EASL-CLIF criteria, 104 consecutive patients were diagnosed with ACLF, and separated into two groups based on the type of insult: bleeding (Group A=31) or non-bleeding (Group B=73). In addition to a complete biochemical work-up and calculation of relevant prognostic scores, levels of EPO were measured on admission and correlated to the type of insult and final outcome. Results: Fifteen patients from Group A (mean age 60.32±9.29 years) had a lethal outcome and higher values of EPO on admission (319.26±326.58 mIU/ml) (p

Introduction Incidence of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising through the years with estimated 1 in 68 in the US in 2014. This incidence is also rising in the population of congenitally deaf children. Favorable outcome after early cochlear implantation is expected due to plasticity and reorganization capacity of brain in infants and toddlers, but outcomes could be significantly modified in children with diagnosed ASD. Current methods of screening for autism have difficulties in establishing diagnosis in children who have both autism and other developmental delays, especially at such an early age. The aim of the study was to assess the development of auditory perception and speech intelligibility in implanted children with profound congenital hearing loss who were diagnosed with ASD comparing to those who were typically developing. Material and methods Fourteen children underwent cochlear implantation; four were later diagnosed with ASD and ten were typically developing. All children underwent intensive postoperative speech and hearing therapy. The development of auditory perception and speech intelligibility was assessed using the Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and the Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) during the 5-years follow-up. Results In children later diagnosed with ASD, auditory processing developed slowly. Depending on the individual capabilities, by the age of six they could identify environmental sounds or discriminate speech sounds. Speech Intelligibility in children with ASD was at best rated as category 2, with very little or no progress up to the age of six, despite extensive speech and language therapy. Communication skills were strongly affected by a degree of autistic features expression. Conclusion Preoperative psychological assessment in congenitally deaf infants should be expanded by the use of validated instruments for early detection of autism. The possibility of developing ASD should be kept in mind by all professionals involved in programs for cochlear implantation.

The present in vitro study was aimed at evaluating the morphological changes in the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) after exposure to acidic beverages using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The initial pH and titratable acidity (TA) was analyzed from follow groups: (I) Coca cola, (II) orange juice, (III) Cedevita, (IV) Red Bull, (V) Somersby cider, and (VI) white wine. The CEJ samples (n = 64), obtained from unerupted third molars, were allocated to one control (artificial saliva, n = 16) and six experimental groups (n = 8). The experimental samples were immersed in beverages (50 ml) for 15 min, three times daily, 10 days, and in artificial saliva between immersions. SEM analysis was performed in a blind manner, according to scoring scale. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests, as well as Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test used for statistical analysis. The pH values of the acidic beverages ranged from 2.65 (Coca cola) to 3.73 (orange juice), and TA ranged from 1.90 ml (Coca cola) to 5.70 ml (orange juice) of NaOH to reach pH 7.0. The SEM analysis indicated statistically significant differences between the control samples and those immersed in acidic beverages. The Groups IV, I, and II, showed the highest CEJ damage grade while those of the Group VI were the lowest. All the tested acidic beverages caused morphological changes in the CEJ with a smaller or larger exposure of dentine surface, and were not always related to the pH or TA of acidic beverages.

Background Cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction syndrome (CAIDS) has been identified in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), predisposing them to a wide variety of infections. In patients with LC, healthcare-associated infections involving multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria have increased significantly over the last decades. Among them, hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (HA-UTI) are the most common. This study aimed to investigate the rates of antimicrobial resistance among patients with LC and HA-UTI and to determine risk factors associated with their development among patients hospitalized in tertiary care facility in Serbia. Methods This retrospective study included 65 hospitalized patients with LC who had developed HA-UTI. We examined the epidemiology of these infections concerning resistance to the most commonly used antimicrobials and patient-specific risk factors associated with HA-UTI development by MDR pathogens. Results The most frequently isolated organisms were Enterococcus spp. (n = 34, 52.3%), Klebsiella spp. (n = 10, 15.4%), and E.coli (n = 6, 9.2%). Thirty-five isolates (53.8%) were identified as MDR, and 30 (46.2%) were non-MDR.We found a statistically significant difference in the distribution of MDR and non-MDR strains, based on Gram staining, with the majority of Gram-negative pathogens being MDR (p = 0.005). We identified age ≥ 65 years (p = 0.007), previous use of cephalosporins as empiric therapy (p = 0.042), and the presence of hepatic encephalopathy (p = 0.011) as independent risk factors for the development of MDR UTIs. Conclusion This is the first study from Serbia and the Balkans concerning the changing epidemiology of MDR UTI in patients with LC. Our study showed that more than half of HA-UTI was caused by MDR and the most common pathogen was Enterococcus spp. The overall resistance to ceftriaxone was 92%. Our findings underscore the need for institutions to individualize protocols for treatment of hospital-acquired infections, particularly in immunocompromised populations.

Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction (HOR) is anode reaction in Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and it has very fast kinetics. However, the purity of fuel (H 2 ) is very important and can slow down HOR kinetics, affecting the overall PEMFC performance. The performance of commercial Pt/C catalyst impregnated with WO x, as a catalyst for HOR, was investigated using a set of electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry, linear scan voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry). In order to deepen the understanding how WO x species can contribute CO tolerance of Pt/C, a particular attention was paid to CO poisoning. In the absence of CO, HOR is under diffusion limitations and HOR kinetics is not affected by WO x species. Appreciable HOR current on the electrodes pre-saturated with CO ads at potentials above 0.3 V vs. RHE, which is not observed for pure Pt/C, was discussed in details. HOR liming diffusion currents for higher concentrations of W are reached at high anodic potentials. The obtained results were explained by donation of OH ads by WO x phase for CO ads removal in the mid potential region and reduced reactivity of Pt surface sites in the vicinity of the Pt|WO x interface. The obtained results can provide guidelines for development of novel CO tolerant PEMFC anode catalysts. © 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

Co-Mo carbides were prepared by impregnation with aqueous solution of metal salts and sucrose into ordered mesoporous SBA-15 silica template using carbothermal hydrogen reduction. Bimetallic Co-Mo carbide obtained by using carbothermal hydrogen reduction of Co-Mo precursors is formed when the Co-Mo molar ratio is 1.0. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Electrochemical characterization of obtained materials wеre performed by cyclic voltammetry in acid solution. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III-45012, Grant no. OI-172045 and Grant no. OI 172035]