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This paper aims to understand the concept and fundamental terms related to nation branding as a strategic tool for improving Serbia's international market position, a post-Communist and former Yugoslav country. The author intends to gain insight into Serbia's current brand perception as a developing country that can find an opportunity for rebirth and parting with the legacy implementation of the nation branding concept. The quantitative research methods were applied in this paper, and the questionnaire developed for the research investigated the perception of brand Serbia by leaning on Risitano's framework. Our analysis finds that national treasury, people, tourism and business destination were recognized as the most important points for country and nation positioning.

The paper deals with the sources of medieval Serbian law: Saint Sava Law (Nomocanon) from 1219 and Stefan Dušan's Code from 1349 and 1354. Little is known about the Nomocanon of Saint Sava although it was a legal act used 130 years before the first part of Dušan's Code. This legal source is rarely mentioned in the textbooks, hence the correctly applied phrase in theory is: "such a relation to Saint Sava Law is a manifestation of conscious denial and a lack of culture." Some authors add that this means "forgetting the rich legislative activity of one of the most important personalities of medieval Serbia." Dušan's Code, the Law of the Emperor Stefan Dušan, is the most important law (constitution) of medieval Serbia, which was made on the foundations of the Nomocanon. In some articles, Dušan's Code directly refers to the Nomocanon (Articles 6, 8, 11, 01, 109, and 196). The author of this article points to these two very important works of Serbian medieval law and advocates for the return to the roots, the reaffirmation and the comprehensive study of the Saint Sava Law. This almost forgotten rule of civil law in medieval Serbia was the foundation of Dušan's Code, from 1349 and 1354.

OBJECTIVE: Adjusting pacemaker pulse amplitude influences the longevity of the pacemaker. Our aim was to establish the initial longevity gain. METHODS: Forty randomly selected patients with implanted pacemakers were analyzed. Mean age was 65.58+/-13.7 years. All pacemakers were working on factory settings of pulse amplitude 3.5 V and pulse width of 0.4 ms for average of 3 years before the adjustment. Initial mean longevity was projected to 68.61+/-18.86 months, mean battery voltage 2.78 V, and mean battery current 14.21+/-2.61 microA. RESULTS: Pulse amplitude threshold test was performed and average value of 0.632+/-0.22 V was obtained. Pulse amplitude was programmed to 2.5 V and pulse width was left unchanged. New readings of battery data were obtained. Battery voltage did not show immediate changes, and battery current decreased to 11.53+/-1.98 microA. New average longevity was projected to 81.03+/-19.82 months, which presents a 12.42 months of initial longevity gain with statistical significance at 95% confidence interval (p=0.003). Positive correlation was found between the new pulse amplitude and new values of battery current (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Pulse amplitude decrease of only 1 V provides significant initial longevity gain of more than a year. If found correlations would have any impact on further longevity gains over longer period of time is yet to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Sudden natural death occurs unexpectedly in apparently healthy subjects, or in persons during an apparent benign phase in the course of disease. The most common cause is sudden cardiac death, which is sometimes the first and last manifestation of coronary heart disease. Alcohol directly influences excitation of myocytes, and therefore provokes arrhythmias and possibly, sudden cardiac death. Objective. To establish the frequency of sudden cardiac death in cases of acute alcohol intoxication, to determine blood alcohol concentration at the moment of death, and to determine frequency and level of ethanol intoxication in chronic alcohol abusers, as well as causes of sudden death in those cases. Method. Retrospective autopsy study was performed for a three-year-period. We analyzed cases of sudden natural death, in relation to age and gender, cause of death, and blood alcohol concentration (at least 0.5 g/L). We considered the person to be a chronic alcoholic abuser if gross examination of organs during autopsy showed changes typical for excessive and habitual alcohol consumption. Results. Our sample consisted of 997 cases: 720 men and 277 women, average age 62.0±15.2 years (min=11; max=98). Total of 753 of them died of sudden cardiac death: much more men (χ2=167.364; p=0.000), significantly younger than women (t=6.203; p=0.000). We determined acute alcohol intoxication in 73 persons - average blood alcohol concentration 1.85±1.01 g/L (min=0.55; max=3.85), and 61 of them died of cardiovascular diseases (χ2=236.781; df=5; p=0.000). Conclusion. In our observed sample, not many persons were under acute alcohol intoxication (around 7%). Most commonly, they were chronic alcohol abusers who died due to exacerbation of chronic heart disease, mildly or moderately intoxicated - the younger, the drunker.

Introduction: The threshold of a Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD) by clinical examination on a sheet or centimeter paper (CP) is not known precisely whether or not it concerns limbs equipped with a hip prosthesis. We therefore conducted a prospective in silico study in order to: (1) determine the reproducibility and sensitivity of the clinical measurement of the LLD in different ideal and "degraded" clinical situations, (2) determine the threshold from which the human eye is capable of detecting a length inequality in clinic, (3) to determine whether the use of a graduated support (centimeter paper) improves the clinical measurement threshold., Hypothesis: Our hypothesis was that clinical measurement on a centimeter support would improve clinical measurement accuracy., Material and Methods: This was an in silico study, the experiment was conducted on a mannequin. Different inequalities were created on a mannequin and photographed with a total of 30 inequalities from -22 to +22 mm on sheet or centimeter paper (CP). This was a multicenter study, with 40 different readers. We asked the readers to make a second measurement one month later. We evaluated the inter- and intra-observer reproducibility. The error rate at the threshold of 3 mm and 5 mm were calculated versus the gold standard. Finally, we determined at which thresholds respectively 75% and 95% of the measurements were correct., Results: A total of 4140 measurements were performed and compared to the gold standard. With a threshold of 75% accurate measurement, the LLD detection threshold was 2.8 mm on centimeter paper and 4.5 mm on sheet. With a threshold of 95% accurate measurement, the LLD detection threshold was 3.4 mm on centimeter paper and 5.2 mm on sheet. Interobserver agreement (assessed overall on the 40 observers by Krippendorff's generalized Kappa) was 0.86 (95% confidence interval (CI95%) = 0.79 to 0.92) on CP and 0.71 (CI95% = 0.63 to 0.79) on sheet. Intra-observer agreement assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient among observers who made 2 measurements had a median value (IQR) of 0.96 (0.94 to 0.99) on CP and 0.90 (0.83 to 0.94) on sheet., Discussion: The clinical detection threshold on sheet at the patient's bed appears close to 5 mm. A more precise measurement is possible with graduated centimeter paper. A study in daily practice on patients in real situations would confirm our results., Level of Evidence: III; prospective diagnostic comparative in Silico study., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Introduction: Nutritional deficiency among the older adult is a widespread concern, significantly affecting their health. The prevalence of malnutrition increases with age, concurrent health conditions, and the level of care provided. Hospital stays can affect as 90% of the older adult. Malnutrition can hinder efforts to improve health and regain function in individuals undergoing rehabilitation. This study aims to assess the frequency of malnutrition among geriatric rehabilitation patients., Materials and Methods: A retrospective quantitative analysis was conducted on 357 patients admitted to the geriatric unit at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital Wolhusen in Switzerland. The patients' nutritional status was evaluated using the standardized Mini Nutritional Assessment Long Form questionnaire., Results: The initial analysis indicated a considerable prevalence of malnutrition among the geriatric population: 31.1% were identified as malnourished (MNA < 17), while an additional 35.8% were at risk of malnutrition (MNA 17-23.5), totaling 66.9% of patients. The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test revealed a statistically significant difference in MNA scores among different age groups ( p  = 0.035). Statistical analysis also suggested a slightly higher prevalence of malnutrition among female patients. The duration of rehabilitation varied from 20.07 ± 6.93 to 22.20 ± 7.50 days, with longer durations associated with lower MNA scores. A correlation analysis between MNA values and body mass index (BMI) showed a positive correlation coefficient ( r  = 0.56), indicating that lower MNA scores were associated with lower BMI and vice versa., Conclusion: Malnutrition is prevalent among individuals over 65 years old, highlighting the importance of regular and timely nutritional assessments for geriatric patients to mitigate the complications and enhance prognoses in both acute care and rehabilitation settings. Such assessments can also improve the efficacy of rehabilitation programs and potentially reduce the duration of rehabilitation, thus carrying significant economic implications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer IB declared a shared affiliation with the authors BM, GS-K, LJ, AL, and SŠ to the handling editor at the time of review., (Copyright © 2024 Miletic, Sutter, Starčević-Klasan, Courteney, Jelovica, Lekić and Šegulja.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests.

Background: Depression is the most common mental disorder in old age with a major impact on quality of life, morbidity and mortality. In daily work, various tests are used in terms of screening to detect suspected depressive disorder. One of the most commonly used tests is the so-called Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of depressive symptoms in patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward., Subjects and Methods: A retrospective analysis included a total of 473 subjects (170 men and 303 women), with an average age of 83.8 years (minimum 65 years, maximum 101 years). GDS-15 was tested in all subjects (a positive test implies a GDS-15 score of ≥6). The results obtained were then statistically processed., Results: Of the total of 473 subjects, 105 (22.2%) were positively tested for depressive symptoms (34 men and 71 women). Most of these live in the usual domestic setting (79.4% men and 74.6% women). In women, the symptoms are mostly present (49 women -69.0%) in women living alone (widowed, divorced or unmarried. The male respondents were mostly men living in a partner community (22 men - 64.7%)., Conclusion: The results obtained confirm the high incidence of depressive symptoms in the patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Depression is not a normal part of ageing and must be considered as a serious medical problem. Therefore, routine screening is necessary to identify the depressive symptoms, to detect and diagnose depression to begin treatment for such patients on time in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly.

Background: We aimed to compare the long-term clinical outcomes, complications, and survival of 2 revision stems with different geometries, extents of coating, and distal-locking mechanisms., Methods: We retrospectively compared outcomes at a minimum of 7 years following revision THA using 2 proximally coated distal-locking stems: 98 Ultime first-generation (G1) and 116 Linea second-generation (G2) stems. Ten-year Kaplan-Meier survival was assessed considering stem re-revision for any reason and for aseptic reasons. At final follow-up, Harris Hip Score and Oxford Hip Score were collected, and any thigh pain or complications were noted., Results: Considering re-revision for any reason, survival was 69% for G1 stems and 91% for G2 stems. Considering re-revision for aseptic reasons, survival was 77% for G1 stems and 92% for G2 stems. Re-revisions were due to fracture of 6 G1 stems but no G2 stems. Complications that required reoperation without stem or cup removal occurred in 3 of the G1 stems and 1 of the G2 stems. Compared to the G1 stems, the G2 stems resulted in better Harris Hip Score (83 vs 71, P = .001), Oxford Hip Score (22 vs 27, P = .019), less thigh pain (4% vs 39%, P < .001), and fewer nonoperated complications (9% vs 15%)., Conclusion: The second-generation stem had significantly better survival and clinical outcomes than the first-generation stem. The differences in survival and clinical outcomes could be attributed to the larger coated surface of the G2 stem and to the fact that the G1 stem was originally intended as a temporary implant to be followed by de-escalation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rectus femoris muscle proximal injuries are not rare conditions. The proximal rectus femoris tendinous anatomy is complex and may be affected by traumatic, microtraumatic, or nontraumatic disorders. A good knowledge of the proximal rectus femoris anatomy allows a better understanding of injury and disorder patterns. A new sonographic lateral approach was recently described to assess the indirect head of the proximal rectus femoris, hence allowing for a complete sonographic assessment of the proximal rectus femoris tendons. This article will review sonographic features of direct, indirect, and conjoined rectus femoris tendon disorders., (© 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.)

Purpose: Aim of this study was to determine the characteristics, clinical and radiological diagnostic methods of PCL isolated and combined knee injuries., Methods: One hundred and twelve patients with a recurrent posterior knee laxity were surgically treated. Clinical examination, MRI, Telos™ stress dynamic X-rays, KT-1000 measurements and the IKDC questionnaire were used to diagnose and evaluate these injuries., Results: Median follow-up was 4.5 years (2-11 years). Thirty-two patients (28.6 %) had an isolated posterior laxity, 53 (47.3 %) a posterior posterolateral laxity, 21 (18.7 %) a posterior posteromedial laxity and six (5.4 %) patients had a complex posterior and mediolateral laxity. Road traffic accidents and sports injuries were the main causes of trauma. The mean preoperative value of posterior tibial translation was 13.5 mm (SD 1.4) and the mean postoperative value was 4.4 mm (SD 1.7) as measured with the Telos device. In the cases with a concomitant ACL rupture, the mean preoperative value of anterior tibial translation was 6.5 mm (SD 1.3) and the mean postoperative value was 1.7 mm (SD 0.8). The mean pre- and postoperative IKDC scores were 74.5 (SD 4.2) and 87.9 (SD 3.1), respectively. Meniscal and/or cartilage injuries were found in 80 patients (71.4 %)., Conclusions: Recurrent posterior knee laxity can be restored with the one-stage PCL reconstruction using a quadriceps graft and reconstruction of the posteromedial-posterolateral lesions using the LaPrade techniques. The benefits of this study include enabling surgeons to accurately manage these injuries from a clinical perspective, and treating them with a specific surgical algorithm., Level of Evidence: III.

Aim: Results from EuroCaReD study should serve as a benchmark to improve guideline adherence and treatment quality of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in Europe., Methods and Results: Data from 2.054 CR patients in 12 European countries were derived from 69 centres. 76% were male. Indication for CR differed between countries being predominantly ACS in Switzerland (79%), Portugal (62%) and Germany (61%), elective PCI in Greece (37%), Austria (36%) and Spain (32%), and CABG in Croatia and Russia (36%). A minority of patients presented with chronic heart failure (4%). At CR start, most patients already were under medication according to current guidelines for the treatment of CV risk factors. A wide range of CR programme designs was found (duration 3 to 24weeks; total number of sessions 30 to 196). Patient programme adherence after admission was high (85%). With reservations that eCRF follow-up data exchange remained incomplete, patient CV risk profiles experienced only small improvements. CR success as defined by an increase of exercise capacity >25W was significantly higher in young patients and those who were employed. Results differed by countries. After CR only 9% of patients were admitted to a structured post-CR programme., Conclusions: Clinical characteristics of CR patients, indications and programmes in Europe are different. Guideline adherence is poor. Thus, patient selection and CR programme designs should become more evidence-based. Routine eCRF documentation of CR results throughout European countries was not sufficient in its first application because of incomplete data exchange. Therefore better adherence of CR centres to minimal routine clinical standards is requested., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Although the resumption of low-impact sports activities is compatible with total hip arthroplasty (THA), participation in high-impact sports seems problematic, and there is no consensus as to whether it is advisable. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the quality and possibility of resuming high-impact physical activities after hip resurfacing., Materials: The study was performed in an on-going, single-surgeon, prospective series of 215 resurfacing arthroplasties (RSA). Mean follow-up was 44.1 months (range, 39.1-54.5). Clinical evaluation included the Postel-Merle d'Aubigné (PMA) score, the Oxford hip score, the Harris hip score (HHS), Devane score, and UCLA activity score. A specific questionnaire analysing sports activities was administered to each patient to assess the number and level of physical activities performed (both before the operation and at final follow-up)., Results: In the series of 202 consecutive patients (215 RSA), 50 patients (55 RSA) engaged regularly in at least one high-impact activity before their operation and the onset of pain, 102 patients practised at least one intermediate-impact activity, and the 50 remaining patients undertook only low-impact activities. Harris hip score increased from 44.8 (range, 23-68) before the operation to 97.8 (range, 85-100) at the last follow-up. Mean time to sports resumption after surgery was 14.6 weeks (range, 7-29). The resumption rate was 98 % for sports of any impact level and 82 % for high-impact activities. No osteolysis or implant loosening was observed at follow-up. No revision was performed., Conclusion: In 2012, no consensus recommendations yet exist for the resumption of sports activities after RSA. Existing recommendations concern only conventional THA. We believe that RSA allows younger and more active patients to resume physical and sports activities without restriction. The rate of return to sports after RSA appears to be excellent and unequalled by conventional hip prostheses. High-impact sports seem to be compatible with hip resurfacing, although no long-term studies have analysed the impact of these activities on wear and/or aseptic loosening.