The aim of this study was to investigate the scientific productivity of the Mostar University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Mostar. All articles that were indexed by PubMed with the keyword Mostar were included in the analysis. During 1999-2008, a total of 76 articles were published, with a total of 366 authorships contributed by a total of 228 unique authors, whereas a total of 161 of these authors (70.6%) coauthored a single article only. The average number of co-authors was 4.6 per article. There was a strong increasing linear trend in the total number of published articles. The most published articles were related to clinical research, whereas the least were recorded in the basic biomedical sciences, suggesting the need to increase the research capacity in basic biomedical sciences. The large percent of single-authorship authors that were recorded suggest almost a sporadic rather than systematic publication output. Likely improvements to this situation include the creation of the newly formed doctoral (PhD) course due to start next year and several other ways in which scientific research in biomedicine can be increased in basic, clinical and public health sciences.

This study describes the current situation of cardiovascular risk factors research in the Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special emphasis on the Herzegovina region. The available data for the analysis includes various secondary sources, including project reports, official vital statistics data and other sources. Currently, there is a substantial lack of relevant information, which is available from occasional surveys or isolated studies. One of the main problems in detailed analysis is the lack of detailed and reliable census data, which causes problems in calculation of various rates and disables the creation of representative population samples for the field work and subsequent analysis. Comparison of the available information with neighbouring Croatia indicates interesting mixture of relatively high prevalence of some risk factors and rather low prevalence of others; almost 50% of men reported smoking on a daily basis, while only 16.5% of men were obese, while 40% of them had blood pressure over 140/90 mmHg. The results provide useful but incomplete information for the policy, thus suggesting that broader scope of public health research is needed in the region coupled with the census data, in order to provide better information for health policy and ultimately delivery of the optimal health care to the entire population.

Retrospective study was conducted in surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb in 2005. The aim of study was to create guidelines for empirical antibiotic therapy of sepsis in ICU for unknown causative agent based on antimicrobial susceptibility of causative bacteria. Thirty-two patients with severe sepsis were included in study and from medical records their clinical and microbiological data were analyzed. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains isolated from the blood-culture was tested by disk diffusion method according to CLSI (Clinical Laboratory Standard Institution). We used APACHE II score to predict the severity of illness. Mann-Whitney test and chi2 test were used to test statistical significance difference between results. Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the predominant causative agent. Acinetobacter baumannii was displaying excellent susceptibility to ampicillin+sulbactam and carbapenems, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa was showed good susceptibility on ceftazidim and carbapenems. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), third predominant causative agent exhibiting good susceptibility to vancomycin and linezolide. The recommended therapy is empirical antibiotic therapy and should cover all important pathogens.

All patients who suffered from the acute coronary syndrome in western Herzegovina over the fifteen year period (1987-2001) are included in this retrospective epidemiological study. The population that was undertaken by the study is relative stabile and did not emigrate during the war period. The study compared the time before the war (1987-1991), during the war (1992-1996) and after the war (1997-2001). The data were acquired from the archives of the patients of the Mostar hospital and Clinical hospital Split during the war period. A total of 2022 acute coronary syndrome patients were found, 1305 men and 717 women. More patients were treated during the war compared to the time before the war for both male and female patients (p<0.0005). During the after-war period the number of treated patients was greater (p< 0.0005) compared to the war-time for both sexes. The comparison of the after-war period and the pre-war period reveals a statistically significant difference as the number of treated patients (male and female) is larger in the after-war period. The number of patient who are 65 years old and older than that is greater, and that is statistically significant (p= 0.0005.). We can conclude that the stress caused by the war and other factors have influenced a larger number of treated patients of acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, further epidemiological researches of acute coronary syndrome with the accent on prevention and treatment are needed.

The analysis of a cerebro-vascular insult hospitalized cases in the Clinical Hospital Mostar as a retrospective epidemiological study was done in the Clinical Hospital Mostar for the period from 1999 to 2003. The major source of data was medical documentation of this hospital (an institutional register), the only hospital for the treatments of 457,491 inhabitants who gravitate by a health insurance for the treatment in this hospital. The study included a total of 1,555 cerebro-vascular insult cases treated in the Clinical Hospital Mostar Among them 727 (46.8%) were male patients, while 828 (53.2%) cases were female. The majority of the cases were above 50 years of life. Majority of treated female patients were older than 61 (45.6% of all cases), as well as among male patients (31.3%). The least number of cases was under 41 years in both groups (1.2%). Prevalence of risk factors was 2,035 cases (74%). During the same period risk factors research for entire Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) was performed on the sample of 2,750 national insurance holders, out of which 852 gravitate for treatment in CB Mostar. Out of them 1.7% was found to suffer of cerebro vascular insult.

In the school-year 2002/2003 a prospective epidemiological study was performed with the aim of evaluating the prevalence and distribution of scoliosis in the population of schoolchildren from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The general check-up of primary-school children covered a total of 2,517 children aged 7-14. The children in which at least one positive symptom of scoliosis was found were directed to undergo orthopedic examination and--if indicated--radiography. Incorrect posture was noted in 33.4% of children, and 11.8% of children were sent to orthopedic specialist examination. The prevalence of structural scoliosis amounted to 3.1%, with the spine curvature threshold being 10 degrees. In eight children (0.32%; 1 boy and 7 girls) a curvature of 20 degrees or more was diagnosed. The most common type of curvature was the thoracal (39%) and the thoraco-lumbar (39%) while 14 children had a double curvature (17.8%). A scoliosis was detected due to here performed check-up in 83.5% of children with scoliosis. No case of serious spine deformity (45 degree or more) was recorded, due to regular general check-ups taking place biannually in this population.