Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of synovial joint arthritis that causes chronic pain and disability to a large number of people worldwide. Most often, osteoarthritis affects the joints of the knees, hips, spine and hands. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD, 2021) estimates that osteoarthritis will be the fourth leading cause of disability by 2030, with enormous healthcare costs for treatment, as well as significant indirect costs due to loss of productivity and premature retirement. The aim of our research is to determine in what way prevalent metabolic syndrome is among participants with osteoarthritis of one of the synovial joints (knees, hips, hands), and whether metabolic disorders are a risk factor for the development and worsening of osteoarthritis. A prospective clinical study was conducted at the Public Health Institution Health Center Živinice, from July 2022 to May 2024, on a random sample of 200 participants with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), who were divided into a group with metabolic syndrome and a group without metabolic syndrome based on the NCEP ATP III panel criteria for metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis is significantly higher compared to the prevalence of hip and hand osteoarthritis, and it is greater among participants with a higher BMI (in participants with the highest BMI, knee osteoarthritis occurs with a 100% probability) and with the presence of metabolic syndrome, especially in more severe forms, specifically radiologically confirmed osteoarthritis, regardless of age and gender. Unlike OA knees the prevalence of OA hips and hands shows no correlation with BMI and metabolic syndrome. Multiple comparative analysis of differences in the average severity of osteoarthritis of the knee of subjects with normal glycemia / prediabetes / diabetes type 2 it showed a statistically significant difference in the average severity of knee osteoarthritis in subjects with regular blood sugar compared to subjects with prediabetes/diabetes mellitus type 2 regardless of age and gender. This means that with an increase in blood sugar levels, the degree of severity of osteoarthritis of the knee increases, since each subsequent Group has a higher average value of this indicator (p<0.05; CI 95%).

Improper nutrition leads to changes in the body that are not only an aesthetic problem, but also lead to chronic diseases. The goals of the research are to analyze knowledge, habits and attitudes about nutrition and knowledge about obesity, to determine the body mass index (BMI) of all respondents, to analyze the connection between nutrition, excess body weight and the frequency of chronic non-communicable diseases. The study was cross-sectional epidemiological, descriptive-analytical, was conducted on a sample of 200 respondents of patients Family medicine, Public Health Center of the Sarajevo Canton. The survey was conducted by interviewing respondents using a modified questionnaire, made up of 27 questions. Analyzing the results, it was determined that the respondents' knowledge of nutrition is satisfactory, but that the majority of respondents (121) have a BMI over 25. For men in the age group of 46-55 years, the average BMI is 29.3, and for women in the same age group, it is 27. 5, which shows that they do not apply their own knowledge about nutrition. The majority of respondents (32%) whose BMI is over 25 have one or more chronic non-communicable diseases. Most respondents stated that they get information about proper nutrition through the media, although many of them suffer from some chronic diseases, they do not get information at the health center. In the family doctor's clinic, it is very important to recognize excess body weight, bad eating habits of patients in time, plan a prevention strategy, and prevent the further development of chronic diseases with professional counseling.

Glioblastoma presents a formidable clinical challenge because of its complex microenvironment. Here, we characterized tumor-associated foam cells (TAFs), a type of lipid droplet-loaded macrophage, in human glioblastoma. Through extensive analyses of patient tumors, together with in vitro and in vivo investigations, we found that TAFs exhibit distinct protumorigenic characteristics related to hypoxia, mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, and impaired phagocytosis, and their presence correlates with worse outcomes for patients with glioma. We further demonstrated that TAF formation is facilitated by lipid scavenging from extracellular vesicles released by glioblastoma cells. We found that targeting key enzymes involved in lipid droplet formation, such as diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase or long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase, effectively disrupted TAF functionality. Together, these data highlight TAFs as a prominent immune cell population in glioblastoma and provide insights into their contribution to the tumor microenvironment. Disrupting lipid droplet formation to target TAFs may represent an avenue for future therapeutic development for glioblastoma.

Background: High hypericin-loaded polyvinylpyrrolidone (HHL-PVP) constitutes a novel approach to utilize the promising characteristics of hypericin for photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and therapy (PDT) of brain tumors in an orally bioavailable formulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) camera-based fluorescence imaging system to selectively visualize HHL-PVP in glioblastoma tissue even in the presence of 5-Aminolvevulinic acid (5-ALA) induced fluorescence, which is widely utilized in brain tumor surgery. Methods: We applied a previously established system with a non-hypericin specific filter for 5-ALA fluorescence visualization and a newly introduced hypericin-specific filter at 575–615 nm that transmits the spectrum of hypericin, but not 5-ALA fluorescence. Glioblastoma specimens obtained from 12 patients (11 with preoperative 5-ALA intake) were ex vivo incubated with HHL-PVP. Subsequently, fluorescence intensity and lifetime changes using both the non-hypericin specific filter and hypericin-specific filter were measured before and after HHL-PVP incubation and after subsequent rinsing. Results: While no significant differences in fluorescence signal were observed using the non-hypericin specific filter, statistically significant increases in fluorescence intensity (p = 0.001) and lifetime (p = 0.028) after HHL-PVP incubation were demonstrated using the hypericin-specific filter. In consequence, specimens treated with HHL-PVP could be identified according to the fluorescence signal with high diagnostic sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (100%). Conclusions: Our CMOS camera-based system with a hypericin-specific filter is capable of selectively visualizing hypericin fluorescence in glioblastoma tissue after ex vivo HHL-PVP incubation. In the future, this technique could facilitate clinical investigations of HHL-PVP for PDD and PDT while maintaining the current standard of care with 5-ALA guidance.

The aim of the study is the isolation and identification of fungi using passive air sedimentation. This study analyzed 540 mycological samples from three primary schools in Zenica, collected in September, December, February, and May. Each season, 135 samples were taken from five rooms (two classrooms, a gym, a locker room, and a library) in each school. Samples were collected three times daily at three different heights with 15-minute exposure times. Samples were refrigerated and transported in sterile bags, incubated for 24 hours, and inoculated on specific agars with and without additives. Plates were incubated at 37°C and 25°C for up to 7 days, followed by examinations. Petri dishes were used for passive air sampling, and colonies were counted after incubation. The average number of microorganisms (CFU/m³) was calculated using Omeliansky’s method. Statistical methods included the Chi-squared test and p-value. Colony appearance was assessed visually and microscopically using a light microscope. Growth rate, size, structure, and color changes were monitored. In September, the highest mold concentrations were at H. Kikić Primary School (796 CFU/m³, not significant), M. Dizdar Primary School (1260 CFU/m³, not significant), and A. Šantić Primary School (3980 CFU/m³, significant). Penicillium spp. and Alternaria spp. were most prevalent, with Alternaria spp. significant at H. Kikić Primary School. In December, the highest mold/yeast concentrations were at H. Kikić Primary School (4578 CFU/m³, not significant), M. Dizdar Primary School (1924 CFU/m³, significant), and A. Šantić Primary School (2587 CFU/m³, not significant). Penicillium spp. was most prevalent. In February, the highest mold concentrations were at H. Kikić Primary School (4578 CFU/m³, not significant), M. Dizdar Primary School (2786 CFU/m³, not significant), and A. Šantić Primary School (5838 CFU/m³, significant). Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. were equally prevalent. In May, the highest mold/yeast concentrations were at H. Kikić Primary School (6568 CFU/m³, significant), M. Dizdar Primary School (3516 CFU/m³, significant), and A. Šantić Primary School (7431 CFU/m³, significant). Aspergillus spp. was most prevalent. These findings highlight the importance of regular monitoring and implementing appropriate ventilation measures to manage air quality and health concerns in schools.

Regulatorna tijela Bosne i Hercegovine koja su se pojavila u posljednjih dvadesetak godina u procesu intenzivne agencifikacije i u toj državi većinom su neistražena pojava. Stoga je cilj ovoga rada utvrditi koje su od velika broja agencija te države regulatori, kakve imaju ovlasti i neovisnost, kojem komparativnom modelu pripadaju, a posebice postoji li uopće model bosanskohercegovačkog regulatora. S tom su svrhom uspoređeni regulatorni modeli određenih država od posebne važnosti i analizirana pitanja neovisnosti i sadržaja regulatornih ovlasti. Utvrđeno je postojanje sedam regulatornih agencija na središnjoj razini vlasti te da je većina bosanskohercegovačkih regulatora dio državne uprave. Osim toga, neovisnost pojedinih regulatora jako varira – od relativno visoke u području energije i komunikacija do niske u reguliranju željezničkog prometa, pri čemu pojedini regulatori imaju različite uzore, od angloameričkih do europskokontinentalnih, te je konačan zaključak da model bosanskohercegovačkog regulatora uopće ne postoji.

The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between absolute and relative lower extremity strength and the efficiency of gymnastics vault performance. Thirty healthy, physically active male students (age: 20.84 ± 0.99 years; height: 179.46 ± 5.91 cm; body weight: 73.88 ± 6.43 kg) from the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education participated in the study. Absolute lower extremity strength was assessed by measuring the maximum load lifted (in kg) during a back squat (1RM). Relative lower extremity strength was calculated by dividing the estimated 1RM back squat by the participant's body weight (1RM/BW). Two types of vaults—the squat through (ST) and the front handspring (FHS)—were used to evaluate vault performance efficiency. Three criterion variables were applied: (d1) distance from the springboard in front of the vault, (d2) distance of landing beyond the vault, (d1 - d2) the difference between d1 and d2, and (pt) overall vault performance rating. The results showed statistically significant and strong correlations between both absolute and relative lower extremity strength and the variables measuring vault performance efficiency. The strongest correlations were observed for (d1), followed by (d2), (pt), and (d1 - d2). These findings can serve as guidelines for developing both absolute and relative lower extremity strength, which may lead to improved performance in gymnastics vaults.

Introduction The differential ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous nucleotide substitutions (dN/dS) is a common measure of the rate of structural evolution in proteincoding genes. In addition, we recently suggested that the proportion of transposable elements in gene promoters that host functional genomic sites serves as a marker of the rate of regulatory evolution of genes. Such functional genomic regions may include transcription factor binding sites and modified histone binding loci. Methods Here, we constructed a model of the human interactome based on 600,136 documented molecular interactions and investigated the overall relationship between the number of interactions of each protein and the rate of structural and regulatory evolution of the corresponding genes. Results By evaluating a total of 4,505 human genes and 1,936 molecular pathways we found a general correlation between structural and regulatory evolution rate metrics (Spearman 0.08–0.16 and 0.25–0.37 for gene and pathway levels, respectively, p < 0.01). Further exploration revealed in the established human interactome model lack of correlation between the rate of gene regulatory evolution and the number of protein interactions on gene level, and weak negative correlation (∼0.15) on pathway level. We also found a statistically significant negative correlation between the rate of gene structural evolution and the number of protein interactions (Spearman −0.11 and −0.3 for gene and pathway levels, respectively, p < 0.01). Discussion Our result suggests stronger structural rather than regulatory conservation of genes whose protein products have multiple interaction partners.

Sa povećanom upotrebom tehnologije u nastavnom procesu, neophodno je diskutovati o etičkim pitanjima koja proizilaze iz upotrebe tehnologije. Često smo zaokupljeni prednostima i olakšicama koje upotreba tehnologije unosi, a da previdimo sve izazove koji je prate. Prvenstveno je potrebno da postanemo svjesni mogućih etičkih problema koji proizilaze iz uključenja tehnologije u nastavne procese, a sljedeći korak je da se posvetimo rješavanju i/ili izbjegavanju tih problema. Napredak tehnologije i uključenje tehnologije kao temeljnog stuba obrazovnog procesa odvija se brže nego što je razvoj pratećih aktivnosti koje bi nam omogućile da sagledamo posljedice tih dešavanja, uključujući i etičke. Pedagoška literatura nas instruira da studenti imaju posebnu korist od učenja u interakciji i kroz primjere/modele ponašanja, a mi – nastavnici – ni sami još nismo razvili sve potrebne kompetencije za suživot sa tehnologijom kao partnerom u obrazovnom procesu. Drugi problem predstavlja upućenost studenata ka modelima sa ekrana i izvorima sa interneta umjesto obrazovnih autoriteta iz vlastitog okruženja. Prednosti koje nudi upotreba tehnologije uključuju mogućnost asinhronog učenja i pristupa predavanjima i vježbama kada studentu odgovara i koliko puta odgovara; a samim tim mogućnost personaliziranog učenja. Tehnologija omogućava nastavniku potpuni uvid u aktivnosti studenata, kad i kako nešto rade. Ako govorimo o održivosti obrazovanja i obrazovanju za održivost, upravo je tehnologija ključna za efikasne metode aktivnog učenja kojima se mladi ljudi razvijaju u nosioce promjene društva. Naravno, ne smijemo previdjeti sve izazove koje upravo primjena tehnologije unosi u obrazovni proces: plagijarizam i izazov ocjene adekvatnosti izvora informacija. Studentima je dostupna ogromna količina informacija na internetu i oni ne vide šta je problem u preuzimanju tih dostupnih tekstova, a istovremeno nema dovoljno kritičkog osvrta kada je u pitanju pouzdanost izvora. Izazov je brisanje granica u komunikaciji “nastavnik – student” zbog nepoznavanja etike elektronskih komunikacija, a posebno su izazov interakcije na društvenim mrežama, uključujući i verbalno nasilje i druga neprihvatljiva ponašanja od kojih bi se iste osobe suzdržale u kontaktima lice u lice.

Leukemia represents the most prevalent malignancy in children, constituting 30% of childhood cancer cases, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) being particularly heterogeneous. This paper explores the role of alternative splicing in leukemia, highlighting its significance in cancer development and progression. Aberrant splicing is often driven by mutations in splicing-factor genes, which can lead to the production of variant proteins that contribute to oncogenesis. The spliceosome, a complex of small nuclear RNAs and proteins, facilitates RNA splicing, a process critical for generating diverse mRNA and protein products from single genes. Mutations in splicing factors, such as U2AF1, SF3B1, SRSF2, ZRSR2, and HNRNPH1, are frequently observed across various hematological malignancies and are associated with poor prognosis and treatment resistance. This research underscores the necessity of understanding the mechanisms of RNA splicing dysregulation in order to develop targeted therapies to correct these aberrant processes, thereby improving outcomes for patients with leukemia and related disorders.

In traditional medicine, plants are widely utilized as sources of bioactive compounds for treating various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the secondary metabolite composition, antioxidant properties, and antimicrobial effects of 38 medicinal plants commonly used in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Plants were collected from natural habitats, and dried plant material from different organs, selected based on their traditional medicinal use, was used for the extraction of bioactive compounds with 80% ethanol. The extracts were analysed for phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin content, as well as antioxidant capacity (using DPPH and FRAP assays) and antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity of all 38 plants was initially screened using the disc diffusion method. For plants showing significant antimicrobial activity (inhibition zones > 20 mm), the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. All analysed plants exhibited high phenolic content, with Melissa officinalis leaf extract, Filipendula vulgaris flower extract, and Rubus plicatus leaf extract containing over 300 mg GAE/g DW. According to the DPPH assay, high antioxidant capacity was observed in extracts from the leaves of Fragaria vesca, Prunus armeniaca, Rubus plicatus, and R. ideus, as well as in Rosa canina fruit and Filipendula vulgaris flower extracts, with values reaching 702.39 mg TE/g DW. Among the 38 tested plants, 16 exhibited high antimicrobial activity with inhibition zones greater than 20 mm. To ensure both the efficacy and safety of these plants, further studies on their toxicity, particularly dose-dependent toxicity, are necessary.

ABSTRACT The ability to access physiologically driven signals, such as surface temperature, photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), through remote sensing (RS) are exciting developments for vegetation studies. Accessing this ecophysiological information requires considering processes operating at scales from the top-of-the-canopy to the photosystems, adding complexity compared to reflectance index-based approaches. To investigate the maturity and knowledge of the growing RS community in this area, COST Action CA17134 SENSECO organized a Spatial Scaling Challenge (SSC). Challenge participants were asked to retrieve four key ecophysiological variables for a field each of maize and wheat from a simulated field campaign: leaf area index (LAI), leaf chlorophyll content (Cab), maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax,25), and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The simulated campaign data included hyperspectral optical, thermal and SIF imagery, together with ground sampling of the four variables. Non-parametric methods that combined multiple spectral domains and field measurements were used most often, thereby indirectly performing the top-of-the-canopy to photosystem scaling. LAI and Cab were reliably retrieved in most cases, whereas Vcmax,25 and NPQ were less accurately estimated and demanded information ancillary to RS imagery. The factors considered least by participants were the biophysical and physiological canopy vertical profiles, the spatial mismatch between RS sensors, the temporal mismatch between field sampling and RS acquisition, and measurement uncertainty. Furthermore, few participants developed NPQ maps into stress maps or provided a deeper analysis of their parameter retrievals. The SSC shows that, despite advances in statistical and physically based models, the vegetation RS community should improve how field and RS data are integrated and scaled in space and time. We expect this work will guide newcomers and support robust advances in this research field.

The future of space exploration lies in cooperative autonomous systems. Ensuring their high-integrity remains a challenge. The Robust Software Engineering group at NASA Ames Research Center has been developing the Troupe project to explore the challenges with developing and assuring high-integrity of cooperative autonomous robotic systems. In particular, Troupe aims to develop a swarm of autonomous rovers capable of mapping unknown terrain, and assure their high-integrity using the advanced V&V tools developed in the group. In this paper, we present the evolution of the design of Troupe. We focus on the lessons learned in developing and assuring the rover swarm using core Flight System (cFS). In particular, we discuss the benefits and challenges in applying model-based development to develop the rover swarm.