Aim To investigate prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility, molecular characteristics, and genetic relationship of AmpC- and/or extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL)- producing Proteus spp. clinical isolates in Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods according to CLSI guidelines. Double-disk synergy test was performed in order to screen for ESBLs, and combined disk test with phenylboronic acid to detect AmpC β -lactamases. PCR was used to detect blaESBL/blacarb genes. Genetic relatedness of the strains was determined by pulsed-fieldgel-electrophoresis (PFGE). Results Eleven ESBL-producing isolates were included in the study (six inpatients and five outpatients). Susceptibility rate to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, imipenem and meropenem was 100%. Resistance rate to cefuroxime was 100%, gentamicine 90.9%, piperacillin/tazobactam 81.8%, cefotaxim, ceftriaxone and ceftazidime 72.7%, cefoxitine and ciprofloxacine 63.6% and to cefepime 45.5%. In five (out of 11) isolates multi-drug resistance (MDR) to cephalosporins, cefamicines, amynocligosides and fluoroquinolones was detected. Besides TEM-1 which was detected in all isolates, CTX-M+OXA-1 β-lactamases were detected in seven (out of 11; 63.6%) isolates (five blaCTX-M-1 and two blaCTX-M-15 genes), and CMY-2 β-lactamase in two isolates. PFGE showed no genetic relatedness. Conclusion Because of high prevalence of MDR strains in epidemiologically unrelated patients with AmpC- and/or ESBL producing Proteus spp. infection, further surveillance is needed. Molecular characterization and strain typing, or at least phenotypic test for AmpC/ESBL production is important for appropriate therapy and the detection of sources and modes of spread, which is the main step in order to design targeted infection control strategies.

Aim To investigate a correlation between calculated creatinine clearance as a measure of kidney's functional abilities and ultrasonographically determined kidney volume, which represents actual size of the kidney, in fact residual renal mass in chronic kidney disease, in order to determine possibilities of ultrasound as a diagnostic method in diagnosing and follow up of chronic renal disease. Methods Prospective study included 150 patients with registered demographic and anthropometric data, and also with relevant laboratory tests of renal function. Longitudinal diameter, thickness and width of the kidney and renal volume calculated according to the Dinkel's formula were measured by ultrasound. A correlation between the measured volume of the kidneys and calculated creatinine clearance was done by the Spearman method, with statistical significance of p<0.05. Results Statistically significant correlation between the estimated creatinine clearance values and the average of the calculated values of kidney volume was found (p<0.01). Average value of the kidneys' volume showed a linear decrease with the progression of chronic kidney disease: the kidney volume in the control healthy group was 171.7 ± 32.6 mL (95.22- 229.59 mL), and in the subjects classified in stage IV it was 74.7 ± 24.6 mL (43.22-165.65 mL). Conclusion Calculated volume of kidney well correlated with creatinine clearance as a measure of functional ability of the kidneys and with the stage of chronic renal disease. It can be used in clinical practice for monitoring of chronic kidney disease in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory parameters.

This paper presents the work in progress on the design and testing of a distributed ultrasound-based sensory system for hybrid 1D and 2D environment visualisation. Many common sensors used in robotics, such as infrared and ultrasonic sensors, cameras and lasers mainly focus on quantifying distances and shapes, while rarely have the ability to differentiate among different sensed surfaces/materials. We propose an inexpensive prototype sensory system based on popular ultrasonic sensors which uses ultrasonic reflections to determine the acoustic reflection coefficients. This additional feature allows differentiating among sensed objects. Moreover, the developed ultrasonic cells are equipped with a microcontroller for basic signal processing and a communication link for integration into a sensor network. In this paper, we discuss the possibility of fusing obtained sensor array data and laser measurements.