OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of symmetry, asymmetry and hypoplasia of the intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA), and the possible presence of other variants of the ICA by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS This prospective-retrospective study included 1000 subjects who underwent consecutively MRA of the cerebral arteries. 3D-time of flight angiograms were performed according to the standard protocol. We measured the diameter of the ICA and the diameter of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA). The symmetry, asymmetry and hypoplasia of the ICA, as well hypoplasia of the A1 segment of the ACA were analysed using the vascular asymmetry coefficient. RESULTS The right and left ICA were symmetrical in 93.9% examinees, and asymmetrical in 6%, while ICA hypoplasia was found in only one patient (0.1%). Other variants of the ICA were not found. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of individual variations between male and female patients, and no significant frequency difference was found between anatomical variations in terms of the right and left ICA. In 38.3% patients with asymmetrical ICAs, aplasia or hypoplasia of the A1 segment of the ACA was found on the side of the ICA with a reduced diameter. CONCLUSION Congenital hypoplasia of ICAs is a very rare abnormality, while asymmetry of ICAs is more common. After evaluating severe asymmetry of intracranial ICAs by MRA, MRA of the neck is recommended, especially in patients with a complete anterior part of the circle of Willis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in pre-hospital care of patients with acute myocardial infarction between emergency medical services and family medicine. PATIENTS AND METHODS This retrospective descriptive study included patients treated for acute myocardial infarction at the University Clinical Centre of Banja Luka, in the period from 1st January to 31st December 2011. The patients were divided into two groups: patients who received a hospital referral from the family medicine service and those who received one from the emergency medical service. RESULTS The majority of patients (54.8%) received pre-hospital care from emergency medical services, while in 24.8% of cases the care was provided by family medicine physicians. The analysis showed that the time that passed from the onset of symptoms to the visit to the health institution of first medical contact was shorter in the emergency medical service (p<0.001). The average time from the onset of symptoms to arrival at the family practice was 24 hours, and to the emergency service 2 hours. The patients who established their first medical contact with the emergency service reported more severe symptoms than the ones who visited a family practice over the same period of time. CONCLUSION The severity of symptoms affected the patients' decisions to seek help in a timely manner and to choose the facility of first medical contact. Interventions to decrease delay must focus on improving public awareness of acute myocardial infarction symptoms and increasing their knowledge of the benefits of early medical contact and treatment. Continuing education of family practitioners in this field is required.

On a global scale, it was found that the surface of the vulnerable land and land affected by degradation has been increasing in the last decades and that unsustainable land management is one of the key drivers of land degrad­ation. In order to assess the effect that these changes have on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and to realize appropriate planning and management act­ions for the conservation of the environment, it is essential to identify and quantify changes caused by land degradation. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the geological setting, i.e ., the type of bedrock, and land use on the physicochemical properties of soil in the vulnerable moun­tainous areas of Fruska Gora. For the purpose of this study, 30 soil samples were collected from a depth of 0–20 cm at four locations on the Fruska Gora Mt. The geological setting was serpentinite and marl and land cover was forest and meadow. The following soil properties were determined: pH, redox poten­tial ( Eh ), electrical conductivity ( EC ), total dissolved solids ( TDS ), concen­tra­tions of available cations Ca, Mg, K, Na, contents of organic carbon ( C org) and nitrogen ( N ). The correlation between the obtained parameters was tested with two-way ANOVA and principal component analyses (PCA). All of the obtained results indicated that the soil physicochemical properties depended on the geological setting and that rock composition has to be taken into consider­ation during land management.