Summary Background: High-density lipoproteins (HDL) have atheroprotective biological properties: antioxidative, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and they have the efflux capacity of cellular cholesterol. Plasma mRNA analysis can be used to investigate statin pleiotropy in vivo as a new analytical tool for non-invasive assessment of gene expression in vascular beds. The aim of this study was to assess the pleiotropic effects of atorvastatin in stable angina patients with highrisk values (group A) as compared with patients who had borderline and desirable HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) values (group B). Methods: The atorvastatin therapy (20 mg/day) was given to forty-three patients with stable angina for 10 weeks. We investigated three statin pleiotropy-targeted genes: intercellular adhesion molecule-1, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 and cathepsin S and assessed by gel electrophoresis gradient the effects of atorvastatin on HDL size and subclasses. Results: In group A, after therapy, HDL-C concentration was significantly increased but not in group B. Atorvastatin lowered plasma chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA levels in both groups, but did not change the plasma cathepsin S mRNA levels. In group A only, baseline total bilirubin showed negative cor relations with the genes of cathepsin S (r=-0.506; p=0.023) and significantly increased after therapy. Conclusion: HDL-C and bilirubin can be promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Analysis of cell-free mRNA in plasma might become a useful tool for estimating statin pleiotropy Kratak sodržaj Uvod: Lipoproteini velike gustine (HDL) imaju ateroprotektivne biološke osobine: antioksidativne, antiapoptotičke, antiinflamatorne kao i kapacitet da izvlače holesterol iz ćelija. Analiza plazmatske mRNA može da se koristi za ispitivanje plejotropnih efekata statina in vivo kao novo analitičko sredstvo za neinvazivnu procenu ekspresije gena u zidu krvnog suda. Cilj ove studije je bio da se procene plejotropni efekti atorvastatina kod pacijenata sa stabilnom anginom sa visokorizičnim vrednostima (grupa A) u odnosu na pacijente sa graničnim i poželjnim vrednostima HDL holesterola (HDL- C) (grupa B). Metode: Četrdesettri pacijenta sa stabilnom anginom su primala terapiju atorvastatinom (20 mg/dan) 10 nedelja. Mi smo ispitivali tri gena značajna za plejotropno delovanje statina: intracelularni adhezioni molekul-1, hemokin (C-C motiv) ligand 2 i katepsin S i procenjivali smo efekte atorvastatina na veliCinu i raspodelu HDL subfrakcija promoću elektroforeze na poliakrilamidnom gradijent gelu. Rezuttati: U grupi A, posle terapije, HDL-C koncentracija se značajno povećala, ali ne i u grupi B. Atoivastatin je snizio plazmatski nivo hemokin (C-C motiv) liganda 2 i intracelularnog adhezionog molekula-1 mRNA u obe grupe, ali nije promenio plazmatski nivo gena za katepsin S. Samo u grupi A, ukupni bilirubin je pokazao negativnu korelaciju sa genom za katepsin S (r=-0,506; p=0,023) pre zapotinjanja terapije i značajni porast nakon terapije atorvastatinom. Zaključak: HDL-C i bilirubin mogu biti obećavajući terapijski ciljevi u lečenju kardiovaskularnih bolesti. Analiza slobodne mRNA (eng. cell-free mRNA) u plazmi može postati korisno sredstvo za procenu plejotropnog delovanja statina

We compared plasma levels of biomarkers of inflammation (CRP) and oxidation (oxLDL), determined at study inclusion in lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) patients (48.6 ± 11.5 years; 74.0% men) and sinus rhythm controls (49.7 ± 9.3 years; 72.7% men, P > 0.05), and investigated the association of baseline CRP and oxLDL levels with the risk for vascular disease (VD) development (hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, coronary/peripheral artery disease, and pulmonary embolism) during prospective follow-up. Baseline CRP (1.2 [0.7–1.9] mg/L versus 1.1 [0.7–1.6] mg/L) and oxLDL levels (66.3 ± 21.2 U/L versus 57.1 ± 14.6 U/L) were higher in LAF patients (both P < 0.05). Following a median of 36 months, incident VD occurred in 14 (28.0%) LAF patients, all of whom developed arterial hypertension, and in 5 (11.4%) controls (hypertension, n = 4; coronary artery disease, n = 1), P < 0.05. LAF patients developed VD more frequently and at a younger age. Both CRP (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.26–5.12; P = 0.009) and oxLDL (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.14–4.40; P = 0.019) were multivariate predictors of incident hypertension in LAF patients, but not in the controls. Further research should clarify clinical relevance of investigated biomarkers for risk stratification and treatment of LAF patients.

Abstract With gamma spectrometric method 23 samples of mineral and thermal waters of Bosnia and Herzegovina were analyzed. Activity concentrations of the investigated radionuclides were in the range 12–346 mBq·L−1 for 40K, 1.1–791 mBq·L−1 for 226Ra, 0.2–221 mBq·L−1 for 228Ra, 13–367 mBq·L−1 for 238U, and 0.6–17 mBq·L−1 for 235U. For all investigated radionuclides annual effective dose was estimated. The estimated total annual committed effective dose received by population as a result of ingestion of water was in the range 0.11–2.51 μSv·y−1 for thermal water and in the range 0.11–38.8 μSv·y−1 for mineral water. Measurement of activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in the examined samples was carried out with a gamma-spectrometer with high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, having a relative efficiency of 70%.

In view of recent experimental indications of violations of Lepton Flavor Universality (LFU) in B decays, we analyze constraints and implications of LFU interactions, both using an effective theory approach, and an explicit dynamical model. We show that a simple dynamical model based on a SU(2)L triplet of massive vector bosons, coupled predominantly to third generation fermions (both quarks and leptons), can significantly improve the description of present data. In particular, the model decreases the tension between data and SM predictions concerning: i) the breaking of τ-μ universality in B→D(*)ℓν decays; ii) the breaking of μ-e universality in B → Kℓ+ℓ− decays. Indirectly, the model might also decrease the discrepancy between exclusive and inclusive determinations of |Vcb| and |Vub|. The minimal version of the model is in tension with ATLAS and CMS direct searches for the new massive vectors (decaying into τ+τ− pairs), but this tension can be decreased with additional non-standard degrees of freedom. Further pre-dictions of the model both at low- and high-energies, in view of future high-statistics data, are discussed.

We analyze the bounds on the Higgs pseudo-observables following from electroweak constraints, under the assumption that the Higgs particle is the massive excitation of an SU(2)L\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\text {SU}(2)_L$$\end{document} doublet. Using such bounds, detailed predictions for h→4ℓ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$h\rightarrow 4\ell $$\end{document} decay rates, dilepton spectra, and lepton-universality ratios are presented.

In the market economy, the way in which company is managed and developed is extremly important, because every wrong or misleading decision comes at a high price. Therefore each decision that management brings should be based on precise, qualitative, timely and unambiguous information. In order to serve its purpose, after information are collected they are processed, classified and stored within the company. For effective and efficient information processing it is necessary to have an integrated set of components, called an information system. Undoubtedly, significant role in information processing for effective decision making, belongs to accounting information system. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to analyze the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina related to the use and adoption of accounting information system and it's impact on decision making process. Questionnaire distributed to the business organizations and interviews with the managers, as a data collection method, will be used. Statistical and graphical methods will be used to demonstrate findings.