This study uses bibliometric analysis to examine research on financial sector efficiency in Southeast Europe (SEE) from 1998 to 2024. Using PRISMA methodology, we identified and analyzed articles that investigate the efficiency of the financial sector in SEE countries. Based on the reviewed literature, we explore key quantitative methods and approaches used in efficiency analysis and uncover opportunities and gaps for future research. The analysis reveals methodological choices, regional challenges, and differences in data availability among countries. Alongside practical suggestions, such as supporting data-sharing initiatives and encouraging methodological diversification, the study highlights the importance of recent data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advanced mathematical techniques. These findings enhance our understanding of financial efficiency and offer researchers and policymakers recommendations for improving the stability, resilience, and integration of Southeast Europe’s financial systems.

Nicotine dependence remains one of the most complex and widespread global public health challenges. Despite extensive prevention efforts and regulatory actions, its prevalence continues to be high. In recent years, there has been rapid development of non-combustible nicotine delivery products, including nicotine pouches (NP), which represent a newer category within the smokeless, tobacco-free market. These pouches are placed in the oral vestibule, between the lip and the gum, allowing nicotine to be gradually absorbed over approximately 30 minutes per use. However, their effects on oral health are still not well understood. This narrative review therefore aims to summarize and clarify the current evidence regarding the oral manifestations associated with NP use.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate patients' awareness and the key factors affecting decisions on tooth preservation. Material and methods: This study was conducted through an anonymous survey of 237 patients who visited the Department and Clinic for Dental Pathology and Endodontics at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sarajevo. Participant were informed about the purpose of the research and informed consent was obtained from each participant. General demographic data on gender, age and education were collected, followed by their attitudes, experiences and knowledge regarding endodontic treatment. Results: A total of 236 valid responses were analyzed.The majority of respondents (53.2%) assessed their knowledge as „moderate/average“ and also cited 'the dentist' as their primary source of information (81.8%). Our survey revealed that respondents distinguish a broader spectrum of symptoms that indicate the need for root canal treatment (RCT) rather than just spontaneous toothache. In terms of treatment outcomes, majority (86%) recognized RCT as an effective toothsaving method. Local anesthesia was highly demanded, with 56.2% of patients exclusively insisting on a pain-free procedure. In selecting a dental clinic, respondents primarily value clinical expertise and experience (68.6%), followed by staff friendliness and service quality (44.9%) while financial costs did not affect the priority of tooth preservation for the majority of patients (50.9%). Conclusion: Our research demonstrates significant progress in patient awareness and perception of endodontic therapy. Furthermore, as dental knowledge is more accessible than ever, patients must be educated to view the dentist as their primary and most reliable resource. Ultimately, establishing mutual trust between the patient and the dentist remains the foundation of successful therapy.

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of patient complaints, and dentists’ perceptions of legal protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 171 dentists participated, employed in both the public (21.5%) and private sector (78.5%), with varying years of professional experience. Data were collected using an anonymous structured questionnaire addressing record-keeping practices, the use of informed consent, experiences with complaints and lawsuits, and perceptions of legal security and exposure to violence. Results show that 80.4% of dentists report maintaining proper documentation, while only 16.8% routinely obtain written informed consent. Negative experiences with patient complaints were reported by 60.7% of respondents, yet only 7.5% had been involved in legal proceedings. Most conflicts (61.7%) were resolved informally through settlement. The highest proportion of complaints concerned prosthodontics (71%), followed by restorative dentistry (15%) and oral surgery (9.3%). More than half of dentists (56.1%) do not feel adequately protected by law, and 69.2% do not know which institution to contact in the event of a patient lawsuit. Verbal violence was reported by 66.4% and physical violence by 1.9% of respondents. Multivariate analysis showed that dentists exposed to violence were significantly less likely to feel legally protected (OR = 9.62, p = 0.031), independent of gender and years of experience. Dentists in the private sector were more likely to resolve complaints through settlement (OR = 1.65, p < 0.001), while prosthodontists experienced the highest number of complaints and exhibited the strongest preference for settlements (OR = 2.63, p = 0.03).

This study aimed to determine the nutritional status and dietary habits of younger school age children and to assess the accuracy of parental perception regarding their children’s eating behaviours. A total of 300 children aged 7–11 years from northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in this cross sectional study. Nutritional status was evaluated using anthropometric measurements and age and sex specific body mass index (BMI) percentile curves. Dietary habits were assessed using an anonymous, adapted, structured questionnaire consisting of 24 questions, incorporating a 24-hour dietary recall and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The questionnaires were independently completed by both children and their parents to assess self-reported dietary intake and eating behaviours. Overall, 60.6% of children were classified as having normal body weight, while 8.7% were underweight, 17.0% were overweight, and 13.7% were obese. According to dietary habits evaluated relative to the USDA MyPlate guidelines (USDA, 2019), 81.3% of children consumed breakfast daily, 69.8% had three meals per day, 52.9% consumed two or more servings of fruit, and 83.7% reported water as their primary beverage. However, 52.9% consumed only one serving of vegetables daily, 51.0% consumed less than 250 mL of milk per day, 69.3% had insufficient meat intake, and 46.7% consumed sweets and snacks daily. Statistically significant differences between children’s and parents’ responses were identified in 79% of the assessed items. These findings indicate a substantial discrepancy between parental perceptions and children’s self-reported dietary intake, emphasizing the need for targeted nutritioneducation programmes for both children and parents to support healthier eating habits.

Introduction: Impacted maxillary canines are among the most common orthodontic anomalies and often require comprehensive radiographic assessment for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. The KPG index is a CBCT-based three-dimensional classification system used to evaluate the severity of canine impaction. Aim: To assess the association between the KPG index and angular parameters (α and θ angles) in impacted maxillary canines. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 30 patients with impacted maxillary canines treated at the Department and Clinic of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Sarajevo. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans and panoramic radiographs were analyzed. The KPG index was determined from CBCT images, while α and θ angles were measured on panoramic radiographs. Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the KPG index and angular parameters. Results: The mean KPG index was 13.17 ± 7.29, the mean α angle was 32.93 ± 21.34°, and the mean θ angle was 53.87 ± 19.91°. A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was found between the KPG index and α angle (rs = 0.635, p < 0.001). No statistically significant association was observed between the KPG index and θ angle (rs = −0.234, p = 0.206). Conclusion: The α angle showed a significant positive association with the KPG index and may represent a useful adjunctive parameter in the assessment of impacted maxillary canines. In contrast, the θ angle was not significantly associated with impaction severity. Although panoramic radiographs provide valuable diagnostic information, CBCT-based three-dimensional imaging remains the gold standard for evaluating impacted maxillary canines and supporting orthodontic treatment planning.

Background: Determination of the occlusal vertical dimension, (OVD), remains one of the key challenges in prosthodontics, due to the lack of a universally accepted and sufficiently accurate method. Anthropometric approaches have been proposed as a simple and objective way to estimate OVD, although their applicability may vary across different populations. Objective: To evaluate whether selected facial anthropometric dimensions can serve as reliable predictors of OVD and to develop regression models for estimating the nasion–menton distance in a sample of the Bosnia and Herzegovina population. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study included 60 subjects aged 20–45 years with preserved occlusal relationships and normal facial morphology. A total of 30 anthropometric parameters were measured using standardized techniques. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Simple linear regression was used to assess individual predictors, while multiple regression analysis (stepwise method) was applied to develop two models based on the presence or absence of intraoral landmarks. Results: All analyzed variables showed statistically significant associations with the nasion–menton distance (p<0.001), with the strongest correlations observed for bizygomatic width (r=0.947), nasion incision (r=0.895), and nasion–gingival papilla tip (r=0.891). Both regression models showed high predictive accuracy (R²=0.958 and R²=0.950), with better performance when intraoral landmarks were included. Conclusion: Selected facial anthropometric parameters can estimate the occlusal vertical dimension with high accuracy. Regression models provide a reliable approach for clinical estimation, particularly when intraoral landmarks are available.

<p>Estmating the risk to pulic health from heavy metals can help solve the basic questions about the potential dangers of exposure to them. This is the first study&nbsp; aimed to assess the health risk for the residents of the municipality of Zenica, on the land closest to the steel industry by examining the heavy metals Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu in the soil and plant cultivars corn and chard that could be used for the potential remediation of such soil. With the calculated data for HQ and HI, the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk for adults and children were estimated, based on heavy metals in the selected topsoil and plants, which are usually grown in the area of interest, through different ways of their intake. The results showed that there is an unacceptable risk for children and adults due to long-term consumption of investigated plant cultivars from soil contaminated with heavy metals. Constant monitoring and measures to reducing the heavy metal pollution, primarily Cd, Pb and Cr, are necessary in the lands of ​​the municipality of Zenica. Special caution is required for residents who intend to grow plant cultivars near steel industry</p>

A comprehensive understanding of fundamental physical laws is essential for effectively using modern medical devices and comprehending the biological processes of organisms. This underscores the necessity of physics as a mandatory course in medical and healthcare studies. However, there is a lack of research regarding medical students’ motivation to learn physics and their awareness of its importance in healthcare, particularly among students in radiology and physiotherapy programmes. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess students’ motivations for enrolling in healthcare programmes, their opinions about physics, and their perceived value of physics education for future career competencies. The sample comprised 157 undergraduate students from the physiotherapy and radiologic technology programmes at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia. Data were collected using a standardised questionnaire and analysed using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis test. The research findings indicate that most students are enthusiastic about learning physics when they see its practical applications, especially in therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. Additionally, students are primarily motivated by a desire to help others, positive high school experiences, career aspirations, and family influence. Final-year students particularly recognise the significance of physics in diagnostics and therapies. Furthermore, professors’ professionalism and the curriculum’s relevance to future job skills are keymotivators. These findings can be used to develop diverse teaching strategies to enhance student interest, ultimately cultivating experts who can advance healthcare and improve disease diagnosis and treatment. 

<p>Nifuroxazide is an antimicrobial drug from the nitrofuran group, which is used in the treatment of acute bacterial intestinal infections. Its mechanism of action is based on the reduction of the nitro group in bacterial cells, which produces reactive metabolites that permanently damage enzymes and the genetic material of microorganisms. Enzymes of redox metabolism are particularly sensitive, among which lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) stands out. In this work, an electrochemical method (cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry) was used to determine kinetic constants. The enzyme LDH (biosensor) was immobilized on a GC electrode and the effect of nifuroxazide on enzyme activity was monitored. The results show that nifuroxazide binds non-competitively to the enzyme and thus changes the enzyme conformation. This process leads to permanent blockade of key metabolic reactions, disruption of the redox balance and death of the bacterial cell.</p>

<p>The aim of this work was to examine the possibility of stabilizing red mud with a natural mineral, namely pyrophyllite shale, to the extent that it is not harmful to the environment, as well as the use of such a stabilized composite for the production of building materials such as bricks, in order to ultimately achieve a complete circular economy, where on the one hand there would be the utilization of waste material, the preservation of the environment and natural resources, and on the other hand, the production of products of the same quality.</p> <p>Based on the set goal, the results for the composition of red mud and pyrophyllite shale as well as the stabilized composite before and after thermal treatment at 900 &deg;C are presented in the work, and they show that there is a decrease in the proportion of all oxides present in the mixture except silicon, because it is over 63% in pyrophyllite shale. Based on the stabilized composite, building block samples were formed. After the firing process, the samples cracked, and as such they could not be analyzed further. Based on this, it could be concluded that only stabilized composite cannot be used to make bricks.</p>

A pole of order m∈N\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$m \in \mathbb {N}$$\end{document} at β∈C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\beta \in \mathbb {C}$$\end{document} of a regular operator-valued function Q:D(Q)→L(H)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$Q: \mathcal {D}(Q) \rightarrow \mathcal {L}(\mathcal {H})$$\end{document} is investigated. We provide a characterization of pole cancellation functions ψ(z)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\varvec{\psi }(z)$$\end{document} of Q(z) of order k≤m\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$k \le m$$\end{document} at β\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\beta $$\end{document} in terms of the coefficients of the Laurent expansion of Q. This characterization yields practical and explicit constructions of pole cancellation functions ψ(z)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\varvec{\psi }(z)$$\end{document}. Moreover, it leads to an explicit formula for the associated functions φ^(z):=Q(z)ψ(z)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\varvec{\hat{\varphi }}(z):= Q(z)\varvec{\psi }(z)$$\end{document}, which are root functions of order k at the zero β\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\beta $$\end{document} of Q-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$Q^{-1}$$\end{document}. The results are illustrated by an example.