The transcription factor NF‐κB orchestrates many pro‐inflammatory signals and its inhibition is considered a promising strategy to combat inflammation. Here we report the characterization of the natural product plumericin as a highly potent inhibitor of the NF‐κB pathway with a novel chemical scaffold, which was isolated via a bioactivity‐guided approach, from extracts of Himatanthus sucuuba, an Amazonian plant traditionally used to treat inflammation‐related disorders.

We present a hybrid scheme for the parameter and state estimation of nonlinear continuous-time systems, which is inspired by the supervisory setup used for control. State observers are synthesized for some nominal parameter values and a criterion is designed to select one of these observers at any given time instant, which provides state and parameter estimates. Assuming that a persistency of excitation condition holds, the convergence of the parameter and state estimation errors to zero is ensured up to a margin, which can be made as small as desired by increasing the number of observers. To reduce the potential computational complexity of the scheme, we explain how the sampling of the parameter set can be dynamically updated using a zoom-in procedure. This strategy typically requires a fewer number of observers for a given estimation error margin compared to the static sampling policy. The results are shown to be applicable to linear systems and to a class of nonlinear systems. We illustrate the applicability of the approach by estimating the synaptic gains and the mean membrane potentials of a neural mass model.

n the year 2013 Acta Informatica Medica journal has published a total of 66 articles. Submission was carried out only electronically trough the Data Base Management System: www.scopemed.org. The journal has its own web site: www.avicenapublisher.org and it is possible to down-load full articles in PDF format. Most articles are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there is a signifi cant number published articles from other countries. A large number of articles was returned to authors due to linguistic and technical shortcomings, but also relatively poor scientifi c content. There is ongoing work on the promotion of peer reviewing process to prevent deceits, but also to improve journal scientometrics indicators (impact factor, citation of the article, journal citations, the number and order of au-thors in articles, etc.). Rejection rate was up to 46%.The structure of the articles published in the Acta Infor-matica Medica during 2013 was dominated by the original articles - 51, followed by case reports - 5, professional pa-pers - 4, reviews - 4. Each issue of the journal as a rule con-tain contributions such as: news, book reviews, in memo-riam etc. Last year is also published the Guidelines with professional and educational features (1, 2, 3).The authors of the article published in the Acta Infor-matica Medica in 2013 were from 16 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Iran, Turkey, USA, Egypt, Albania, Macedonia, India, Greece, Slovenia, France, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The ratio of articles by au-thors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad is 21:79. According to the medical fi elds of the published articles, the largest number was from clinical medicine - 34, fol-lowed by articles from preclinical disciplines - 18 and Public Health - 14. The largest number of articles was from the fi eld of in-ternal medicine - 45,1%, then, surgery - 16,1%, Pediatrics - 16,1%, neuropsychiatry - 3,2%, gynecology and obstetrics - 3,2%, nuclear medicine - 3,2%, etc. Most frequently pub-lished papers were from Medica Informatics fi eld - 28,5%, then from Biochemistry - 14,3%, etc. The time period from acceptance to publication of articles (received/accepted time): 50-59 days was presented in 16 cases, then, 60-69 days in 15 cases, 40 -49 days in 6 cases, 80-89 days in 6 cases, while the interval - over 100 days was only in 3 cases. So, the largest number of papers was waiting for publication between 2 and 3 months. (fi gure 1, 2). The reviewers of the articles published in Acta Infor-matica Medica in 2013 were: • Damir Aganovic (BiH)• Omid Aghadavoudi (Iran)• Kenan Arnautovic (USA)• Mehmedali Azemi (Kosova)• Adem Balic (BiH)• Marion Ball (USA)• Rusmir Baljic (BiH)• Jacob Bergsland (Norway)• Alma Bravo (BiH)• Marko Buksa (BiH)• Genc Burazeri (Albania)• Vesna Cukic (BiH)• Vida Demarin (Croatia)• Doncho Donev (Macedonia)• Masoud Ferdosi (Iran)• Armen Yuri Gasparyan (UK)• Vjekoslav Gerc (BiH)• Zulfo Godinjak (BiH)• Mirko Grujic (BiH)

Advice on ethical writing, in addition to proper citation and referencing, require that any work because of the authenticity and originality authors give their own stamp (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). So I will try to discuss the subject of plagiarism from the point of final year students of the Medical Faculty of the University of Sarajevo. Due to the ongoing reform of education at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the Medical Faculty, and the implementation of the Bologna process, it is expected that very little attention has been given to problems of plagiarism, “copy paste” techniques among students, preventing and sanctioning of the same. For seven years, since I pause for one year, I’m examining essays in many fields of medicine. In fact every subjects of the previous 56, is in its program has mandatory writing of term papers, if not true, then in the form of essays.

Introduction: QF PCR has recently entered diagnostic practice as a possible way to bypass culturing of the fetal cells, as well as to provide a rapid response following amniocentesis. Material and methods: The effective value of the QF PCR remains a much debated issue, positions ranging from that it makes classic kayotyping obsolete except in special occasions, to that it is no more than a guideline for a mandatory karyotype. Current practices of the gynecology specialists generates samples in such fashion that kariotyping of samples quickly falls behind to the point of obsoleteness, because, by the time a karyotype has been finished, a window of opportunity for termination of pregnancy has closed. Results: QF PCR provides a rapid response alternative, but it is necessary to establish its reproducibility, as well as an algorithm of its use along classic kariotyping. This study contains samples processed in a period from August 1, 2012 to December 31 2013 in both QF PCR and classic karyotype. Object of this study was compare results obtained by two methods, and establish confidence interval of the QF PCR testing. Overall, 661 amniotic fluid samples were processed and typed with QF PCR, out of which 221 were done in parallel with karyiotyping, as an confirmation of results.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is the major diagnostic and therapeutic problem. The number of patients in the world has increased recently. In our country it is detected late and patients visit doctor in the advanced stage of the disease with already developed metastases. Material and methods: A clinical study was conducted at the Clinic of gastroenterohepatologists, Clinical Center of Sarajevo University on 164 patients. Special attention was given to the symptoms, which are considered to be a macroscopically visible as bleeding, anemia pain, weight loss and disturbance of defecation. Smoking had no effect because a small number of observed patients smoked. Endoscopic examination revealed localization of the tumor in the colon and then underwent targeted biopsy, histological analysis by pathologist, and we determined the concentration of CEA and CA19-9 in the serum. Results: In order to get the most relevant results we used larger data set. The program used to prepare the data was Microsoft Excel 2013, and for the creation of decision trees is a used software RapidMiner version 5. Our research has shown that patients older than 55 years with significant stenosis, metastasis and diarrhea that lasted longer than 3.5 months and bleeding that lasted up to 10 months had cancer of the rectum. Bleeding that lasts longer than 10 months indicated that it was the case of cancer that was localized in the rectum in men and sigma in women. Patients older than 82.5 years and had diarrhea up to 3.5 months developed cancer in the sigma part of the colon. Analyzing pain as a symptom of an alarm, the study found that pain that lasts longer than a few days, is caused by rectal cancer, and occurs after the age of 70.5 years, and in patients younger than 63 years anemia as a alarm symptom, which lasted more than two months in men was caused by cancer of the rectum and in women cancer in other localizations within colon. In patients without stenosis developed bleeding as the most important symptom. We can say that after the age of 74 years cancer of the rectum and sigmoid is more common in men and in women dominate sigma and other locations in the colon. In patients under the 70 years of age with short time of bleeding, cancer predominates in rectum. In patients younger than 63 years can be concluded that weight loss is greater than 8 kg follows rectal cancer. In patients with bleeding that lasted one month or more as classifier occurring the age and gender. Patients younger than 74 years have rectal cancer, while older than 73 years have cancer at other sites. In women these locations are sigma and rectum. Conclusion: Based on this study we can conclude that regardless of the technical advances in medicine must pay special attention to the symptoms that doctors will refer to the localization of the tumor, stenosis of the intestine and possibly metastasis. Key words: Colorectal cancer, diagnostic procedures, concentration of CEA and CA19-9.