Radiation therapy is a standard treatment in the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of head and neck carcinomas (HNC). The description and perception of the effects caused by the treatment in the normal tissues is important for the clinical evaluation of the patient because treatment is interrupted if the patient develops several acute side effects which directly affect their survival. This study involved 46 patients over 6 weeks of treatment and evaluated the observed acute effects of treatment in five different anatomical areas - skin, mucosa, salivary glands, pharynx /esophagus and larynx. This evaluation adopted the classification of the Acute Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). Data analysis revealed that the acute effects related to the RapidArc TM technique appeared earlier when compared to IMRT techniques. On the other hand, the IMRT technique showed more exacerbated high-grade effects.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The cervical syndrome refers to a set of disorders caused by the changes in the cervical spine and the soft-tissue surrounding it, with pain as the predominant symptom. Sore neck has been a common problem among a large section of today`s population. The factors contributing to this issue include the modern lifestyle, prolonged sitting and incorrect, fixed or constrained working postures. The root of these difficulties is found in the mechanical disorders of the cervical spine structures, poor body posture and jerky body movements. In the Scandinavian countries neck pain is considered to be a public health problem. Methods: The study evaluated 25 patients with an established diagnosis of cervical syndrome. The research was conducted at the PI Institute of Occupational and Sports Medicine of Zenica–Doboj Canton. Each patient received twenty physical therapy treatment sessions. Results and conclusions: The study included 25 patients suffering from the cervical syndrome. The statistical analysis of gender distribution indicated that 36% of the patients were male, while 64% were female. The mean age of study participants was 46.76±4,23. The patients ranged in age from 39 to 54 years, with no statistically significant difference in the mean age of male and female patients, p=0.691. Analysing the types of occupational activities performed by the patients, the study found a positive relation between neck pain and prolonged sitting at work. The patients who performed office work made up 76% of the total number. Each method of physical therapy applied in the treatment of neck pain patients proved useful. However, the combination of electrotherapy, kinesiotherapy and manual massage proved to be most effective. Conclusion: The cervical syndrome is a common medical condition primarily affecting adult population, with prevalence being higher among women and office workers. The condition places a considerable socioeconomic burden on the afflicted. Cervical pain ranges greatly in severity – from moderate to unbearable, thus leading to high levels of work absence as well as to a decrease in the quality of life. Proper physical therapy program can help the patients with neck pain return to their normal everyday activities, improve their quality of life, as well as reduce the absence from work.

ABSTRACT Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate a frequency and clinical presentation of hypertension crises due to age, gender, duration and seriousness at Emergency Medical Service Department of the “Dr Mustafa Šehovic” Health Care Center Tuzla. Methods: The research was conducted in the period between November 2009 and April 2010 and involved 180 examinees of both genders, aging between 30 and 80 years of age with the diagnosis of arterial hypertension. The examinees were divided into two groups: control group consisting of examinees without hypertension crisis (95 examinees) and experimental group consisting of examinees with hypertensive crisis (85 examinees). Descriptive statistical methods were used in the statistical data processing. Results: The research results showed that there had been significantly more female examinees than the male ones (60% vs. 40%; p=0.007). The average age of male examinees was 55.83±11.06 years of age, and the average age of female examinees was 59.41±11.97 years of age. The hypertension crisis frequency was 47.22%, where the hypertensive urgencies were statistically significantly more present than the hypertensive emergencies (16.47%vs.83.53%; p<0.0001). The largest number of experimental group examinees (28.23%) belonged to the age group of 60 to 69 years of age; urgency 26.76% and emergency 35.71%. The largest number of examinees with hypertensive crisis (49.41%) appeared in the period between 6.00 p.m. and 11.59 p.m. The largest number of emergency group examinees (69.01%) had been treated for arterial hypertension for ten years, and the examinees from the emergency group (42.86%) had been treated for 10, 11 and 20 years. The average blood pressure value at the hypertensive crisis examinees was 204.82/126.58 mmHg. Conclusions: The frequency of hypertensive crises in the Emergency Medical Service Department is high and it reaches 47.22%. Hypertensive urgencies were significantly more present in terms of statistics than the hypertensive emergencies (83.53% vs. 16.47%; p<0.0001).

Buerger’s disease (BD) is a relatively rare thrombotic, occlusive and non-atherosclerotic clinical syndrome of unknown etiology. In recent years, numerous epidemiological studies confirmed the strong association between chronic anaerobic periodontal infection and development of cardiovascular diseases, including BD. Therefore, the aim of this study is to clarify association between periodontal pathogens and Buerger’s disease. Confirmation of presence and identification of periopathogens in patients with BD can be considered crucial in developing novel therapies for BD. Further, periodontal therapy will lead to eventual improvement of BD patients’ condition.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Alprazolam is a triazolobenzodiazepine used in panic disorders and other anxiety states. Target organ of Alprazolam is CNS, causing depression of respiration and consciousness. Aim: This study aimed to estimate the genotoxic potential of Alprazolam using Allium cepa test. Methods: Allium cepa is one of the most suitable plants for detecting different types of xenobiotics. The test enables the assessment of different genetic endpoints making possible damage to the DNA of humans to be predicted. Results: Alprazolam induced chromosomal (anaphase bridges, breaks, lagging and stickiness, abnormal spiralisation, multipolarity and polyploidy) and cytological aberrations, especially nuclear alterations (nuclear buds, fragmented nucleus and apoptotic bodies, cells without nucleus, binucleated and micronucleated cells), morphological alterations in shape and size of cells, spindle disturbance and polar deviation in root tip meristem cells of Allium cepa at all tested concentrations. Alprazolam also caused significant inhibition of mitotic index in these cells. Conclusion: These changes in cells are indicators of genotoxic potential of Alprazolam suggesting a need for further in vitro studies on animal and human lymphocytes as well as in vivo studies.