CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NONE DECLARED Introduction The collection of platelets by apheresis is considered as a very great progress in transfusion medicine. A larger yield (total number of collected platelets) is obtained if the donor has a greater number of initial platelets and if the separation is done in a shorter time. One of the parameters is also the efficiency of the platelet collection (expressed in percentage) on the value of which different factors may have direct or indirect influence. Aims To calculate the efficiency of platelet collection with the separator Fenval Baxter AMICUS and to compare the efficiency of platelet collection with this separator in relation to the initial value of donor hematocrit. Donors and Methods The donors who participated in this study were divided into groups according to the value of the donor’s ‘hematocrit before separation. Group C consisted of donors whose initial value of the hematocrit was lower or equal to 46%. Group D consisted of donors whose initial value of the hematocrit was higher than 46%. The process was carried out on Fenval Baxter AMICUS. The expected efficiency of the collection was obtained by dividing the total number of collected cells by the expected total number of processed cells, i.e. the total number of cells passed through the equipment. Results In the 258 separations which satisfied the fixed criteria were men in 226 cases (87.6%) and women in 32 (12.4%). There is a statically significant difference in the platelet value between the groups and this value is higher in group D than in group C. The average value of platelets before separation was 46.66. The range of minimal and maximal value is from 38.8 to 52.4 ±2.78. The initial value of hematocrits of the donor does not intervene in the length of the separation, but it has a significant effect on the efficiency of the platelet collection. Increases in the number of hematocrits significantly decrease the efficiency of platelet collection. In practice it means that we can base on this fact make a better selection of donors. In this kind selection, one should prefer a donor with a higher number of initial platelets and lower levels of hematocrits. In that way we can collect a more important yield, have a shorter length of separation and increase the efficiency of platelet collection. Its advantage is as well medical because of a more important yield but also financial because of the decrease of the length of the separation and the increase in efficiency. Key words: value of hematocrits, donors, apheresis, platelets, efficiency.

As the fact that today is conducted a number of scientific research works in the field of medicine, it is necessary to define the steps by which it is carried out to make it universal and to have scientific value. This paper describes the research methods, study design, the way in which one should be written, and why it is important to publicize the same. Special emphasis is placed on scientometrics as the science that evaluates scientific papers and their citation in the selected sample of journals. The paper also answers why scientific research works should be carried out and what kind of satisfaction they provide to the researcher.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NONE DECLARED Introduction The quality of the teaching-learning process at the universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad depends mainly of infrastructure that includes an optimal teaching space, personnel and equipment, in accordance with existing standards and norms. For the assessment of teaching at the faculties, the opinion of students is very important (4, 5). Students are often unhappy with the educational process. Goal To compare the results of the teaching process evaluation between students studying according to the Bologna system and the old system of education. Material and methods We used the questionnaire as a carrier of data created with variables relevant for assessing the success of the educational process at the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo. The survey was conducted among students of the sixth year of the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo. There were 103 students surveyed, of which 32 were studying according to the Bologna and 71 by the old concept of studies. Results and discussion Results of survey which measured students satisfaction with the educational process (theoretical and practical instruction, interactive learning, testing, use of IT and technical aids in teaching, availability of instructional literature etc.) lead us to the conclusion that the lowest satisfaction is associated with factors depending on financial resources, specifically related to library funds and the degree of computerization of educational process, and also with the level of teachers capability to convey knowledge to students with the application of modern medical information technology and technical teaching aids.

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is a well known error detection scheme used to detect corruption of digital content in digital networks and storage devices. Since it is a compute-intensive process which adversely affects performance, hardware acceleration using FPGAs has been tried and satisfactory performance has been achieved. However, recent extended usage of networks and storage systems require various correction capabilities for various CRC standards. Traditional hardware designs based on the LFSR (Linear Feedback Shift Register) tend to have fixed structure without such flexibility. Here, fully-adaptable CRC accelerator based on a table-based algorithm is proposed. The table-based algorithm is a flexible method commonly used in software implementations. It has been rarely implemented with the hardware, since it is believed that the operational speed is not enough. However, by using pipelined structure and efficient use of memory modules in FPGAs, it appeared that the table-based fixed CRC accelerators achieved better performance than traditional implementation. Based on the implementation, fully-adaptable CRC accelerator which eliminate the need for many non-adaptable CRC implementations is proposed. The accelerator has ability to process arbitrary number of input data and generates CRC for any known CRC standard, up to 65 bits of generator polynomial, during run-time. Further, we modify Table generation algorithm in order to decrease its space complexity from O(nm) to O(n). On Xilinx Virtex 6 LX550T board, the fully-adaptable accelerators occupy between 1 to 2% area to produce maximum of 289.8 Gbps at 283.1 MHz if BRAM is deployed, or between 1.6 14% of area for 418 Gbps at 408.9 MHz if tables are implemented in logic. Proposed architecture enables further expansion of throughput by increasing a number of input bits M processed at a time. key words: reconfigurable computing, FPGAs, cyclic redundancy checks, adaptability, accelerators

Abstract Objective We present a unique case of a midline xanthoma of the occipital bone exhibiting atypical imaging characteristics with preserved bone cortex that has not previously been described. Participant This man presented with refractory headaches and suboccipital pain and a mass within the diploe of the occipital bone but with preserved inner and outer cortex of the bone. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a midline, enhancing, and marrow-replacing process in the occipital bone measuring 1.5 cm in anteroposterior (AP) diameter, resulting in mild indentation of the dorsal aspect of the cerebellar vermis. Results The patient underwent a suboccipital craniectomy. Tumor resection was from the foramen magnum to the inion and laterally until normal bone was encountered. The xanthoma was yellowish and bled a moderate amount upon resection. Conclusion An isolated cranial xanthoma with preserved inner and outer bone cortex involving the occipital bone and of midline location has yet to be described. The differential diagnosis of osteoexpansile skull lesion with preserved bone cortex should now include xanthoma. Given the broad spectrum of imaging characteristics exhibited by this unusual diagnosis, surgical intervention is indicated from a diagnostic as well as a therapeutic standpoint.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a worldwide epidemic with considerable health and economic consequences. T2DM patients are often treated with more than one drug, including oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD) and drugs used to treat diabetic complications, such as dyslipidemia and hypertension. If genetic testing could be employed to predict treatment outcome, appropriate measures could be taken to treat T2DM more efficiently. Here we provide a review of pharmacogenetic studies focused on OAD and a role of common drug-metabolizing enzymes (DME) and drug-transporters (DT) variants in therapy outcomes. For example, genetic variations of several membrane transporters, including SLC22A1/2 and SLC47A1/2 genes, are implicated in the highly variable glycemic response to metformin, a first-line drug used to treat newly diagnosed T2DM. Furthermore, cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are implicated in variation of sulphonylurea and meglitinide metabolism. Additional variants related to drug target and diabetes risk genes have been also linked to interindividual differences in the efficacy and toxicity of OAD. Thus, in addition to promoting safe and cost-effective individualized diabetes treatment, pharmacogenomics has a great potential to complement current efforts to optimize treatment of diabetes and lead towards its effective and personalized care.