BACKGROUND Research data from studies of functional neuroanatomy and neurochemistry indicate various dysfunctions in certain areas of the brain in individuals who suffer from chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. These abnormalities are involved in the evolution of symptoms of PTSD, deterioration of cognitive functions and decreased quality of life of the survivors. The intensity of these symptoms is in direct correlation with the degree of dysfunction in the central nervous system. The aim of our study, was to evaluate the subjective perception of the Quality of life in subjects suffering from chronic PTSD and to compare prior to treatment results to results three and six months after receiving therapy, as well as to analyze whether perception of the Quality of life change related to treatment. The study was conducted at the Psychiatric Clinic of the Sarajevo University Clinical Center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The sample consisted of 100 male persons, with war trauma experiences, whose age range was between 35 and 60 years, who were seeking treatment at the Psychiatric Clinic, University of Sarajevo Clinical Center and met the criteria for the diagnosis of chronic PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) according to ICD-10. (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision). The exclusion criterion was prior psychiatric illness (traumatization before the war) and less than 8 years of education. All subjects received out-patient treatment. Their treatment involved psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic therapy. The subjects were assessed using the following instruments: Sociodemographic Questionnaire designed by the authors for registering the social and demographic characteristics of the subjects (age, years of education, current employment, and socioeconomic status) and Manchester Quality of Life Scale (MANSA) as a self-report scale. The subjects were assessed prior to treatment, and three and six months after beginning the treatment (follow-up). RESULTS There was an increase in the mean values of subjective perception of Quality of Life between the first (3.2352), second (3.4447), and third test (3.6090). Differences between these mean values were not statistically significant between the first and second test, but significant between the second and third test. Also differences between sociodemographic characteristics prior to treatment and during six month follow-up were not statistically significant. A significant increase has been noted in the number of contacts with close friends between the first, second and third test. Also, we recorded a decrease in pertaining aggressive and criminal behavior between the three tests. CONCLUSION The results of our study indicate that subjects who are suffering from chronic PTSD have a lower subjective perception of their quality of life. Combined psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment over a period of six months lead to improvement in the perception of quality of life. This may indicate the need for longer treatment of individuals suffering from chronic PTSD. A significant increase has been noted in the number of contacts with close friends between the first, second and third test, reflecting positive treatment effects on everyday life functioning and coping skills.

According to the general definition of scoliosis, it is an abnormal curvature of the spine. Rotation or more accurately twisting of the spine, may lead to a gradual curve, and it is almost always painless. Scoliosis is not a disease, it is a descriptive term. Curvatures of the spine in the frontal plane are present in order to maintain the upper body part in proper balance. However, when there are lateral curvatures of the spine, scoliosis exists as well. People with a family history of spinal deformity are at greater risk for scoliosis development. The early detection is essential. The risk factors for worsening of scoliosis curvatures, except for growth include: gender (scoliosis curvature in girls more often worsens during growth, as one compared to boys), age (when scoliosis appears in the younger child, the greater is the chance that the curvature will get worse), size of the curvature (with the higher degree of curvature, goes the greater probability that it will worsen over time), location (scoliosis curvature in the lower spine are with less opportunities of promotion than those in the upper spine). Unfortunately, scoliosis often becomes evident in the time when children become selfconscious about their bodies (10 to 15 years of age), so that parents and others have even less likelihood to see the problem. Scoliosis can lead to serious health problems, such as severe back pain, difficulty in breathing, physical deformities, and even injuries of lung and heart.

BackgroundHead motions can severely affect dual-axis cervical acceloremetry signals. A complete understanding of the effects of head motion is required before a robust accelerometry-based medical device can be developed. In this paper, we examine the spectral characteristics of dual-axis cervical accelerometry signals in the absence of swallowing but in the presence of head motions.FindingsData from 50 healthy adults were collected while participants performed five different head motions. Three different spectral features were extracted from each recording: peak frequency, spectral centroid and bandwidth. Statistical analyses showed that peak frequencies are independent of the type of head motion, participant gender and age. However, spectral centroids are statistically different between the anterior-posterior (A-P) and superior-inferior (S-I) directions and between different motion. Additionally, statistically different bandwidths are observed for head tilts down and back between the A-P and the S-I directions.ConclusionsThese differences indicate that head motions induce additional non-dominant spectral components in dual-axis cervical recordings. The results presented here suggest that head motion ought to be considered in the development of medical devices based on dual-axis cervical accelerometery signals.