Introduction: Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes and it is the most malignant tumor of skin and mucous membranes. We do not have any data about incidence and characteristics of skin melanoma in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Aim: We aimed to analyze hospital records on skin melanoma cases from the region of Tuzla during the 5-year period in order to obtain preliminary data about melanoma incidence and clinical characteristics. Patients and methods: This retrospective study included all patients surgically treated at the University Clinical Center Tuzla, from January 2001 to December 2005, who were initially diagnosed with skin melanoma. Results: Most of pathologically verified skin melanoma, disregarding primary tumor (T), were presented in both genders at stage T4 (41.67 %) and T2 (28.33 %). Histological analysis showed that the majority of observed skin melanoma were diagnosed in Clark level III (36.36 %) and Clark level IV (33.33 %) stage. The average tumor thickness of the examined sample, according to Breslow’s classification, was found to be over than 4.0 mm. Conclusion: Our findings are similar to those reported in other countries in the region. Further studies are necessary in order to asses the burden of the disease in the national level. A national melanoma register is of great importance for further surveilance.

We study the cohomology of spaces of string links and braids in...   2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary: 57M27; Secondary: 81Q30, 57R40

The aim of this study was to evaluate KCNQ1 K+ channel expression in the frog kidney of Rana esculenta. KCNQ1 K+ channel, also known as KvLQT1, is the pore forming α-subunit of the IKs K+ channel, a delayed rectifier voltage-gated K+ channel, which has an important role in water and salt transport in the kidney and gastrointestinal tract. The expression of KCNQ1 K+ channel along tubular epithelium differs from species to species. In the present study the expression of KCNQ1 K+ channel in the frog kidney has been demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. The presence of KCNQ1 K+ channel was demonstrated in the epithelial cells of distal convoluted tubule and collecting duct. However, the pattern of expression of KCNQ1 K+ channel differs between distal convoluted tubules and collecting duct. All epithelial cells of distal convoluted tubules revealed basolateral expression of KCNQ1 K+ channel. On the contrary, only the single cells of collecting duct, probably intercalated cells, showed diffuse cell surface staining with antibodies against KCNQ1 K+ channel. These findings suggest that KCNQ1 K+ channel has cell-specific roles in renal potassium ion transport.

BackgroundDual-axis swallowing accelerometry has recently been proposed as a tool for non-invasive analysis of swallowing function. Although swallowing is known to be physiologically modifiable by the type of food or liquid (i.e., stimuli), the effects of stimuli on dual-axis accelerometry signals have never been thoroughly investigated. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate stimulus effects on dual-axis accelerometry signal characteristics. Signals were acquired from 17 healthy participants while swallowing 4 different stimuli: water, nectar-thick and honey-thick apple juices, and a thin-liquid barium suspension. Two swallowing tasks were examined: discrete and sequential. A variety of features were extracted in the time and time-frequency domains after swallow segmentation and pre-processing. A separate Friedman test was conducted for each feature and for each swallowing task.ResultsSignificant main stimulus effects were found on 6 out of 30 features for the discrete task and on 5 out of 30 features for the sequential task. Analysis of the features with significant stimulus effects suggested that the changes in the signals revealed slower and more pronounced swallowing patterns with increasing bolus viscosity.ConclusionsWe conclude that stimulus type does affect specific characteristics of dual-axis swallowing accelerometry signals, suggesting that associated clinical screening protocols may need to be stimulus specific.

In this poster, we describe a method for using grounded theory and modeling to support collaborative design of social robots for the elderly. Robotic technologies are being designed to assist people in their everyday lives in various ways: as companions [9], domestic helpers [4], receptionists [1], and educational aids [8]. In response to the steadily rising average age of the population in the US, Europe, and Japan, the elderly are often designated as an appropriate audience for assistive robotic technologies. Designing robots for the elderly poses a variety of social challenges—understanding the specific needs and desires of the elderly, supporting independence and human dignity, and making sure that technologies can be successfully incorporated into existing social and physical environments, or “elder ecologies” [3]. These challenges suggest that designing robots for the elderly calls for attention to individual attitudes towards technologies as well as community norms and practices of social interaction and technology use.