The paper presents for the first time important information regarding population structure, growth rate, length-weight relationships and reproductive aspects of the Neretvan nase, Chondrostoma knerii, a fish species endemic to the Neretva River. Chondrostoma knerii is mainly distributed in the lower parts and delta of the Neretva River wetlands and its tributaries (Krupa River, Hutovo Blato wetlands) shared between Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina. Samples were collected between 2000 and 2001 during the reproduction period of the species in the Hutovo Blato wetlands area. Population structure analysis indicates that all ages appear, from 0 to 7+. Longevity was estimated at 7.5 years. Main age classes were 3, 4 and 5 years, totalling 91.00% of all individuals. Males ranged between 2 and 5+ years of age, and females between 1 and 7+ years of age. Maximum length was 28.04 cm and maximum weight, estimated from the length-weight relationship, as 206.8 g. Found scattered in streams of high water velocity, eggs were attached to the substrate (aquatic plants or solid objects). Correlation between egg number and length and weight was extremely low. The gonad-somatic index distribution showed an inverse proportionality with total length. Main length classes for reproduction ranged from 20 to 24 cm, while fecundity ranged between 2000 and 16 000 eggs per female.

Content of total phenols and total anthocyanins was estimated in edible fruits from Bosnia by photometric methods. Cyanidin-3-galactoside chloride was used as a standard for determination of total anthocyanins, and galic acid served as a standard for determination of total phenols. Total content of phenols was 12.7 mg/g in elderberry fruits, 10.4 mg/g in bilberry, 9.8 mg/g in blackberry, 8.8 mg/g in wild cherry, 6.1 mg/g in cultivated blackberry, 3.5 mg/g in cultivated strawberry, 2.4 mg/g in average in sour cherry fruits from different locations and the lowest quantity of total phenols was in edible parts of melon, only 0.2 mg/g. Total content of anthocyanins was 6.8 mg/g in wild cherry, 6.7 mg/g in elderberry fruits and 4.5 mg/g in bilberry. Wild bilberry fruits from different locations had in average 3.5 mg/g, cherries from different locations 1.3 mg/g, cultivated blackberries 1.0 mg/g, cultivated strawberries 0.8 mg/g while melon fruit had no anthocyanins at all. Acidity was measured in macerate of edible fruits by direct insertion of electrode. pH values in the macerates were as follows: 3.03 in bilberry, 3.45 in blackberries, 3.59 in sour cherries, 3.92 in wild cherries, 4.44 in elderberries and 6.19 in melon.

Tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was measured in 60 patients with psoriasis and in 20 healthy individuals. According to clinical forms of psoriasis, patients were further divided into three groups: psoriasis with solitary lesions (n=20), psoriasis with multiple disseminated lesions (n=20) and erythrodermic psoriasis (n=20). The tissue ACE activity was determined before and after therapy, by the spectrophotometric method using hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine as a substrate. The enzyme activity is expressed in units: 1 U corresponds to 1 nmol of hippuric acid released by hydrolysis of hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine per minute and 50 mg of the tissue. Before therapy, tissue ACE activity was significantly increased in patients with psoriasis (4,14+/-0,34; X+/-SEM) in comparison to healthy individuals (1,86+/-0,16). The greatest increase in tissue ACE activity was observed in patients with erythrodermic psoriasis (4,72+/-0,65), followed by those with multiple disseminated lesions (4,24+/-0,63) and solitary psoriatic lesions (3,47+/-0,48). After therapy, serum ACE activity was significantly decreased in all clinical forms of the disease. Determination of tissue ACE activity might be a good non-specific parameter for assessment therapeutic effects.

Penetrating chest injuries are the most frequent causes of serious demage and death in wounded indivisuals. In reports from the last wars where wounds caused by high velocity projectiles predominated, thoracotomies were perfomed in about 15% of the wounded individuals, mostly encompassing injuries of the heart and great vessels, accomanied by massive bleeding that could not be resolved by chest tube insertion. This retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of 477 patients tretaed for isolated penetrating chest injuries in Department of Thoracic Surgery Clinical Center of the University in Sarajevo between april 1992 - june 1995. We analised the ways of their menagement with special view on pleural drainage, indication for this method and results of treatment. 398 (83,4%) wounded individuals have been treated with pleural tube inserting as definitive mesaure and for the urgent thoracotomy there were 79 (16,6%) patients left. Average hospital treatment in wounded drained patients was 7,68 days. With shrapnels there were 357 (74,84%) wounded individuals, and with bullet 120 (25,16%) wounded individuals. The complications of plaural tube inserting were - empyema in 34 (7,13%) patients and there were no other complications. Chest tube inserting as definitive mesaure was used in 398 (83,44%) patients. Chest tube inserting as preoperative measure (urgent thoracotomy) was used in 79 (16,56%) patients. There were 460 (96,44%) healed patients. Death occurred in 17 (3,56%) patients.