Background: Increasing evidence indicates that COVID-19 may result in cardiac issues in certain individuals, such as myocarditis, arrhythmias, and heart failure. Ongoing research on echocardiographic manifestations is still limited. Objective: To investigate the incidence and patterns of left and right ventricular dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This study retrospectively observed COVID-19 patients admitted to the Clinical Center of University of Sarajevo during the third wave, with a particular focus on cardiac evaluations. Results. Our patients, predominantely male 155 (72.4%), with a mean age of 66.2±11.4, having hypertension 86 (40.1%), diabetes mellitus 61 (28.5%), hyperlipidemia 144 (67.3%), were active smokers 87 (40.6%), had family history of cardiovascular diseases 123 (57.5%) and were COVID-19 positive 95 (44.4%), presented because of chest pain 78 (36.4%), dyspnea 103 (48.1%), palpitations 67 (31.3%), fatigue 106 (49.5%) and peripheral oedema 30 (14.0%). COVID-19 patients reported much higher symptoms of dyspnea (65 (68.4%) vs 38 (31.9%)) and fatigue (73 (76.8%) vs 33 (27.7%)) than COVID-19 negative patients. On the initial laboratory report, COVID-19 patients had a significantly (p<0.05) higher mean score of C-reactive protein (24.0±4.8 vs. 6.0±2.1), D-dimer (1.6±2.5 vs 0.8±0.6), ALT (94.8±17.2 vs 36.5±19.9) and creatinine (128.0±80.8 vs. 93.4±40.1) when compared to COVID-19 negative patients. COVID-19 patients had enlarged left atrium diametes (31.6±5.6 vs 27.5±5.3), enlarged left ventricular diameter both in systole (27.9±18.1 vs 23.3±16.3) and diastole (39.3±24.1 vs 34.9±22.7), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (53.5±9.2 vs 59.8±4.3) and elevated right ventricular systolic pressure (37.0±16.4 vs 35.1±8.6). Conclusion. COVID-19 patients had enlarged left atrium, enlarged systolic and diastolic left ventricular diameter, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and elevated right ventricular systolic pressure.

Functional appliances are key to success in early orthodontic therapy. Their application is most useful in the period of a pre-puberty and pubertal growth spurt, in order to achieve facial aesthetics and improve the patient's health. The aim of treatment with functional appliances is to act on the muscles and ligaments, thereby influencing the movement and growth of the lower jaw forward, when it comes to the distal bite. The devices are used to correct malocclusions in all three spatial planes: sagittal, vertical, and transferal. In the sagittal dimension, the distal bite is corrected and Angle class I occlusion is established. In the transferal dimension, appliances are used to expand the dental arches. In the vertical dimension, appliances are used to correct an open or deep bite. Most often, mobile functional appliances are used, which consist of special upper and lower parts, such as the Twin block and the "M" block. Other types of functional devices have been used for many years, they consist of one part and their disadvantage is discomfort for patients and the impossibility of use in the presence of septal deviation or any other airway obstruction (activator and all its modifications, as well as Bionator). Recently, fixed functional appliances are also used, the advantage of which is that they do not depend on the cooperation of the patient and that they hold the mandible in an anterior position for 24 hours, achieved on the basis of an adequately taken construction bite. Their application is not conditioned by the puberty growth spurt but can be used by post-adolescents and young adults. In the production of functional appliances, the most important thing is to take a good construction bite, which determines how the muscle power will be transferred to the tissues, teeth, and jawbone. They determine the course of treatment and its duration. Muscle activation is performed in sagittal, transverse, and vertical directions, individually for each patient depending on the type of device.

Smoking is a global public health problem, and control measures should be implemented in the community so as to reduce the number of smoking-related diseases and healthcare costs. Community pharmacies are ideal places for providing tobacco cessation counselling as a type of public health service, because they are the most accessible health facilities with direct contact with patients. We aimed to examine attitudes towards the implementation of such services, conducting surveys on a sample of pharmacy students (N=300), community pharmacists (N=383) and the general public (N=987) in the Republic of Serbia. The introduction of smoking cessation services at pharmacies was supported by pharmacy students (59.7%), pharmacists (49.2%), and the general public (36.7%). No difference was found between pharmacistsàttitudes in terms of their gender, age, level of education and years of experience. We found evidence that pharmacists as public health practitioners were recognized mostly by students (94.3%). The majority of them (86.3%) recognized the need for additional education in order to implement new services, and every third pharmacist recognized a gap in their education. The data indicate the need for directed research in order to explore the educational needs and competences for practicing pharmacists and enable them to perform services such as smoking cessation in the future.

The most significant characteristic of the investment interventions that are the subject of this paper is that their activation periods are one year and that their cash inflows are one-time. If there are several independent operations of this type, all those with a positive net present value, and therefore an internal rate of return that is higher than the actualization rate, will be accepted. In the case of competing operations (at certain rates of actualization), especially those whose exploitation periods are different, we may have the case that one of them is better from the aspect of net present value, and the other from the aspect of internal rate of return. The decision on their proper ranking must be based on determining the net present value for exploitation periods that are mutually equal. In the paper, we analyzed two ways of equalizing exploitation periods, the method of reciprocal interventions and the method of replacement, and obtained relevant information for their ranking, which was also confirmed by the annuity method.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the leading cause of valvular heart disease in underdeveloped nations. It remains a significant public health issue in Sub-Saharan African countries. This study aimed to determine the pattern, severity, and complications of RHD in Somalia. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of all patients diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease. A total of 8526 echocardiographic examinations were done in our center over a two-year study period from January 2020 to December 2021. Patients with congenital cardiac disease, post-operative cases, myxomatous and old age degenerative disease were all excluded. Of 433 patients, 286 (66.1%) were female, and the mean age was 46.5 ± 20.3. The isolated mitral valve (MV) affected 222 (51.3%). Dual involvement of mitral and aortic valve (AV) was present in 190 (44%). Overall isolated or combined valve involvement, mitral regurgitation (MR) was the most common valve lesion 345 (79.7%), followed by mitral stenosis (MS) 160 (37%). According to the severity of lesions, severe MR was 230 (53.1%) patients, followed by severe MS (n=129, 29.8%). The most common complication of RHD depicted in our study were secondary pulmonary hypertension and enlarged left atrium, 23.8% (n=103) and 19.6% (n=85), respectively. In conclusion, in our study majority of RHD patients were females. Both isolated and in combination, MV was the most commonly affected, and mitral regurgitation was the most common valvular lesion. In our study high percentage of patients already had complications at the time of diagnosis.

Background: The association between diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) and pulmonary embolism (PE) is still unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of prothrombotic, proinflammatory markers, and troponin for pulmonary embolism and its complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The retrospective cohort study included 294 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus divided into two groups: (a) the first group with pulmonary embolism (n=165); (b) the control group without pulmonary embolism (n=129). The data were collected from May 2018 to May 2023. In all patients we analyzed: anthropometric parameters, laboratory parameters (troponin, D-dimer, CRP, fibrinogen, uric acid, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides), arterial blood pressure, antiphospholipid antibodies, HOMA-IR index, CT angiography of the pulmonary artery, rate of adverse clinical events in pulmonary embolism (need for inotropic catecholamine support, fibrinolysis, cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and rate of intrahospital mortality from pulmonary embolism. Results: Troponin levels were significantly higher in the PE group compared to the non-PE group (p = 0.002). D-dimer, CRP, uric acid, fibrinogen and HOMA- IR were significantly elevated in the PE group compared to the non-PE group (p < 0.001). Patients with pulmonary embolism in T2DM proved to have significantly more in-hospital death within 10 days of hospital admission (p<0.001), compared to patients with T2DM, without pulmonary embolism. Conclusion : Prothrombotic, proinflammatory markers, and troponin have good prognostic value for short-term outcomes in PE among patients with T2DM.

The Regional Skill Councils Blueprint report aims to facilitate understanding, identifying, and developing 21st-century skills through multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts in region-specific and labour-market-relevant contexts. The report details the modalities and aspects of setting up a successful diverse multi-stakeholder constellation tasked with assessing and developing 21st-century skills guided by the labour market needs, technology trends and any differences stemming from gender. A blueprint for stakeholder engagement is a model for cooperation between higher education institutions and employers, provides a clear roadmap of engagement opportunities and potential action for all involved higher education and industry stakeholders.

Introduction/purpose: Motor vehicles are complex dynamic systems due to spatial displacements, changes in the characteristics of components during their lifetime, a large number of influences and disturbances, the appearance of backlash, friction, hysteresis, etc. The aforementioned dynamic phenomena, especially vibrations, cause driver and passenger fatigue, reduce the lifetime of the vehicle and its systems, etc. Methods: In general, the movement of vehicles is carried out on uneven roads and curvilinear paths in the road. Not only do oscillatory movements cause material fatigue of vehicle parts, but they also have a negative effect on people's health. That is why special attention must be paid to the coordination of the mutual movement of the subsystems, and in particular, the vehicle suspension system, even at the stage of the motor vehicle design. For these purposes, theoretical, experimental or combined methods can be used. Therefore, it is very useful to have the experimental results of the oscillations of the vehicle subsystem in operating conditions, so the aim of this work was to use the movement of the 4x4 drive FAP 1118 vehicle in operating conditions (due to higher speeds - in road conditions) to define the conditions for testing oscillatory loads in laboratory conditions. Results: This is made possible by registering and identifying statistical parameters of registered quantities. Conclusion: Based on the measured data, the research can be programmed on shakers in laboratory conditions, and, at the same time, the size to be reproduced can be chosen as well.

Introduction/purpose: The hydraulic buffering valve has the greatest influence on the dynamic characteristics of power-shift transmission. The hydraulic buffering valve is a transmission element that controls increase in pressure in friction assemblies during the gear shifting process. By choosing the optimal control of pressure increase during shifting, reduction of dynamic loads in gear transmissions and thermal loads in friction assemblies is achieved. Methods: The paper analyzes the principle of one of hydraulic buffering valve solutions as well as the influence of certain parameters on the control of pressure increase. After the analysis of the working principle of the hydraulic buffering valve, a simulation model was developed in the MATLAB/Simulink software package. Results: The results obtained using the simulation model were compared with the experimental results of the selected pressure modulator solution. The selected hydraulic buffering valve was developed as part of the development of a device for power-shift transmission. The simulation results showed a satisfactory match with the experimental results. Conclusion: The developed simulation model enables a relatively easy and quick change of the parameters of the hydraulic buffering valve as well as a possibility of a faster and better understanding of the influence of individual parameters on pressure increase during the gear shifting process.

<jats:p />