This paper aims to systematically present existing research on cognitive and executive functions, speech and auditory perception, language, literacy, and academic development, and cross-modal reorganization in children with CIs. The methodology included a systematic search of databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) using keywords related to cognition and CIs. After eliminating duplicates and applying inclusion criteria, an analysis was conducted of relevant references published from 2015 to the present, which were analyzed both in tables and narratively. Research confirms that the cognitive development of children with CIs depends on auditory input and the brain’s ability to integrate information from different sensory modalities. Multisensory and interactive approaches to rehabilitation have the potential to enhance cognitive development and should be further researched and applied in practice.

U ovom radu analizira se odnos socijalne politike prema civilnim žrtvama rata i njihova međusobna korelacija u Bosni i Hercegovini. Krajnji cilj je doći do odgovora na pitanja kako odgovoriti potrebama civilnih žrtava rata kroz kvalitetnu socijalnu politiku u Bosni i Hercegovini. U ostvarivanju socijalne pravde, socijalnih prava, smanjivanju društvene nejednakosti i općoj humanizaciji društva u Bosni i Hercegovini posebnu ulogu ima upravo socijalna politika. S tim u vezi primjenu socijalnih politika u području brige i zaštite civilnih žrtava rata sve više pažnje usmjeravaju na deinstitucionalizaciju i tako nastoje da trendovi u brizi o civilnim žrtvama rata idu prema zbrinjavanju ne na državnom nivou, nego na nivou lokalne zajednice. Ono što bi moglo biti jedno od rješenja ili državnih strateških pravaca jeste razvijanje različitih modela podrške, uz podršku njima najbližih osoba, odnosno podrška primarne socijalne mreže uz podršku države. Činjenica je da se naše društvo mora suočiti sa izazovom kreiranja sistema koji će biti prilagođen i u skladu s potrebama kategorije civilnih žrtava rata. Važan preduslov za poboljšanje statusa i brige o civilnim žrtvama rata jeste kroz primjenu kvalitetne i zakonom utvrđene socijalne politike. Odnos socijalne politike prema kategoriji civilnih žrtava rata je vrlo prisan, samom činjenicom jer se ona bavi raznim društvenim segmentima, a civilne žrtve rata su upravo jedna od najugroženijih društvenih kategorija čija ljudska, socijalna i druga prava, bi se trebala početi primjenjivati onako kako to nalažu i međunarodne konvencije koje su sastavni dio socijalne politike, a ne biti samo mrtvo slovo na papiru.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) occupies a dominant transformational position in a wide range of fields, including education, business, law, medicine, rehabilitation – among others. Despite the controversies regarding the use and abuse of this technology, it is possible for professionals, especially those in education, to reap its benefits for instruction, research, and administrative endeavors. Keeping in mind the ethical concerns and the current limitations of the system, AI can provide substantial assistance to, for example, teachers, students, and scholars. Setting aside fears of this technology, teachers can save time and become more efficient and productive with their administrative and instructional tasks. Teachers can also use AI to improve the academic, communication, and social skills of students, including—and especially--students in special education programs. Students can learn to use AI independently; in fact, AI can help students to become autonomous and critical seekers of knowledge. After highlighting some challenges of using AI, the present manuscript discusses a few benefits of AI for children and adolescence who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh). The manuscript also contains recommendations for teacher education and future research endeavors.

Introduction: Cognitive impairment is the most common neurological disorder associated with brain tumors, which leads to linguistic communication damage. Anxiety and depression are among the most prevalent psychiatric comorbidities in this population. Objectives: To determine the level of cognitive functioning, anxiety, and depression in patients with intracranial tumors with and without aphasia. Subjects and methods: A prospective study was conducted on 91 patients with verified brain tumors which were hospitalized at the Clinic for Neurosurgery for one year period. The patients were assessed with Mini Mental State Examination, Beck’s depression inventory, and Beck’s anxiety inventory. The type and severity of aphasia were determined by the Boston Aphasia Test. Results: The highest number of patients, a total of 31 (37.3%), had moderate anxiety disorder. 30 patients (36.1%) had shown symptoms of moderate depression, and 33 (39.7%) had shown mild and moderate cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion: Anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction were significantly more pronounced in subjects with aphasia.

To evaluate clinical characteristics and outcomes of urgent bronchoscopies due to foreign body aspiration (FBA), we analyzed cases from January 1954 to December 2021. The study included children up to 14 years of age who underwent emergency bronchoscopy on suspicion of a foreign body in the lower respiratory tract. Each patient was assessed for age, sex, nature and location of the foreign body, bronchoscopy findings, complications, and airway involvement. A total of 889 children underwent urgent bronchoscopy over 67 years. Most cases (66.7%) occurred within the first three years of life, and 10.6% involved children under one year of age. Recently, a marked decrease in positive findings in infants has been observed. Boys represented 62.5% of cases. Organic foreign bodies, predominantly pumpkin seeds, were most common. The right bronchus was the predominant location (51%). In the most recent period, multiple-location foreign bodies became more frequent. Both the annual number of bronchoscopies and the proportion of positive findings have declined. During the COVID-19 pandemic, suspicion of FBA and the number of bronchoscopies significantly decreased.

Sitagliptin is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor used to treat type 2 diabetes. However, several studies have demonstrated its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sitagliptin on the functional and phenotypic properties of human neutrophils under normal (NG, 5.5 mM)- and high (HG, 22 mM)-glucose conditions in vitro. Neutrophils were pretreated with varying concentrations of sitagliptin and stimulated with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (fMLP), calcium ionophore (CaI), or opsonized zymosan (OpZym). Survival, phenotypic, and functional characteristics were then assessed. Our results showed that sitagliptin was non-cytotoxic to neutrophils even at very high concentrations. It decreased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), generally following a stimulus- and concentration-dependent pattern. The effect was more pronounced under HG conditions. Furthermore, sitagliptin showed a significant ROS-scavenging effect in a cell-free system. It also rapidly altered the expression of surface markers in both resting and fMLP-stimulated neutrophils, typically upregulating CD10, CD16, CD62L, CD63, CD88, CD89, and PD-L1, and downregulating CD11b/CD18, CD66b, and CD182, a phenotype consistent with a dampened, less-primed activation state of these cells. In conclusion, sitagliptin exhibited marked antioxidative/ROS-scavenging activity in neutrophil cultures and induced a coordinated shift in neutrophil phenotype, accompanied by suppression of NETosis under both NG and HG conditions. Collectively, these data support the view that neutrophils may constitute an additional cellular target contributing to sitagliptin’s anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory profile.

Objective To compare cognitive profiles and dementia severity among older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), with and without ischemic stroke (IS), and to evaluate the contribution of vascular burden to global cognitive status. Methods This cross-sectional clinical study included 124 patients aged ≥55 years who were stratified into three groups: AF without IS (n = 50), AF with IS (n = 25), and IS without AF (n = 49). Global cognitive status was assessed using ordinal categories derived from the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Attention and working memory were additionally evaluated using the Information-Memory-Concentration (IMC) test derived from the Blessed Dementia Scale. Vascular burden was assessed using the Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS). Group differences were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests, and predictors of worse cognitive status were examined using ordinal logistic regression. Results Patients with combined AF and IS demonstrated a trend toward a less favorable cognitive profile and higher vascular burden compared with patients with AF alone or IS alone. The proportion of female participants differed significantly across groups (p = 0.022), whereas age category and educational level were comparable. In multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis, higher Hachinski Ischemic Score independently predicted worse global cognitive status (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.42–2.25; p < 0.001) after adjustment for age, sex, education, and major vascular risk factors. Conclusions Vascular burden plays an important role in cognitive impairment among older patients with atrial fibrillation, particularly when accompanied by ischemic stroke. Incorporating vascular burden assessment into routine clinical evaluation may facilitate earlier recognition and characterization of cognitive impairment in aging populations.

Simple Summary The virus responsible for COVID-19 can affect multiple animal species, including wildlife. In this study, we tested, by commercial ELISA, blood samples from red foxes and golden jackals in Serbia for IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Antibodies were detected in both species, with a seroprevalence of 13.3% in red foxes and 7.3% in golden jackals (overall seroprevalence: 10.3%). All the samples were tested in parallel by an in-house adapted ELISA. These results provide the first evidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in wild canids in Serbia. Monitoring pathogens in wildlife improves our understanding of disease ecology and supports early recognition of potential zoonotic risks.

Background This study explored whether tumor regression following neoadjuvant therapy can be used as a reliable indicator of surgical operability in patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods A retrospective cohort analysis was performed, including patients with stage IIIA NSCLC treated at a tertiary thoracic surgery center. Patients were categorized according to treatment approach: induction therapy followed by surgery or primary surgical management. Treatment response was assessed using imaging findings, pathological staging changes, residual tumor burden, and lymph node status. Surgical feasibility and perioperative outcomes were evaluated. Statistical significance was defined at p<0.05. Results Patients receiving induction therapy demonstrated greater tumor reduction, higher rates of mediastinal nodal regression, and more frequent complete pathological response. Complete (R0) resection was achieved more often in this group. Tumor regression and nodal response were identified as independent predictors of surgical feasibility. Postoperative complication rates and mortality did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusion Tumor response after neoadjuvant therapy is closely associated with surgical operability in stage IIIA NSCLC. Response-based selection may improve resectability without increasing perioperative risk.

The search for new anticancer agents with improved efficacy and reduced toxicity has intensified interest in metal-based compounds. In this study, two novel palladium(II) complexes, synthesized from Schiff base ligands derived from 5-chloro-salicylaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzylamine or tyramine, were chemically characterized and biologically evaluated. Both complexes exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with Pd2 showing slightly higher potency. Morphological analysis of treated cells indicated that apoptosis is the predominant mechanism of cell death. To gain deeper insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the observed anticancer activity, several biologically relevant targets were investigated. Enzyme kinetics revealed that the complexes act as uncompetitive inhibitors of liver catalase, suggesting a possible role in the induction of oxidative stress. Fluorescence studies demonstrated that Pd2 interacts with CT-DNA through combined intercalative and minor groove binding modes and exhibits significant binding affinity toward human serum albumin, predominantly at Sudlow’s site I. Molecular docking analysis further supported favorable interactions with catalase, estrogen receptor α, and B-form DNA, providing structural insight into the experimentally observed biological effects. Overall, the study explores multiple potential mechanisms of anticancer action, underscoring the promising therapeutic potential of these palladium(II) complexes, while antitumor activity has been initially assessed using a MCF-7 cell line as a preliminary model.

Autori u radu pišu o političkoj situaciji u Banja Luci od 1990. do kraja 1992. godine. To je period od održavanja prvih višestranačkih izbora do perioda intenzivne kampanje protjerivanja i masovnih zločina u Banja Luci. Osim osvrta na rezultate izbora 1990., demografska slika opštine prema popisu stanovništva u Bosni i Hercegovini 1991. godine imala je veoma važnu ulogu u odnosu prema brojčano manjinskim narodima. U Banja Luci i cijeloj Bosanskoj krajini već su 1991. godine bile vidljive refleksije agresije Jugoslovenske narodne armije (JNA) na Hrvatsku, što je dovelo do zaoštravanja međunacionalnih odnosa. Izbijanjem agresije na Republiku Bosnu i Hercegovinu 1992. godine počinjeni su masovni zločini nad banjalučkim civilima bošnjačke i hrvatske nacionalnosti od strane Vojske Srpske Republike BiH (VSrRBiH) / Vojske Republike Srpske (VRS) i pripadnika policijskih struktura pri Ministarstvu unutrašnjih poslova (MUP) SrRBiH/RS. Terorisanje, zločini, prisilno odvođenje u logore i druga mjesta zatočenja te progon nad pripadnicima ova dva naroda nastavljeni su i nakon 1992. godine o čemu govore relevantni dokumenti i svjedočenja očevidaca.

Abstract Congenital intrinsic obstruction at or near the duodenojejunal junction is exceptionally rare and most commonly results from incomplete embryonic recanalization, leading to the formation of a mucosal web. We report a 7-day-old term male neonate (birth weight 3350 g) who presented with persistent feeding intolerance and intermittent bilious vomiting since birth. Abdominal radiography showed marked dilation of the stomach and duodenum with distal bowel gas. An upper gastrointestinal contrast study revealed a conical narrowing at the duodenojejunal junction. Surgical exploration revealed a mucosal web located immediately distal to the duodenojejunal junction. Given the marked luminal disparity, simple web excision was deemed inadequate, and segmental resection with primary end-to-end jejunojejunal anastomosis was performed. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Proximal jejunal webs near the duodenojejunal junction are rare but surgically correctable causes of neonatal bilious vomiting and should be considered in the differential diagnosis.