Background: Pulmonary Embolism (PE) represents a life-threatening medical emergency that, given the serious complications, requires urgent application of anticoagulant therapy. In addition to other factors that are taken into account when choosing a therapy for treatment of PE, the anatomical distribution of thrombi is also considered–whether it is a central, lobar, segmental or subsegmental PE. D-dimer is an intermediate product of degradation of fibrin molecules and its values in the plasma are increased in the case of PE, but also in other diseases. Objective: To determine whether there is a difference in D-dimer values in subjects with different anatomical distribution of PE. Methods: The study included 100 subjects with diagnosed PE by using MSCT and/or V/P SPECT and with measured values of D-dimer. Results: Out of 100 subjects, PE was not diagnosed in 37 subjects, while 63 subjects PE was diagnosed. All subjects with diagnosed PE were divided into 3 groups regarding the anatomical localization of thrombus: lobar, segmental or subsegmental. Average D-dimer values were calculated for all 3 groups. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in D-dimer values between subjects with different anatomical distribution of PE. Conclusion: There is no significant difference in D-dimer values between subjects with different anatomical distribution od PE–lobar, segmental and subsegmental PE.

Background: The development of medicine and pharmacy in the Bosnia and Herzegovina was marked by different historical periods–first they were settled by the Illyrians and Delmatians, and after them came the Romans, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Objective: The aims of this article are to show, based on the available literature: a) The development of medicine and pharmacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the medieval period until the Second World War; b) The most significant historical events that marked the development of medicine and pharmacy in the areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina; c) Methods of treatment, medicinal forms and preparations that were used in the mentioned period. Methods: The subject of this study was the development of medicine and pharmacy in the areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 14th century until the Second World War. In order to achieve the set goals, a) Retreival of professional and scientific literature and b) Search of scientific databases and web pages on the Internet that offer adequate and relevant data and historical facts related to the subject of studies were carried out. Most of the facts are covered in previously published articles by the author and deposited in the PubMed and PubMed Central databases, as well as in books and monographs by the author of this text. Results and Discussion: In the Middle Ages, folk medicine was present, in which herbalists looked for medicines in certain plant and animal species. In the 13th century, Bosnia was settled by the Franciscans, who permanently marked the development of medicine and pharmacy. They are educated at prestigious universities abroad, from where they bring their knowledge, skills and recipes and write them in books, which are called ljekaruse (medicine books). Every historical period brought some changes for medicine and pharmacy, so the Ottoman Empire brought customs of frequent cleaning, public fountains and hammams were built. During the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the first hospitals and pharmacies were established, and laws on pharmacy activity were introduced. Written documents on the history of the medicine and pharmacy development in Bosnia and Herzegovina are mostly found in the libraries of monasteries, and a significant number of them are also in the libraries of madrasas, and the National and University Librarie in Sarajevo and the library of former Institute of Hygiene in Sarajevo. Conclusion: In connection with the medical and pharmacy practice of the Bosnian Franciscans, the question of the various medical records that they created, which helped them in their health efforts, stands out. First of all, we are talking about numerous medicinal books, so called ”ljekaruse”. On the soil of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were many such “ljekarusa” who mostly grew up at the sources of national experience. In those books, the recipes are mostly based on the use of medicinal herbs. Historians of medicine believe that these medicinal books represent the cultural and historical significance of our regions.

Background: The Organized health care during Ottoman Empire was poor, and the population of Bosnia looked to the clergy of all denominations, among which the Franciscans play a significant role, for a cure for their ailments, both mental and physical. The Franciscan motto of living, not only for yourself but also for others was, also, reflected in the Bosnian Franciscans’ provision of medical services to people. Objective: The aim of this article was to show, based on the available literature, the development of medicine and pharmacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the medieval period until the Second World War with description methods of treatment, medicinal forms and preparations that were used in the mentioned period. Methods: The subject of this study was the development of medicine and pharmacy in the areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 14th century until the Second World War. In order to achieve the set goals, a) Retreival of professional and scientific literature and b) Search of scientific databases and web pages on the Internet that offer adequate and relevant data and historical facts related to the subject of studies were carried out. Most of the facts are covered in previously published articles by the author and deposited in the PubMed and PubMed Central databases, as well as in books and monographs by the author of this text. Results and Discussion: In the Middle Ages, folk medicine was present, in which herbalists looked for medicines in certain plant and animal species. In the 13th century, Bosnia was settled by the Franciscans, who permanently marked the development of medicine and pharmacy. They are educated at prestigious universities abroad, from where they bring their knowledge, skills and recipes and write them in books, which are called ljekaruse (medicine books). Every historical period brought some changes for medicine and pharmacy, so the Ottoman Empire brought customs of frequent cleaning, public fountains and hammams were built. During the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the first hospitals and pharmacies were established, and laws on pharmacy activity were introduced. Written documents on the history of the medicine and pharmacy development in Bosnia and Herzegovina are mostly found in the libraries of monasteries, and a significant number of them are also in the libraries of madrasas, and the National and University Librarie in Sarajevo and the former Institute of Hygiene in Sarajevo. Conclusion: In connection with the medical and pharmacy practice of the Bosnian Franciscans, the question of the various medical records that they created, which helped them in their health efforts, stands out. First of all, we are talking about numerous medicinal books, so called ”ljekaruse”. On the soil of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were many such “ljekarusa” who mostly grew up at the sources of national experience. In those books, the recipes are mostly based on the use of medicinal herbs. Historians of medicine believe that these medicinal books represent the cultural and historical significance of our regions

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.

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.

The authors analyse the peculiarities of contracting in the business of vessel leasing in the Republic of Croatia and its relation to other movable properties. General business conditions as part of the vessel leasing contract are the focus of this research. In the paper, the authors examine different approaches of leasing companies in relation to the specifics of the vessel, as an object of leasing, which, through the general conditions of business, determine the specific rights and obligations of the leasing provider and receiver. A critical review is given of the various solutions that are prescribed by leasing companies in the Republic of Croatia through the general terms of business. For a complete analysis of the scope of the parties in the contracting process, the legal framework of the leasing contract is analysed beforehand.

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.