Abstract Glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme, is an aggressive type of cancer that is made up of abnormal astrocytic cells, but also contain a mixture of different cell types (including blood vessels) and areas of necrosis. It is often seen in the brain and spinal cord, but glioblastomas are rarely found in the third ventricle. In this case, it was diagnosed in a 22-year-old male patient and we intended to draw attention to its atypical localization and surgical access to this third ventricle glioblastoma.

Two-wave with diffuse power (TWDP) is one of the most promising models for description of a small-scale fading effects in the emerging wireless networks. However, its conventional parameterization based on parameters K and Δ is not in line with model’s underlying physical mechanisms. Accordingly, in this paper, we first identified anomalies related to usage of conventional TWDP parameterization in moment-based estimation, showing that the existing Δ-based estimators are unable to provide meaningful estimates in some channel conditions. Then, we derived moment-based estimators of recently introduced physically justified TWDP parameters K and Γ and analyzed their performance through asymptotic variance (AsV) and Cramer–Rao bound (CRB) metrics. Performed analysis has shown that Γ-based estimators managed to overcome all anomalies observed for Δ-based estimators, simultaneously improving the overall moment-based estimation accuracy.

Background Vancomycin is associated with disruption of the indigenous microbiota, potentially predisposing patients to overgrowth of endogenous pathogens. Our objective was to determine whether high-dose oral vancomycin is associated with cultures growing gram-negative organisms in adult patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of 632 adult patients with CDI from January 2015 to December 2017. The primary outcome was prevalence of cultures growing gram-negative organisms within 6 months after onset of the first episode of CDI. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of the outcome. Results One hundred fifty-three patients (24.2%) had cultures growing gram-negative organisms after onset of CDI, where urine (97, 63.4%) and blood (27, 17.7%) were the most common sources. The most commonly isolated gram-negative organisms were Escherichia coli (49, 32.0%) and Klebsiella species (34, 22.2%). A total of 38 (38/100, 38.0%) and 48 (48/199, 24.1%) of the patients who received high- and standard-dose oral vancomycin, respectively, had gram-negative organism growth on culture (odds ratio [OR], 2.22, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–3.5; P = 0.02). The multivariate analysis showed that high-dose oral vancomycin (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.29–3.79; P = 0.004) and recent use of antibiotic therapy within 3 months (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.27–3.52; P = 0.004) were associated with positive cultures growing gram-negative organisms. Conclusions High-dose oral vancomycin therapy for CDI was associated with increased risk of gram-negative organisms probably throughout disruption of the indigenous microbiota.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to establish an evidence-based guideline for the antibiotic treatment of Corynebacterium striatum infections. Several electronic databases were systematically searched for clinical trials, observational studies or individual cases on patients of any age and gender with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, harboring C. striatum isolated from body fluids or tissues in which it is not normally present. C. striatum had to be identified as the only causative agent of the invasive infection, and its isolation from blood, body fluids or tissues had to be confirmed by one of the more advanced diagnostic methods (biochemical methods, mass spectrometry and/or gene sequencing). This systematic review included 42 studies that analyzed 85 individual cases with various invasive infections caused by C. striatum. More than one isolate of C. striatum exhibited 100% susceptibility to vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, piperacillin-tazobactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefuroxime. On the other hand, some strains of this bacterium showed a high degree of resistance to fluoroquinolones, to the majority majority of β-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, lincosamides and cotrimoxazole. Despite the antibiotic treatment, fatal outcomes were reported in almost 20% of the patients included in this study. Gene sequencing methods should be the gold standard for the identification of C. striatum, while MALDI-TOF and the Vitek system can be used as alternative methods. Vancomycin should be used as the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of C. striatum infections, in monotherapy or in combination with piperacillin-tazobactam. Alternatively, linezolid, teicoplanin or daptomycin may be used in severe infections, while amoxicillin-clavulanate may be used to treat mild infections caused by C. striatum.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the safety and efficiency of a strategy employing the limit of detection (LoD) of high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) as a gatekeeper for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in the emergency department (ED). Methods: We included suspected ACS patients who underwent CCTA and were evaluated with hs-TnT. Patients were categorized as below the LoD and at or above the LoD. The primary outcome was 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), defined as all-cause mortality, ACS, or coronary revascularization. Results: The study population consisted of 177 patients (mean age 55 ± 10 years, 50.3% women), and 16 (9.0%) patients reached the primary outcome. None of the patients died, while 13 had an adjudicated diagnosis of ACS, and 3 underwent elective coronary revascularization. There were 77 patients (44%) with an hs-TnT value below the LoD (MACEs; n = 1 [1.3%]) and 100 (56%) with at or above the LoD levels (MACEs; n = 15 [15%]). None of 67 patients with an hs-TnT value below the LoD and <50% stenosis on CCTA experienced MACEs. Out of the 10 patients with an hs-TnT value below the LoD and ≥50% stenosis on CCTA, 1 patient underwent elective percutaneous coronary revascularization. In patients with an hs-TnT value at or above the LoD, 74 patients had <50% stenosis on CCTA, and 2 patients (3%) were diagnosed with myocardial infarction without obstructive coronary artery disease confirmed on invasive angiography. Thirteen (50%) patients with an hs-TnT value at or above the LoD and ≥50% stenosis on CCTA experienced MACEs (11 ACS and 2 elective percutaneous coronary revascularizations). Conclusion: Our findings support that implementing the LoD of hs-TnT as a gatekeeper may reduce the need for CCTA in suspected ACS patients in the ED.

The “Tendinitis of Achilles tendon” (TAT) or "Achilles tendon ruptures" (ATR) symptom is a very delicate problem which needs to be solved as soon as the first symptoms appear. It is necessary to conduct a correct anamnesis of the problem, to determine the diagnosis and method of treatment, as well as the introduction of controlled exercises that can contribute to a faster recovery so that the sportsman, an athlete can bring their body to its form and continue training and competition. Athletes often develop inflammation of tendons called tendinitis. This disease can affect only the tendon or tendon wrap or both at the same time. In the case of isolated inflammation of the tendon wrap, what hap-pens is swelling and thickening, which makes sliding (moving) of the tendon within its shell difficult, causing creaking or cracking (crepitation). The most common locus of inflammation of the tendon is on the back side of the lower half of the forearm and lower leg. Tendinopathy of Achilles tendon predominantly occurs in the jumpers (long jump, triple jump), javelin throwers, runners on tracks from 200m to 1500m and long-distance runners.

This paper presents an analysis of water flow and flow velocity in an open channel of rectangular cross section as a function of channel roughness, ie Manning roughness coefficient. Three different cases of finishing the open channel of rectangular cross-section were analyzed, namely the concrete channel, the channel with smoothed cement mortar and the channel in very poor condition with shore erosion overgrown with sedges and large stones at the bottom of the channel.

Estimating the system state is a non-trivial task given a large set of measurements, fuelling the ongoing research attempts to find efficient, scalable and fast state estimation (SE) algorithms. The centralised SE becomes impractical for large-scale systems, particularly if the measurements are spatially distributed across wide geographical areas. Dividing the large-scale systems into clusters (i.e., subsystems) and distributing the computation across clusters, solves the constraints of a centralised based approach. In such scenarios, using distributed SE methods brings many advantages over the centralised approaches. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed method to solve the linear SE model by combining local solutions obtained by applying weighted least-squares (WLS) of the given subsystems with the Gaussian belief propagation (GBP) algorithm. The proposed method is based on the factor graph operating without a central coordinator, where subsystems exchange only “beliefs”, thus preserving the privacy of the measurement data and state variables. Further, we propose an approach to speed-up evaluation of the local solutions upon arrival of new information to the subsystem. Finally, the proposed algorithm reaches the accuracy of the centralised WLS solution in a few iterations and outperforms the vanilla GBP algorithm with respect to its convergence properties.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the morphometric characteristics, length-weight relationship and condition factor of pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) from three reservoirs (Modrac, Vidara and Sniježnica) from the area of north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The total sample was 61 individuals. The following morphometric parameters were measured: total length, standard length, forked length, head length, mouth width, mouth height, first gill arch length, intestine length and body mass. Length-weight relationship was described by the equation: W=a TLb. Fulton’s condition factor (K) was determined using the equation: K=100 (W/L3). Statistical analysis was performed using the ANOVA to determine differences in morphometric characteristics of individuals between the sites (populations). L. gibbosus from all three populations showed positive allometric growth, and the highest value of condition factor was fish from the reservoir Vidara. In accordance with this result, most of the morphometric characteristics of individuals from the reservoir Vidara were significantly higher compared to individuals from Modrac and Sniježnica reservoirs. This result leads to the conclusion that the L. gibbosus adapted best in Vidara reservoir.

Dairy cattle breeding is one of the most important branches of livestock production, which has been facing, for several decades, the chronic problem of declining reproductive performance. In 2005, the number of cattle worldwide was about 1,370,000,000, while in 2015 that number dropped below one billion, and in 2021 it shows a slight recovery as it was 1,000,970. This indicates the importance of applying different reproductive protocols in order to increase the number of cows in production. The type of bedding on which the animals stay, as well as the characteristics of the lying area itself, shows a significant impact on numerous physiological functions such as food intake, chewing, milk yield, but also levels of sex hormones. The type of bedding and lying area, which causes chronic pain and stress, leads to disorders of physiological and reproductive processes, since stress has direct negative impact on numerous cellular functions. A total of 66 dairy cows, 50 Holstein-Friesian cows kept on PD Butmir and 16 Simmental cows kept on a private mini farm, were included in the study. At PD Butmir, cows were kept in tie-stall housing system, while on a mini-farm they were kept free. Hormonal protocols of estrus and ovulation synchronization were used in April, May and June 2019. Cows were subjected to two estrus synchronization and ovulation protocols, Ovsynch and Cosynch72. At PD Butmir, 25 cows were subjected to Ovsynch and Cosynch72 protocols, respectively. At the mini-farm only Ovsynch protocol was applied. The Ovsynch protocol applied on PD Butmir had success in conception rate of 12% (n = 3), while the Cosynch72 protocol gave a score of 36% (n = 9). On the mini-farm, Ovsynch resulted in a conception of 25% (n = 4). Based on our results, the Cosynch72 protocol, compared to the Ovsynch protocol, was a better choice in the case of Holstein-Friesian cows kept in the tie-stall housing system. In the Simmental cows kept in the free stall system, the Ovsynch protocol proved to be better choice in achieving conception, compared to the Holstein-Friesian cows. Therefore, it is necessary to test several different protocols of estrus and ovulation synchronization, in order to find the most optimal one for a certain breed, type of keeping and breeding.

There is no doubt that milk and dairy products have a high nutritional value. However, their current consumption is increasingly dependent on their dietary and health properties. It is noticeable that in recent years, increasing popularity is given to those dairy products that have a positive effect on the human body. The aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid composition of sheep's milk from the area of Livno and Travnik (Vlašić), with special reference to the content of bioactive fatty acids that have a positive effect on human health. The fatty acid composition of the tested milk samples was specific due to the content of fatty acids which have been proven to have an extremely beneficial effect on human health. Concentrations of most bioactive fatty acids varied between areas, and the differences were statistically significant for arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic, and rumenic. Milk samples from the tested areas had an almost ideal ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids, which makes them very favorable foods from a health point of view.