Abstract Lavender and immortelle essential oils (EOs) are widely used to treat a spectrum of human conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate cyto/genotoxic effects of lavender and immortelle EOs using plant cells (Allium cepa) and human lymphocytes, as well as their antimicrobial potential using nine strains of bacteria and fungi. Our results for lavender and immortelle EOs showed that the frequency of chromosome aberrations (CAs) was increased in comparison with controls. For both oils, increased frequency of apoptosis for all concentrations, as well as the frequency of necrosis (0.10/0.30 µl/ml for lavender/immortelle, respectively) was demonstrated. In human lymphocytes, differences for minute fragments between immortelle oil (0.10 µl/ml) and controls were observed. Increased frequency of apoptosis was detected for immortelle oil (0.20 µl/ml), while both oils (0.20; 0.30 µl/ml lavender, and immortelle at all concentrations) induced higher frequency of necrosis in comparison with controls. Lavender EO was effective against all tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while immortelle EO inhibited only Gram-positive bacteria. Both oils exhibited antifungal effect. Our results demonstrated that lavender and immortelle EOs showed cyto/genotoxic effects in both, plant and human cells, as well as antimicrobial properties. Further studies are needed to strengthen these findings.

Background: Atrial septal abnormalities are common congenital lesions remaining asymptomatic until adulthood in a great number of patients. The most frequent atrial septal defects in adults are ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD). Complications from untreated, hemodynamically significant ASD are atrial arrhythmia, paradoxical embolization, Eisenmenger’s syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular failure. Objective: We present a case report of secundum ASD in adult female patient who underwent transcatheter device closure with Amplatzer occluder. Methods and Results: The case of female Bosnian patient 50 years old who lives in Belgium for 20 years ago and during her visit to Bosnia she came to our polyclinic for cardiological exam. Echocardiographic exam showed enlargement of left atrium (LAD 51mm), right atrium and ventricle (RAD 46mm, RVd 33mm), atrial septal defect 9mm with left right shunt Qp:Qs 2,3:1. Several months later transcatheter device closure with Amplatzer occluder was performed and subsequent symptomatic improvement reported after closure. Conclusion: Echocardiography has superior role for precise evaluation of ASD type secundum who are suitable for transcatheter device closure as primary treatment option. Transcatheter techniques has now become preferable to surgical repair and provide valid option of treatment for this type of CHD.

Background and Objectives: This paper aims to show whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity increases the level of systemic inflammation markers regardless of body mass index (BMI) and body composition. Materials and Methods: In total, 128 patients with OSA were included in the study. Examinees were divided into two groups: one with mild OSA (apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) < 15) and one with moderate and severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15). Nutritional status was assessed using body mass index, body composition by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Systemic inflammation was assessed on the basis of plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: We found elevated mean values of the evaluated systemic inflammation markers (CRP, TNF-α, IL-6) in a group with AHI ≥ 15, although there was no statistical significance. Our research found a significant positive correlation with BMI (r = 0.633, p < 0.001), as well as with body fat percentage (r = 0.450, p = 0.024) and serum CRP values. Significant correlation was found between the plasma IL-6 concentration and body fat percentage (FM%) (r = 0.579, p = 0.003) and lean body mass (r = −0.501, p = 0.013). Multivariate regression analysis did not show any independent predictor (parameters of OSA, nutritional status, body composition) of the systemic inflammation markers. Conclusions: Neither one tested parameter (nutritional status and body composition) of the severity of OSA was identified as an independent prognostic factor for the severity of systemic inflammation in patients with OSA.

SUMMARY Research background Numerous factors affect the ripening of reduced-fat white cheese. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of ripening environment (brine or vacuum plastic bags without brine) on the chemical composition, protein, fatty acid profile and mineral content as well as antioxidant properties of industrially produced reduced-fat white cheese. Experimental approach A low-fat white cheese was manufactured on an industrial scale from milk that remained after the production of kajmak and ripened for 60 days at 4 °C after packaging in a polystyrene container with brine containing 6% salt or in vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags. The influence of ripening environment on proteolysis was monitored by the change of soluble nitrogen fractions as well as by sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane-HCl extracts of cheese proteins under non-reducing conditions and water-soluble fractions under reducing conditions. An effect that ripening environment had on fatty acid and mineral content was also monitored. The change of antioxidant potential of the investigated cheese during ripening led to the change of iron(II) chelating ability, reducing power and free-radical scavenging activity. Results and conclusions The ripening environment differently affected proteolysis, fatty acid composition, mineral profile and antioxidant properties of reduced-fat white cheese. White cheese ripened in brine had more intensive proteolytic changes than the cheese ripened in a vacuum, but also more intensive diffusion processes, especially between the 40th and 60th day of ripening. The brine-ripened cheese had higher values of water-soluble nitrogen content, but lower contents of trichloroacetic acid-soluble and phosphotungstic acid-soluble nitrogen than the vacuum-ripened cheese. Cheese ripened in brine had a lower content of almost all investigated macro- and microelements. After 60 days of ripening, in cheese ripened in brine only myristic (C14:0) and palmitic acid (C16:0) were detected, whereas in the vacuum-ripened cheese C10:0-C16:0 fatty acids dominated. Vacuum-ripened reduced-fat cheese had more favourable reducing power, while white brined reduced-fat cheese had better radical scavenging activity and iron(II) chelating activity. Novelty and scientific contribution These results suggest significant influence of ripening conditions (immersion in brine or in vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags) on nutritive and functional properties of reduced-fat white cheese. Ripening in a vacuum has become a useful method for obtaining high-value reduced-fat white cheese.

Adopting AI as a technology that solves a particular problem (i.e., meets an architectural driver) is a significant architectural decision. Existing techniques for adequacy assessment of architectural decisions often fail to predict effects of adopting complex technologies such is AI. In this paper, we argue that the reason for this is that they fail to capture the level of knowledge that architects have about a complex technology that they aim to adopt, making the discussion about it difficult and adequacy check prone to mistakes. To solve these issues, we introduce an approach that instructs architects to decompose complex drivers for adopting new technologies according to properties of the technology, and to explicitly assess knowledge that architects have about each of those properties. In order to do so, we present a template that explicitly captures the level of knowledge that architects have about important AI properties, which serve as new requirements exposing the influence of adopting AI on software system. Through evaluation, we have demonstrated that our approach successfully complements existing adequacy assessment techniques and is able to expose influences of adopting new complex technologies on underlying software architecture.

Software development ecosystems vary significantly among different industrial domains. Therefore, it is challenging to establish quality assurance processes that can be deployed seamlessly to multiple domains. In this paper, we extend our previous work on performance and scalability assessment by identifying the architecture variability points in our PPTAM tooling infrastructure. The goal is to design a modifiable software architecture that enables low cost deployment of our performance and scalability assessment approach. We present the scalability assessment context, architecture modifiability, and lessons learned that were derived from our experience with scalability assessment in several business domains. Specifically, we describe our experience with the application of the proposed approach to a large complex telecom system at Ericsson.

In order to ensure a quality welded joint, and thus safe operation and high reliability of the welded part or structure achieved by friction stir welding, it is necessary to select the optimal welding parameters. The parameters of friction stir welding significantly affect the structure of the welded joint, and thus the mechanical properties of the welded joint. Investigation of the influence of friction stir welding parameters was performed on 6-mm thick plates of aluminum alloy AA2024 T351. The quality of the welded joint is predominantly influenced by the tool rotation speed n and the welding speed v. In this research, constant tool rotation speed was adopted n = 750 rpm, and the welding speed was varied (v = 73, 116 and 150 mm/min). By the visual method and radiographic examination, imperfections of the face and roots of the welded specimens were not found. This paper presents the performed experimental tests of the macro and microstructure of welded joints, followed by tests of micro hardness and fracture behavior of Friction Stir Welded AA2024-T351 joints. It can be concluded that the welding speed of v = 116 mm/min is favorable with regard to the fracture behavior of the analysed FSW-joint.

SUMMARY The aim of the study was to determine attitudes towards and habits in oral health of adolescents in Herzegovina, as well as to evaluate the possible differences in habits among individuals of different adolescent categories. The study included 120 participants (35 male and 85 female) divided into three adolescent categories, as follows: early (11-14 years of age), middle (15-18 years) and late (19-21 years) adolescence, from the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, who presented for dental examination. All participants completed the socio-demographic questionnaire and standardized Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI). The answers provided by study adolescents in the HU-DBI showed statistically significant differences among particular age groups, i.e. between early and middle adolescence in items 7 (p=0.046) and 15 (p=0.007); between middle and late adolescence in items 8 (p=0.021), 11 (p=0.04) and 12 (p=0.027); and between middle and late adolescence in item 11 (p=0.032). Respondents in middle adolescence had poorer oral hygiene attitudes than those in early and late adolescence. In order to improve the oral hygiene habits of adolescents in Herzegovina, it is necessary to put emphasis on continuous education about oral hygiene habits during their secondary education.

Background: The organization of health care system on Cantonal level with the coordination from Federal level represents a real situation with the possibility of decentralization of health care system according to the experiences of developed countries. Objective. To make an overview of the situation at the primary and hospital health care level with the aim of assessing the existing human resources and capacity of health care institutions in FB&H, with which we entered in COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. This retrospective study presents the efficiency of health care in FB&H measured by number of medical doctors, and other medical staff during the time period of five years. Data of the Institute for Public Health FB&H were used. The Institute for Public Health FB&H is authorised by the law to conduct and implement statistical research in the field of health care in line with relevant laws and by-laws. The Institute is obliged to report on organisational structure, human resources and medical equipment. Results. Presented data include the number of health care employees in medical institutions in FB&H in the period 2015-2019 per 100,000 inhabitants and their numbers in primary health care, family medicine, secondary and tertiary level of health care in 2019. The study also presents the number of doctors of medicine, specialists and medical residents in FB&H, the number of nurses of all profiles and levels of education as well as medical staff and other employees in the public health care system in FB&H in 2019. Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic in FB&H has confirmed the fact that human resources in health care are insufficient, especially in the field of public health and epidemiology. The availability of these health facilities and human resource is not uniform throughout the FB&H, which may affect the capacity of the health system in some parts of the FB&H to meet the needs of providing services during COVID-19 pandemic.

The phenolic composition, as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two poorly investigated Achillea species, Achillea lingulata Waldst. and the endemic Achillea abrotanoides Vis., were studied. To obtain a more detailed phytochemical profile, four solvents with different polarities were used for the preparation of the plant extracts whose phenolic composition was analyzed using UHPLC-MS/MS (ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). The results indicate that both of the investigated Achillea species are very rich in both phenolic acids and flavonoids, but that their profiles differ significantly. Chloroform extracts from both species had the highest yields and were the most chemically versatile. The majority of the examined extracts showed antimicrobial activity, while ethanolic extracts from both species were potent against all tested microorganisms. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated. It was found that the ethanolic extracts possessed the strongest antioxidant activities, although these extracts did not contain the highest amounts of detected phenolic compounds. In addition, several representatives of phenolic compounds were also assayed for these biological activities. Results suggest that ethanol is a sufficient solvent for the isolation of biologically active compounds from both Achillea species. Moreover, it was shown that the flavonoids naringenin and morin are mainly responsible for these antimicrobial activities, while caffeic, salicylic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoic, and rosmarinic acid are responsible for the antioxidant activities of the Achillea extracts.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by the cessation of air flow during sleep due to an obstruction in the nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal region. The consequences that untreated obstructive sleep apnoea might have on patient’s health include symptoms like sudden awakening with a sensation of suffocation, morning headache, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, lack of concentration, and it is commonly connected to hypertension, coronary artery disease, depression, obesity and other medical conditions. Aim: The purpose of this review study is to enlighten the role of an orthodontic professional in prevention and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome to the general public. Methods: Data search was determined by the following keywords: sleep apnea, orthodontic abnormalities, orthodontic prevention, sleep apnea syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, cephalometric analysis, AHI index, BMI index and obesity. Electronic data search was performed on platforms Pubmed and Google Scholar. Results: After reading and analyses, twenty-one articles with similar procedural criteria were selected, and among them only 6 were recognized as meeting the criteria of being completely accessible, having the selected keywords in their name, using the cephalometric analysis and BMI index and discussing the obese adults sleep apnea. In all the examined studies, it is proven that craniofacial morphology is a major anatomical risk factor for OSA. Conclusion: The role of the orthodontic specialists might be crucial in prevention of the development of obstructive sleep apnea, not only considering the orthodontic devices treament options, it can be especially important when obesity appears as a factor in the sense of informing and advising the patient and cooperating with other specialists who treat and prevent obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The main objective of this research was to propose a light and practical design solution for electric bike front drive with bottom bracket electric motor. The initial design needs to be redesigned so it can enable simultaneous use of the electric drive and pedal drive, with integration of the front gear shifter. After gathering the basic information linked to the problem and inspecting the initial design solution, the assets and flaws have been identified. The CAD models of the considered possible solutions were developed into FEM models which were used for structural analysis in CAD/CAE software system CATIA. On the basis of the FEM analysis and additional criteria, the optimal solution was chosen, and structural optimization, based on FEM model, was performed. A prototype was manufactured and a mounting process in a place of the initial design was performed. Afterwards, electric bike with mounted prototype was tested under real conditions.