Infections by both human oncoviruses, human Papillomaviruses (HPV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) are very common in the adult human population and are associated with various malignancies. While HPV is generally transmitted sexually or via skin-to-skin contact, EBV is frequently transmitted by oral secretions, blood transfusions and organ transplants. This study aims to determine the prevalence and circulating genotypes of HPV and EBV in healthy blood donors in Qatar. We explored the co-prevalence of high-risk HPVs and EBV in 378 males and only 7 females blood donors of different nationalities (mainly from Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, and India) residing in Qatar, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA was extracted from the buffy coat and genotyping was performed using PCR and nested-PCR targeting E6 and E7 as well as LMP-1 of HPV and EBV, respectively. We found that from the total number of 385 cases of healthy blood donors studied, 54.8% and 61% of the samples are HPVs and EBV positive, respectively. Additionally, our data revealed that the co-presence of both high-risk HPVs and EBV is 40.4% of the total samples. More significantly, this study pointed out for the first time that the most frequent high-risk HPV types in Qatar are 59 (54.8%), 31 (53.7%), 52 (49.1%), 51 (48.6%), 58 (47%) and 35 (45.5%), while the most commonly expressed low-risk HPV types are 53 (50.6%), 11 (45.5), 73 (41.7%) and 6 (41.3%), with all the cases showing multiple HPVs infection. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that HPV and EBV are commonly co-present in healthy blood donors in Qatar. On the other hand, it is important to highlight that these oncoviruses can also be co-present in several types of human cancers where they can cooperate in the initiation and/or progression of these cancers. Therefore, more studies regarding the co-presence of these oncoviruses and their interaction are necessary to understand their cooperative role in human diseases.

ABSTRACT We conducted a genome-wide association study of blood DNA methylation and smoking, attempted replication of previously discovered associations, and assessed the reversibility of smoking-associated methylation changes. DNA methylation was measured in baseline peripheral blood samples for 5,044 participants in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study. For 1,032 participants, these measures were repeated using blood samples collected at follow-up, a median of 11 years later. A cross-sectional analysis of the association between smoking and DNA methylation and a longitudinal analysis of changes in smoking status and changes in DNA methylation were conducted. We used our cross-sectional analysis to replicate previously reported associations for current (N = 3,327) and former (N = 172) smoking. A comprehensive smoking index accounting for the biological half-life of smoking compounds and several aspects of smoking history was constructed to assess the reversibility of smoking-induced methylation changes. This measure of lifetime exposure to smoking allowed us to detect more associations than comparing current with never smokers. We identified 4,496 cross-sectional associations at P < 10−7, including 3,296 annotated to 1,326 genes that were not previously implicated in smoking-associated DNA methylation changes at this significance threshold. We replicated the majority of previously reported associations (P < 10−7) for current and former smokers. In our data, we observed for former smokers a substantial degree of return to the methylation levels of never smokers, compared with current smokers (median: 74%, IQR = 63-86%), corresponding to small values (median: 2.75, IQR = 1.5–5.25) for the half-life parameter of the comprehensive smoking index. Longitudinal analyses identified 368 sites at which methylation changed upon smoking cessation. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of the comprehensive smoking index to detect associations between smoking and DNA methylation at CpGs across the genome, replicates the vast majority of previously reported associations, and quantifies the reversibility of smoking-induced methylation changes.

Abstract Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina is a multinational and multireligious country, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. Migrations through history were a key factor in the genetic identity of the Bosnian–Herzegovinian population. Aim: To analyse genetic polymorphisms of 22 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci in the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to compare STR allele frequencies for STR loci with the reference data for European populations. Subjects and methods: The study was conducted among 600 unrelated individuals from all regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Genotyping was performed using the PowerPlex® Fusion amplification kit. Allele frequencies and statistical parameters were calculated, as well as the genetic distance among analysed populations through the construction of a neighbor-joining dendrogram. Results: STR loci included in the PowerPlex® Fusion amplification kit showed high discriminatory power indicating their reliability for human identification and paternity testing. The neighbor-joining dendrogram based on the results of genetic distance analysis showed that the Bosnian and Herzegovinian population has the greatest genetic distance from Turkish and Hungarian populations and greatest similarity with Croatian, Slovenian, and Serbian populations. Conclusion: The results of this study strongly support the application of 22 autosomal genetic markers for paternity testing and personal identity testing and are in agreement with most previous human studies in the investigated human populations.

Given the growing number of older people, society as a whole should ideally provide a higher quality of life (QoL) for its ageing citizens through the concept of personalised ageing. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are subject to constant and rapid development, and can contribute to the goal of an improved QoL for older adults. In order to utilise future ICT solutions as a part of an age-friendly smart environment that helps achieve personalised ageing with an increased QoL, one must first determine whether the existing ICT solutions are satisfying the needs of older people. In order to accomplish that, this study contributes in three ways. First, it proposes a framework for the QoL of older adults, in order to provide a systematic review of the state-of-the-art literature and patents in this field. The second contribution is the finding that selected ICT solutions covered by articles and patents are intended for older adults and are validated by them. The third contribution of the study are the six recommendations that are derived from the review of the literature and the patents which would help move the agenda concerning the QoL of older people and personalised ageing with the use of ICT solutions forward.

Abstract Background The ventricular stroke work (SW) refers to the work done by the left ventricle to eject the volume of blood during one cardiac cycle. The cath-lab relationship between SW and end-diastolic volume (EDV) is the preload-recruitable SW (PRSW). Recently a non-invasive single-beat PRSW (SBPRSW) has been proposed. However, the single beat formula needs mathematical skillness, and extra software. Aim of this study was to compare the non-invasive SBPRSW with the simpler non-invasive SW/EDVratio in the stress-echo lab. Methods We studied 692 patients, age 62 ± 12 years, ejection fraction 50 ± 17%, with negative stress echo (SE)(exercise, n = 130, dobutamine, n = 124, dipyridamole, n = 438) and follow-up data. The PRSW was estimated at rest and at peak stress by the SBPRSW technique and compared with the SW/EDV. All patients were followed-up. Event rates were estimated with Kaplan–Meier curves. Results SBPRSW and SW/EDV were linearly correlated at rest (r = 0.842, p < .001) and at peak stress (r = 0.860, p < .001). During a median follow-up of 20 months (first quartile 8, third quartile 40 months), 132 major events were registered: at receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis rest SBPRSW vs. SW/EDV (AUC 0.691 vs. 0.722) and peak stress (AUC 0.744 vs. 0.800) demonstrated both a significant prognostic power (all p < .001) with non-inferior survival prediction of the simpler SW/EDV ratio at Kaplan–Meier curves (Chi-square rest = 38, peak = 56) vs. SBPRSW (Chi-square rest = 14, peak = 42). Conclusions The data obtained with the non-invasive SBPRSW and by the simpler SW/EDV are highly comparable. PRSW with either SB or SW/EDV approach is effective in predicting follow-up events.

Introduction: Emergency cerclage in the second trimester is aestablished treatment for a dilated cervix. Aim: To report a case of a successful cerclage performed in a 33-year old woman in her secondpregnancy, after 5 years of non-successfulpregnancy outcomes. Case report: In her fourth month of pregnancy, the patient was hospitalized because of suprapubic pressure. After complete laboratory results, ultrasound and vaginal examination the patient was diagnosed with cervical shortening, cervical canal was opened 3cm, with prolapse and bulging of the fetal membranes in vagina. An amount of 120 ml of clear amniotic fluid was removed transabdominally under ultrasound guidance, and sent to the microbiological and genetical analysis. McDonald emergency cerclage of the cervical canal was performed. Patient was monitored few days on department and released home with advice of strict reduction of activity to minimum, and prescribed therapy due to that: antithrombotic, progesterone and antibiotic therapy. Conclusion: Amnioreduction at the time of emergency cerclage placement is associated with a lower rate of extreme prematurity and related neonatal morbidity. Successful outcome is not impossible, along with adequate antibiotic regimen, bed rest and regular obstetrical control/checkup.

Introduction: The association of acute intermitetn porphyria (AIP) with pregnancy and as a cause of spontaneous abortion is rare. Aim: To show a case of AIP known before pregnancy in a patient who had a spontaneous abortion. Case report: A gynecologist examined 26-year-old patient in the 8th week of gestation, due to initial spontaneous abortion, abdominal pain, constipation, muscle weakness, vomiting and dark colour of urine. Her therapy was dydrogesterone. In consultation with an anesthesiologist, a short intravenous anesthesia, vacuum aspiration, and curettage were performed.During hospitalization, the patient ceased to take harmful drugs and she was given haemarginate, glucose and symptomatic drugs, and she recovered completely. Conclusion: Treatment of threatened spontaneous abortion in AIP remains the subject of dilemma and controversy, and future research is needed.

Analysis of 4G/5G polymorphisms of PAI-1 gene in interaction with other genetic and external risk factors that induce development of venous thromboembolism can be used for risk assessment for development of venous thromboembolism. Research was conducted on 202 examinees of both genders, older than 18, from north-eastern Bosnia. Experimental group included 100 examinees with diagnosed DVT and 101 examinees who until the sampling procedure did not have diagnosed DVT. In DVT group, following genotype frequencies were determined: 27% of examinees had a normal genotype 5G/5G, 68% are heterozygotes and 5% are mutated homozygotes 4G/4G. In the control group, frequencies of 4G/5G polymorphisms of PAI-1 gene were: 42.6% of examinees have 5G/5G genotype, 55.4% are heterozygotes 4G/5G and 2% are 4G/4G genotype. Obtained results support the hypothesis that PAI-1 in interaction with other genetic and external risk factors probably induces the development of venous thromboembolism.

The focus of this article is on the biography and medical activity of Gisela Januszewska (née Rosenfeld) in Austro-Hungarian (AH) occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) between 1899 and 1912. Rosenfeld, later Januszewska and then Kuhn(ová) by marriage, was the fifth of a total of nine official female physicians who were employed by the AH administration to improve the health and hygienic conditions among Bosnian and Bosnian Muslim women. In 1893, Gisela Kuhn moved from Brno, Moravia to Switzerland to pursue her medical studies; she was awarded her Doctorate in Medicine (MD) from the University of Zurich in 1898. In the same year, she took up her first position as a local health insurance doctor for women and children in Remscheid but was prohibited from practising in the German Empire. In 1899, she successfully applied to the AH authorities for the newly established position of a female health officer in Banjaluka and began working there in July 1899. She lost her civil service status upon marrying her colleague, Dr Wladislaw Januszewski, in 1900 but carried out her previously officially assigned tasks as a private physician. In 1903, she was employed as a 'woman doctor for women' at the newly established municipal outpatient clinic in Banjaluka. Upon her husband's retirement in 1912, the couple left BH and settled in Graz, Styria. After, World War I Januszewska ran a general medical practice in Graz until 1935 and worked as a health insurance-gynaecologist until 1933. She received several AH and Austrian awards and medals for her merits as a physician and a volunteer for humanitarian organisations. Upon Austria's annexation to Nazi Germany 1938, however, she was classified a Jew and was deported to Theresienstadt concentration camp (Terezín, Bohemia), where she died in 1943. CONCLUSION: Gisela Januszewska, née Rosenfeld (1867-1943) viewed her medical practice as a social medicine mission which she put into practice as a 'woman doctor for woman' in Banjaluka, BH (1899-1912) and Graz, Austria (1919-1935).

This article aims to improve spectrum efficiency (SE) for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-relayed cellular uplinks, through distinguishing both line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS (NLoS) links. Meanwhile, aiming to accommodate the air-to-ground (A2G) cooperative nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based cellular users (CUs) with a high energy efficiency (EE), a joint resource allocation (RA) problem is further considered for the UAV and the CUs. To solve the problem, first, an access-priority-based receiver determination (RD) method is derived. According to the RD result, the heuristic user association (UA) strategies are given. Then, based on the UA result, transmission powers of the CUs and the UAV are initialized based on their quality-of-service (QoS) demands. Furthermore, the subchannels are assigned to the associated CUs and the UAV with the reweighted message-passing algorithm. Finally, the transmission power of the CUs and the UAV is jointly fine-tuned with the proposed access control schemes. Compared with the traditional orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) scheme and the traditional ground-to-ground (G2G) NOMA scheme, simulation results confirm that the UAV-aided NOMA with the proposed joint RA scheme yields better performances in terms of the SE, the EE, and the access ratio of the CUs.

Proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control is the most common control approach used to control active magnetic bearings system, especially in the case of supporting rigid rotors. In the case of flexible rotor support, the most common control is again PID control in combination with notch filters. Other control approaches, known as modern control theory, are still in development process and cannot be commonly found in real life industrial application. Right now, they are mostly used in research applications. In comparison to PID control, PI-D control implies that derivate element is in feedback loop instead in main branch of the system. In this paper, performances of flexible rotor/active magnetic bearing system were investigated in the case of PID and PI-D control, both in combination with notch filters. The performances of the system were analysed using an analysis in time domain by observing system response to step input and in frequency domain by observing a frequency response of sensitivity function.

Introduction: There are several evaluation schemes for the results of tendon transfers in case of radial nerve paralysis, and the most logical and commonly used are evaluation schemes that use the range of active joint movements to evaluate the results. Aim: Present an original evaluation scheme for tendon transfer results based on functional wrist and fingers joint movements. The aim of the article is to present the advantages of our own Functional scheme in comparison with other schemes, its simplicity and applicability in the evaluation of all clinical cases of different postoperative outcome of the variables being evaluated, and to present the ease of comparison of the achieved results with other authors who would possibly use our scheme because it minimizes the subjective error of the examiner. The secondary aim is to compare the results of flexor carpi radialis (FCR) vs. flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) tendon transfers (TT). Methods: The study was conducted as clinical and retrospective. The study included 60 patients with isolated radial nerve palsy operated by two tendon transfer surgical methods (FCR and FCU) over a 10-year period. The evaluation of the results was performed by using Zachary, Neimann-Pertecke, Tajima evaluation schemes, our own Functional Evaluation Scheme as well as subjective patient evaluation. Results: The time elapsed from injury to surgery ranged from 105 to 956 days in case of FCR tendon transfer and from 109 to 712 days in cases of FCU tendon transfer. The overall average age of patients is 36.71 years. A statistically significant difference in values with t -test based on the Functional Evaluation Scheme was found in the variables of ulnar deviation (p=0.000731), extension of the MP fingers joints II-V (p=0.04610) and extension of the MP of the thumb joint (p=0.0475). Evaluation of the total results with t-test (p=0.007532) and with U-test (p=0,00433) showed statistically better FCR tendon transfer results. A statistically significant difference in value measured by the t-test was found in the evaluation of the overall results (p=0.022) with Zachary and Neumann-Pertecke schemes and by the Tajima evaluation Scheme (p=0.042) in favor of better FCR tendon transfer results. With a use of Functional Evaluation Scheme, it is possible to evaluate all the results unlike most available schemes. Conclusion: The functional evaluation scheme is based on the functional joint movements evaluated and incorporating radial and ulnar deviation of the wrist (RD and UD), extension of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint and flexion of the intephalangeal (IP)joint of the thumb in the final evaluation becomes completely original. A functional evaluation scheme is simply applicable for the evaluation of all clinical cases of different postoperative outcome of the variables being evaluated. FCR tendon transfer achieves better results than FCU TT.