Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, systemic rheumatic disease, very complex, with many different forms, progressive course, with pronounced changes in the joints, still unknown etiology and poorly understood pathology. Assessing of structural change can be done with proposed scores which observe changes on wrist and wrist joints, as a Sharp score. Aim: To examine the correlation between Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies (Anti-CCP) values and Sharp score, and to determine the importance of Sharp score in the progression of RA. Methods: The study had prospective character and followed patients in the period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. The study included 40 patients with RA. At the beginning of the follow-up of patients, X-ray of hands and feet were performed. Results: Out of total of 40 patients, 34 or 85% had a follow-up examination after one year. Of these, 14 patients (41.2%) were reported to have complications. The subjects were divided into two groups according to Anti-CCP values. First group included patients with Anti-CCP values <4 and second those who had Anti-CCP> 4. Statistical analysis of the number of patients with complications at first and repeated examination indicated that there were no significant differences and that the sample was consistent between the first and repeated results (p> 0.05). Patients with higher Anti-CCP values also had a higher Sharp score with statistically significant differences during repeated examination (p <0.05). Correlation analysis shows that there was statistically significant (p <0.05) positive correlation with Anti-CCP values, and that an increase in values leads to an increase in the Sharp score (first measurement rho = 0.193, p> 0.05; repeated measurement rho = 0.645, p <0.0001). No statistically significant differences in Sharp score values at the first examination were compared with the repeated examination, but there was a statistically significant difference after one year in patients with complications (X2 = 13,388; p = 0.001), indicating that the Sharp score reflects disease progression. Conclusion: Anti-CCP values are also directly correlated with the Sharp score, which should be routine in both initial and repeated examination of a patient with RA. Sharp’s score represents a marker of progression as well as of therapeutic modality of RA.

This paper presents some results of research of reliability of using simple and low-cost Android-based handheld measurement units for DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) loop qualification a nd/or t roubleshooting. T he g oal o f t his p aper is provide the answer on key question whether such units can be used (and if so, under what circumstances) for quick and reliable evaluation of copper local loop properties, in respect to its ability for exploitation in certain DSL applications. A particular unit has been observing in several typical loop conditions (good loop, fault loop, etc.). Collected results were compared with those obtained from professional measurement equipment. It is shown that simple unit is more unfavourable to use compared to the professional one, in respect to determination of system actual performance. All results of measurements and observations are collected on real system in operation conditions.

The main aim of this paper is to analyse correlation between adjacent images in a video sequence. Adjacent images with a slow or fast changeable scene in a video have high correlation which shows consistency in the video sequence therefore it can be the proof of normal reproduction of video service. Due to QoS (Quality of service) problems, especially over lossy network, appearance of different visual degradations in frames (images) during delivery of video service to end users can happen very often. In that case, adjacent images in the video sequence have low correlation which can be used as an indicator the problem occurred in some part of the network. In addition, the paper analyses correlation correspondent to polygons i.e. parts of adjacent images in the video sequence in order to discover a degree of influence visual degradations to user’s QoE (Quality of Experience). In order to check this aim, tested degraded and non-degraded video sequence was captured using IPTV system of one significant market power provider and processed in offline mod with Python script created especially for this purpose.

In October 2019 the WHO Regional Office for Europe hosted a meeting of experts from across Europe, representing a range of sectors including academia, government, NGOs, procurement and professional cooking. The aim of the meeting was to highlight and prioritise key issues and discuss the actions needed to address these, the resources needed and the stakeholder engagement necessary to drive change. One key outcome is the development of a data platform for healthy and sustainable diets. This tool will enable countries to use their own data to adapt their own diets on a national and subnational level to the evidence-based global reference diet developed by recent scientific publications. Training materials will be developed alongside the data platform to enable key stakeholders and decision makers to build capacity in their own countries. The platform will empower policymakers within countries to develop and introduce national level initiatives to improve diets in terms of health and sustainability.

Introduction: Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) is named as a gold standard for intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement. Aim: To assess the accuracy of intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements using rebound tonometry over hydrogel and silicone hydrogel contact lenses (CLs) of different powers. Methods: This study included 117 eyes of 61 patients (12 male, 49 female), all habitual wearers of hydrogel and silicone hydrogel CLs, and none previously diagnosed with glaucoma, ocular hypertension or anterior surface disease. Five IOP measurements were taken over each eye using a rebound tonometer (Icare): with soft CLs in situ and then repeated without CLs. Lens power ranged from -9.50 to +10.00 spherical diopters and to a maximum of -0.75 cylinder diopters. Results: A significant positive correlation was found between IOP measurements with and without CLs. The difference between IOP measurements with (mean 20.74±5.19 mmHg) and without (mean 18.79±4.36 mmHg) CLs was found to be 1.95 mmHg (P <0.01). Statistical analysis was performed using the paired t-test and a correlation coefficient was calculated (r = 0.59; P <0.001). We have observed that increase in central corneal thickness (CCT) correlates positively with increase of measurement error of rebound tonometry (r = 0.43; P <0.001). Conclusion: We have shown good reliability of IOP measurements over CLs of different materials and thickness profiles while using rebound tonometer which makes it a feasible and accurate method for clinical purposes.

Globalization has increased the number of road trips and vehicles. The result has been an intensification of traffic accidents, which are becoming one of the most important causes of death worldwide. Traffic accidents are often due to human error, the probability of which increases when the cognitive ability of the driver decreases. Cognitive capacity is closely related to the driver’s mental state, as well as other external factors such as the CO2 concentration inside the vehicle. The objective of this work is to analyze how these elements affect driving. We have conducted an experiment with 50 drivers who have driven for 25 min using a driving simulator. These drivers completed a survey at the start and end of the experiment to obtain information about their mental state. In addition, during the test, their stress level was monitored using biometric sensors and the state of the environment (temperature, humidity and CO2 level) was recorded. The results of the experiment show that the initial level of stress and tiredness of the driver can have a strong impact on stress, driving behavior and fatigue produced by the driving test. Other elements such as sadness and the conditions of the interior of the vehicle also cause impaired driving and affect compliance with traffic regulations.

SUMMARY Astrocytoma is the second most common intramedullary tumor of predominantly low-grade malignancy in adult patients. Adult astrocytomas have better-quality prognosis compared with astrocytomas in children. Although a standardized surgical management protocol for spinal cord glioma is currently unavailable, surgery of low-grade astrocytoma should be aimed at gross total resection to preserve neurological function and to improve the outcome. Herein, we present a personal case series of four consecutive adult spinal cord astrocytoma patients who were operated on during the last few years. Tumor resection was performed in all patients utilizing microsurgical technique and intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring. We also provide a literature review of the treatment of intramedullary astrocytoma in adults and discuss contemporary surgical management and prognosis.

It is well-known that determining the optimal number of guards which can cover the interior of a simple nonconvex polygon presents an NP-hard problem. The optimal guard placement can be described as a problem which seeks for the smallest number of guards required to cover every point in a complex environment. In this paper, we propose an exact twophase method as well as an approximate method for tackling the mentioned issue. The proposed exact approach in the first phase maps camera placement problem to the set covering problem, while in the second phase it uses famous state-of-the-art CPLEX solver to address set covering problem. The performance of our combined exact algorithm was compared to the performance of the approximate one. According to the results presented in the experimental analysis, it can be seen that the exact approach outperforms the approximate method for all instances.

SUMMARY The aim of the study was to investigate if preoperative blood flow velocity in femoral vein in different positions of the hip during total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a predictor of postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In patients undergoing THA, blood flow velocity and diameter of proximal femoral vein on THA side were measured preoperatively in four flexion positions of the hip. After THA, patients were followed up for 42 days for DVT occurrence, and clinical features of patients with and without postoperative DVT were compared. The mean blood flow velocity in maximal flexion (90º+) preoperatively was significantly lower in patients with postoperative DVT (19/103) compared to patients without it (8.4±2 cm/s vs. 10.6±2.3 cm/s; p<0.001). Using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off value for blood flow velocity during maximal flexion was 8.24 cm/s. In addition, anesthesia duration, duration of surgical position of the patient, body mass index, amount of blood transfused after surgery, and clinical signs of DVT were markedly different between patients with and those without postoperative DVT. Blood flow velocity in femoral vein in maximal flexion of the hip (90º+) measured prior to THA is an independent predictor of postoperative DVT.

Abstract The goal of the present study was to examine the predictors of reading speed and reading comprehension in third-grade students from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). The sample consisted of 168 third-grade students (86 boys, 82 girls) attending regular schools in Canton Sarajevo, BIH. We examined the effects of phonological awareness (phoneme deletion and rhyming), rapid automatized naming (RAN) of letters and objects, semantic fluency, working memory, and processing speed, on three reading speed tasks and a reading comprehension task. For the reading speed tasks, total amount of explained variance was 33% for reading a text passage, 40% for word reading and 36% for pseudoword reading. The most important predictors of reading speed tasks were phoneme deletion task and RAN: Letters. On the other hand, the model explaining reading comprehension was much less predictive and explained about 11% of variance. Significant predictors of reading comprehension were working memory and processing speed. The results of this study are very informative in creating better models of reading. This in turn will help create better reading intervention programs and potentially reduce the number of children with reading disabilities.

Vehicle routing problem as the generalization of the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) is one of the most studied optimization problems. Industry itself pays special attention to this problem, since transportation is one of the most crucial segments in supplying goods. This paper presents an innovative cluster-based approach for the successful solving of real-world vehicle routing problems that can involve extremely complex VRP problems with many customers needing to be served. The validation of the entire approach was based on the real data of a distribution company, with transport savings being in a range of 10-20 %. At the same time, the transportation routes are completely feasible, satisfying all the realistic constraints and conditions.

BACKGROUND Cryptorchidism is the most common male urogenital tract disorder identified at birth. Treatment delays of cryptorchidism may be associated with significant complications such as subfertility and testicular cancer. The currently recommended age for performing orchidopexy is between 6 and 12 months of age and no later than 18 months. The aim of this study was to investigate the trends in the pattern of referral and age of boys at the time of operative treatment of congenital cryptorchidism at the largest tertiary care center in Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS The study included all boys who underwent orchidopexy for congenital cryptorchidism during two equivalents periods: 2008-2010 and 2015-2017. We assessed the referral age of patients, the age of patients at the time of orchidopexy, laterality of cryptorchidism, position of cryptorchidic testes palpated before surgery, the intraoperative position of cryptorchidic testis, a clinical position of the testis at follow up, and risk factors for late orchidopexy. RESULTS In total, 324 patients with 386 testes underwent orchidopexy for congenital cryptorchidism during the study periods. Of these patients, 62 received a bilateral orchidopexy (19.1%). Total referral age of patients with congenital cryptorchidism was 23 months (range, 4-74.5 months). Total median age at surgery was 24 months (range, 6-74 months). One hundred and eleven patients (28.8%) underwent surgery at less than the age of 12 months, 136 (35.2%) at less than the age of 18 months, and 250 (64.8%) patients underwent surgery after the age of 18 months. The analysis of the observed two periods (2008-2010 and 2015-2017) showed a statistically significant decrease in the mean referral age and the mean age at surgery over the last 5 years (2015-2017) (p = 0.007 and p = 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Current guidelines for timely operative treatment for congenital cryptorchidism have not been fully implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina but a gradual improvement is evident. The main factor contributing to delays in orchidopexy was delayed or neglected referral by referring physicians. Optimizing the time of orchidopexy will require an improved coordination at all levels of pediatric health care to diminish the long-term consequences of cryptorchidism. TYPE OF STUDY Retrospective. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.

Introduction: The liver is the largest gland in the human body, and serves to store nutrients and neutralize harmful compounds. The liver plays a very important role in a number of metabolic, both catabolic and anabolic processes, and is therefore called the „central laboratory“ of the organism. If liver disease occurs, they can affect all its parts–liver cells, bile ducts, blood and lymph vessels. The liver is damaged by various toxins, drugs, infections, disturbances in the blood supply and other disorders. Diet therapy has been a part of the process in the treatment of liver disease for a while. The therapeutic principle is better known as the „liver diet“. The liver diet not only means the replenishment of calories and nutrients, but it significantly affects the course of the disease. Aim: The aim of the research is to show that diet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of liver disease as a component for faster recovery of the liver and restoration of its normal function, as well as protecting the liver after overcoming the disease. Results: Among the respondents, there were 39 men (64%) and 22 women (36%) who had liver disease as a chronic condition. Most respondents are between 51 and 65 years old (28 and 46%, respectively), while the least number of respondents are in the 20 to 30 age group. The largest number of respondents cited alcohol as the cause of the disease, 31 of them (50.8%), while the virus was the cause of the disease in 15 respondents (24.5%). Of the total sample, most respondents answered that they sometimes (45.9%) or often (47.5%) overeat. The results of the questionnaire showed that 85.2% of the respondents were smokers before the diagnosis of the disease. In most respondents, the food they ate before diagnosis was moderately fatty (52.5%). Using chi-square tests, it was found that there are statistically significant differences in the consumption of almost all foods before the diagnosis of the disease and after the obtained dietary recommendations (p<0.05). Conclusions: The aim of the research was confirmed that diet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of liver disease as a component for faster recovery of the liver and restoration of its normal function, and after overcoming the disease it still protects the liver. The main purpose of creating a diet therapy program and plan proved to be significant and necessary because more than half of the respondents rated our advice as excellent. As most causes of liver disease can be prevented, it is necessary to work on familiarizing the population with risk factors, promote a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition, and identify at-risk patients who must enter the monitoring system for early detection of liver disease.

Introduction The liver is the largest gland in the human body, and serves to store nutrients and neutralize harmful compounds. The liver plays a very important role in a number of metabolic, both catabolic and anabolic processes, and is therefore called the "central laboratory" of the organism. If liver disease occurs, they can affect all its parts-liver cells, bile ducts, blood and lymph vessels. The liver is damaged by various toxins, drugs, infections, disturbances in the blood supply and other disorders. Diet therapy has been a part of the process in the treatment of liver disease for a while. The therapeutic principle is better known as the "liver diet". The liver diet not only means the replenishment of calories and nutrients, but it significantly affects the course of the disease. Aim The aim of the research is to show that diet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of liver disease as a component for faster recovery of the liver and restoration of its normal function, as well as protecting the liver after overcoming the disease. Results Among the respondents, there were 39 men (64%) and 22 women (36%) who had liver disease as a chronic condition. Most respondents are between 51 and 65 years old (28 and 46%, respectively), while the least number of respondents are in the 20 to 30 age group. The largest number of respondents cited alcohol as the cause of the disease, 31 of them (50.8%), while the virus was the cause of the disease in 15 respondents (24.5%). Of the total sample, most respondents answered that they sometimes (45.9%) or often (47.5%) overeat. The results of the questionnaire showed that 85.2% of the respondents were smokers before the diagnosis of the disease. In most respondents, the food they ate before diagnosis was moderately fatty (52.5%). Using chi-square tests, it was found that there are statistically significant differences in the consumption of almost all foods before the diagnosis of the disease and after the obtained dietary recommendations (p<0.05). Conclusions The aim of the research was confirmed that diet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of liver disease as a component for faster recovery of the liver and restoration of its normal function, and after overcoming the disease it still protects the liver. The main purpose of creating a diet therapy program and plan proved to be significant and necessary because more than half of the respondents rated our advice as excellent. As most causes of liver disease can be prevented, it is necessary to work on familiarizing the population with risk factors, promote a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition, and identify at-risk patients who must enter the monitoring system for early detection of liver disease.