Background To derive a list of opportunistic infections (OI) through the analysis of the juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients in the Pharmachild registry by an independent Safety Adjudication Committee (SAC). Methods The SAC (3 pediatric rheumatologists and 2 pediatric infectious disease specialists) elaborated and approved by consensus a provisional list of OI for use in JIA. Through a 5 step-procedure, all the severe and serious infections, classified as per MedDRA dictionary and retrieved in the Pharmachild registry, were evaluated by the SAC by answering six questions and adjudicated with the agreement of 3/5 specialists. A final evidence-based list of OI resulted by matching the adjudicated infections with the provisional list of OI. Results A total of 772 infectious events in 572 eligible patients, of which 335 serious/severe/very severe non-OI and 437 OI (any intensity/severity), according to the provisional list, were retrieved. Six hundred eighty-two of 772 (88.3%) were adjudicated as infections, of them 603/682 (88.4%) as common and 119/682 (17.4%) as OI by the SAC. Matching these 119 opportunistic events with the provisional list, 106 were confirmed by the SAC as OI, and among them infections by herpes viruses were the most frequent (68%), followed by tuberculosis (27.4%). The remaining events were divided in the groups of non-OI and possible/patient and/or pathogen-related OI. Conclusions We found a significant number of OI in JIA patients on immunosuppressive therapy. The proposed list of OI, created by consensus and validated in the Pharmachild cohort, could facilitate comparison among future pharmacovigilance studies. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT 01399281; ENCePP seal: awarded on 25 November 2011.

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of male body mass index (BMI) on the retrieval of sperm from azoospermic patients who were undergoing testicular sperm extraction (TESE). Material/Methods The study included retrospective data of male patients suffering from non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Age, BMI, testicular volumes, the serum concentration of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and prolactin were investigated and collected. Results A total of 75 azoospermic males were evaluated between 2014 and 2019, including 35 patients (46.7%) with positive sperm retrieval. The majority of patients (57.3%) had normal BMI (between 20 kg/m2 and 25 kg/m2) or first degree obesity (from 25 kg/m2 to 30 kg/m2). No statistically significant correlation between BMI and positive sperm retrieval or hormone levels (LH, FSH, SHBG, prolactin) were found. However, lower serum testosterone levels were observed in patients with higher BMI (P=0.035). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that none of the hormones could potentially predict the positive outcome of TESE. Conclusions The hormonal levels or patient’s BMI could not predict positive sperm retrieval outcome, however a negative correlation between serum testosterone and BMI levels was calculated implicating influence on fertility.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the density, viscosity and electrical conductivity at different temperatures, as well as the thermal stability and structural properties of previously reported ionic liquids based on active pharmaceutical ingredients. Lidocaine-based ionic liquids, with ibuprofen and salicylate as counterion, were prepared first. Their structures were confirmed by infrared, mass and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The Newtonian behaviour of lidocaine ibuprofenate was confirmed from viscosity measurement results, while it was impossible to determine for lidocaine salicylate. The interactions and structures of the studied ionic liquids were analyzed based on the measured density values, viscosity, electrical conductivity, and calculated values of thermal expansion coefficients and activation energy of viscous flow. From a theoretical aspect, DFT and MD calculations were performed. The obtained descriptors and radial distribution, as well as structural functions, were used to understand the structural organization of the synthesized ionic liquids.

Banks in the Republic of Srpska are one of the most important drivers of the economy and household savings. The activity of the financial market of the Republic of Srpska is low and banks are still the main source of funding. The question of the objective ranking of banks based on business results is an important element in the business decisions made by companies and the population. A bank’s position and quality would depend on the criteria to be included in the analysis. The professional literature recommends that banks’ liquidity, profitability, efficiency and solvency should be monitored. In most cases, whether to rank banks based on liquidity or adequacy or on another indicator is doubtful. The best picture of the state of the banks is obtained when all indicators are involved in such ranking. The aim of this study is to define and rank the banks headquartered in the Republic of Srpska by following a total of four indicators. In this paper, the calculation of banks’ liquidity, efficiency, profitability and solvency based upon the publicly presented audit reports for the years 2013 and 2014 is given. Then, the statistical model that absorbs information and generates the final ranking of banks in the RS is defined. The subject of the study is the banks that operate and are headquartered in the RS. The hypothesis is to determine their rankings based on their business performance.

Low energy Ag ions were implanted into silicon and annealed at different temperatures in order to generate plasmonic active silicon hybrids. It was found that as the ion fluence of irradiation was increased, a monotonic decrease in the absorption spectra in the ultraviolet region occurs, due to amorphization and macrostructuring of the Si surface. At the same time, the optical spectra are characterized by a strong band after implantation presenting the contribution of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticles. After heat treatment at 500 and 600?C, the SPR peak shifts to lower wavelengths, as compared to as implanted samples, whereas the plasmon position shifts to higher wavelengths for annealing at 700?C. This observation can be explained by either an out-diffusion of Ag or by stress relaxation and recrystallization of silicon.

Contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is a rare complication of contrast media use during angiographic procedures. With the growing use of endovascular interventions, this complication is likely to become more common. We present a case of a 46-year-old woman with hypertension, hypothyroidism, and chronic renal failure. She developed CIE following cerebral angiography for diagnosis of intracranial aneurysm. We had a high index of suspicion for CIE, excluded the most common differential such as stroke, and immediately started hemodialysis with a short course of corticosteroids. The disease runs a benign course, and neurological symptoms resolved completely after five days. We emphasize the need for increased awareness of CIE to make a valid diagnosis and to start supportive therapy as soon as possible.

To evaluate the concentration and profile of fatty acids (FAs) among macrosomic neonates delivered by healthy pregnant women and pregnant women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

This paper presents the first comprehensive tutorial on a promising research field located at the frontier of two well-established domains: Neurosciences and wireless communications, motivated by the ongoing efforts to define how the sixth generation of mobile networks (6G) will be. In particular, this tutorial first provides a novel integrative approach that bridges the gap between these two, seemingly disparate fields. Then, we present the state-of-the-art and key challenges of these two topics. In particular, we propose a novel systematization that divides the contributions into two groups, one focused on what neurosciences will offer to 6G in terms of new applications and systems architecture (Neurosciences for Wireless), and the other focused on how wireless communication theory and 6G systems can provide new ways to study the brain (Wireless for Neurosciences). For the first group, we concretely explain how current scientific understanding of the brain would enable new application for 6G within the context of a new type of service that we dub braintype communications and that has more stringent requirements than human- and machine-type communication. In this regard, we expose the key requirements of brain-type communication services and we discuss how future wireless networks can be equipped to deal with such services. Meanwhile, for the second group, we thoroughly explore modern communication system paradigms, including Internet of Bio-nano Things and chaosbased communications, in addition to highlighting how complex systems tools can help bridging 6G and neuroscience applications. Brain-controlled vehicles are then presented as our case study. All in all, this tutorial is expected to provide a largely missing articulation between these two emerging fields while delineating concrete ways to move forward in such an interdisciplinary endeavor.

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.

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.