A microgrid concept for the thermal and electrical energy supply of a Sport-Recreation Center Ajdinovići (S.R.C.A.) has been proposed in this paper. A self-contained and intelligent power distribution grid has been developed for this case, taking into account the location, locally available renewable energy sources and the very purpose of this center. Comparative analyses between independent power supply through the proposed hybrid power system and the supply over the transmission and distribution network were performed. Technical and economical optimization of an energy system with distributed power generation was done by applying HOMER and DIgSILENT PowerFactory professional software tools. As a result, hybrid power system is more cost-effective than the conventional supply by the power distribution network, microgrid meets the technical criteria based on the analysis of power flows and the stability of the network has been achieved. Establishment of energy independence for the existing S.R.C.A. besides economic factor will show several benefits regarding better use of locally available resources, reduction of CO2 emissions and energy efficiency increment as well as an employment opportunity to the local people, thus contributing to the sustainability of the region.

Exhaled breath analysis has become a promising monitoring tool for various ailments by identifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as indicative biomarkers excreted in the human body. Throughout the process of sampling, measuring, and data processing, non-biological variations are introduced in the data leading to batch effects. Algorithmic approaches have been developed to cope with within-study batch effects. Batch differences, however, may occur among different studies too, and up-to-date, ways to correct for cross-study batch effects are lacking; ultimately, cross-study comparisons to verify the uniqueness of found VOC profiles for a specific disease may be challenging. This study applies within-study batch-effect-correction approaches to correct for cross-study batch effects; suggestions are made that may help prevent the introduction of cross-study variations. Three batch-effect-correction algorithms were investigated: zero-centering, combat, and the analysis of covariance framework. The breath samples were collected from inflammatory bowel disease (n=213), chronic liver disease (n=189), and irritable bowel syndrome (n=261) patients at different periods, and they were analysed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Multivariate statistics were used to visualise and verify the results. The visualisation of the data before any batch-effect-correction technique was applied showed a clear distinction due to probable batch effects among the datasets of the three cohorts. The visualisation of the three datasets after implementing all three correction techniques showed that the batch effects were still present in the data. Predictions made using partial least squares discriminant analysis and random forest confirmed this observation. The within-study batch-effect-correction approaches fail to correct for cross-study batch effects present in the data. The present study proposes a framework for systematically standardising future breathomics data by using internal standards or quality control samples at regular analysis intervals. Further knowledge regarding the nature of the unsolicited variations among cross-study batches must be obtained to move the field further.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Zonisamide is a benzisoxazole with 3-methanesulfonamide side chain, chemically unrelated with other anticonvulsants, and approved as mono-therapy of newly diagnosed focal epilepsy with or without secondary generalization in adults or adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures, with or without secondary generalization, in adults, adolescents, and children aged 6 years and above. Areas covered: Pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and the adverse effects of zonisamide are discussed in the article. The discussion is based on data from published preclinical studies, clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and approved summary of product characteristics. Expert opinion: Zonisamide is an anticonvulsant with multiple mechanisms of action on neuronal tissue, which achieves seizure freedom in more than 80% of patients with newly-onset focal epilepsy and in 6.2 to 18.1% of patients with focal onset seizures inadequately controlled by first-line anticonvulsants. Within the recommended dose range, it follows linear kinetic of elimination; it is metabolized in the liver by two cytochrome isoforms, so pharmacokinetic interactions are rare and with little clinical significance. Up to 10% of patients taking zonisamide will have problems with weight loss and more than 10% with irritability, confusion or depression, and long-lasting therapy may cause renal calculi in 1.2% of patients.

Abstract The aim of this study was to perform screening for anxiety disorders among children with asthma and to reveal factors associated with general anxiety disorder and its specific forms. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among out-patients with asthma during routine visits to pediatricians. They were screened for anxiety disorders using SCARED self-reported questionnaire. Additional data were collected using specially designed questionnaire as well as the patient files. Statistical analysis was performed by the SPPS software using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Study population consisted mostly of schoolchildren (n=58), 8-12 years old, and adolescents (13-17 years) (n=13). Approximately 33.8% respondents were positive for general anxiety disorder. The most common were separation anxiety and social anxiety, recorded among 49.3% and 32.4% of patients, respectively. Generalized anxiety and panic/somatic disorder were recorded in the same percentage of patients (21.3%), while avoiding school was the least frequent (14.08%). Influence of numerous factors was tested, but only the following showed significant effects: peak expiratory flow test was associated with general anxiety disorder, patient’s age and gender with PD, and living place, asthma control according to GINA and age on GAD. Parent’s smoking was associated with SAD, age and patient’s weight status with SPH, and GINA asthma control with SA. These findings suggest that anxiety disorders are common among children and adolescents with asthma. Various factors can be associated with general anxiety disorder and its specific forms, but some of them being preventable as avoiding smoking in the family.

New technologies introduce more services which will call for significant advances and changes in IP networks. Networks will have to go in the direction of network programmability, virtualization and cloud-based services. In this paper, Quality of Service (QoS) is configured in two different environments: (i) in traditional IP network using QoS policy-maps and (ii) in Software Defined Network. Two scenarios are compared in order to emphasize the benefits of using SDN technology when providing QoS provisioning mechanisms.

Multiprotocol Label Switching Traffic-Engineering (MPLS TE) is a mechanism for optimizing network performances by using existing routing and resource reservation protocols in order to calculate and establish tunnels used for transporting different traffic flows depending on their destination. Aim of this paper is presenting benefits of using Segment Routing Traffic Engineering (SR-TE) in Software Defined Network (SDN) environment in order to overcome several MPLS TE problems and challenges presented in this paper. In order to present benefits of SR-TE in SDN, two scenarios are compared. In the first scenario SR is implemented in classical IP/MPLS network. In the second scenario, SDN controller is added to a topology and control over paths is delegated to SDN controller.

Aim: A large number of medications are prescribed in pediatric clinics and this leads to the development of drug–drug interactions (DDI) that may complicate the course of the disease. The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions, to categorize main drug classes involved in severe drug–drug interactions and to highlight clinically relevant DDIs in a pediatric population. Material and Methods: A total of 1500 prescriptions during the 12-month study period were retrospectively reviewed; 510 prescriptions that comprised two or more drugs were included in study. The presence of potential drug–drug interactions was identified by using the Lexi-Interact database and categorized according to severity A (unknown), B (minor), C (moderate), D (major), and X (contraindicated). Results: There were 1498 drugs in 510 prescriptions; 253 of these (49.6%) included 2 drugs, 228 (44.7%) included 3–4 drugs, and 29 (5.6%) included ≥5 drugs. A total of 634 (42%) potential drug–drug interactions were idenfied. Among those, 271 (42.7%) were categorized as A, 284 (44.8%) as B, 53 (8.4%) as C, and 26 (4.1%) as D. There was no potential risk for X interaction. Anti-infectives (36%) were the most commonly prescribed drug classes involved in C and/or D categories. Clarithromycin was the most commonly interacting agent that interfered with budesonide. Conclusion: It is noteworthy that a significant number of drugs causing potential drug–drug interactions are prescribed together in pediatric clinics. Increasing the awareness of physicians on this issue will prevent potential complications and ensure patient safety.

In this review, we highlight information on microRNA (miRNA) identification and functional characterization in the beef for muscle and carcass composition traits, with an emphasis on Qinchuan beef cattle, and discuss the current challenges and future directions for the use of miRNA as a biomarker in cattle for breeding programs to improve meat quality and carcass traits. MicroRNAs are endogenous and non-coding RNA that have the function of making post-transcriptional modifications during the process of preadipocyte differentiation in mammals. Many studies claim that diverse miRNAs have an impact on adipogenesis. Furthermore, their target genes are associated with every phase of adipocyte differentiation. It has been confirmed that, during adipogenesis, several miRNAs are differentially expressed, including miR-204, miR-224, and miR-33. The development of mammalian skeletal muscle is sequentially controlled by somite commitment into progenitor cells, followed by their fusion and migration, the proliferation of myoblasts, and final modification into fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers. It has been reported that miRNA in the bovine MEG3-DIO3 locus has a regulatory function for myoblast differentiation. Likewise, miR-224 has been associated with controlling the differentiation of bovine adipocytes by targeting lipoprotein lipase. Through the posttranscriptional downregulation of KLF6, miR-148a-3p disrupts the proliferation of bovine myoblasts and stimulates apoptosis while the miR-23a~27a~24-2 cluster represses adipogenesis. Additional to influences on muscle and fat, bta-mir-182, bta-mir-183, and bta-mir-338 represent regulators of proteolysis in muscle, which influences meat tenderness.

Introduction: Leptospirosis is an infection caused by spiral bacteria from the family Leptospiraceae, and is considered to be the most widespread zoonosis in the world. Aim: To analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with Leptospirosis over five years. Methods: The study included 160 patients aged 17-79 years, who in the period 01.01.2014. to 21.12.2018. were hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases of the University Clinical Center Tuzla. They were diagnosed based on medical history, clinical examination, laboratory and microbiological results. The definitive diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing from the patients’ blood. Results: In the observed period, the highest number of patients were in 2014 80/160, and the lowest in 2015 15/160. Male patients were more likely to suffer from 118 (73.8%) than female 42 (26,3%). The mean age was ±56.5 years. The most common symptoms in patients were: fever (95,6%), headache (93,8%), malaise (87,5%) and myalgia (85,6%). In all patients, 160/160 (100%) accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation and elevated C-reactive protein was observed. The following findings were reported from white blood cell findings: leukocytosis in 81/160 (50,6%), neutrophilia in 103/160 (64,4%) and lymphopenia in 128/160 (80%) patients. Liver findings had the following values: elevated AST in 142/160 (88%) and ALT in 130/160 (81,3%) patients. Total bilirubin was elevated in 105/160 (65,6%) and direct in 107/160 (66,9%). Thrombocytopenia was in 142/160 (88%) patients. Urea was elevated in 103/160 (64,4%) and creatinine in 101/160 (61,3%) patients. Conclusion: it is very important that physicians in their day to day practice, especially in ambiguous febrile conditions, differentially diagnose leptospirosis and establish a timely diagnosis, this is ley to adequate and timely therapy, and therefore to reducing to development of complications and mortality.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a chronic progressive bone disease where the bone tissue resorption exceeds its regenerative capacities. Such a process leads to the reduction of bone mineral density (BMD), and distortion of trabecular microarchitectonics, which creates the basis for an increased fracture risk on a “low trauma” for osteoporosis patients. The notion of low trauma implies a stressor that will not cause a fracture in a healthy person under normal circumstances. BMD is a strong predictor of future fractures. However, many fractures occur in persons with BMD values beyond the defined osteoporosis threshold, and BMD measurement only partially identifies the part of the population with increased fracture risk. Also, it is known that risk factors are influencing the bone mass reduction as predictors of future fractures, and their association may lead to an increased fracture risk irrespective of the bone mass and T-score. Aim: The 10-year individual risk assessment for osteoporotic fracture and the analysis of impact of individual and multiple osteoporosis risk factors on the degree of osteoporotic fracture risk. Methods: The research is a retrospective-prospective study which analyzed 120 patients divided into two groups: 1) asymptomatic patients with known risk factors for osteoporosis in the age group of 40-65 (n=60), 2) asymptomatic patients with known risk factors for osteoporosis in the age group of 65-90 (n=60). FRAX® algorithm was used as a tool for the 10-year hip fracture risk assessment, with prior approval of the Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield from the United Kingdom. Fracture risk assessment was calculated using the online FRAX® calculator. High risk is defined as the hip fracture risk higher than 3% or the risk of a “big” osteoporotic fracture higher than 20%. Results are expressed as mean values with a standard deviation. A comparison between tested patient groups was made applying the student T-test. Results: 32% of patients of average age of 65.8±12.6 years are under high hip fracture risk, 28% of patients are under the hip fracture risk higher than 3%, and the risk for 0.03% patients is higher than 20%. Patients with high fracture risk are of advanced age, female, with lower body weight and height values, lower bone mineral density (BMD) and T score values than patients who are not under a high fracture risk. A positive family anamnesis to osteoporosis and fractures, earlier fractures, smoking, rheumatoid arthritis, and use of glucocorticoids are risk factors that are more represented in patients with high fracture risk and osteoporosis. The impact of the majority of individual risk factors for osteoporosis and fracture is moderate, and their joint effect is significant. The contribution of individual risk factors to the overall 10-year fracture risk depends on the type, number and association of risk factors. Conclusion: This research is a contribution to the resolution of polemics among authors, i.e. a dilemma whether persons with multiple clinical risk factors for osteoporosis with T score values beyond the defined threshold for osteoporosis are candidates for therapy with bisphosphonates, and a dilemma whether persons without any clinical risk factors for osteoporosis with T score values within the defined osteoporosis threshold require therapy with bisphosphonates, or only monitoring is sufficient.

Introduction: Perindopril is a tissue-specific ACE inhibitor with 24 hours long blood pressure-lowering effect, which protects blood vessels and decreases the variability of blood pressure. Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of perindopril in newly diagnosed or previously treated but uncontrolled adult hypertensive patients. Methods: This prospective cohort study included primary care patients with essential hypertension. Primary study outcomes were decreasing arterial blood pressure to normal levels (<140/90 mmHg), reducing systolic arterial blood pressure for 10 mmHg or more and reducing diastolic arterial blood pressure for 5 mmHg or more. Safety was evaluated by type and frequency of adverse events. Results: In the great majority of the study patients (more than 96%) perindopril was effective as monotherapy, achieving a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and in three-quarters of the study patients it normalized both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The effectiveness of perindopril was shown in both patients with previously and newly diagnosed hypertension, adverse events were mild and rare, even hyperkalemia was encountered less often than before the onset of the therapy with perindopril. Conclusions: Our study confirmed excellent effectiveness of perindopril in the treatment of essential hypertension and its remarkable safety. When used as monotherapy of hypertension, perindopril’s doses should be carefully titrated until the achievement of full effect, which in some patients should be awaited for at least 6 months from onset of the therapy.

Abstract The purpose of the present research is to explore the effect of brand image on brand loyalty and brand commitment to national and private label brands. Data was collected through a field survey via the store-intercept method. To test the research hypotheses, we used two samples, which implied the collection of usable 528 questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity of the constructs of interest. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed to analyze the effect of brand image on brand loyalty and brand commitment. Also, group comparisons were made between national brands and private label brands, using structural equation modeling. This study reveals that brand image has a significant positive effect on brand loyalty and brand commitment, both for national and private label brands. Moreover, it was found that the effect of brand image on brand commitment is stronger for national brands than for private label brands. The present study provides marketing managers of national brands and private label brands some insights into how to spur brand loyalty and commitment by establishing a favorable brand image.