The aim of this paper is to present the preliminary results of the monitoring study of the frequency of congenital heart disease in newborns in Tuzla Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and their distribution by sex of the newborn and maternal age. The study used the data from the book of protocols and case records of the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, the University Clinical Center in Tuzla. The analysis of 8,521 newborns between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2008 has resulted in the frequency of 1.76%, i.e. 1.31% for the mature newborns and 0.45% for the premature newborns respectively. Of the total number of registered anomalies, 10% was associated with congenital anomalies of other systems. No statistically significant differences were found in the subsamples of both mature and premature newborns when it comes to the distribution of congenital heart disease by sex of newborns and maternal age. The frequency registered in the analyzed period suggests the necessity of screening and monitoring congenital heart disease in the observed population.

INTRODUCTION The recent studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) indicate that genetics and environmental factors may play an important role in developing of PD. Nowadays, the cell death and cell adhesion are pathogenetic mechanisms which could be related with PD. On the basis of relationship of those mechanisms with PD, the aim of this study was to identify new candidate genes for PD by integration of results of transcriptomics studies and results obtained by Biomedical Discovery Support System (BITOLA). MATERIALS AND METHODS For the detection of functional relationship between potential candidate gene and pathogenetic mechanisms associated with PD, we designed strategy of integration of results of transcriptomics studies with discovery approach in bibliographic data bases and BITOLA. Data of chromosome location, tissue-specific expression, function of potential candidate genes and their association with genetics disorders were obtained from Medline, Locus Link, Gene Cards and OMIM. RESULTS Integration and comparison of results obtained using the BITOLA system and analysis of transcriptomics studies identified six genes (MAPT, UCHL1, NSF, CDC42, PARK2 and GFPT1) that occur simultaneously in both group of results. The function of genes NSF, CDC42 and GFPT1 in the pathogenesis of PD has not been studied yet. CONCLUSIONS According to our result that aforementioned genes appeared in both groups of results and partially match the criteria set for the selection of candidate genes and their potential role in the development of PD, they should be tested by methods specifically intended for those three genes.

We evaluated possible roles of interleukin-8 gene polymorphisms (1633T/C-rs2227543, 251A/T-rs4073) and interleukin-18 gene polymorphisms (-607C/A-rs1946518, -137G/C-rs187238) in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes. 271 patients with DR and 113 without diabetic retinopathy were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We did not observe an association between either interleukin-8 gene polymorphisms (1633T/C, 251A/T) or interleukin-18 gene polymorphisms (-607C/A, -137G/C) and diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes. We did not find statistically significant differences in interleukin-8 serum levels between diabetics with the TT and AA genotype and those with other genotypes. The interleukin-18 serum levels between diabetics with the CC genotype of the -607C/A polymorphism and those with other genotypes (AA, AC) were not significantly different. Moreover, we did not observe a statistically significant effect of the tested polymorphisms of either interleukin-8 or interleukin-18 genes on serum levels in diabetics. In conclusion, our study indicates that the examined polymorphisms of interleukin-8 (1633T/C, 251A/T) and interleukin-18 (-607C/A or the -137G/C) genes are not genetic risk factors for diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, they may not be used as genetic markers for diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes.

This study investigated the effects of sociocultural contexts on health and the psychological well-being of immigrant adolescents, aged 15 to 18 years, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and now living as displaced persons either in Bosnia, or immigrants in Croatia and Austria. The study addresses the social determinants of health with a specific focus on five factors in the social environment that might have an influence on health status: gender, socio-economic status (SES), perceived discrimination and exposure to violence, social support and religious commitment. Dependent variables included self-rated health, a count of self-reported objective health problems and a range of indices of psychological well-being (somatic stress, anxiety, depression and self-esteem). The purpose of the study was to examine whether social risk factors have an effect on health, which factors mediate these effects on self-rated health and to assess whether these effects differ by gender Results indicate that perceived discrimination and violence are related to poor health through psychological stress as a major mechanism with stronger effects for girls in the study. Differences across the three socio-cultural contexts reveal the complexity and specificity of the relationships between analyzed factors as the association between discrimination and health was attenuated for some groups due to the protective resources of immigrants.