Background / Purpose: Low- level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used as an adjunct to the treatment of chronic periodontitis (CP), but its efficacy has not been well-documented. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LLLT on clinical parameters in CP patients and their relationship with concentrations of biohumoral markers of inflammation in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). . Materials and methods: Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups after scaling. The experimental group was treated with a diode laser (wavelenght: 635 nm; power density: 100 mW/cm2), by applying the laser beam to diseased teeth for 9 days, whereas the control group did not receive LLLT. Clinical examination was performed at baseline and 10 days after the treatment. GCF samples were collected from the same periodontal site before and after therapy. The levels of interleukin 1 (IL-1) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in GCF were measured by ELISA. Results: LLLT decreased clinical parameters of CP. The levels of IL-1α and IL-1β in GCF were decreased (p< 0.05), but the level of MMP-9 was increased (p<0.01). After LLLT, the level of IL-1α correlated positively with MMP-9 (p< 0.05) and the MMP-9 levels correlated negatively with plaque index (p< 0.05) and papillary bleeding index (p< 0.01). Conclusion: LLLT attenuated periodontal inflammation in CP patients, as judged by clinical parameters and decreased levels of IL-1 in GCF. It remains to be studied whether elevated levels of MMP-9 in GCF might be beneficial for reparation processes. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2014; 7: (1), pp. 7-13)

Objectives  To perform internal and external evaluations of all 5 medical schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina against international standards.

Among specific forms of asthma, exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is the most common. One of the most important factors released in this form of asthma is leukotriens. The place and role of leukotrien modifiers in treating EIA is still not clearly defined. Ten children 5-15 years of age were included in this study. We followed up different lung parameters in children exposed to exertion before and after montelukast by using spirometry. All children included in the study were submitted to the prick test. Results obtained in our study showed that montelukast statistically significantly reduced lung parameters on exertion, when compared with the results obtained before it. Montelukast did not completely block EIA.

SUMMARY Primary pulmonary artery hypertension is defined as a mean resting pulmonary artery pressure > 25 mmHg or a mean pulmonary artery pressure > 30 mmHg with exercise. The World Health Organizations definition is a pulmonary artery systolic pressure > 40 mmHg during echocardiography. Symptoms of pulmonary hypertension include shortness of breath on minimal exertion, fatigue, chest pain, dizzy spells and fainting. All patients with pulmonary artery hypertension must undergo diagnostic procedure, which means the right heart catheterization with vasodilators tests, followed by therapeutic support in the sense of anticoagulant therapy (warfarin) and oxygen. The final therapeutic choice is administration of the following drugs (or their combination): Calcium channel blockers, prostacyclines (epoprostenol, iloprost), antagonist of endothelin-1 receptors (Bosentan), phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (sildenafil). There is a strong sentiment that identifying and treatment of disease at an earlier stage may be even more beneficial.

Apparently, in developing and in well-developed societies we are confronted with a crisis of academic medicine in all aspects: health care, teaching, and research. Health care providers in teaching hospitals are under pressure to generate revenues, academic research is pressed to keep pace with institutions devoted solely to research, and teaching is often understood not as privilege and honor but as burden and nuisance. The key problem and the principal cause of the crisis are low interest of the best young graduates to follow an academic career in a world where the benefits and values of the private sector are prevailing. Confronted with these circumstances and the continuous perils of permanent brain-drain, we developed an innovative concept of "shared employment' where two academic institutions (one in a developed and one in a developing country) will collaborate in development and support of fresh talents, building elite academic staff. Most academic exchange programs developed so far have proved to be ineffective and of poor vitality, in spite of loud exclamations, high expectations, and a huge amount of good will involved. In contrast, the suggested cooperation will be based exclusively on mutual interest and clearly defined benefits for all involved parties.