UNLABELLED The Postgraduate studies (PS) at the Medical Faculty (MF) of the University of Tuzla (UT) were founded with the aim of training future staff of the MF in scientific research work. The course lasted four semesters. Up to 1986, classes were attended by five generations or 141 postgraduate students, and 57 of them received their Master's degree (MSc's). Classes were held every week on Fridays and Saturdays. One part of the classes was taught at the MF in Szeged (Hungary). Besides teachers from the UT, classes were also taught by teachers from other universities from the former Yugoslavia and abroad. The most important textbooks were: Cell and Molecular Biology by de Robertisa, Mathematics and statistics for use in pharmacy, biology, and chemistry by Saunders & Fleming, and Kako se pišu saopštenja o medicinskim istraživanjima (How to write reports of medical research) by Rajko Igić. Searching the index base Pub Med at the end of 2014, by the surnames and initials of the names of the 57 masters, we found that they had published 14 articles before completing their MSc's and 821 articles after completing their Master of Science. Later, 35 masters received PhDs and were appointed assistant professors, and later they were also appointed to higher ranks. CONCLUSION Looking at the results of the PS, MF of the UT in the above mentioned period, it can be said that the PS was the place where the formation began of the future scientific and teaching staff of the MF in Tuzla.

BackgroundWe aimed to assess the current state of PKU screening and management in the region of southeastern Europe.MethodsA survey was performed involving all identified professionals responsible for the PKU management in the 11 countries from South-Eastern region of Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia). The questionnaire was designed to assess the characteristics regarding PKU management in three main areas: nation-wide characteristics, PKU screening, and characteristics of the PKU management in the responding centre. It consisted of 56 questions. The distribution and collection of the questionnaires (via e-mail) was taking place from December 2013 to March 2014.ResultsResponses from participants from 11 countries were included; the countries cumulative population is approx. 52.5 mio. PKU screening was not yet introduced in 4 of 11 countries. Reported PKU incidences ranged from 1/7325 to 1/39338 (and were not known for 5 countries). National PKU guidelines existed in 5 of 11 countries and 7 of 11 countries had PKU registry (registries included 40 to 194 patients). The number of PKU centers in each country varied from 1 to 6. Routine genetic diagnostics was reported in 4 of 11 countries. Most commonly used laboratory method to assess phenylalanine levels was fluorometric. Tetrahydrobiopterine was used in only 2 of 11 countries. Most frequently, pediatricians were caring for the patients. Dietitian was a member of PKU team in only 4 of 11 countries, while regular psychological assessments were performed in 6 of 11 countries. Patient’s PKU society existed in 7 of 11 countries.ConclusionsThe region of southeastern Europe was facing certain important challenges of PKU screening and management. Neonatal PKU screening should be introduced throughout the region. Furthermore, PKU management was falling behind internationally established standards-of-care in many aspects.

Objective – The present study was undertaken to determine alcohol consumption among adolescents attending state schools in the BrAko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH). Participants and method – The subjects were pupils in the ninth grade of elementary school and all high school pupils. 4,188 pupils took part in the survey. The research was planned as a cross-sectional study, and it was conducted using the ESPAD questionnaire, which was adjusted for this research. Demographic data were collected through a specific question-form for each enrolled adolescent . Results – More than half the adolescents consumed alcohol. Boys did so more often, whilst there was no difference in alcohol consumption between those who lived in villages or towns. At the age of 14 years nearly half the adolescents had consumed alcohol, where boys had done so more often, as well as the adolescents from villages. The places where the adolescents most often consumed alcohol were discotheques, “at friends’ homes”, and in cafA©s. More than half the members of the adolescents’ households consume alcohol. Adolescents in the BrAko District of BH had consumed alcohol over the previous 30 days in a significantly higher percentage than pupils from the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of BH, and in a significantly lower percentage than pupils from Croatia, whilst the difference in comparison with Serbia was not significant. The frequency of alcohol intoxication in the BrAko District of BH was the lowest in comparison with the Republic of Srpska, the Federation of BH, Croatia and Serbia. Conclusion – Overall alcohol consumption amongst adolescents is becoming generally acceptable behaviour, which is tolerated by the community and parents, in that alcohol consumption is becoming a life-style, but it is not being systematically studied as a negative phenomenon, nor are there any long-term programmes to deter adolescents from consuming alcohol.

Iodine is an essential element to humans and animals. It is a constituent of the thyroid hormones and its deficiency causes goitre and may increase the risk for intellectual deficiency in affected populations. Iodine deficiency disorders represent a significant public health problem in 118 countries worldwide (Vitti et al., 2001). Among them, thirty-two European countries were still affected by mild to Abstract

Objective – Outbreaks of sepsis caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in neonatal intensive care units have been reported, but rarely from our country. We describe such an outbreak in the Department of Paediatrics of the University Clinical Centre Tuzla in 2012 to investigate risk factors, the mode of transmission and to assess control measures. Setting – An 18 bed, level 3 neonatal intensive care unit in a university affiliated teaching hospital. Patients and methods – Seventeen neonates who developed multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii nosocomial infection were matched to 17 neonates who were admitted to the same unit without infections, during the outbreak period. Cases and controls were compared for possible risk factors (birth weight, gender, intubation, antibiotic use, etc.). Surveillance cultures were collected from health care personnel and the environment. Results – Six out of the 17 neonates (35.3%) died. Surveillance cultures were negative. Seventeen isolates from newborns had the same patterns of resistance. Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was brought into the unit by an infected infant who was transferred from the neurosurgery hospital. Risk factors significantly associated with the infection were: incubator care (OR 6.66; p =0.034), exposure to a central venous catheter (OR 13.75; p=0.004), mechanical ventilation (OR 5.25;p =0.031) and exposure to a patient with Acinetobacter baumannii infection (OR 38.40; p =0.02). Conclusion – Surveillance cultures for all newborns transferred from other hospitals and isolation measures are important to prevent nosocomial infections and outbreak. Negative environmental and health care worker cultures have to be meticulously analyzed. Cohorting of affected newborns and nursing staff, contact isolation, and environmental cleaning are crucial to control the outbreak.

Objective – The objective of this study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in relation to socioeconomc status (SES) of family. Methods – The cross-sectional study included 75 children with CP between ages 5 and 18 years and their parents. The control group was formed by random selection by matching each patient with one or two healthy control participants. To evaluate the generic HRQoL in children with CP we used the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales which include both a parent proxy-report and a child self-report with age-appropriate versions. SES was determined using a classification system based on the parents’ job and educational level. Results – Lower-SES children with CP showed significant lower medians of total scores, physical health, psychosocial health, and social functioning HRQoL than lower SES control participants and, middle SES children with CP showed significant lower medians of total scores, physical health, psychosocial health, than middle SES control participants. Parental reports revealed significantly poorer HRQoL in lower SES children with CP in total scores, physical health, psychosocial health, social functioning, and school functioning than lower SES control participants. Also, the parental proxy reports for middle SES children with CP were significantly lower in total scores, physical health, psychosocial health, and social functioning than middle SES control participants. Conclusions – This study showed that low and middle SES children with CP have lower HRQoL than low and middle SES healthy children. Our results call for the creation of socialeconomic and psychological programs which might have beneficial effects for children and adolescents with CP and their families.