Introduction: Chronic HCV infection is chronic inflamatory liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus. Anti HCV prevalence among intravenous drug users (IVDU) is very high and it accounts 40% -90% (60%-90%) with the risk of 80% of developing the chronic infection. Aim: The aims of this study were: a) to compare clinical characteristics of chronic HCV infection among IVDU and non-users population and to detect their impact to treatment outcome; b) to investigate the treatment efficacy comparing sustained viral response (SVR) in these two populations in Tuzla Canton. Patients and methods: The study was retrospective-prospective and included 45 IVDU of both sexes from Tuzla Canton which were treated from chronic HCV infection with Pegilated interferon 2a/2b + ribavirin in the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Clinic for Internal Disease of University Clinical Centre in Tuzla. The control group were presented by non-users who completed therapy in both Clinics. For statistical analyses it was used statistical package SPSS 20,0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) with tests of descriptive statistics with measures of central tendency and dispersion. Quantitative variables were tested by t-test or by Mann-Whitney test. Qualitative variables were tested by hi-square test or by Fisher’s test. The standard analyse of level’s risk was used too. The analyse of predictive value of EVR for achieving the ETR and SVR was done by cross-tabulation. The impact of known factors for achieving the SVR was evaluated by logistic regression analyses. All tests were done with statistical level of significance of 95% (p=0,05). Results: Men were more dominant in the test group (93,3% / 61,7%), also younger age (p<0,001) and lower BMI (p=0,019). The test group had significant higher basal values of Le, Hb, Plt and ALT and tendency to lower stages of fibrosis (p=0,08). The difference in genotype frequencies was statistically significant (p=0,001) with clearly dominance of G3 and G4 among IVDU. Treatment was not complited by two patients in both groups (4,4% /3,3%). EVR was significantly higher in test group (p=0,001) so did the ETR (p=0,002) and SVR (p<0,001). Predictive factors for SVR were: age (negative predictive factor), male sex, absence of reduction of pegilated interferon and ribavirin, Metavir stage of fibrosis and presence of EVR. Conclusion: Population of IVDU were adherent to treatment protocol and with excellent treatment response they justified the hope of health care workers for success treatment of this population.

To analyse elastographic characteristics of focal liver lesions (FLL)s and diagnostic performance of real‐time two‐dimensional shear‐wave elastography (RT‐2D‐SWE) in order to differentiate benign and malignant FLLs.

The role of ABCB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the development of Crohn's disease (CD) remains unclear. Due to inconsistent results of several European population-based studies and limited information on populations from Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), we conducted a preliminary association study of two main ABCB1 SNPs and CD. ABCB1 3435C>T and 2677G>T/A SNPs were analyzed in Polish and Bosnian patients with CD (n = 85 and n = 30, respectively) and controls (n = 82 and n = 30, respectively) using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for 3435C>T and allele-specific PCR for 2677G>A/T SNP. A deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found for both SNPs in Polish patients with CD, and for 2677G>A/T in Polish control group. The allele and genotype frequencies of the two ABCB1 SNPs were not significantly different between the CD patients and controls in both populations (p > 0.05). Similarly, the genotype distribution of 3435C>T and 2677G>T/A SNPs was not significantly different between Polish and Bosnian patients with CD (p > 0.05). At least one mutated ABCB1 allele was carried by 97.7% of Polish and 90.0% of Bosnian patients with CD. No association was found between the ABCB1 SNPs and CD in the two populations. In conclusion, the two ABCB1 SNPs may not contribute to CD susceptibility in the populations of Poland and B&H. Further studies with larger samples in both populations are warranted.

Introduction Patients rarely accept colonoscopy without anxiety because the procedure is commonly associated with significant pain (1). Different agents were investigated to increase patient comfort and technical performance of colonoscopy with variable success and adverse events profiles (2). Diclofenac inhibited visceral pain signals on colonic stretching in animal studies (3). Method We have conducted a single-centre randomised study to evaluate the analgesic effect of diclofenac versus placebo in patients undergoing unsedated colonoscopy. Patients were randomised to receive 100 mg of diclofenac (Group 1) or placebo (Group 2). We used a 10-point VAS scale for pain. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare mean pain index and time to discharge. Spearman’s test was used for correlation between caecal intubation rates and pain. Results We recruited a total of 88 patients divided into 2 groups: 43 (48.9%) in intervention group and 45 (51.1%) into placebo group. Baseline characteristics of patients did not differ significantly. There was no difference between groups in pain during colonoscopy (Mann-Whitney; Z=−0.84; p=0.40) or in grading of colonoscopy experience (1–10 scale) (Mann-Whitney; Z=−0.99; p=0.32), or number of patients that would repeat colonoscopy. There wasn’t any significant correlation between caecal intubation time and pain scale values (Spearman’s r=0.17; p=0.20). A significant correlation between caecal intubation time and pain scale values was found in placebo group (Spearman’s r=0.37; p=0.04) but not in intervention group (Spearman’s r=−0.08; p=0.71). Two lethal outcomes were recorded, both in the placebo group (4.4%; p=0.50%). Time to discharge in days was also not significantly different (Mann Whitney; Z=−0.18; p=0.85). Abstract PTH-030 Figure 1 Conclusion There does not seem to be an effect of diclofenac on pain during unsedated colonoscopy compared with placebo. References . Denberg TD, Malhado TV, Coombes JM. Predictor of nonadherence to screening colonoscopy. J Gen Intern Med2005:11;989. . Triantafillidis JK, Merikas E, Nikolakis D, Papalois AE. Sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy: current issues. World J Gastroenterol 2013;19:463–81. . Gold MS, Zhang L, Wrigley DL, Traub RJ. Prostaglandin E2 modulates TTXR I(Na) in rat colonic sensory neurons. J Neurophysiol 2002;88:1512–22. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

The First Mediterranean Seminar on Science Writing, Editing & Publishing (SWEP 2016) was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina from 2nd to 3rd December 2016. It was organized by Academy of Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, running concurrent sessions as part of its Annual Meeting titled “ “Days of AMNuBiH - Theory and Practice in Science Communication and Scientometrics”. Hotel Bosnia in the city centre was the chosen venue. On the first day, nineteen presentations on various issues of science writing and publication ethics were delivered by speakers from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the UK (Asim Kurjak, Milivoj Boranić, Doncho Donev, Osman Sinanović, Miro Jakovljević, Enver Zerem, Dejan Milošević, Silva Dobrić, Srećko Gajović, Izet Mašić, Armen Yuri Gasparyan, Šekib Sokolović, Nermin Salkić, Selma Uzunović, Admir Kurtčehajić, Edin Begić and Floreta Kurti). Each presentation had a take-home message for novice and seasoned authors, encountering numerous problems in non-Anglophone research environment. Lecturers, who were internationally recognized editors of regional journals, generously shared their experience of adhering to the best ethical guidance. Elegant presentations by Srećko Gajović (Editor-in-Chief of the Croatian Medical Journal) and Armen Yuri Gasparyan (past Chief Editor of the European Science Editing) showcased their accomplishments that strengthened ties between authors from all over the world. Gasparyan reflected on educational resources of editorial associations, such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and called not just to declare the adherence to, but also to enforce their ethical guidance in daily practice. Editors of Medical Archives, Croatian Medica Journal, Vojnosanitetski Pregled, Psychiatria Danubina, Acta Informatica Medica, Materia Socio-Medica, The Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstretics and Gynecology, Acta Medica Saliniana and Medicinski Glasnik presented their editorial strategies aimed at attracting best authors and resolving problems with authorship, conflicts of interest, and plagiarism. Topical education on science writing and editing was considered as an inseparable part of continuing professional development in biomedicine. Armen Yuri Gasparyan (UK) was offered an opportunity to interact with more than 70 participants, attending the SWEP 2016 on the second day. The lecturer talked about author contributions, disclosures of conflicts of interests, plagiarism of ideas and words, research performance and impact indicators, and targeting ethical journals. Topics were presented in a way to help non-Anglophone authors, reviewers and editors avoid common ethical problems. Dr Gasparyan stressed the importance of regularly arranging such meetings across Balkan and Mediterranean countries to eradicate plagiarism and other forms research misconduct. The organizers of the SWEP 2016 awarded selected keynote speakers with certificates of lifetime achievement in journal editing, and decided to run the Seminar annually with support of Balkan and Mediterranean editors and publishers. The SWEP 2016 marked a turning point in the process of regional developments since all attending editors opted for nurturing enthusiasm of the organizers and launching the Mediterranean Association of Science Editors and Publishers (MASEP). The Seminar was a great success with its impressive scientific and social activities. It attracted more than 100 students, researchers, editors, and publishers from Bosnia & Herzegovina and neighbouring countries. Proceedings, in the form of short reports, were published in Acta Informatica Medica and archived in PubMed Central. New friendships were forged between regional experts in editing and young specialists during those unforgettable two days of intensive discussions and informal interactions (a-y).

Grazyna ADLER*, Anna PAWIŃSKA-MATECKA, Agnieszka GARSTKA, Nermin Nusret SALKIC, Amina VALJEVAC, Beata KARAKIEWICZ 1 Department of Gerontobiology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland 2 Central Laboratory, Regional Hospital, Szczecin, Poland 3 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Clinical Center Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Center for Genetics, Medical Faculty, University Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 Public Health Department, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland

Objectives: Chemokines and their receptors participate in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases. Few studies have confirmed that variants of CCR5 gene are correlated with susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease. Data on prevalence of CCR5Δ32 mutation in Crohn’s disease in population from Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina are lacking. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of CCR5Δ32 mutation and its association with Crohn’s disease in these populations. Methods: In this pilot study, we recruited 229 participants. Out of 60 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 30 were controls; out of 169 participants from Poland, 83 were controls. We examined the prevalence of CCR5Δ32 mutation and compared with disease behavior/phenotype which was assessed according to Montreal classification. Participants were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction and data were analyzed using the StatView computer software version 5.0 (SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA). Results : Ileal localization was more frequent in Bosnian (40.0%) compared to Polish patients with Crohn’s disease (3.2%) ( χ 2 =26.07; p<0.0001). A2L2B1 and A2L3B1 were more frequent in Polish than in Bosnian patients with Crohn’s disease ( χ 2 =60.31; p<0.001). In Bosnian and Polish patients with Crohn’s disease mean frequency of Δ32 allele was 3.3% and 7.0%, and for Bosnian and Polish control groups 13.3% and 9.8%, respectively. Conclusion: CCR5Δ32 mutation may be associated with disease behavior and thereby may contribute to the observed heterogeneity of Crohn’s disease. Further studies with larger sample size in both countries are warranted. Keywords: genetic polymorphism, C-C chemokine receptor type 5, Crohn’s disease, Montreal classification

Abstract Background: Venous thrombosis (VT) affects 1–2 out of 103 individuals each year. Mutations of 1691G > A FV gene, 20210G > A PT gene and 677C > T gene MTHFR are common in Europe and increase the risk of venous thrombosis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on the prevalence of these mutations in the general population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Aim: The aim of this study was to simultaneously analyse main VT associated polymorphisms and compare the results with those published for other European populations. Data sources: Electronic databases including Medline and Embase were searched from 1995 to December 2013. Subjects and methods: The subjects of the study consisted of 100 unrelated healthy people from Bosnia and Herzegovina (82 female and 18 male). The mean age of the cohort was 58.8 (±10.7) years. PCR-RFLP was used for measurement of allele frequencies. Results: All three SNPs were found to be polymorphic, with allele frequencies of 6.0%, 6.0% and 37.5% for 1691A FV, 20210A PT and 677T MTHFR, respectively. Conclusion: Further studies on larger cohorts with an adequate female-to-male ratio are necessary to confirm a high prevalence of hereditary thrombophilia in the Bosnian population.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder diagnosed on symptom-based criteria without inclusion of any objective parameter measurable by known diagnostic methods. Heterogeneity of the disorder and overlapping with more serious organic diseases increase uncertainty for the physician's work and increase the cost of confirming the diagnosis. This paper is an attempt to summarize the efforts to find adequate biomarkers for irritable bowel syndrome, which should shorten the time to diagnosis and reduce the cost. Most of the reviewed papers were observational studies from secondary care institutions. Since publication of the Rome III criteria in 2006, most recent studies use these for the recruitment of IBS patients. This is a positive step forward as future studies should use the same criteria, facilitating comparison of their results. Among the studied biomarkers, most evidence is provided for fecal calprotectin. Cutoff values for fecal calprotectin have still to be investigated prior to inclusion in the irritable bowel syndrome diagnostic algorithm.