Breast cancer is one of the major causes of mortality in women worldwide. The most aggressive breast cancer subtypes are human epidermal growth factor receptor-positive (HER2+) and triple-negative breast cancers. Therapies targeting HER2 receptors have significantly improved HER2+ breast cancer patient outcomes. However, several recent studies have pointed out the deficiency of existing treatment protocols in combatting disease relapse and improving response rates to treatment. Overriding the inherent actions of the immune system to detect and annihilate cancer via the immune checkpoint pathways is one of the important hallmarks of cancer. Thus, restoration of these pathways by various means of immunomodulation has shown beneficial effects in the management of various types of cancers, including breast. We herein review the recent progress in the management of HER2+ breast cancer via HER2-targeted therapies, and its association with the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) axis. In order to link research in the areas of medicine and mathematics and point out specific opportunities for providing efficient theoretical analysis related to HER2+ breast cancer management, we also review mathematical models pertaining to the dynamics of HER2+ breast cancer and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Abstract Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, tree of heaven, is an exotic tree introduced as a horticultural tree in Europe and America in 18th Century. Now it is aggressively invading ecosystems. This study was aimed to estimate phytotoxic potential of essential oils (EOs) from fourteen industrial, aromatic and medicinal crops, such as Thymus sp., Pinus sp., Origanum sp. etc. against this invasive species. The phytotoxic potential was assessed through three different doses of EOs by a germination bioassay and the effects on seedling growth. Analysis of seedling growth revealed that seven EOs (Petasites hybridus, Thymus serpyllum, Thymus vulgaris, Rosmarinus officinalis, Helichrysum italicum, Matricaria chamomilla, Origanum vulgare) exhibit high phytotoxic effect resulting in 95–100% seedling mortality. Moreover, detailed GC-MS analysis of these oils showed that they are mostly comprised either of oxygenated monoterpenes or sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, which are already known as compounds with allelopathic effects. Presented results indicate these essential oils might be used as natural herbicides by foliar application of oils on young plants of Ailanthus altissima.

Before even opening the book, Democracy by Decree: Prospects and Limits of Imposed Consociational Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina captures the reader’s attention with its intriguing and provocative title. But what author Adis Merdzanovic delivers in its pages is equally engaging. Merdzanovic illustrates how the consociational power-sharing arrangements in Bosnia and Herzegovina were imposed by the international community following the wars in the 1990s, rather than genuinely initiated from inside a country, and have, perhaps unsurprisingly, largely failed.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept of the modern, interconnected world. Over 50 billion devices, globally-connected, make up the largest network that is stepping towards the fourth industrial revolution, and which will significantly change the system of values and business systems. In the world of heterogeneous communication technologies, choosing the optimal one is a challenge for system architects, which is not an easy task often. The paper presents a comparative analysis of widespread communication technologies in the domain of IoT, and the conclusions presented based on the performed analysis, provide a better insight into the choice of the optimal solution depending on the problem domain and therefore better quality of solutions based on the concept of IoT.

Temperature-stable dissolving film eliminates cold-chain storage and successfully immunizes mice sublingually and buccally. A novel, thin-film platform that preserves live viruses, bacteria, antibodies, and enzymes without refrigeration for extended periods of time is described. Studies with recombinant adenovirus in an optimized formulation that supports recovery of live virus through 16 freeze-thaw cycles revealed that production of an amorphous solid with a glass transition above room temperature and nitrogen-hydrogen bonding between virus and film components are critical determinants of stability. Administration of live influenza virus in the optimized film by the sublingual and buccal routes induced antibody-mediated immune responses as good as or better than those achieved by intramuscular injection. This work introduces the possibility of improving global access to a variety of medicines by offering a technology capable of reducing costs of production, distribution, and supply chain maintenance.

Introduction: Ramadan is the holy month of Muslims including fasting sometimes more than 20 hours. Even diabetes patients can be exempted from fasting it has been shown that almost 80% of diabetes type 2 patients intend and do fasting. To avoid acute complications during fasting, different recommendations on diabetes management are available. Considering the fact that there are more than 226 thousand diabetics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is important to provide structured support and healthcare service to those who are practicing fast during Ramadan. Aim: To evaluate knowledge, practice and attitudes of physicians treating diabetes (diabetologists and endocrinologists) in Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding management of diabetes in fasting patients during Ramadan. Methods: A 32 questions survey has been developed, validated and disseminated to the 27 specialists treating diabetes in Bosnia and Herzegovina through online form examining demographic characteristics, current practices and attitudes and knowledge on diabetes management during Ramadan. Results: All surveyed physicians deal with patients who are fasting during Ramadan. The majority of surveyed physicians 23 (85,2%) proactively initiate a discussion about planned fasting. More than 63,0% are following their experience and only 18,5% ADA/EASD guidelines on diabetes management during Ramadan. There are no significant differences between gender of the physicians, place of work and specialization when it comes to specific knowledge related to treatment guidelines, but some differences are observed. Conclusion: Although overall physicians` knowledge of diabetes management during Ramadan is satisfying there is opportunity in additional specialized education and measures introduction into the practice in order to improve treatment outcomes and standards of care.

Healthcare information systems store a huge amount of patient data, so the trend of the use of data mining in healthcare is on the rise. Heart and blood vessel diseases are a leading cause of mortality both worldwide and here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and prevention, surveillance and treatment are of great public health importance. Based on data on patients with cardiovascular disease, collected from 2011 to 2017 at Mostar Hospital, models for mortality prediction using techniques for data tree mining, neural network and logistic regression are presented. The aim of this research is to compare the effectiveness of these methods in modeling the effectiveness of predicting mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Although around the globe numerous studies have been conducted on the nutritional composition of blueberry/bilberry and its effect on human health, very little is known about the fruit in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the first report regarding the physical and chemical characteristics of the cultivated highbush blueberry and bilberry harvested in the same climatic conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this paper we present the physical weight and chemical soluble solids content, total sugars, titratable acidity, pH, and total phenols properties of the wild bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus L. and cultivated highbush-'Earliblue', 'Bluegold', 'Bluecrop', 'Goldtraube'-blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum L. . Among the highbush blueberry cultivars, 'Bluegold' 2.07-2.11 g and 'Bluecrop' 2.08-2.11 g had the highest weight. 'Bluecrop' had the highest soluble solids content 13.3-13.7 °Brix and total sugars 9.73%?9.94% , but the lowest content of titratable acidity 0.70-0.72 g/100 g , which was highest in 'Goldtraube' 0.92-0.93 g/100 g . This cultivar also had the highest content of total phenols 289-309 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g of fresh weight . In the case of wild bilberry, the following values were obtained: average weight 0.28-0.32 g, soluble solids content 11.1-11.3 °Brix, total sugars 7.23%-7.37%, titratable acidity 0.99%-1.02%, and total phenols 431-455 mg/100 g. Blueberry and wild bilberry also had a fairly uniform pH 3.2-3.6 . All samples had a valuable composition and so it is advisory to expand their production in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to increase their consumption.

The steady increase in electricity demand has led to more installed generation capacity in wind farms, which, due to the stochastic nature of their production, may have characteristic and non-standard responses to some occurrences in the grid. The power output from the wind farm changes constantly, depending on the wind speed, so the impact of the network on the wind farm will inversely vary depending on the moment of the short circuit and the wind farm operating mode, since the values of currents and voltages in these fault systems depend on the power flows. Although wind power is known to contribute to the short circuit current / power at the point of its connection, this paper focuses on the response of the wind farm to short circuits in the network and the impact of these phenomena on the grid-wind relation. The aim of the paper is to determine the worst type of short circuit for wind turbine operation in the distribution system.

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.

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.