The conducted research aimed to determine the dietary habits of elderly people. The research was conducted on a sample of 237 respondents differentiated by gender, 133 males and 104 females and by age 65 -89 years. Data processing was done in the SPSS program and descriptive and comparative statistics were used to obtain data. Descriptive parameters were created for the analysis of the factual state of the respondents. The collected data were analyzed using the Microsoft Excel 2007 tool, and are presented in tables. It is evident that the health status of the respondents worsens with age, and dietary habits change in a positive sense with age. Given that the world's population is aging, it is necessary to emphasize attention to certain needs and challenges faced by many older people. Nutrition is an important element of health in the elderly population and affects the aging process. Although it is a study on a relatively small number of subjects, in comparison with a larger European study, it becomes relevant for proving the present problem of malnutrition among elderly patients. It is necessary to take all measures to increase the awareness of health workers about this problem in order to successfully prevent it or stop it in time.Looking at the entire sample of respondents globally, we can conclude that overall, a significant number of respondents do not pay enough attention to the structure of foods in their diet and water consumption.In line with previous research, the results of this study highlight the importance of dietary habits in creating a healthy lifestyle and preventing chronic non-communicable diseases. Key words:eating habits, age, respondents, differences, lifestyle

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the entire personality and is most often diagnosed during school age. The Tomatis Method involves neurosensory brain stimulation through unique listening programs. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the Tomatis Method on the attention of a child with ADHD. The listening program was tailored to the child's specific needs and was administered by a certified Tomatis practitioner. Each treatment cycle lasted 14 days. The assessment was conducted at four time points: before and after the first cycle, and before and after the second cycle of the Tomatis treatment. A software-based assessment tool specifically designed to evaluate components of executive functions was used to measure attention. The collected data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software for statistical analysis. Basic statistical parameters were calculated. The results showed improvements in attention-related abilities, including increased response accuracy and faster reaction times. Key words:Tomatis Method, ADHD, attention.

Menopause represents an inevitable transition in a woman’s life, presenting with vasomotor symptoms, mood disorders, sleep difficulties, and prolonged risks such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Hormone replacement therapy emerged as the cornerstone of menopausal management, particularly for alleviating symptoms and preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis. However, findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 highlighted increased risks of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke associated with hormonal replacement treatment, leading to a significant global decline in its usage. Consequently, numerous women were deprived of essential therapy, endangering their health and quality of life. This review presents the findings of the WHI study, discusses its methodological errors, and evaluates its benefits and harms. We explore landmark studies that have reestablished the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy over the past two decades. Guidelines supported by these findings are presented in this review. Despite advancements, public perception of hormone replacement treatment remains influenced by outdated findings, limiting its utilization in many regions, especially in developing countries. Our objective is to provide evidence that misconceptions about hormone replacement therapy significantly impact women’s general health and quality of life, as well as to clarify the short-term and long-term impacts of hormone replacement therapy. We conclude that hormonal replacement treatment is effective and safe when administered according to established guidelines. Access to information, coupled with knowledgeable physicians who consistently interact with women, is as vital as the contributions of menopause healthcare specialists. Conflicting information from outdated professionals can likely lead to treatment failure in patients. Keywords: menopause, women’s health, estrogens, progestins, quality of life

Preterm birth can significantly impact cognitive development, particularly executive functions (EF). This study investigated hot (with emotional/motivational aspects) and cool (purely neutral/cognitive) EF trajectories in preterm and full-term children, examining brain-behavior relationships. It included 3508 participants aged 9–10 years (mean age 10.0 years) at baseline from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD®) study, evenly split between preterm and full-term births (54.36 % males; 1.05 % Asian American, 10.69 % Black, 15.68 % Hispanic, 61.57 % White, 11.09 % other). Participants were followed for 4 years, completing MRI scans and a cool EF task at baseline and at the 2-year follow-up, as well as hot/cool and hot EF tasks at the 1- and 3-year follow-ups. Linear mixed models showed varying effects of preterm birth across the different EF tasks. Specifically, preterm children showed persistent cool EF deficits and a catch-up pattern for hot EF, while performance on the hot/cool task showed no association with preterm birth. Brain-behavior bivariate latent change score analyses identified distinct bidirectional relationships in specific regions, suggesting altered cognitive-brain maturation interactions in preterm children. These findings highlight the complex nature of EF development following preterm birth: while cool EF deficits persist, hot EF shows catch-up growth in preterm children during early adolescence. This emphasizes the need for tailored interventions and long-term follow-up in this population.

Exposure to heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and chromium is associated with genotoxicity and increased risk of cancer. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we have assessed effects of heavy metal exposure on levels of DNA strand breaks in leukocytes, measured by the comet assay, in human biomonitoring studies. We distinguish between traditional toxic metals (lead), semi-metals/metalloids (arsenic), transition metals (chromium), and other heavy metals. The literature search led to 66 studies, which were assessed by meta-analysis. Using standardized mean difference and 95 % confidence interval (CI), the meta-analyses show increased levels of DNA strand breaks in subjects exposed to lead (1.99, 95 % CI: 1.47, 2.51), arsenic (1.36, 95 % CI: 0.94, 1.77), chromium/welding fume (2.03, 95 % CI: 1.48, 2.57), and other heavy metals (0.81, 95 % CI: 0.45, 1.18). Subgroup analysis indicates that all studies combined from middle-income countries have higher effect size (1.99, 95 % CI: 1.63, 2.35) than have studies from high-income countries (0.81, 95 % CI: 0.37, 1.26). The lower effect size in high-income countries may be due to differences in exposure levels, related to stricter regulation of emissions or more awareness/use of personal protective equipment in the working environment. Sensitivity analysis does not unequivocally link effect size to comet assay measurement bias, inferred by insufficient information on comet assay procedures, missing assay controls, non-blinded analysis of samples, or exposure misclassification. In conclusion, this systematic review and meta-analysis shows that exposure to heavy metals - lead, arsenic and chromium - is associated with increased levels of DNA strand breaks in human leukocytes.

Exposure to pesticides, most usually in occupational settings, is associated with different adverse health effects. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we have assessed the effects of pesticide exposure on the level of DNA strand breaks in human peripheral blood cells, measured by the comet assay, in human biomonitoring studies. The literature search led to 80 studies included in the review. Of these, 66 studies met the criteria to be used in the meta-analysis. Using standardized mean difference and 95 % confidence interval (CI), the meta-analyses show an increased level of DNA strand breaks in subjects exposed to pesticides (2.02, 95 % CI: 1.69, 2.35). Results originate mainly from studies on workers, with only a few studies on environmental pesticide exposure. Subgroup analysis indicates that all studies combined from middle-income countries have a higher effect size (2.22, CI: 1.84, 2.59, n = 55) than studies from high-income countries (1.09, CI: 0.41, 1.76, n = 11). This difference between middle- and high-income countries may be mostly due to legislative, economic, and socio-cultural aspects. It has to be pointed out that only 9 % of the studies were classified as having an overall low risk of bias, while 12 % of studies used exposure biomarkers. In conclusion, this systematic review and meta-analysis shows that exposure to pesticides is associated with increased levels of DNA strand breaks in human peripheral blood cells.

This study investigates the neural encoding of speech features in hearing aid users using electroencephalography (EEG) during a simulated cocktail party scenario. The objective was to investigate neural tracking of various acoustic and linguistic features and how hearing aid noise reduction influenced this tracking. The features analyzed included the acoustic envelope, phonetic features, word onset, and word surprisal, the latter derived from GPT-2. Temporal Response Functions (TRFs) were used to correlate these features with EEG signals, revealing how the brain tracks attended (target) versus unattended (masker) speech. TRFs were estimated using a boosting algorithm, with speech features as predictors and EEG signals as responses. Results revealed a significant distinction between target and masker speech. The acoustic envelope showed the strongest correlation with EEG responses. Distinct tracking patterns were observed: the acoustic envelope and phonetic features correlated with early processing stages, while word onset and word suprisal were linked to later stages. Noise reduction further influenced the tracking of these features. These findings improve our understanding of how hearing aid users process speech and provide insight for developing hearing aids that adapt to individual neural responses.

The “burnout” syndrome is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It is also referred to as a disease of themodern age. It most commonly occurs after an individual experiences emotional exhaustion and an inability to meet constant demands, leading to a loss of interest and motivation in their work. The profession of a speech and language therapist is considereda helping profession that can lead to burnout syndrome. The main aim of this research was to examine the level of professional burnout in speech and language therapy practice. The sample consisted of 69 speech and language therapists of both genders, employed in various institutions. The results showed that 31 therapists (44.8%) exhibited varying degrees of professional burnout, ranging from mild burnout to burnout requiring professional assistance, while 38 therapists (55.1%) showed no signs of professional burnout. No statistically significant difference in the level of professional burnout was found in relation to the gender of the therapists, but a statistically significant difference was found in relation to the age of the therapists. The results indicated that there is no difference in the level of professional burnout in relation to years of service, nor a statistically significant correlation between the level of professional burnout and the type of institution where the therapists are employed, working hours during the week, or the number of treatments conducted during the working day. Taking care of the mental health of speech and language therapists is a very important factor that contributes to the quality and efficiency of conducting speech and language prevention, assessment, diagnostics, and treatment. Keywords:burnout syndrome, speech and language therapists, speech and language therapy practice, mental health.

U radu su razmatrana trenutna i konsolidacijska slijeganja kvadratnog temelja za dvije različite geomehaničke sredine. Prvi slučaj je pjeskovito tlo ispod kojeg se nalazi sloj gline, a druga geomehanička sredina je pjeskovito tlo u mješavini sa šljunkom te ojačano cementnim prahom (30%) i staklenim vlaknima (1%) ispod kojeg se nalazi glina. Dobiveni rezultati slijeganja pokazuju dobru stabilizaciju tla i povoljne geomehaničke karakteristike ojačanog tla koji se ogledaju u manjoj vrijednosti ukupnog slijeganja temelja koja zadovoljava maksimalnu dopuštenu vrijednost definiranu Eurocode-om. U radu su prikazana slijeganja kroz vremensko razdoblje od 120 dana, prikazano je konačno, dugoročno slijeganje ispod temelja kao i diferencijalni omjer (δ/L) slijeganja temelja. Proračun trenutnog slijeganja vršen je prema teoriji elastičnosti odnosno konsolidacijsko slijeganje prema Terzaghi-ju.

Evaluation of the performance of teleoperation systems plays an important role in assessing the efficacy and reliability of such systems. The evaluation is usually performed based on factors such as stability, transparency, and user satisfaction. However, very few studies have addressed the numerical evaluation of transparency in teleoperation systems so far. This letter presents a novel method to numerically assess the transparency of teleoperation systems based on representing recorded experimental data algebraically by fitting parametric curves using Elliptic Fourier Descriptors (EFD). The EFD coefficients are used to compute the Hybrid Matrix of the teleoperation system, which provides a metric for judging how transparent a teleoperation system is. This letter validates the proposed method using real experimental position and force data for teleoperation systems with and without time delay, as well as providing an analysis of the effect of the number of harmonics on the calculation of the Hybrid Matrix.

We analyze the high-order above-threshold ionization (HATI) process of a small polyatomic molecule with C3 symmetry, which is induced by a bicircular strong laser field. This field consists of two coplanar, counter-rotating, circularly polarized components with frequencies rω and sω where r and s are integers. In our study, we use an improved molecular strong-field approximation to obtain electron energy-angle-resolved and momentum spectra of the BF3 molecule. We analyze the contributions of individual atoms as well as the impact of molecular symmetries on these spectra. We find that these spectra are significantly affected by the characteristics of the molecule and the laser-field parameters. Furthermore, we observe pronounced interference minima in the HATI spectra. We demonstrate that these minima result from the destructive interference of rescattered wave packets from different atomic centers, and we determine the conditions under which they occur, including two-, three-, and four-center interference.

Summary The rapid rise of 3D printing, both in industrial and home settings, presents emerging health and environmental risks. While 3D printing enhances sustainability by reducing waste and optimizing resource use, its impact on human health remains poorly understood. The use of metals and polymers linked to health risks, coupled with the release of inhalable particles and volatile organic compounds, raises concerns about respiratory and systemic effects. The absence of clear guidelines creates high public demand for information and limits safe implementation, particularly in schools and homes where millions of 3D printers are expected by 2030. Additionally, improper disposal of 3D printing polymer materials may exacerbate plastic pollution. This article proposes the perspective of a structured risk assessment framework set on particle emissions from industrial 3D printing. It will offer a practical tool to bridge current knowledge gaps and to inform safe practice and policy development, because immediate action is necessary to balance innovation with safety.