Abstract In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the number of weather stations (WS) that are monitoring all climatic parameters required for FAO-56 Penman-Monteith (FAO-PM) equation is limited. In fact, it is of great need and importance to achieve the possibility of calculating reference evapotranspiration (ET0) for every WS in BiH (around 150), regardless of the number of climate parameters which they collect. Solving this problem is possible by using alternative equations that require less climatological data for reliable estimation of daily and monthly ET0. The main objective of this study was to validate and determine, compared to the FAO-PM method, a suitable and reliable alternative ET0 equations that are requiring less input data and have a simple calculation procedure, with a special focus on Thornthwaite and Turc as methods previously often used in BiH. To fulfill this objective, 12 alternative ET0 calculation methods and 21 locally adjusted versions of same equations were validated against FAO-PM ET0 method. Daily climatic data, recorded at sixteen WS, including mean maximum and minimum air temperature (°C), precipitation (mm), minimum and maximum relative humidity (%), wind speed (m s−1) and sunshine hours (h) for the period 1961–2015 (55 years) were collected and averaged over each month. Several types of statistical indicators: the determination coefficient (R2), mean bias error (MBE), the variance of the distribution of differences (sd2), the root mean square difference (RMSD) and the mean absolute error (MAE) were used to assess alternative ET0 equation performance. The results, confirmed by various statistical indicators, shows that the most suitable and reliable alternative equation for monthly ET0 calculation in BiH is the locally adjusted Trajkovic method. Adjusted Hargreaves-Samani method was the second best performing method. The two most frequently used ET0 calculation methods in BiH until now, Thornthwaite and Turc, were ranked low.

Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 multisystem involvement leads to functional impairment with an increased risk of falling. This multinational study estimates the prevalence of falls and fall-associated fractures. A web-based survey among disease-specific registries (Germany, UK and The Netherlands) was carried out among DM1 ambulant adults with a total of 573 responses retrieved. Results provided a risk ratio estimation of 30%-72% for falls and of 11%-17% for associated fractures. There was no significant difference for falls between male and female, but there was for fall-related fractures with a higher prevalence in women. Balance and leg weakness were the most commonly reported causes for falling. This study is based on a voluntary retrospective survey with naturally inherent limitations; however, the sample size allows for robust comparisons. The estimated risk of falls in this cohort with a mean age of 46 years compares to a previous estimation for a healthy population of over 65 years of age. These results suggest a premature-ageing DM1 phenotype with an increased risk of falling depending on age and disease severity that, so far, might have been underestimated. This may have clinical implications for the development of care guidelines and when testing new interventions in this population.

Because the term ‘naevoid melanoma’ has variable clinical and pathological interpretations, we aimed to clarify the features of melanomas referred to as naevoid.

Background: The alarming spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing healthcare-associated infections has been extensively reported in recent medical literature. Aims: To compare trends in antimicrobial consumption and development of resistance among isolates of Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that cause hospital infections. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A study was conducted in a tertiary healthcare institution in central Serbia, during the 7-year period between January 2009 and December 2015. The incidence rate of infections caused by Acinetobacter or Pseudomonas, as well as their resistance density to commonly used antibiotics, were calculated. Utilization of antibiotics was expressed as the number of defined daily doses per 1000 patient-days. Results: A statistically significant increase in resistance density in 2015 compared to the first year of observation was noted for Acinetobacter, but not for Pseudomonas, to third-generation cephalosporins (p=0.008), aminoglycosides (p=0.005), carbapenems (p=0.003), piperacillin/tazobactam (p=0.025), ampicillin/sulbactam (p=0.009) and tigecycline (p=0.048). Conclusion: Our study showed that there is an association between the resistance density of Acinetobacter spp. and utilization of carbapenems, tigecycline and aminoglycosides. A multifaceted intervention is needed to decrease the incidence rate of Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas hospital infections, as well as their resistance density to available antibiotics.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis of the joints (osteoarthritis or arthritis) represents the largest group of rheumatic diseases. Within rheumatic diseases 50% are degenerative rheumatic diseases, 10% inflammatory and 40% extra-articular. Goal: To determine the modalities of physical therapy for elderly with degenerative diseases. Material and methods: The study is retrospective-prospective and descriptive. The survey conducted included 25 patients with degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems in Gerontology Center in Sarajevo, from May 1, 2014- April 30, 2015. As research instruments were used: Questionnaire for users of physical therapy in Gerontology Center in Sarajevo, self-developed, visual-analog scale to assess pain and patient records. Results: Of the total number of patients with degenerative diseases (25), 10 (40%) were male and 15 (60%) were female. The most common degenerative disease is knee osteoarthritis which had 11 patients (29%), 3 males and 8 females. From physical therapy modalities in the treatment of degenerative diseases at the Gerontology Center in Sarajevo, kinetic therapy was administered to all patients, followed by manual massage and TENS in 15 cases (60%). From twenty-two patients, who completed a questionnaire, 11 (50%, 2 male and 9 female) rated their health as poor. Seven patients (32%, 3 male and 4 female) assessed their health as good. Three patients (14%, 2 male and 1 female) rated their health as very poor, and one patient (4%, 1 male) rated its health as very good. Conclusion: The Research Physical therapy in elderly with degenerative diseases is a pilot project, which highlights the need for: Conducting research for a longer time period, with a larger sample; Quality of keeping health records; Implementation of a continuous evaluation of functional status and; Stricter control for optimal effectiveness of physical therapy in order to improve the quality of life of elderly patients.

Introduction: Alimentary toxoinfections represent a significant public health problem. Globalization of the market and food production, significant impoverishment of a large part of the population, and traditional approach with food preparation and consumption, cause a significant increase in the rates of population infections around the world. The epidemiological surveillance of the illness occurrence plays a significant role in monitoring and controlling the population’s burden of diseases caused by unhygienically prepared and stored food. Aim: The aim of the article is to determine the rates and trends of food related diseases in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Results: The results of the analysis have shown that the rate of illness in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is declining but is still significantly higher than in developed western countries. Particularly great burden is on the population of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC), which can be due to the traditional relation to the preparation and storage of food, as well as to the relatively poorer economic situation in ZDC. Conclusion: We can conclude that the strengthening of the monitoring system, laboratory capacities, the availability of monitoring guides will enable responsible FBiH/Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions to better control and implement safer food practice.