BACKGROUND Both phases of euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) are associated with worse prognosis in septic shock patients. Although there are still no indications for supplementation therapy, there is no evidence that both phases (initial and prolonged) are adaptive or that only prolonged is maladaptive and requires supplementation. AIM To analyze clinical, hemodynamic and laboratory differences in two groups of septic shock patients with ESS. METHODS A total of 47 septic shock patients with ESS were divided according to values of their thyroid hormones into low T3 and low T3T4 groups. The analysis included demographic data, mortality scores, intensive care unit stay, mechanical ventilation length and 28-day survival and laboratory with hemodynamics. RESULTS The Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score (P = 0.029), dobutamine (P = 0.003) and epinephrine requirement (P = 0.000) and the incidence of renal failure and multiple organ failure (MOF) (P = 0.000) were significantly higher for the low T3T4. Hypoalbuminemia (P = 0.047), neutrophilia (P = 0.038), lymphopenia (P = 0.013) and lactatemia (P = 0.013) were more pronounced on T2 for the low T3T4 group compared to the low T3 group. Diastolic blood pressure at T0 (P = 0.017) and T1 (P = 0.007), as well as mean arterial pressure at T0 (P = 0.037) and T2 (P = 0.033) was higher for the low T3 group. CONCLUSION The low T3T4 population is associated with higher frequency of renal insufficiency and MOF, with worse laboratory and hemodynamic parameters. These findings suggest potentially maladaptive changes in the chronic phase of septic shock.

Abstract The major driver of the costs of treating patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is its complications, which in developing countries are a consequence of poor glycemic control due to the low availability of novel, innovative antidiabetic drugs. We aimed to determine the ratio of direct medical costs arising from DM2 to the direct costs of its complications, as well as their main predictors. This was a retrospective cohort study of health care utilization and direct medical costs for adults with DM2, with (inpatients) or without (outpatients) complications. The utilization data were multiplied by the unit prices of drugs and services reimbursed by the Serbian Republic Health Insurance Fund to obtain direct costs. In total, 205 inpatients and 60 outpatients with DM2 participated in the study. Key drivers of the costs of treating diabetes complications in hospitals are consultations with specialist clinicians (B = 0.025 [0.003–0.047]), use of reserve antibiotics (B = 0.022 [0.007–0.036]), biochemical tests (B = 0.038 [0.022–0.055]) and length of stay in the hospital (B = 0.011 [0.009–0.013]). On the other hand, the number of encounters with general practitioners (B = 0.179 0.115–0.242) and the number of ultrasound examinations are strongly correlated with the total costs of treating outpatients with DM2 (B = 0.234 [0.054–0.414]). None of the outpatients included in the study were prescribed novel antidiabetic drugs. Overall, the costs of treating DM2 in Serbia are considerable and mainly driven by the 2–11-fold higher costs of complications vs. the costs of the disease itself.

The European Theatre Night is a one-day event that takes place every year in European countries, and since 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina has also participated. The program includes theatre performances and other forms of performing arts. The European Theatre Night is the largest and most extensive theatrical manifestation and one of the most significant cultural manifestations in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. The work mainly deals with the analysis of this manifestation, that is, the main actors of the organization and cooperation, artistic institutions in which various theatre institutions, organizations and artists participate.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill COVID-19 patients are usually subjected to clinical, laboratory, and radiological diagnostic procedures resulting in numerous findings. Utilizing these findings as indicators for disease progression or outcome prediction is particularly intriguing. OBJECTIVES: Exploring the significance of dynamic changes in haematological and biochemical parameters in predicting the mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients. METHODS: The present study was a prospective and observational study involving mechanically ventilated 75 critically ill adult COVID-19 patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure. The collected data included baseline patient characteristics, treatment options, outcome, and laboratory findings at admission and 7 days after. The dynamics of the obtained findings were compared between survivors and non-survivors. RESULTS: The 28-day survival rate was 61.3%. In the group of non-survivors significant dynamic changes were found for C-reactive protein ( p = 0.001), interleukin-6 ( p < 0.001), lymphocyte ( p = 0.003), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio ( p = 0.003), platelets ( p < 0.001), haemoglobin ( p < 0.001), iron ( p = 0.012), and total iron-binding capacity ( p < 0.001). Statistically significant changes over time were found for ferritin ( p = 0.010), D-dimer ( p < 0.001), hs-troponin T ( p < 0.002), lactate dehydrogenase ( p = 0.001), glucose ( p = 0.023), unsaturated iron-binding capacity ( p = 0.008), and vitamin D ( p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The dynamic changes in inflammatory, haematological and biochemical parameters can predict disease severity, and outcome.

In this study, we examined the correlation between the collected municipal waste (MW) and the tourism intensity (TI) in five of Croatia’s most popular tourist towns—Zagreb, Poreč, Rovinj, Split, and Dubrovnik—from 2015 to 2021. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative analysis of target scenarios for municipal waste reduction in these tourist towns based on population changes and the amount of separately collected and residual MW collected to achieve EU targets for processing MW for reuse and recycling. The TI indicator quantifies the population’s theoretical multiplication during tourist influx, providing a clear picture of the pressure exerted by tourism. Rovinj and Poreč have the highest TIs, while larger cities like Dubrovnik, Split, and Zagreb have lower average TI values. The correlation between the collected MW and the tourism intensity in Dubrovnik is very high and positive, in Zagreb and Rovinj it is high and negative, while Split has a higher positive correlation than Poreč. The results for the MW preparation rates for reuse and recycling from 2015 to 2021 and future projections for 2021–2035 suggest that, in five of Croatia’s leading tourist towns, the imperative must be to decrease residual MW, promote separation at the source, and separate MW collection to meet EU targets. Given the challenges of meeting all three—or even two or one—of the EU’s targets of 50% by 2025, 60% by 2030, and 65% by 2035, the current waste separation system must be improved. This study contributes to the scientific community by addressing the gap in the current knowledge on the effects of population changes caused by tourism on MW in tourist destinations. The findings could be relevant for practitioners and policymakers planning MW collection, processing, and recovery in tourism-oriented economies, particularly in Croatia’s top tourist destinations.

Bentonite clay is a valuable material in various process industries, thanks to its specific properties. Easy availability, low cost and their effectiveness are the main factors that have made bentonite adsorbent in the edible oil industry. The textural characteristics of bentonite clay play an important role in its performance. In its natural form, as an aluminosilicate material, bentonite does not show satisfactory sorption and catalytic properties, and it needs to be activated. The main goal of this research is to increase the adsorption capacity of bentonite clay by modifying its properties by treatment with organic acid. Activation of bentonite clay in the experimental part was performed with different concentrations of sulfuric acid. The chemical composition of the natural bentonite sample was determined using XRF alongside the influence of acid activation of bentonite with H2SO4 on the surface characteristics (such as specific surface area, pore volume and average pore diameter, adsorption capacity and isotherm type) of bentonite clay. The XRF analysis of the natural bentonite, which contains 56.35% SiO2 and 19.82% Al2O3 as its primary components, confirms that it is an aluminosilicate material. Except for SiO2, which recorded a consistent increase in quantity from 56.35% to 74.15% with increasing acid concentration, the composition of other components, after activation slightly decreased or remained the same. The acid concentration that yielded the highest increase in specific surface area, as measured by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, was selected as the optimal concentration for activating bentonite. The specific surface area almost tripled (from 95.519 m2/g to 346.467 m2/g)) by activation with 15% sulfuric acid, with an activation time of 3 hours and a bentonite: acid ratio of 1:5. The research results show the effectiveness of acid modification in terms of improving the characteristics of the porous structure of bentonite samples.

This letter presents an analytical analysis of the Doppler spectrum in von Mises-Fisher (vMF) scattering channels. A simple closed-form expression for the Doppler spectrum is derived and used to investigate the impact of the vMF scattering parameters, i.e., the mean direction and the degree of concentration of scatterers. The spectrum is observed to exhibit exponential behavior for mobile antenna motion parallel to the mean direction of scatterers, while conforming to a Gaussian-like shape for the perpendicular motion. The validity of the obtained results is verified by comparison against the results of Monte Carlo simulations, where an exact match is observed.

This letter presents simple analytical expressions for the spatial and temporal correlation functions in channels with von Mises-Fisher scattering. In contrast to previous results, the expressions presented here are exact and based only on elementary functions, clearly revealing the impact of the underlying scattering parameters. The derived results are validated by a comparison against numerical integration, where an exact match is observed. To demonstrate their utility, the presented results are used to analyze spatial correlation across different antenna array geometries and to investigate the temporal correlation of a fluctuating radar signal from a moving target.

The no‐reflow phenomenon is a potential contributor to poor outcome despite successful thrombectomy. There are multiple proposed imaging‐based definitions of no‐reflow leading to wide variations in reported prevalence. We investigated the agreement between existing imaging definitions and compared the characteristics and outcomes of patients identified as having no‐reflow.

Cooperative connected automated mobility depends on sensing and wireless communication functions. With increasing carrier frequency both functions can be realized with the same hardware, however, the attenuation of radio signals increases quadratically with the carrier frequency. Hence, link setup becomes challenging in vehicular scenarios due to the required beam finding process. In this paper we investigate the multipath components of the vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) radio channel in three frequency bands with center frequencies of 3.2 GHz, 34.3 GHz and 62.35 GHz using measurement data with 155.5 MHz bandwidth and a sounding repetition rate of $31.25 \mu \mathrm{~s}$. The channel impulse responses are collected simultaneously at all three carrier frequencies. Using the high temporal sampling rate we apply the CLEAN algorithm, enabling the estimation of the weight, delay and Doppler frequency of multipath components. By analyzing the collinearity of the Doppler normalized scattering function between the frequency bands we found that the collinearity between the 3.2 GHz and 34.3 GHz band as well as between the 3.2 GHz and 62.35 GHz is smaller in the non-line of sight (NLOS) region but increases for the line-of-sight (LOS).

Abstract The variability of phenolic compounds among grape varieties has an important role in selecting winemaking techniques, but the use of phenolic profiles for quality control is still fragmented and incomplete. Given the recent climate change and global warming, biochemical characterisation of secondary metabolites in autochthonous grape varieties is a very important factor for their preservation and sustainable agriculture. Two autochthonous grape varieties from the western Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been selected for the research targeting at the evaluation of their phenolic profiles, antioxidant activities, and the correlation with oxidoreductase enzymes polyphenol oxidase and Class III peroxidase, in different berry tissues. The obtained results indicate a similar qualitative profile of phenolic compounds in exocarp and mesocarp in both varieties, but their concentrations and antioxidant activity vary significantly. The correlation between phenolic compounds and oxidoreductase enzyme activities in different grape berry tissues is discussed in this article. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

In this study, we develop an in silico model of a neuron’s behaviour under demyelination caused by a cytokine storm to investigate the effects of viral infections in the brain. We use a comprehensive model to measure how cytokine-induced demyelination affects the propagation of action potential (AP) signals within a neuron. We analysed the effects of neuron-neuron communications by applying information and communication theory at different levels of demyelination. Our simulations demonstrate that virus-induced degeneration can play a role in the signal power and spiking rate, which compromise the propagation and processing of information between neurons. We propose a transfer function to model the weakening effects on the AP. Our results show that demyelination induced by a cytokine storm not only degrades the signal but also impairs its propagation within the axon. Our proposed in silico model can analyse virus-induced neurodegeneration and enhance our understanding of virus-induced demyelination.

Neurological impairment disorders in fetuses, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder, can arise from numerous factors impacting the development of the fetal nervous system. Although diagnosing these disorders early is difficult, it is essential for prompt intervention. Recent progress in deep learning and ultrasound technology offers the potential to create a tool for early detection. Development of the TRUEAID system is based on combining the meticulously tuned Kurjak Antenatal Neurodevelopmental Test (KANET) with a sophisticated convolutional neural network for construction of an AI empowered ultrasound module capable of automated diagnostic decision support in the field of fetal neurodevelopmental risk assessment. The model's performance was evaluated using accuracy metrics, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and Mathesson Correlation Coefficient (MCC). The custom CNN architecture achieved an overall accuracy of 93.83%. This pilot study lays the foundation for AI-based fetal neurobehavioral assessment, providing a promising tool for the early detection of fetal neurological impairment disorders. The research holds implications for improving outcomes for affected children and making advanced diagnostic capabilities accessible in diverse healthcare settings.

Aim: During the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many countries reported a significant decrease in the prevalence of influenza virus cases. The study aimed to characterize the flu seasons from 2018 to 2023 in Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&amp;H), and to assess the possible impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the influenza A and B virus circulation.&nbsp; Methods: The CDC Human Influenza Virus Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panels were used for the detection of influenza virus A and B, and subtyping of influenza virus A (H1pdm09 virus and H3). The data for this regis-try-based retrospective study were collected at the Clinical Centre of the University of Sarajevo, Unit for Clinical Microbiology (the laboratory that acts as a referral for the detection and characterization of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 in Federation B&amp;H). Results: In the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020, an equal percentage of positive cases was recorded (148/410; 36%, and 182/504; 36%, respectively). The absence of the influenza virus was observed in 2020/2021. During 2021/2022, influenza virus was detected among 19/104 (18%) patients and slightly increased in 2022/2023 (45/269; 17%). The switch of the influenza B virus lineage was observed. Conclusion: The SARS-CoV-2 virus had an impact on the prevalence of influenza virus infection among the population of the Sarajevo Canton, B&amp;H. Since the interactions between these two viruses are not entirely clear, awareness of a possible threat to public health is crucial.