Background: Knee osteoarthritis is the most common rheumatic disease characterized by pain, structural changes and impairment of quality of life. This disease has a multifactorial etiopathogenesis, and the main role is attributed to mechanical factors. There is a primary and secondary form of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis diagnosis is carried out on the basis of history, clinical picture and radiological examinations. Osteoarthritis is a major cause of absenteeism for middle-aged people. In the treatment of osteoarthritis, the triad is important: education, rehabilitation and supportive therapy with chondroprotective drugs. As part of the study, 60 patients with clinical and radiographic signs of knee osteoarthritis were given Cartinorm (1500mg glucosamine sulfate, 800mg chondroitin sulfate, 5000mg forti gel, 250mg vitamin C). After 3 months of treatment, there was an improvement in movement, a reduction in pain and an improvement in activities of daily living as measured by the Oswestry score. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reduction of pain, improvement of the clinical picture and improvement of the quality of life, after three months of supportive therapy with chondroprotective drugs (Cartinorm -1500mg glucosamine sulfate, 800mg chondroitin sulfate, 5000mg forti gel, 250 mg vitamin C). Methods: In a study that is prospective, analytical and descriptive, 60 subjects of both sexes with clinical and radiological signs of knee osteoarthritis were included. The study was conducted in six cities (Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka, Mostar, Zenica and Bijeljina) and lasted three months. During the study for pain relief, patients could only use Paracetamol and all patients took Cartinorm 1x a day. Pain Scale and Ostwestry index tests were performed for each patient to assess the quality of life at the beginning of the study, at the end of the first, second and third month. Results and Results: Total number of 60 subjects with clinical and radiological signs of knee osteoarthritis were included in the study. The analysis of the gender structure showed the dominance of the female gender (43 respondents), compared to the male population (17 respondents). The largest number of respondents had bilateral knee osteoarthritis. Assessment of pain through the VAS pain scale on the first day and at the end of the 3-month study showed a statistically significant reduction in pain. Analysis of the quality of life at the beginning of the study showed that 22 subjects performed activities with many difficulties, and at the end of the study only 5 subjects performed activities with many difficulties, which shows an improvement in the quality of life after 3 months of taking Cartinorm. Conclusion: Proper education of subjects with knee osteoarthritis and application of chondroprotective drugs (Cartinorm) for a period of 3 months showed an improvement in terms of pain reduction measured through the VAS scale, improvement of knee mobility and improvement of quality of life measured through Oswestry Scor.

Background: One of the main goals of any organization is to achieve certain success, in fact it is the reason for the existence of any organization. Management provides the framework and basis for the control system required to maintain each organization. Management theorists believe that the knowledge and management skills are universal and apply equally to all business processes. Objective: The aim of this article is to present development of health management through history based on facts from appropriate literature as sources. Methods: The method is systematic review of the facts described in the published scientific papers about general and health management stored in scientific databases PubMed Central, Hinari, Scopus, EBSCO, etc., which are relevant to be used in the praxis. Results and Discussion: Management as a method or management skills traces its roots back to the original creation of the human society. In primary community, a human was performing its duties intuitive, and later taught preceding experience, began to plan and organize work activities to help them to more efficiently perform it. That is why it is claimed that management, as a complex activity, is old as human civilization itself. Health management plays a key role in providing a good health care quality, ultimately improving the health of an entire population. Therefore, it is important to provide good education in management to physicians who aspire to be managers and to lead hospitals, clinics and different health institutions. Management in the health care system is an area of scientific management which in terms of economic, socio-economic and socio-political change, crisis and political change, crisis and extraordinary circumstances requires more attention. The world clearly shows a significant interest in the role of all managers in the health sector and highlights the importance of a good and professional managers to solve problems in the functioning of health institutions and their services. At the same time, in the developed countries, the schools of management flourishing by training the managers in managerial skills. Efficiency refers to doing things in a right manner. Scientifically, it is defined as the output to input ratio and focuses on getting the maximum output with minimum resources. Effectiveness, on the other hand, refers to doing the right things. It constantly measures if the actual output meets the desired output. Therefore, efficiency is generally an internal measure and effectiveness an external measure. Conclusion: Health care services, like any other business, need effective managers. Medical and health service managers are either specialists, supervising a clinical department, or generalists, overseeing an entire facility. All management theory in one way or another were good, but could never be uniform for all organizations. That is why today the new theory is based on the fact that each organization requires specific that and that every requires form of management appropriate for it.

Introduction: The primary healthcare reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 1999. The focus was on the introduction of family medicine, in comparison to the existing dispensary model of care based on the practice of general medicine. The reform is an ongoing process, and all changes are being implemented to improve patients' satisfaction. Our objective is to analyze patients' satisfaction and the impact of socio-demographic factors on patients' satisfaction with the work of family medicine teams. Methods: This research is an observational and descriptive study conducted in family medicine clinics of the Primary Healthcare Centre in Banja Luka from February 1st to April 1st 2022. The data was gathered using the EUROPEP questionnaire which is a standardized instrument for the evaluation of patients' satisfaction with primary healthcare, as well as a questionnaire with socio-demographic information. The study comprised 250 patients from family medicine clinics in the city, suburbs, and countryside. Results: The analysis of 250 questionnaires has provided answers to 23 questions in the EUROPEP instrument assessing four domains: doctor-patient relation X̅ (4.22) SD (0.85); medical care X̅ (4.32) SD (0.90); information and support X̅ (4.04) SD (0.94); and organization of services X̅ (3.81) SD (0.98). Socio-demographic and other patient characteristics greatly impact family medicine patients' satisfaction with healthcare services. Conclusions: In general, the patients are satisfied with the care provided by the family medicine teams of the Primary Healthcare Centre in Banja Luka, and least satisfied with the organization of services. According to individual questions in the EUROPEP questionnaire, the patients are most unsatisfied with reaching their doctors by phone, receiving advice from them, spending a lot of time waiting in the waiting rooms, and scheduling their appointments.

In this work, the solubility of creatine, creatinine, guanidinoacetic acid, and their hydrochlorides in water at atmospheric pressure and in the temperature range T = (293.15 - 313.15) K was determined by the gravimetric method. The thermodynamic parameters of dissolution in water for the mentioned compounds were calculated. The solubility increases significantly by converting the zwitterionic structures of creatine and guanidinoacetic acid into a cationic form, i.e. hydrochloride salt. The effect of increasing solubility is more pronounced for guanidinoacetic acid and decreases with temperature for both compounds. A simple process of transforming electrically neutral zwitterionic structures into cations represents a good way to increase the solubility in water and bioavailability of biologically active compounds.

Background: Launois-Bensaude syndrome is a rare condition characterized by the accumulation of fat deposits under the skin. This disorder is most commonly found in individuals from Mediterranean countries, particularly those who are chronic alcohol consumers. The exact cause of this syndrome is still not fully understood. Objective: Launois-Bensaude syndrome, as the case of the patient with chronic hepatitis B infection we presented. Case report: A case study was conducted on a female patient admitted to the Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo. The patient underwent liposuction in the back of her neck after a thorough clinical examination and radiological assessment. She also had chronic hepatitis B virus infection along with other medical conditions. Discussion: Based on Schiltz's classification, the patient was diagnosed with type Ia Launois-Bensaude syndrome, which is characterized by fatty deposits in the neck region, often referred to as a "buffalo hump". Following the liposuction procedure, the patient was monitored for 2 years and did not experience a recurrence of the disease. Conclusion: Research suggests that liver disease plays a crucial role in the development of Launois-Bensaude syndrome. This highlights the importance of understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this rare disorder.

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) defines human resource pl anning in the healthcare industry as "The process of estimating the number of people, knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to achieve a set of goals".Human resource planning is the most important part of the work of organizational management. Objective: The aim of the study was to point out the importance of timely and optimal planning of human resources and their impact on the work efficiency of healthcare professionals. Methods: This research is a comparative, descriptive-analytical study which used a questionnaire created according to the Likert model. The questionnaire containes statements related to factors affecting work efficiency, work analysis, position systematization, human resource planning, professional selection, work process design, management and manager's style, etc. Results and Discussion: A total of 450 respondents (healthcare professionals, both docotrs and nurses) participated in this research. Participation (inclusion) critaria in the research is employment in healthcare institutions in Canton Sarajevo, of different ages, of both genders. The planning process begins with a quality job analysis and human resource analysis to get an answer to several very important questions. How many people are needed to realize the set goals of the organization? What kind of people are needed: what skills, knowledge, and abilities? How to attract the necessary people (internal, external filling, selection procedure). How to adjust the current employee’s training so that they can adequately respond to all work tasks in the future, more demanding business environment of the health organization? The lack of human resources that have the necessary skills and knowledge, and the burden of inadequate resources (disabled workers), have slowed down the development of many companies. We are experiencing significant negative manifestation on the existing staff through reduced work efficiency and reduced quality of health care provided. Due to the above, it is necessary to timely plan human resources as an integral part of planning, business, and development of the entire organization. The planning of human resources in a health institution is influenced by the following factors: a) institutional factors b) level of health care c) type of health care institutiond) size of health care institution e) infrastructure of the existing institution. Conclusion: Human resource planning is a fundamental management activity from which all other activities arise,and contents of human resource management planes are based.

Background: As a complex socio-economic concept, financial inclusion is related to the improvement of access and use of formal financial products and services (such as bank deposits, loans, insurance, etc.) by all participants in the financial system. More inclusive financial systems contribute to poverty reduction, decrease in inequalities among different income groups leading to economic growth, and economies more resilient towards macroeconomic shocks. Purpose: This paper aims to assess the relationship between financial inclusion and inflation in Southeast European countries, focusing on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, and Turkey in the period from 2011 to 2021. Study design/methodology/approach: The financial inclusion index was constructed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The connection between the financial inclusion index and inflation was investigated using panel regression modeling (OLS, fixed-effect, and random-effect models). Findings/Conclusions: The research showed that countries with higher levels of financial inclusion are more resilient to inflation. This finding is consistent with other research implying that policymakers and other stakeholders within a financial system should contribute to promoting financial inclusion and building more inclusive financial systems. Limitations/future research: The main limitation of the research is related to data availability for multidimensional index construction. Future research should be directed to providing a better understanding of whether the relationship between financial inclusion and inflation is under the influence of other monetary policy instruments, such as interest rates.

Introduction/purpose: This paper presents the results of the research on visually lossless image compression which is of particular interest because it achieves a high degree of compression, while the visual quality of the image is not impaired, i.e., end users are very satisfied with the image quality. The analysis was carried out using the publicly available large-scale picture-wise KonJND-1k database which contains the results of subjective tests on JPEG and BPG compressed images. Methods: Thanks to the availability of images from the KonJND-1k database, the dependence of objective assessments of image quality on parameters that control the degree of compression of source signals (quality factor for JPEG and quantization parameter for BPG) is analyzed. The results of the visually lossless subjective tests are used for a deep analysis of the boundary and typical values of the parameters that control these two types of compression, as well as for the analysis of the corresponding values of the objective quality scores. Furthermore, reliable features for predicting the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression have been identified. For that purpose, the degree of agreement between the predictions and the ground truth values of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and image representation in bits per pixel (bpp) is used. The visually lossless compression ratio is used to compare JPEG and BPG techniques. Results: It is shown that the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy image compression is found in a wide range of PSNR values (about 20 dB for JPEG and 15 dB for BPG). The corresponding JPEG image compression quality factor values at this threshold also range widely from 31 to 79, with concentration between 40 and 45. For the BPG encoder, the values of the quantization parameter are grouped around 30, and the boundary values are 25 and 34. Furthermore, it is shown that this boundary can be reliably determined based on simple features derived from the original uncompressed image. Gradient-based features known as spatial frequency and spatial information proved to be the best predictors. The degree of agreement between the predictions obtained from these features with the ground truth values of PSNR and bpp in both types of compression is greater than 85%. A comparative analysis has showed that, using BPG compression, it is possible, on the average, to achieve a twice larger compression ratio of visually lossless compression than for JPEG (80 versus 40). Conclusion: Although a high degree of agreement is achieved between the predictions and the ground truth values of PSNR and bpp of the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression, there is a need for the development of new prediction approaches, especially with the BPG technique, which through the compression ratio proved to be superior to the JPEG technique. The existing databases used for the analysis of visually lossless compression contain color images from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Considering the increasing use of images from the infrared part of the spectrum, there is a need to conduct similar tests in this spectral range.

Introduction/purpose: Direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is widely used in many radiocommunications systems. At the first time, this modulation technique was used in military communications and navigation systems. Later, applications became diverse in civil communication systems as well. Today, there are many systems where direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is implemented as a part of the system. This article aims to sublimate knowledge about the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation technique and its applications. Methods: The article presents a review of the historical development of the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation technique, its principles and the most important current applications. Results: Based on a large number of references, this article summarizes the historical development, basic principles and modern applications of the direct sequence spread spectrum modulation in military and commercial communication systems. Conclusion: Direct sequence spread spectrum modulation is widely used in modern wireless and satellite radiocommunications. It is expected to be part of future global communication systems.

In nowadays business conditions, such as increased competition and the rapid market changes, companies can be distinguished by the quality of services resulting from analysis and matching opportunities with market requirements. One way is to use the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method. This method has shown a significant effect in the EU countries, the USA, and especially in Japan, while in our country its use is not widespread in the quality system. From the market perspective, there are three basic product characteristics: price, quality and delivery time. These facts are used in the planning process, based on user requirements interpretation into appropriate quality characteristics for each phase of the product life cycle (marketing, planning, design, prototype development, production process testing and development, production, sales). The common goal of the entire team working on the project must be the product competitiveness on the market. This method application has led to significant improvements in solving deficiencies in planning, designing, testing and developing the production process. In this paper, we presented the QFD method application for selecting products or services that meet the quality, price, and delivery time requirements.

Wastewater must be treated before discharge into the recipient to such an extent that it meets standards and regulations on wastewater quality, so as not to damage the environment. Depending on the quality of the influent, different technological procedures are applied, which are more or less energy intensive. Also, with the tightening of the conditions related to the quality of the effluent, the application of more energy-intensive purification technologies occurs, and thus the energy consumption at the plants increases. Wastewater treatment plants are among the biggest consumers of energy. In this paper, electric energy consumption at wastewater treatment plants was analyzed depending on different indicators of specific energy consumption, the applied technological process, and the level of purification.

Introduction: 2,4-Diaminobutyric acid (2,4-DABA) is an excitatory amino acid with neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, and potentially carcinogenic effects, found in aquatic ecosystems with a tendency to accumulate in plants and animals. Due to its potential impact on development, its embryotoxicity is being studied. Zebrafish (Danio rerio), with high homology to the human genome, serve as an excellent model for studying development and developmental abnormalities. Objective: To investigate the effect of 2,4-DABA on proteins crucial for zebrafish eye development using molecular docking. Methods: Proteome screening was conducted using the FINDSITEcomb software, selecting 1119 proteins based on homology, tissue specificity, and expression timing. Six proteins that met the criteria were analyzed using molecular docking in the AutoDock Vina program. Results: The interaction of the fzd8a protein with 2,4-DABA showed the lowest Gibbs free energy value of -4.6 kCal/mol, while the interaction with the pbx4 protein had the highest value of -3.4 kCal/mol. A similarity was observed in the amino acid sequence of proteins that bind to 2,4-DABA, particularly in those containing an -SH group. Conclusion: 2,4-DABA may affect eye structure development in zebrafish by interacting with proteins throughout the entire development period. The results of in silico analyses provide a basis for further in vivo research, which should be conducted on live embryos to confirm these findings.

Introduction/Aim: Procaine is a local anesthetic from the amino ester group that blocks voltage-gated sodium channels. Since it can cross the placenta in its ionized form, its potential impact on embryonic development is of concern. Zebrafish, which have a significant degree of homology with the human genome, allow for the study of cardiovascular system development with reliable extrapolation to humans. Investigation of the effects of procaine on key proteins involved in zebrafish heart development using molecular docking. Methods: First, a screening of the interaction between procaine and the entire human proteome was performed using FINDSITEcomb software. Based on significant interactions with a high degree of analysis precision, 113 proteins were selected. Using the ZFIN database, the degree of homology between the selected human proteins and zebrafish proteins, tissue specificity, and expression timing were determined. Nine proteins met all the criteria: kcnh6a, kcnh7, kcnh5a, kcnh2a, psen2, rbfa, and zfpl1, and were further investigated through molecular docking in the AutoDock Vina program. Results: Most of the proteins were highly expressed during the blastula stage. Docking results showed that the scn1laa protein and procaine had the lowest Gibbs free energy value (-6 kCal/mol), while the zfp11 protein had the highest value (-4.4 kCal/mol). Procaine binding to the tested proteins revealed similar amino acid sequences within the same protein family. Conclusion: Procaine interacts with proteins involved in zebrafish heart development under in silico conditions. Further analyses on live embryos are needed to complement these findings.