Abstract Background Almost 50% of NSCLC patients who initially show a successful response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeted therapy (TKI therapy) eventually develop acquired EGFR T790M mutation. The T790M secondary mutation can cause resistance to the targeted therapy and disease relapse. Since this mutation can be present at very low frequencies in liquid biopsy samples, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), due to its high sensitivity, has opened the possibility for minimally invasive monitoring of the disease during TKI targeted therapy. Materials and methods For this study, a total of 45 plasma samples from NSCLC patients with previously detected EGFR-activating mutations were analyzed. Extracted circulating free DNA was amplified and examined for the presence of T790M mutation using ddPCR technology. For the data analysis, QuantaSoft Software was used. Results Of 45 tested plasma samples, a total of 14 samples were identified as positive for the T790M mutation. The same samples eventually showed the presence of T790M mutation in FFPE. Droplet digital PCR showed its great advantage in high sensitivity detection of rare allele variants. Our ddPCR assay detected T790M mutant allele in frequencies from 0.1%. The average number of droplets generated by ddPCR was 9571. Conclusion Monitoring of the T790M mutation has an important role in the examination of the effects of the prescribed TKI therapy. Since monitoring of potential changes during TKI therapy requires repeated sampling, our results showed that ddPCR technology has made it possible to use liquid biopsy as an adequate minimally invasive alternative for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) detection.

In the past ten years, there has been significant growth in tourism worldwide, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tourism sector is facing a series of challenges and limitations in the general business environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as is the entire global economy. The current pandemic has slowed down the growth of world tourism and thus led to the poorer performance of private tourism subjects and an increase in unemployment in the sector. This study aims to analyse the habits of the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the changes in behaviour caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The two main questions entertained are: whether socio-demographic variables influenced the intention to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether tourist travel habits influenced the intention to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study uses a quantitative research approach that included data collection through an online survey. The questionnaire link was distributed electronically, via Facebook (social network), and e-mail. The population included in this research are the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The convenience sample included 265 respondents and the research was conducted for one and a half months (from March 2, 2022 to May 17, 2022). The results of the research show that socio-demographic factors influenced the intention to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and that respondents who own a car would travel more in 2022 than respondents who do not own a car; that respondents aged 31-50 would travel more in 2022 than the older respondents, that respondents who are employed would travel more in 2022 than pensioners, that respondents living in a household of 1-2 members would travel more in 2022 than respondents living in a household of 5 or more members, that respondents with postgraduate studies would travel more in 2022 than respondents with elementary studies only and that respondents with a monthly income of over 2,500 BAM would travel more in 2022 than respondents with monthly income between 500 to 1,500 BAM. The results also show that those respondents who travelled frequently before the COVID-19 pandemic would travel less in 2022 in the context of the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of diseases with a very high rate of morbidity and mortality. The clinical presentation of CVDs can vary from asymptomatic to classic symptoms such as chest pain in patients with myocardial infarction. Current therapeutics for CVDs mainly target disease symptoms. The most common CVDs are coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, chronic heart failure, arterial hypertension, and valvular heart disease. In their treatment, conventional therapies and pharmacological therapies are used. However, the use of herbal medicines in the therapy of these diseases has also been reported in the literature, resulting in a need for critical evaluation of advances related to their use. Therefore, we carried out a narrative review of pharmacological and herbal therapeutic effects reported for these diseases. Data for this comprehensive review were obtained from electronic databases such as MedLine, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Conventional therapy requires an individual approach to the patients, as when patients do not respond well, this often causes allergic effects or various other unwanted effects. Nowadays, medicinal plants as therapeutics are frequently used in different parts of the world. Preclinical/clinical pharmacology studies have confirmed that some bioactive compounds may have beneficial therapeutic effects in some common CVDs. The natural products analyzed in this review are promising phytochemicals for adjuvant and complementary drug candidates in CVDs pharmacotherapy, and some of them have already been approved by the FDA. There are insufficient clinical studies to compare the effectiveness of natural products compared to approved therapeutics for the treatment of CVDs. Further long-term studies are needed to accelerate the potential of using natural products for these diseases. Despite this undoubted beneficence on CVDs, there are no strong breakthroughs supporting the implementation of natural products in clinical practice. Nevertheless, they are promising agents in the supplementation and co-therapy of CVDs.

Abstract Cancer of the cervix has a progressive character and is one of the most significant public health problems in many countries. Our research aimed to translate EORTC QLQ CX 24 (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer; Quality of life questionnaire-cervical cancer 24) from English to Serbian, to create essential cultural adaptations and to analyze psychometric properties of the translation in a model of female inpatients with cancer of the cervix. The QLQ CX 24 was translated and adapted according to internationally established guidelines, and then tested on a sample of 100 Serbian females with cancer of the cervix. The testing was repeated three times on the same patients. We calculated the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), criterion validity, convergent validity, and discriminative validity of the QLQ CX 24. We used factor analysis to discover the original construct. The Serbian translation of QLQ CX 24 showed good internal consistency, showed satisfactory reliability, and temporal stability. In the first, when was rated by the investigators Cronbach’s alpha was 0.607, and one month later when the questionnaire also was rated by investigators Cronbach’s alpha was 0.696. When the scale was rated by females themselves Cronbach’s alpha was 0.802. Divergent as well as convergent validity tests had good results. The factorial analysis exposed six domains. The Serbian translation of QLQ CX 24 is a trustworthy and appropriate specific instrument for measuring the quality of life in females with cervical cancer.

Uvod: Jednofotonska emisiona tomografija (SPECT) značajno je unaprijedila nuklearno-medicinsku dijagnostiku. Nedostatak SPECT metode su relativno niski signal-šum odnos (SNR) kao i kontrast-šum odnos (CNR). Nizak broj fotona slike predstavlja veliki problem kod SPECT snimanja zbog smanjenja signala uz povećanje šuma (pozadine slike). Zadnjih godina veliki broj naučnika ističe značaj SPECT snimanja niskog broja signala korištenjem savremenih detektorskih sistema i naprednih softverskih modaliteta. Najznačajniji napredak rekonstrukcije SPECT snimaka predstavlja primjena metode oporavka rezolucije (RR) kod snimanja miokarda (Myovation Evolution) i koštanog sistema (Evolution for Bone) jer dugotrajna SPECT akvizicija smanjuje komfor uz pojavu artefakata micanja i smanjenje kvaliteta slike. Savremeni metod zasnovan je na principu “Half-Time SPECT” uz jednaku senzitivnost i specifičnost tomografske studije. Materijal i metode: Istraživanje je provedeno kao prospektivna klinička eksperimentalna studija na uzorku od 100 pacijenata sa potvrđenom onkološkom dijagnozom. Izvršena je komparacija snimaka pune i skraćene dužine akvizicije (skraćenje za 25 i 50% od pune akvizicije). Svi snimci su rekonstruisani sa tri različita protokola. Ukupno je ispitano 9 različitih SPECT protokola. Na svim snimcima nivo šuma, odnos signal-šum kao i odnos kontrast-šum su mjereni za isto anatomsko područje. Rezultati: Skraćenjem trajanja akvizicije zabilježen je porast vrijednosti šuma, najblaži porast zabilježen je korištenjem Evolution for Bone protokola. Smanjenjem trajanja akvizicije SNR i CNR značajno su smanjeni, dok je protokol koji je koristio RR modalitet zabilježio veću vrijednost SNR i CNR na 50% akvizicije u odnosu na punu akviziciju bez RR modaliteta. Zaključci: Analizom snimaka skraćene i pune akvizicije uz primjenu parametara rekonstrukcije došlo se do zaključka da RR modalitet omogućava skraćenje trajanja SPECT akvizicije bez značajnog uticaja na povećanje vrijednosti šuma. SNR i CNR primjenom RR modaliteta i dalje mogu ostati visoki pri čemu je omogućena jasna detekcija patoloških lezija kao i kod pune SPECT akvizicije.

Due to their exceptional properties and cost effectiveness, polyamides or nylons have emerged as widely used materials, revolutionizing diverse industries, including industrial 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM). Powder-based AM technologies employ tonnes of polyamide microplastics to produce complex components every year. However, the lack of comprehensive toxicity assessment of particulate polyamides and polyamide-associated chemicals, especially in the light of the global microplastics crisis, calls for urgent action. This study investigated the physicochemical properties of polyamide-12 microplastics used in AM, and assessed a number of toxicity endpoints focusing on inflammation, immunometabolism, genotoxicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation, endocrine disruption, and cell morphology. Specifically, microplastics examination by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that work flow reuse of material created a fraction of smaller particles with an average size of 1-5 µm, a size range readily available for uptake by human cells. Moreover, chemical analysis by means of gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry detected several polyamide-associated chemicals including starting material, plasticizer, thermal stabilizer/antioxidant, and migrating slip additive. Even if polyamide particles and chemicals did not induce an acute inflammatory response, repeated and prolonged exposure of human primary macrophages disclosed a steady increase in the levels of proinflammatory chemokine Interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL-8). Moreover, targeted metabolomics disclosed that polyamide particles modulated the kynurenine pathway and some of its key metabolites. The p53-responsive luciferase reporter gene assay showed that particles per se were able to activate p53, being indicative of a genotoxic stress. Polyamide-associated chemicals triggered moderate activation of AhR and elicited anti-androgenic activity. Finally, a high-throughput and non-targeted morphological profiling by Cell Painting assay outlined major sites of bioactivity of polyamide-associated chemicals and indicated putative mechanisms of toxicity in the cells. These findings reveal that the increasing use of polyamide microplastics may pose a potential health risk for the exposed individuals, and it merits more attention.

Abstract Online shopping helps consumers search for information about products and services, makes it easier to compare prices and product features, and enables a quick and easy exchange of positive and negative experiences. However, through numerous positive advantages, there is inevitably a constant increase in the negative consequences of online shopping, especially from the consumer's perspective.

Abstract The paper aims to identify the possibility of positioning the profession of forensic accountant in the financial sector of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter FBiH). To answer the question of how the profession of forensic accountant could be introduced into the financial sector, qualitative research was conducted using the method of interviews with respondents who have many years of experience in the financial sector of FBiH.

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies suggest that the maternal diet quality during pregnancy may influence the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. Here we investigated the associations between maternal intake of dietary fiber and ADHD symptoms in early childhood. METHODS We used longitudinal data of up to 21,852 mother-father-child trios (49.2% females) from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. The relationships between maternal fiber intake during pregnancy and offspring ADHD symptoms at ages three, five, and eight years were examined using: a) multivariate regression (overall levels of ADHD symptoms), b) latent class analysis (subclasses of ADHD symptoms by sex at each age), and c) latent growth curves (longitudinal change in offspring ADHD symptoms). Covariates were ADHD polygenic scores in child and parents, total energy intake and energy-adjusted sugar intake, parental ages at birth of the child, and socio-demographic factors. RESULTS a) Higher maternal prenatal fiber intake was associated with lower offspring ADHD symptom scores at all examined ages (βage3=-0.14(95%CI -0.18, -0.10); βage5=-0.14(-0.19, -0.09); βage8=-0.14(-0.20, -0.09)). b) Of the derived low/middle/high subclasses of ADHD symptoms, fiber was associated with lower risk of belonging to middle subclass for boys and girls, and to high subclass for girls only (middle: ORboys 0.91(0.86-0.97)/ORgirls 0.86 (0.81-0.91); high ORgirls 0.82 (0.72-0.94)). c) Maternal fiber intake and rate of change in child ADHD symptoms across ages were not associated. CONCLUSIONS A low prenatal maternal fiber intake may increase symptom levels of ADHD in childhood, independently of genetic predisposition to ADHD, unhealthy dietary exposures, and socio-demographic factors.