Background and Objectives: Cancer is associated with an increased risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and venous thromboembolism. The role of a cardiac right-to-left shunt (RLS) as a surrogate parameter for paradoxical embolism in cancer-related strokes is uncertain. We sought to investigate the relationship between the presence of an RLS and cancer in AIS patients. Methods: We included consecutive AIS patients hospitalized at our tertiary stroke center between January 2015 and December 2020 with available RLS status as detected on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Active cancers were retrospectively identified and the association with RLS was assessed with multivariable logistic regression and inverse probability of treatment weighting to minimize the ascertainment bias of having a TEE obtained. Results: Of the 2236 AIS patients included, 103 (4.6%) had active cancer, of whom 24 (23%) were diagnosed with RLS. An RLS was present in 774 out of the 2133 AIS patients without active cancer (36%). After adjustment and weighting, the absence of RLS was associated with active cancer (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14–4.58). When analysis was restricted to patients younger than 60 years of age or those with a high-risk RLS (Risk of Paradoxical Embolism Score ⩾ 6), there was no association between RLS and cancer (aOR, 3.07; 95% CI, 0.79–11.88 and aOR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.10–3.10, respectively). Conclusion: RLS was diagnosed less frequently in AIS patients with cancer than in cancer-free patients, suggesting that arterial sources may play a larger role in cancer-related strokes than paradoxical venous embolization. Future studies are needed to validate these findings and evaluate potential therapeutic implications, such as the general indication, or lack thereof, for patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure in this patient population.

We discuss the general theory of radicals of paragraded rings, establish that the ADS-Theorem holds, and characterize paragraded normal radicals. It is known that any special radical of a ring can be described by the appropriate class of modules over that ring. In this note we show that all special paragraded radicals of paragraded rings can be described by the appropriate class of their paragraded modules. * This paper was presented at the International Scientific Conference Graded structures in algebra and their applications, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Marc Krasner, IUCDubrovnik, Croatia, September, 22-24, 2016.

In this paper we prove that there exist paragraded rings which are not graded and we discuss prime and Jacobson radicals of paragraded rings. In particular, we prove that paragraded counterparts of prime and Jacobson radicals are the largest paragraded ideals contained in them. * This paper was presented at the International Scientific Conference Graded structures in algebra and their applications, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Marc Krasner, IUCDubrovnik, Croatia, September, 22-24, 2016.

Atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of death in developed countries is characterized by lumen reduction of blood vessels due to local thickening of internal blood vessels caused by plaque/atheroma. It begins in childhood, goes for a long time without manifesting symptoms, increasing with age it begins to seriously threaten health. The most important risk factors for the development of atherosclerotic disease are: hyperlipidemia, hypertension, smoking, diabetes, high fibrinogen, excessive weight, increased level of homocysteine, physical inactivity, heredity and immune response in some diseases. The primary intention of prevention is to preclude the occurrence of risk factors for atherosclerosis, and the secondary is to prevent the development or aggravation of the illness along with the reduction or control of existing risks. There is an increasing number of studies that show that children are overweight, which in adolescence is certainly a risk factor for the onset of many chronic diseases, namely: cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, orthopedic, and psychological diseases. The obesity epidemic is one of the most serious health problems of today affecting individuals of all ages. Atherosclerosis demands action with the aim of early detection and treatment as well as the reduction of development of risk factors for coronary artery diseases. Finding the most effective preventive measures for obesity in each country requires precise epidemiological data on the number of obese children and youth, as well as on their eating and activity habits.

Aim To investigate an association between eye injury and later academic and social performance. Materials A retrospective longitudinal study of taking measurements multiple times was conducted including all severe eye injuries admitted during 2011-2017 at the main regional clinic to investigate changes in academic success and social inclusion before and after an injury. Parents/caregivers were surveyed asking questions on academic performance, and community/social involvement. In 2023 data on employment status were obtained. Kappa (ĸ) and non-parametric Wilcox-on signed-rank test for multiple comparisons were used. For association of employment status and post-injury visual acuity Fisher score was tested. Results The total sample for assessing social inclusion and academic success was 36 and 25 children, respectively. In the following academic year ĸ agreements decreased from 0.88 (p<0.001) comparing pre-injury with a one-year post to 0.5106 (p<.0001) in the second year and 0.4750 (p=0.003) in the third, suggesting a deteriorating trend. A comparison of academic success before injury to two and three years after injury showed the trend significantly worsening with time (p=0.005, and 0.003, respectively). No association between an eye injury and social inclusion, as well as between employment and final visual acuity was noticed. Conclusion Our findings suggest no association between social inclusion, employment, and eye trauma, while in later years academic success may be more impacted by the eye injury. Due to eye injury unpredictability in childhood age, both an informed and supportive climate environment at home and school is essential to minimize deleterious responses to eye trauma.

Aim To investigate prognostic significance of preoperative levels of the Carbohydrate anti-gen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in patients with stage III rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent a treatment at the Clinical Centre of the University of Sarajevo. Materials A retrospective cohort study included 84 patients who underwent radical anterior rectal resection due to grade III rectal adenocarcinoma, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy according to the FOLFOX protocol (Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)). The patients were divided into two groups according to CA 19-9 values (≥27 U/mL and <27 U/mL, respectively). Results High pre-operative CA 19-9 values predicted an increased probability of postoperative metastases, especially liver, lung and abdominopelvic metastases, as well as three-year disease-free survival (3Y-DFS) and three-year overall survival (3Y-OS). The 3Y-DFS rate for patients with high CA 19-9 was 64.5%, while for those with low CA 19-9 it was 87.2%. The 3Y-OS rate for patients with high CA 19-9 was 89.8%, while for those with low CA 19-9 it was 65.7%. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis confirmed that a high level of CA 19-9 is an independent predictor for DFS and OS shorter than three years. Conclusion Pre-operatively elevated values of CA 19-9 in rectal adenocarcinoma have a significant role in predicting the outcome in patients with stage III rectal adenocarcinoma.

Aim To investigate how immigrants from the Balkan region experienced their current life situation after living in Sweden for 30 years or more. Materials The study was designed as a qualitative study using data from interviews with informants from five Balkan countries. The inclusion criteria were informants who were immigrants to Sweden and had lived in Sweden for more than 30 years. Five groups comprising sixteen informants were invited to participate in the study, and they all agreed. Results The analysis of the interviews resulted in three main categories: "from someone to no one", "labour market", and "discrimination". All the informants reported that having an education and life experience was worth-less, having a life but having to start over, re-educating, applying for many jobs but often not being answered, and finally getting a job for which every in-formant was educated but being humiliated every day and treated separately as well as being discriminated against. Conclusion Coming to Sweden with all their problems, having an education and work experience that was equal to zero in Sweden, studying Swedish and re-reading/repeating all their education, looking for a job and not receiving answers to applications, and finally getting a job but being treated differently and discriminated against on a daily basis was experienced by all the in-formants as terrible. Even though there are enough similar studies in Sweden, it is always good to write more to help prospective immigrants and prospective employers in Sweden.

Simple Summary A total laryngectomy and/or pharyngectomy is an important therapy modality for advanced primary and recurrent laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The surgical margins are an important prognostic factor. Resection margins for head and neck cancer surgery are clear >5 mm, close 1–5 mm and positive <1 mm. However, the anatomy of the larynx and hypopharynx is complex and resections are constrained by the anatomical relationship with the surrounding structures. The aim of this study is to investigate if a margin >5 mm is feasible. Clear resection margins are not always feasible in some resection surfaces in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal surgery, due to the anatomy of the larynx and tumor location. However, striving for a maximum feasible margin is still the main goal. We propose a new guideline for the maximum feasible but adequate resection margins in larynx and hypopharynx tumor surgery. Abstract Background: Resection margins are an important prognostic factor for patients with head and neck cancer. In general, for head and neck surgery, a margin >5 mm is advised by the Royal College of Pathologists. However, this cannot always be achieved during laryngeal and hypopharyngeal surgery. The aim of this study is to identify the resection surfaces and measure the maximum feasible margins per subsite. The clinical relevance of these maximum feasible resection margins were analyzed in this descriptive anatomical study. Methods: head and neck surgeons and a pathologist from the Erasmus MC performed a total laryngectomy and laryngopharyngectomy on a head and neck specimen specifically available for research. Results: For a total laryngectomy, resection margins >5 mm were not feasible for the ventral and dorsal resection surface. For a total laryngopharyngectomy, resection margins >5 mm were not feasible for the ventral, dorsal and lateral resection surface. Conclusion: Clear resection margins, defined as a margin >5 mm, are not always feasible in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal surgery, due to the anatomy of the larynx and tumor location. However, striving for a maximum feasible margin is still the main goal. We propose a new guideline for maximum feasible but adequate resection margins in larynx and hypopharynx tumor surgery.

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a stress-induced cardiomyopathy, characterized by an increased concentration of catecholamines, free radicals, and inflammatory cytokines, endothelial dysfunction, and increased apoptotic activity. High doses of isoprenaline are used in animal models to induce Takotsubo (TT)-like myocardial injury. The aim of the study was to investigate the antiapoptotic effects of liraglutide in experimental TTS and its role in the NF-κB pathway. Wistar rats were pretreated with liraglutide for 10 days, and on days 9 and 10, TT-like myocardial injury was induced with isoprenaline. After the sacrifice on day 11, hearts were isolated for histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. Liraglutide reduced isoprenaline-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by decreasing cleaved caspase-3 (CC3), BCL-2-associated X protein (BAX), and NF-κB and increasing B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (BCL-2). An increase in NF-κB in isoprenaline-treated rats was in positive correlation with proapoptotic markers (BAX and CC3) and in negative correlation with antiapoptotic marker BCL-2. Liraglutide increased BCL-2 and decreased NF-κB, BAX, and CC3, preserving the same correlations of NF-κB to apoptotic markers. It is concluded that liraglutide protects cardiomyocytes against isoprenaline-induced apoptosis in experimental TT-like myocardial injury through downregulation of the NF-κB pathway.

This paper presents a system that is able to detect physical intrusion in a specific space based on temperature and humidity change. This specific space was housing hardware components important for information security management infrastructure. Presented system is able to predict that two spaces are connected and that there is a physical breach in protected space. The presented prediction approach involves identifying patterns in historical data, where the subsequent outcomes are already known in advance, and validating these patterns using more recent data. System is implemented using k-Nearest Neighbours, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine algorithms in Python programming language on Raspberry Pi. Real observed data to predict if specific temperature and humidity indicates intrusion were used. This approach can be used to detect intrusions in the room or in other closed space. More specifically thermal equilibrium phenomenon between two spaces after barrier between them are opened was monitored. Through process of supervised learning using labelled data, system was able to detect intrusion by using k-nearest neighbours, random forest, and support vector machine with different accuracy. Presented model shows better results using k-nearest neighbours and support vector machine with accuracy of 100% compared to random forest with accuracy of 95%. The system is low cost because of cheap Raspberry Pi controller and sensors.

Simple Summary Achieving margins of >5 mm is challenging in the larynx and hypopharynx because resections are constrained by their complex anatomy. The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess the clinical relevance of resection margins defined by the RCP in total laryngectomies (TLs) and total laryngopharyngectomies (TLPs). Similar survival rates for close and clear margins for primary and recurrent LSCC were found. This may suggest that a margin > 5 mm is not clinically relevant in terms of survival, therefore a margin of 1–5 mm should be accepted in certain subsites. Margins < 1 mm are related to significantly worse outcomes and should be avoided. Abstract Background: Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer is complex and resection margins are therefore constrained. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical relevance of resection margins in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed for patients treated with a total laryngectomy (TL) or laryngopharyngectomy (TLP) for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC and HSCC, respectively). Within the groups primary LSCC, recurrent LSCC, primary HSCC, and recurrent HSCC the relationship between the status of the resection margin according to the Royal Collage of Pathology and the recurrence and survival rates were investigated. Results: Positive resection margins were found in 54% for primary LSCC, 29% for recurrent LSCC, 62% for primary HSCC, and 44% for recurrent HSCC. For primary and recurrent LSCC, there was a linear association between total recurrence and narrowing margins (p = 0.007 resp. p = 0.008). Multivariate survival analysis for primary and recurrent LSCC showed a significantly worse disease free and disease-specific survival in case of positive margins compared to clear margins. Conclusion: Similar survival rates were recorded for close and clear margins for primary and recurrent LSCC. This may suggest that a margin > 5 mm is not clinically relevant in terms of survival. Therefore, a margin of 1–5 mm should be accepted in certain subsites. Margins < 1 mm are related to significantly worse outcomes and should be avoided.

Approximately half of the cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in childhood are caused by congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). Specific genes were identified as having significant importance in regard to the underlying genetic factors responsible for the CAKUT phenotype, and in our research, we focused on analyzing and comparing the expression levels of ectodysplasin A2 receptor (EDA2R), protocadherin9 (PCDH9), and TNF receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7) proteins in the cortex and medulla of healthy control kidneys during developmental phases 2, 3, and 4. We also performed an analysis of the area percentages of the mentioned proteins in the cortical and medullary sections of healthy embryonic and fetal kidneys compared to those affected by CAKUT, including duplex kidneys (DK), horseshoe kidneys (HK), hypoplastic kidneys (HYP), and dysplastic kidneys (DYS). We found that the CAKUT candidate gene proteins EDA2R, PCDH9, and TRAF7 are all expressed during normal human kidney development stages. In DYS, the expression of EDA2R was higher than in normal kidneys, likely due to EDA2R’s role in apoptosis, which was upregulated in specific cases and could possibly contribute to the formation of DYS. The expression of PCDH9 was lower in HK, which can be attributed to the possible role of PCDH9 in cell migration suppression. Decreased PCDH9 expression is linked to increased cell migration, potentially contributing to the development of HK. The level of TRAF7 expression was reduced in all examined kidney disorders compared to normal kidneys, suggesting that this reduction might be attributed to the crucial role of TRAF7 in the formation of endothelium and ciliogenesis, both of which are essential for normal kidney development. Further research is required to ascertain the function of these proteins in both the typical development of the kidney and in CAKUT.

Antibiotics are medications that inhibit bacterial growth and are used in the treatment of bacterial infections, both gram-positive and gram-negative. Antibiotics also represent products of metabolism of certain microorganisms that adversely affect the development and reproduction of other microorganisms. They are one of the greatest discoveries of modern medicine; however, in today's age, the greatest challenge is the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. There are numerous reasons for the emergence of antibiotic resistance. One reason lies in inadequate education about antibiotics, their application, and usage. The aim of this study was to survey students of the University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Health Sciences about their general knowledge of antibiotics and their methods of application. A total of 151 students participated in this study, including 125 females (83%) and 26 males (17%). The questions consisted of two parts: the first part covered general knowledge about antibiotics, while the second part addressed bacterial resistance to antibiotics.