This study aimed to investigate the effect of lifestyle intervention (LSI) on diagnosed infertility in overweight and obese women. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. A literature search was performed on the following databases from September 2022 to December 2022: PubMed, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus. The inclusion criteria were the following: women between 18 and 45 years of age, BMI over 25.0 kg/m2, diagnosed with infertility, a weight loss intervention, and control group part of RCTs. In total, 15 studies were identified and included. The meta-analysis shows a beneficial effect of LSI on reducing weight, waist circumference, and BMI and increasing infertility. A significantly beneficial effect of lifestyle intervention on weight reduction was observed for participants who initially had a higher BMI, while a non-significant effect was observed for individuals with a BMI above 35 kg/m2. The meta-analysis showed a beneficial effect of lifestyle intervention on ovulation incidence and sex hormone-binding globulin. The lifestyle intervention group had 11.23 times more ovulatory incidence than the control group, which in turn increased the ability to conceive. As robust evidence for the effect of lifestyle interventions on infertility in obese and overweight women was found, it is advised to integrate similar interventions into future infertility treatment processes.

AIMS The aim of this study was to estimate cutoff values of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and calf circumference (CC) for reduced muscle mass and analyze their accuracy in identifying malnutrition among individuals of 65 years of age or older in Bosnia and Herzegovina. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study is a secondary analysis dataset assessing nutritional risk and malnutrition among 446 community-dwellers and nursing home residents in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Malnutrition assessment included phenotypic criterions (weight loss, low body mass index, and reduced muscle mass) and etiologic criterions (inadequate food intake, disease-related inflammation, or albumin levels) according to recommendations of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM). Receiver operating curves were used to calculate MUAC and CC's cutoff values as compared to the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). RESULTS The optimal cutoff value for MUAC in men was 24 cm (AUC = 0.910, sensitivity 100%, specificity 77%), and in women 23 cm (AUC = 0.792, sensitivity 64%, specificity 83%). Optimal cutoff value of CC in men was 31 cm (AUC = 0.818, sensitivity 100%, specificity 67%) and in women 29 cm (AUC = 0.882, sensitivity 86%, specificity 74%). Two hundred fifty nine elderly individuals were categorized as malnourished/at risk for malnutrition per MNA. The prevalence of malnutrition based on GLIM criteria ranged from 19% to 30%. CONCLUSIONS The study suggested that MUAC and CC may be used as the alternative indicators of muscle mass when other assessment methods are unavailable. Future validation and reliability studies for GLIM using anthropometric parameters as a proxy of reduced muscle mass are needed.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The medicinal plants Salvia officinalis, Trifolium pratense, Agrimonia eupatoria, Cichorium intybus and Vinca minor are traditionally used for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases, including diabetes. AIM OF THE STUDY Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most common diseases nowadays, often accompanied by oxidative stress and microbial infections. The aim of our work was to examine the antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of ethanol extracts of five medicinal plants for the purpose of their possible use in the treatment of T2D. MATERIALS AND METHODS The polyphenolic profile of the plant extracts was analyzed by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography with a diode array detector configured with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UHPLC/DAD/(-)HESI-MS2). In vitro antidiabetic activity of extracts was determined by measuring the percentage of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition. The antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by different spectrophotometric methods, while the antimicrobial activity was determined by agar dilution and disc diffusion methods. RESULTS A. eupatoria extract contains the highest percentage of flavonoids (94%, with isoquercetin, vitexin, and rutin as the most abundant) in relation to the concentration of total phenolic compounds and exhibits excellent antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity. S. officinalis extract contains 60% flavonoids (predominately cirismaritin and epigallocatechin gallate) and 40% phenolic acids (with rosmarinic acid being the most abundant from this group) and exhibits weak antidiabetic activity, significant antioxidant activity, and excellent antibacterial activity. A 45% percentage of flavonoids (with isoquercetin as the most abundant one) and 55% of phenolic acids (with ferulic acid as the most abundant) were measured in the extract of T. pratense, which had excellent antidiabetic activity but weaker antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. A similar percentage of flavonoids (52%, with epigallocatechin gallate in the highest concentration) and phenolic acids (48%, with chlorogenic acid as the most abundant) was measured in the extract of C. intybus which showed moderate antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. The extract of V. minor was the richest in phenolic acids (80%, with the most abundant chlorogenic acid), which resulted in weaker antidiabetic and antioxidant activities (except for Fe2+ chelating ability) and antimicrobial activity. CONCLUSION The results indicate that specific phenolic compounds are responsible for the different biological activities of the plant extracts. Among the investigated plants, the extract of A. eupatoria has the greatest potential for applications in the treatment of T2D.

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29–39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance. Analysis of HbA1c and FPG levels across 117 population-based studies demonstrates regional variation in prevalence of previously undiagnosed screen-detected diabetes using one or both measures and suggests that use of elevated FPG alone could underestimate diabetes prevalence in low- and middle-income countries.

Medicines can be taken by various routes of administration. These can impact the effects and perceptions of medicines. The literature about individuals' preferences for and perceptions of the different routes of administration is sparse, but indicates a potential influence of culture. Our aim was to determine: (i) any association between one's culture and one's preferred route of medicine administration and (ii) individual perceptions of pain, efficacy, speed of action and acceptability when medicines are swallowed or placed in the mouth, under the tongue, in the nose, eye, ear, lungs, rectum, vagina, on the skin, or areinjected. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of adults was conducted in 21 countries and regions of the world, namely, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Turkey, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Malta, Brazil, Great Britain, United States, India, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, mainland China and Estonia, using the Inglehart–Welzel cultural map to ensure coverage across all cultures. Participants scored the pain/discomfort, efficacy, speed of onset and acceptability of the different routes of medicine administration and stated their preferred route. Demographic information was collected. A total of 4435 participants took part in the survey. Overall, the oral route was the most preferred route, followed by injection, while the rectal route was the least preferred. While the oral route was the most preferred in all cultures, the percentage of participants selecting this route varied, from 98% in Protestant Europe to 50% in the African-Islamic culture. A multinomial logistic regression model revealed a number of predictors for the preferred route. Injections were favoured in the Baltic, South Asia, Latin America and African-Islamic cultures while dermal administration was favoured in Catholic Europe, Baltic and Latin America cultures. A marked association was found between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of the different routes by which medicines are taken. This applied to even the least favoured routes (vaginal and rectal). Only women were asked about the vaginal route, and our data shows that the vaginal route was slightly more popular than the rectal one.

We study the local dynamics and global character of third-order polynomial difference in the first octant of initial conditions with infinite number of prime period-three solutions (three cycles). It is also presented the case when the observed difference equation may be extended to the whole ℝ𝟑.

This research focuses on the use of electric vehicles (EVs) to transport visitors and cargo within Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Kozara National Park. Reduced air pollution and the preservation of natural resources are required to help protect this aerial spa. Together with the expert employees of this NP, the EV that would best suit their needs was chosen. The process of decision-making combines subjective and objective methods. Employees first chose the criteria and alternatives and then weighed their importance. On that occasion, Z-numbers were used to include uncertainty in the decision, because it is not always possible to make decisions with complete certainty. Furthermore, the weight of these criteria was determined using the fuzzy PIPRECIA (PIvot Pairwise Relative Criteria Importance Assessment) method. Range (C1) became the most important criterion, followed by vehicle cost (C2), and the technical specifications of these EVs were used to compare them. Because these specifications vary, a rough set was used in which the minimum and maximum EV characteristics were taken based on specific criteria. To rank the alternatives, the R-CRADIS (Rough Compromise Ranking of Alternatives with Distance to Ideal Solution) method was used. According to the research results, the Mercedes eVito Tourer 90 kWh is the highest ranked EV and the validation of the results confirmed these findings. According to the research results, the Mercedes eVito Tourer 90 kWh is the highest ranked EV and the validation of the results confirmed these findings. The sensitivity analysis revealed that if criterion C1 is not as important, the other EVs are ranked higher. This research`s methodology has demonstrated flexibility, therefore it is recommended for use in similar research.

The selection of unmanned aerial vehicles for different purposes is a frequent topic of research. This paper presents a hybrid model of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) selection using the Defining Interrelationships Between Ranked criteria (DIBR), Full Consistency Method (FUCOM), Logarithm Methodology of Additive Weights (LMAW) and grey - Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (G-EDAS) methods. The above-mentioned model is tested and confirmed in a case study. First of all, in the paper are defined the criteria conditioning the selection, and then with the help of experts and by applying the DIBR, FUCOM and LMAW methods, the weight coefficients of the criteria are determined. The final values of the weight coefficients are obtained by aggregating the values of the criteria weights from all the three methods using the Bonferroni aggregator. Ranking and selection of the optimal UAV from twenty-three defined alternatives is carried out using the G-EDAS method. Sensitivity analysis confirmed a high degree of consistency of the solutions obtained using other MCDM methods, as well as changing the criteria weight coefficients. The proposed model has proved to be stable; its application is also possible in other areas and it is a reliable tool for decision-makers during the selection process.

(1) Background: With the ever-increasing number of polymer materials and limited data on polymer gear calculations, designers are often required to perform extensive experimental testing in order to establish reliable operational data for specific gear applications. This research investigates the potential of a Polyvinyldene fluoride (PVDF) polymer material in gear applications, considering various loading conditions and different types of gear transmission configurations, including both self-mated mesh and steel/PVDF mesh. (2) Methods: PVDF gear samples were tested on a specially designed test rig that enables active torque control and temperature monitoring in order to obtain the necessary design parameters and failure modes. Each test for certain load conditions was repeated five times, and to fully investigate the potential of PVDF gear samples, comparative testing was performed for Polyoxymethylene (POM) gear. (3) Results: Tribological compatibility, tooth load capacity, and lifespan assessment, along with the types of failure, which, for some configurations, include several types of failures, such as wear and melting, were determined. Temperature monitoring data were used to estimate the coefficient of friction at the tooth contact of analyzed gear pairs, while optical methods were used to determine a wear coefficient. (4) Conclusions: The tribological compatibility of polymer gear pairs needs to be established in order to design a gear pair for a specific application. PVDF gear samples mated with steel gear showed similar lifespan properties compared to POM samples. Temperature monitoring and optical methods serve as a basis for the determination of the design parameters. PVDF is an appropriate material to use in gear applications, considering its comparable properties with POM. The particular significance of this research is reflected in the establishment of the design parameters of PVDF gear, as well as in the analysis of the potential of the PVDF material in gear applications, which gives exceptional significance to the current knowledge on polymer gears, considering that the PVDF material has not previously been analyzed in gear applications.

To compare clinical, radiographic, biological and technical long-term outcomes of two types of dental implants over a period of 10 years. Ninety-eight implants were placed in 64 patients, randomly allocated to one of two manufacturers (AST and STM). All implants were loaded with fixed restorations. Outcome measures were assessed at implant insertion (Ti), at baseline examination (TL), at 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 (T10) years. Data analysis included survival, bone level changes, complications and clinical measures. Re-examination was performed in 43 patients (23 AST and 20 STM) at 10 years. The implant level analysis was based on 37 (AST) and 32 (STM) implants. Survival rates of 100% were obtained for both groups. The median changes of the marginal bone levels between baseline and T10 (the primary endpoint) amounted to a loss of 0.07 mm for group AST and a gain of 0.37 mm for group STM (intergroup p = 0.008). Technical complications occurred in 27.0% of the implants in group AST and in 15.6% in group STM. The prevalence of peri-implant mucositis was 29.7% (AST) and 50.1% (STM). The prevalence of peri-implantitis amounted to 0% (AST) and 6.3% (STM). Irrespective of the implant system used, the survival rates after 10 years were high. Minimal bone level changes were observed, statistically significant but clinically negligible in favor of STM. Technical complications were more frequently encountered in group AST, while group STM had a higher prevalence of peri-implant mucositis.

Šumske ceste kao trajni građevinski objekti zahtijevaju ispunjene minimalno propisane kvalitete i standarda tijekom izgradnje. Prema dostupnim podacima prosječni troškovi gradnje šumskih cesta u F BiH za 2019. godinu iznosili su 22.282,19 € po dužnom kilometru (Anon 2019a). Ovako niski troškovi gradnje nameću opravdano pitanje kvalitete novoizgrađenih šumskih cesta i potrebno mu je posvetiti odgovarajuću pozornost. Na području F BiH, zbog niza razloga, sve se više grade prilazne ili tzv. tehnološke šumske ceste, koje se zbog činjenice da se radi o vrsti šumskih cesta bez izvedene kolničke konstrukcije mogu koristiti samo po suhom vremenu te zbog toga ne ulaze u obračun klasične otvorenosti šuma. Osim toga, zbog nedostatka odvodnih jaraka i prevelikog uzdužnog nagiba nivelete na ovim cestama mogu nastati nesagledive ekološke posljedice. S obzirom da postojeća otvorenost šuma u F BiH nije na zadovoljavajućoj razini, cilj svih šumarskih poduzeća je njeno povećanje. Kako se gradnjom šumskih cesta bez izvedene kolničke konstrukcije ne utječe na povećanje otvorenosti, količina cesta koju je potrebno izgraditi za dostizanje ciljane klasične otvorenosti ostaje nepromijenjena. Kao rješenje za riješavanje navedene situacije, u praksi se u posljednje vrijeme sve više grade šumske ceste s elementima koji čine kombinaciju sporednih i prilaznih šumskih cesta. U ovom radu je izvršena analiza tehničkih i konstruktivnih elemenata za novoizgrađenu šumsku cestu „Braćinac - Doljanske stijene“ stacionaže 1,72 km. Na osnovi dobivenih rezultata, došlo se do saznanja o elementima koje na ovoj cesti treba unaprijediti kako bi se ista očuvala, odnosno kako bi se omogućilo njeno dugogodišnje korištenje. S tim u vezi evidentirana su odstupanja uzdužnog nagiba nivelete u odnosu na propisane veličine na 41% od ukupne dužine, na 26% od ukupne dužine nagibi škarpi usjeka nisu prilagođeni kategoriji materijala u kojoj su izgrađene, duž cijele šumske ceste nisu izgrađeni odvodni kanali. Navedena odstupanja daju za rezultat propadanje kolničke konstrukcije, s obzirom da su na 24% evidentirana manja, a na 9% veća oštećenja. Imajući u vidu da su mjerenja na terenu urađena samo godinu dana nakon izgradnje šumske ceste, nameće se zaključak da niska kvaliteta gradnje i nepridržavanje tehničkih propisia rezultira ubrzanim propadanje ceste.