Aim To assess a psychosocial impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on health care workers and to quantify the size of depression symptoms, anxiety and stress levels. Methods This cross-sectional study used an anonymous online survey questionnaire as a research instrument and it included 114 health workers of all profiles from the Sarajevo Canton employed in private and public institutions. The research was voluntary, non-commercial and all participants provided an oral informed consent. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire was used for assessing emotional status of depression, anxiety and stress. Results The mean age of participants was 40.5±8.44 years with male:female ratio of 0.28. Prevalence of depression was 46.5%, anxiety61.4%, and 36.9% stress. Age and gender had no effect on emotional status, but it was revealed that women achieved higher depression, anxiety and stress scores than men (without statistical significance). The most notable effect on the emotional state was found for direct or indirect contact with COVID-19 patients. Medical workers in direct contact with COVID-19 patients achieved greater depression (p=0.005), anxiety (p=0.001), stress (p=0.030) and total DASS-21 (p=0.003) scores. Conclusion High prevalence of health workers affected by various psychological ailments during the COVID-19 pandemic was found. This evidence underscores the need to address adverse effects of the pandemic on mental health of health care workers.

BACKGROUND Brucellosis is a ubiquitous emergent bacterial zoonotic disease causing significant human morbidity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. So far, a high rate of resistant Brucella has been found worldwide. This study prospectively analysed the rates of resistance among human Brucella melitensis (B. melitensis) strains isolated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS This study included 108 B. melitensis isolates from 209 patients diagnosed at five medical centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The resistance profiles of the B. melitensis isolates for the 13 most commonly used antimicrobials were studied in standard Brucella broth (BB) and cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth (CAMHB) supplemented with 4% lysed horse blood or 5% defibrinated sheep blood. RESULTS Of the 209 patients, B. melitensis blood cultures were positive for 111 (53.1%). Among the 108 isolates investigated, 91 (84.3%) were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on BB, but not on either CAMHB. Nearly all isolates (>90%) were resistant to azithromycin on BB and both CAMHBs. CONCLUSIONS We observed a high rate of B. melitensis resistance to azithromycin. The high rate of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole that we observed was related to BB, so an alternative broth should be used, such as the enriched CAMHBs in this study, for evaluating resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Whole-genome sequencing studies are needed to understand the development of antimicrobial resistance in B. melitensis strains isolated from humans.

Increasing drivers (i.e. pressures) on nature are present at the global scale, resulting in the upgrowth of the number of endangered species and habitats, as well as a decrease in the capacity of ecosystems to provide various benefits to the human population. Recent studies indicate that natural ecosystems are frequently unable to adequately and efficiently provide the flow of ecosystem services or nature’s contribution to people (i.e. NCP), emphasising that this negative trend will continue in the future. These trends can be linked with the existence of drivers or pressures on nature, which are numerous and have an increasing trend over time. Pressures on nature are all changes and disturbances in the functioning of biological processes and systems, followed by disruption of the ecosystem structure and the integration of the living world. In order to prevent the loss of biodiversity and ensure NCP, it is important to recognize and understand direct and indirect pressures on nature. In this sense, this paper presents the spatial distribution, intensity, trends and drivers of individual categories of pressures on nature in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as their combined effect. The presentation of pressures on nature is based on 16 broadly recognizable groups of ecosystems that include broad natural units (e.g. high mountain complexes), or a complex of ecological factors (e.g. dry and rocky meadows and pastures), the dominant type of use (e.g. agricultural areas) or the dominant type of pressures (e.g. urban areas) (Figures 2 and 3, Table 1). For the purposes of assessing the intensity of certain categories of pressures (direct and indirect) and their trends per ecosystem groups, an expert assessment procedure was carried out, using a structured research instrument, that enabled the analysis of experts’ views when it comes to the intensity and trend of certain categories of pressures for each ecosystem group (Tables 2 and 3). The results of this research indicate that the urban ecosystems, running water ecosystems and agricultural ecosystems are under the highest pressure, while the lowest pressures are associated with the underground and canyon ecosystems (Figures 4–13, 16). Direct pressures are generally rated as more intense than indirect pressures (Figures 14 and 15). For the majority of analysed direct and indirect pressures, similar effects and trends are confirmed as at the global level. According to the opinion of the experts, who participated in this research, overuse and pollution were assessed as the highest direct pressures on nature in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while institutional pressure was recognised as the highest indirect pressure. Keeping in mind that, according to their characteristics, institutional pressures are inseparable from the state authority and its institutions while, in the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are inevitably linked to the socio-political organization and numerous criticisms of the (non)functioning of institutions. Groups of ecosystems with a significant share in total area (e.g. arable land, lowland and mountain deciduous forests and shrubs, etc.) are also characterized by high pressure with a moderate or increasing trend. Although competent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in various international processes, systemic and institutional activities that would result in the application of good practices of the international initiatives regarding nature protection and sustainable use of natural resources are often missing. In that sense, the results of this research provide the decision-makers and the scientific community with scientifically based arguments and overall directions for the decision-making process and conducting future research in the field of natural resources and their sustainable use.

Lenticulostriate vasculopathy (LSV) is a relatively common fi nding in routine cranial ultrasound examination that has been associated with many infectious and non-infectious conditions. The aim of this review was to provide a better understanding of LSV ultrasound fi nding, as well as the need for further laboratory and imaging examinations in infants. The most of the published studies represented small series, with few prospective long-term studies involving the control groups. Authors have mostly found an association between LSV, especially higher-grade (although there is no universally accepted classifi cation) with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, classifying those children as at risk for sensorineural hearing loss. In contrast, some authors pointed out that LSV could be found relatively often, and believe that isolated LSV, especially lower-grade, is not predictive for an unfavourable outcome and a long-term prognosis. Therefore, although 35 years have passed since the first publication of LSV, there is still no consensus among experts on the clinical signifi cance of isolated LSV, but caution is certainly needed given the fact that most infants with congenital CMV are asymptomatic.

The wastewater containing Cd, Co, Fe, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni and Pb ions are trace metal pollutants. Water pollution caused by increment in industrialization and overpopulation reveals a major threat to human health. Adsorption is recognized as the effective and optimum method to remove water contaminations. The amorphous and porous form of silicon dioxide is silica gel widely used as an adsorbent. It can absorb moisture with traces of the target heavy metal ions. This research elaborates a simplistic, and reliable preconcentration column method highly developed for the determination of Cd2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Cr3+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Pb2+ and Ni2+ ions in model solutions and real water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The proposed operation depends on the retention of the target ions from buffered model solutions on a silica gel filled up a column modified with vanadium(V) oxide sorbent followed by their desorption. SiO2/V2O5 is an efficient adsorbent due to its low cost, eco-friendly and high availability. The adsorbent morphological and interfacial physicochemical characterization was done using scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The 2.92 value achieved for the point of zero charges supports the experimentation for the heavy metal efficient adsorption. Quantitative recoveries were achieved at pH 10 with 50 mg of SiO2/V2O5 mass and adsorption capacity ranged from 28.96 μmol/g (Pb) to 214.86 μmol/g (Fe) with 1114.79 μmol/g in total. Simultaneous preconcentration effect was determined by the interference cations on the sorbent. The LOD varies from 8.42 to 50.56 μg/L and LOQ is achieved from 20.06 to 72.41 μg/L of 15 blank solutions. The developed preconcentration procedure was adequately implemented for the simultaneous analysis of eight metallic ions content in local river samples. The developed vanadium(V) oxide incorporated with silica gel is practicable as an economical and effective adsorbent to eliminate metallic ions from a liquid solution.

This study was to examine the response of biofertilizer formulation with the addition of consortium of microbes and biosurfactant DEA palm olein to the growth of cacao seedling. This research used randomized block design in factorial with two factors. The first factor was a biofertilizer formulation with addition of consortium of microbes consisting of seven levels: control; 2.5x107; 5x107; 7.5x107; 10x107; 12.5x107; and 15x107 CFU/mL. The second factor was the addition of biosurfactant DEA palm olein consisting of two levels, which are with and without the biosurfactant DEA palm olein. The result showed that the biofertilizer formulation with the addition of consortium of microbes was significantly affected the cacao height on 4 WAT (week after treatment), the leaf number on 6 and 12 WAT, and also in its root fresh weight parameters. The best level of the first factor was 5x107 CFU/mL. The respond of cacao height on 12 WAT and cacao root dry weight was significant to the addition of biosurfactant DEA palm olein. The best level of the second factor was with the addition of biosurfactant DEA palm olein.

Este artigo objetiva analisar aspectos ligados aos estudos de metaficção historiográfica e gênero no romance Carta à rainha louca (2019), de forma a examinar, através da protagonista-escritora, uma visão feminina do Brasil do século XVIII. Apoiamo-nos nas teorias de Hutcheon (1991; 1984), Kause (2010), Scott (1995), Santos (2020), Del Priore (1994), entre outras. Como se sabe, a História foi por muito tempo narrada fundamentalmente sob uma perspectiva europeia, branca e masculina, portanto, a metaficção historiográfica, ao se voltar para a História, encara-a de modo diferente, através de perspectivas ex-cêntricas, como a de uma mulher enclausurada e tida como louca, conforme apresentado no romance em apreço.

BACKGROUND Since the release of the first global hepatitis elimination targets in 2016, and until the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020, many countries and territories were making progress toward hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination. This study aims to evaluate HCV burden in 2020, and forecast HCV burden by 2030 given current trends. METHODS This analysis includes a literature review, Delphi process, and mathematical modelling to estimate HCV prevalence (viraemic infection, defined as HCV RNA-positive cases) and the cascade of care among people of all ages (age ≥0 years from birth) for the period between Jan 1, 2015, and Dec 31, 2030. Epidemiological data were collected from published sources and grey literature (including government reports and personal communications) and were validated among country and territory experts. A Markov model was used to forecast disease burden and cascade of care from 1950 to 2050 for countries and territories with data. Model outcomes were extracted from 2015 to 2030 to calculate population-weighted regional averages, which were used for countries or territories without data. Regional and global estimates of HCV prevalence, cascade of care, and disease burden were calculated based on 235 countries and territories. FINDINGS Models were built for 110 countries or territories: 83 were approved by local experts and 27 were based on published data alone. Using data from these models, plus population-weighted regional averages for countries and territories without models (n=125), we estimated a global prevalence of viraemic HCV infection of 0·7% (95% UI 0·7-0·9), corresponding to 56·8 million (95% UI 55·2-67·8) infections, on Jan 1, 2020. This number represents a decrease of 6·8 million viraemic infections from a 2015 (beginning of year) prevalence estimate of 63·6 million (61·8-75·8) infections (0·9% [0·8-1·0] prevalence). By the end of 2020, an estimated 12·9 million (12·5-15·4) people were living with a diagnosed viraemic infection. In 2020, an estimated 641 000 (623 000-765 000) patients initiated treatment. INTERPRETATION At the beginning of 2020, there were an estimated 56·8 million viraemic HCV infections globally. Although this number represents a decrease from 2015, our forecasts suggest we are not currently on track to achieve global elimination targets by 2030. As countries recover from COVID-19, these findings can help refocus efforts aimed at HCV elimination. FUNDING John C Martin Foundation, Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, ZeShan Foundation, and The Hepatitis Fund.

Abstract Within the span of only four years, two books on the same subject and with almost identical titles were published on two sides of Europe: Hans Prinzhorn's Artistry of the Mentally Ill (Berlin, 1922) and Pavel Ivanovich Karpov's Creativity of the Mentally Ill (Moscow, 1926). Whereas the first book was recognized as one of the key steps in the “discovery” of the psychotic art and its eventual mainstreaming, the second one quickly fell into obscurity. Its author perished in Stalinist purges of the 1930s, together with a number of his colleagues from the Russian Academy of Artistic Science (RAKhN, 1921-1931), in which he served as the head of the Commission for the Creativity of Mentally Ill. This article is the first in-depth study of Karpov's book and his theory of creativity, which he based on his extensive collection of the works of his patients (which was also lost in the purges). The article argues that his approach to psychotic art is completely independent from Prinzhorn's. Instead, it places this book in the context of the specific form of Kunstwissenschaft that was practiced in RAKhN, suggesting that this placement is of primary importance for understanding Karpov's methods and aims. More specifically, the article argues that in his research on the creativity of the mentally ill, Karpov engages in a productive dialogue with the philosopher and prominent RAKhN member Gustav Shpet's work on epistemology from the same period. The result is an original contribution to the clinical literature on art of the mentally ill patients.