Empirical Analyses of the Relationship between Trade and Budget Deficit of FYR of Macedonia

The purpose of this article is to analyze the evidence of twin deficits hypothesis by empirically examining the relationship between trade deficit and budget deficit for the case of FYR of Macedonia. The study employs a vector autoregression (VAR) model as well as a Granger causality test in order to investigate the causal relationship between trade and budget deficit variables using quarterly data for the time period 1998Q1–2017Q4. The econometric results of VAR model disclose that there exists a short term relationship between these two variables, implying that higher trade deficits are associated with higher fiscal deficits. Moreover, the causality test shows a unidirectional relationship, revealing that trade deficit causes budget deficit, whereas budget deficit doesn't cause trade deficit.     Keywords: trade deficit, budget deficit, causality analysi

Anatomical variations and dimensions of arteries in the anterior part of the circle of Willis

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate different anatomic variations and dimensions of anterior part of the circle of Willis (CW) and their prevalence on Kosovo’s population. Materials and methods: This is an observational descriptive and retrospective study performed at the University Clinical Centre, Clinic of Radiology. The three-dimensional time-of-flight technique was used for magnetic resonance angio- graphy imaging to evaluate the anatomy of the CW in 513 adults without clinical manifestations for cerebrovascular disease. The diameters of arteries of the CW were measured and variations were recorded.  Results: The complete anterior part of CW was found in 64.3% of cases, more evident in female at about 66% than male 62.2%. Morphologic variations of the ACA1 are agenesis or hypoplasia in 5.65%, fusion of the anterior cerebral arteries (ACAs) on a short distance in 6.5% and fusion of the ACA on a long distance in 2.5%, median ACA is presented in 11 examined patients or 2.1%. Normal anterior communicating artery (ACoA) was seen in 68.2%, hypoplasia or absence 15.66%, double ACoA in 0.6% and fenestrations in 3.89%. The mean calibrations of the vessels were measured as 2.04 mm in right A1, 2.06 mm in left A1 and 1.16 mm of ACoA. While, 14.1 mm length of right A1, 13.87 mm of left A1 and 2.99 mm of ACoA.  Conclusions: Knowledge of the variations and diameter of the anterior part of the CW has a great importance in determination of anatomical variations and diameter in general populations, also, in interventional radiology for various endovascular interventions as well as during anatomy lessons.

Arterial supply of the trigeminal ganglion, a micromorphological study

Background: In this study, we explored the specific microanatomical properties of the trigeminal ganglion (TG) blood supply and its close neurovascular relationships with the surrounding vessels. Possible clinical implications have been discussed. Materials and methods: The internal carotid and maxillary arteries of 25 adult and 4 foetal heads were injected with a 10% mixture of India ink and gelatin, and their TGs subsequently underwent microdissection, observation and morphometry under a stereoscopic microscope. Results: The number of trigeminal arteries varied between 3 and 5 (mean 3.34), originating from 2 or 3 of the following sources: the inferolateral trunk (ILT) (100%), the meningohypophyseal trunk (MHT) (100%), and from the middle meningeal artery (MMA) (92%). In total, the mean diameter of the trigeminal branches was 0.222 mm. The trigeminal branch of the ILT supplied medial and middle parts of the TG, the branch of the MHT supplied the medial part of the TG, and the branch of the MMA supplied the lateral part of the TG. Additional arteries for the TG emerged from the dural vascular plexus and the vascular network of the plexal segment of the trigeminal nerve. Uniform and specific intraganglionic dense capillary network was observed for each sensory trigeminal neuron. Conclusions: The reported features of the TG vasculature could be implied in a safer setting for surgical approach to the skull base, in relation to the surrounding structures. The morphometric data on TG vasculature provide anatomical basis for better understanding the complex TG blood supply from the internal and external carotid arteries

Arterial supply of the trigeminal ganglion, a micromorphological study

Background: In this study, we explored the specific microanatomical properties of the trigeminal ganglion (TG) blood supply and its close neurovascular relationships with the surrounding vessels. Possible clinical implications have been discussed. Materials and methods: The internal carotid and maxillary arteries of 25 adult and 4 foetal heads were injected with a 10% mixture of India ink and gelatin, and their TGs subsequently underwent microdissection, observation and morphometry under a stereoscopic microscope. Results: The number of trigeminal arteries varied between 3 and 5 (mean 3.34), originating from 2 or 3 of the following sources: the inferolateral trunk (ILT) (100%), the meningohypophyseal trunk (MHT) (100%), and from the middle meningeal artery (MMA) (92%). In total, the mean diameter of the trigeminal branches was 0.222 mm. The trigeminal branch of the ILT supplied medial and middle parts of the TG, the branch of the MHT supplied the medial part of the TG, and the branch of the MMA supplied the lateral part of the TG. Additional arteries for the TG emerged from the dural vascular plexus and the vascular network of the plexal segment of the trigeminal nerve. Uniform and specific intraganglionicdense capillary network was observed for each sensory trigeminal neuron. Conclusions: The reported features of the TG vasculature could be implied in a safer setting for surgical approach to the skull base, in relation to the surrounding structures. The morphometric data on TG vasculature provide anatomical basis for better understanding the complex TG blood supply from the internal and external carotid arteries

Validated spectrophotometric methods for determination of Alendronate sodium in tablets through nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alendronate (ALD) is a member of the bisphosphonate family which is used for the treatment of osteoporosis, bone metastasis, Paget's disease, hypocalcaemia associated with malignancy and other conditions that feature bone fragility. ALD is a non-chromophoric compound so its determination by conventional spectrophotometric methods is not possible. So two derivatization reactions were proposed for determination of ALD through the reaction with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) and 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) as chromogenic derivatizing reagents.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three simple and sensitive spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of ALD. Method I is based on the reaction of ALD with NBD-Cl. Method II involved heat-catalyzed derivatization of ALD with DNFB, while, Method III is based on micellar-catalyzed reaction of the studied drug with DNFB at room temperature. The reactions products were measured at 472, 378 and 374 nm, for methods I, II and III, respectively. Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration ranges of 1.0-20.0, 4.0-40.0 and 1.5-30.0 μg/mL with lower limits of detection of 0.09, 1.06 and 0.06 μg/mL for Methods I, II and III, respectively. The proposed methods were applied for quantitation of the studied drug in its pure form with mean percentage recoveries of 100.47 ± 1.12, 100.17 ± 1.21 and 99.23 ± 1.26 for Methods I, II and III, respectively. Moreover the proposed methods were successfully applied for determination of ALD in different tablets. Proposals of the reactions pathways have been postulated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The proposed spectrophotometric methods provided sensitive, specific and inexpensive analytical procedures for determination of the non-chromophoric drug alendronate either per se or in its tablet dosage forms without interference from common excipients.</p> <p>Graphical abstract</p> <p><display-formula><graphic file="1752-153X-6-25-i3.gif"/></display-formula></p

Divinylpyrimidine reagents generate antibody-drug conjugates with excellent in vivo efficacy and tolerability.

The development of divinylpyrimidine (DVP) reagents for the synthesis of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with in vivo efficacy and tolerability is reported. Detailed structural characterisation of the synthesised ADCs was first conducted followed by in vitro and in vivo evaluation of the ADCs' ability to safely and selectively eradicate target-positive tumours

Toothache and brain: Any connections?

Orofacial pain is a universal predicament, afflicting millions of individuals worldwide. Research on the molecular mechanisms of orofacial pain has predominately focused on the role of neurons underlying nociception. Orofacial pain can arise from different regions and etiologies. Temporomandibular disorders are the most prevalent orofacial pain conditions for which patients seek treatment. Pain on weak tactile stimulation is expected if dentinal terminate synaptically on trigeminal brainstem neurons that deliver a pain message to higher brain centers. Further studies are needed

Periodontal disease and clinical association with COVID-19 infection

SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause long-standing damage to the immune system characterized by increasedinflammatory cytokine activation. Maintaining periodontal health may reduce host susceptibility to COVID-19and prevent COVID-19 aggravation in infected patients. There is sufficient evidence in the literature towarrant an association between the presence of PDs and the development and course of respiratory illnesses.Optimum oral health, maintaining good systemic health, and elimination of smoking habits may be beneficialfor the prevention and management of COVID-19 infections. Future studies on the periodontal status ofpatients with COVID-19, including from mild to severe forms, could allow the opportune identification ofpeople at risk of severe illness and generate relevant recommendations. The connection, if any, betweenthe oral microbiome and COVID-19 complications is urgently required to establish the importance of oralhygiene and pre-existing oral disease in the severity and mortality risk of COVID-19