Croatian Accession to the European Union: Institutional Challenges

Although there is no common fiscal policy at the European Union (EU) level in Croatia, accession will entail important changes in budgetary revenue and expenditure. On the one hand, accession brings transfers from the EU budget, but also means the loss of customs revenue as well as the need to adjust the structure of tax revenue. On the other hand, in conjunction with significant expenditure for adjustment in areas such as transportation and the environment, as well as expenditures for the EU budget, there will be a change in the structure of expenditure,in order to be able to check on transfers from the Structural Funds. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the intensity and direction of fiscal effects that accession will lead to, as well as the changes in their structure and the possibility of meeting the convergence criteria.fiscal policy of Croatia, structural funds of the European Union, harmonisation of tax legislation, convergence criteria

Fiscal aspects of accession: can we enter the European Union with a budgetary deficit?

Although there is no common fiscal policy at the European Union (EU) level in Croatia, accession will entail important changes in budgetary revenue and expenditure. On the one hand, accession brings transfers from the EU budget, but also means the loss of customs revenue as well as the need to adjust the structure of tax revenue. On the other hand, in conjunction with significant expenditure for adjustment in areas such as transportation and the environment, as well as expenditures for the EU budget, there will be a change in the structure of expenditure, in order to be able to check on transfers from the Structural Funds. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the intensity and direction of fiscal effects that accession will lead to, as well as the changes in their structure and the possibility of meeting the convergence criteria

Adrenoleucomielodistrofia como causa de paraparesia espástica en adulto joven. Reporte de caso

 La adrenoleucodistrofia ligada al X (X-ALD), trastorno genético progresivo que afecta la sustancia blanca del SNC y la corteza suprarrenal, causa desde insuficiencia adrenal aislada y mielopatia lentamente progresiva hasta desmielinización cerebral devastadora.Presentamos un paciente masculino, 21 años de edad, tabaquista, con trastorno de la marcha de un año de evolución, paraparesia espástica e hiperreflexia en miembros inferiores.El análisis del líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) reveló proteinorraquia elevada, resultados negativos de bandas oligoclonales y virus Epstein Barr. Niveles de cortisol, ACTH, ácidos grasos de cadena muy larga en suero, fueron anormales.La RNM cerebral evidenció lesiones en sustancia blanca en región parietooccipital bilateral, comprometiendo el esplenio del cuerpo calloso, que realzaban con gadolinio. En RNM de columna cervical se observó lesión hiperintensa en secuencia T2 a nivel C7. Fue tratado con reemplazo adrenal.Presentamos un caso de X-ALD de inicio en adulto, con retraso en el diagnóstico debido a recursos limitados

Accidente laboral en alumnos del Internado Rotatorio de la carrera de Medicina de la Facultad de Medicina de la UNNE

La exposición a material biológico es el más frecuente de los riesgos que corren los trabajadores de la salud, y en consecuencia los estudiantes del internado rotatorio. El presente estudio propone el análisis de las características de los accidentes producidos por contacto con material biológico en alumnos del Internado Rotatorio de la carrera de Medicina de la Facultad de Medicina de la UNNE.Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de corte transversal en base a las declaraciones de los alumnos que sufrieron expo­sición accidental a sangre y fluidos.De 400 cursantes, 25 denunciaron accidente laboral. Con mayor frecuencia se produjeron en Servicios de Emergencias, lesiones de tipo punzocortantes y contacto con sangre. Como medida de bioseguridad exclusiva se utilizaron guantes. La mayor parte de los encuestados desconocía las pautas postexposición.La mayoría de los estudiantes notificó el hecho, pero gran parte no tomó medidas al respecto. La toma de muestras para serología fue mínima, y el porcentaje de estudiantes que recibió tratamiento quimioprofiláctico post exposición fue aún menor. Por todo ello creemos fundamental insistir con diferentes estrategias en la concientización a los alumnos, jerarquizando la prevención y las pautas a seguir en caso de producirse el accidente.

Earliest evidence of pollution by heavy metals in archaeological sites

Homo species were exposed to a new biogeochemical environment when they began to occupy caves. Here we report the first evidence of palaeopollution through geochemical analyses of heavy metals in four renowned archaeological caves of the Iberian Peninsula spanning the last million years of human evolution. Heavy metal contents reached high values due to natural (guano deposition) and anthropogenic factors (e.g. combustion) in restricted cave environments. The earliest anthropogenic pollution evidence is related to Neanderthal hearths from Gorham's Cave (Gibraltar), being one of the first milestones in the so-called “Anthropocene”. According to its heavy metal concentration, these sediments meet the present-day standards of “contaminated soil”. Together with the former, the Gibraltar Vanguard Cave, shows Zn and Cu pollution ubiquitous across highly anthropic levels pointing to these elements as potential proxies for human activities. Pb concentrations in Magdalenian and Bronze age levels at El Pirulejo site can be similarly interpreted. Despite these high pollution levels, the contaminated soils might not have posed a major threat to Homo populations. Altogether, the data presented here indicate a long-term exposure of Homo to these elements, via fires, fumes and their ashes, which could have played certain role in environmental-pollution tolerance, a hitherto neglected influence.Francisco J. Jiménez Palacios and to the Analytical Chemistry Department (Sevilla University) are gratefully acknowledged for their help in the use of Carbolite electric oven. A.G.-A. was supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship of the 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration (European Commission). R.B. is a Beatriu de Pinós-A post-doctoral fellowship recipient (Generalitat de Catalunya and COFUND Marie Curie Actions, EU-FP7). This work also was partially financed by projects 19434/PI/14 Fundación Séneca, HARP2013-44269P, CGL-BOS-2012-34717, CGL2012-38434-C03-03 and CGL2012-38358 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, 2014 SGR 900 and 2014/100573 Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR, RNM 432 Research Group 179 (Junta de Andalucia) and MEXT-Japan

TRACE METALS IN BIVALVES' SOFT TISSUE FROM MLJET NATIONAL PARK AQUATORIUM, CROATIA

Abstract Preliminary study of bivalves' soft tissue exposure to trace metals (Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn) from water column in the Mljet NP, was done. Elevated trace metal concentrations in water column and bivalves were observed in semi -enclosed saline lakes. Determined concentrations were most likely from the natural source, taking into account hydrogeological characteristics of the investigated area

Management of pelvic chondrosarcoma

The partial or complete excision of the hemipelvis with sparing of the lower limb is an option of the treatment of pelvic chondrosarcoma and a therapeutic alternative of the interilio-abdominal disarticulation. The operation has in principle the same indications as the interilio-abdominal disarticulation and offers a good solution for avoiding a mutilating operation. The 149 cases include: 120 biopsies, 29 excisional biopsies, 6 interilioabdominal disarticulations and 14 resections – reconstruction’s, one of with prosthetic reconstruction. The prognostic score was established by assessing: the surgical stage, the site of the tumor, the surgical margins of the tumor, the functional mobility and the postoperative activity. The wide excision of the tumor, a stable reconstruction and an efficient recovery are essential for a successful treatment of pelvic chondrosarcoma. The limb sparing resection-reconstruction represents a highly surgical demanding procedure, followed up by complications in 60% of the cases, so that should be performed only by high skilled surgeons. Hemipelvectomy still remains a well-established life-saving surgery method for patients suffering from vast oncological extensions, where a pelvic resection is not an option

Pseudopolarography of lead (II) in sediment and in interstitial water measured by a solid microelectrode

Pseudopolarograms of lead (II) constructed from the voltammograms measured in situ in the sediment and in the interstitial water by using an Ir solid microelectrode with a thin mercury film have shown as a kind of fingerprints of the sample. Despite shortcomings when compared to measurements with the mercury drop electrode and in model solutions, the measurement procedure was adapted for enough signal repeatability, avoiding to a reasonable extent the memory effect and electrode surface blocking. To make the best use of the information available, besides the classical pseudopolarograms, i.e. besides the dependence of the peak-height on the deposition potential, it is necessary to analyze the peak-area, the peak-position and the half-peak width versus deposition potential, and combine them with the knowledge from various theoretical and model situations. They have shown to contain interesting information about speciation. This information is not always unambiguous, it is often semi-quantitative, and cannot be reached by other methods, however, in combination with other methods it could be useful for the characterization of the sample solution. Pseudopolarograms of lead (II) in different liquid fractions of the sediment were measured and compared, the electrode sensitivity varying from 4 to 20 nA/mol L-1 of lead (II). The differences in half-wave potentials recorded were ranging up to 0.6V and those in the slopes of pseudopolarograms were three-fold, having interesting relationships with the peak potentials of single voltammetric curves

Pseudopolarography of lead (II) in sediment and in interstitial water measured with a solid microelectrode

International audiencePseudopolarograms of lead (II) constructed from the voltammograms measured in situ in the sediment and in the interstitial water by using an Ir solid microelectrode with a thin mercury film have shown as a kind of fingerprints of the sample. Despite shortcomings when compared to measurements with the mercury drop electrode and in model solutions, the measurement procedure was adapted for enough signal repeatability, avoiding to a reasonable extent the memory effect and electrode surface blocking. To make the best use of the information available, besides the classical pseudopolarograms, i.e. besides the dependence of the peak-height on the deposition potential, it is necessary to analyze the peak-area, the peak-position and the half-peak width versus deposition potential, and combine them with the knowledge from various theoretical and model situations. They have shown to contain interesting information about speciation. This information is not always unambiguous, it is often semi-quantitative, and cannot be reached by other methods, however, in combination with other methods it could be useful for the characterization of the sample solution. Pseudopolarograms of lead (II) in different liquid fractions of the sediment were measured and compared, the electrode sensitivity varying from 4 to 20 nA/␮mol L −1 of lead (II). The differences in half-wave potentials recorded were ranging up to 0.6 V and those in the slopes of pseudopolarograms were three-fold, having interesting relationships with the peak potentials of single voltammetric curves