High-risk newborns and pervasive developmental disorders

Aim of the paper: Analysis of developmental abilities in high-risk infants, with an emphasis on risk, early screening and early diagnosis of disorders of the autistic spectrum (ASD). Materials and methods: Between January 2013 and December 2015, a total number of 612 high - risk infants, were followed as outpatients at  the Clinic for neurology and development. We used Griffiths developmental scales for assessment of developmental abilities and M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) when there was a suspicion for ASD. Results: In 4,4% of the children disorder in the field of socialization, social development and speech, as well as symptoms of ASD were found. The median age of the infants during examination was 23 months. Each child had a normal neurological status. Using the developmental tests, Griffiths developmental scales, the examined children, showed normal development of gross motor skill and normal development of fine motor skills. The developmental coefficient in the area of social development was 64%, and 44% in the area of speech. Four children showed clear signs of sensory integration dysfunction. 3,3% of children with symptoms of ASD were conceived with IVF, were twins and were preemies. Conclusion: The goal of developmental follow-up and developmental diagnostics should be establishing the risk and symptoms of ASD in high - risk children, especially in premature infants and twins.Цел на трудот: Ðнализа на развојните ÑпоÑобноÑти кај виÑокоризичните новородени Ñо акцент на ризикот, раниот Ñкрининг и раната дијагноÑтика на нарушувањата од аутиÑтичниот Ñпектар (ASD). Материјал и методи:  Ð’о периодот  Ð¾Ð´ јануари 2013 година до декември 2015 година, 612 виÑокоризич- ни деца поминале низ Ðевролошко-развојната амбуланта при УниверзитетÑката клиника за детÑки болеÑти во Скопје. Извршена е проценка на развојните ÑпоÑобноÑти на Ñекое дете Ñо примена на раз- војниот теÑÑ‚, Griffiths developmental scales како и примена на M-CHAT ( Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) во Ñкринирањето на деца на возраÑÑ‚ од 16 до 30 меÑеци при Ñомение за аутиÑтичен Ñпектар на нарушувања. Резултати: Кај 4,4% од децата конÑтатирани Ñе отÑтапувања во Ñоцијалниот развој и говорот, одÑтапувања во полето на Ñоцијализација и Ñимптоми за ASD. Децата Ñе на Ñредна возраÑÑ‚ од 23 меÑеци. Сите деца Ñе Ñо уреден невролошки ÑтатуÑ. Ðа развојните теÑтови, Griffiths developmental scales, покажуваат уреден развој на крупна моторика и уреден развој на фина моторика. Развојниот коефициент во облаÑта на Ñоцијалниот развој изнеÑува  64%, а во облаÑта на говорот 44%. Четири деца покажуваат јаÑни знаци за диÑфункција на Ñензорната интеграција. 3,3% од децата  Ñо елементи на ASD Ñе од вештачко оплодување -IVF, близначка бременоÑÑ‚ и предвремено породување. Заклучок: Целта на развојното Ñледење и развојната дијагноÑтика треба да биде утврдување на ризикот, како и навремено откривање на Ñимптомите за ASD кај виÑоко ризичните деца, оÑобено кај недоноÑените и близнаците

ASPHYXIA AND DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME IN HIGH RISK INFANTS

Asphyxia is a risk factor that is very often related to neuro-developmental issues in high risk infants and equally affects preterm and term infants, however its outcome on the developed brain differs from the outcome on the preterm brain.In preterm infants, asphyxia usually exerts a hemorrhagic or ischaemic event and periventricular leukomalacia.In term infants, asphyxia leads to cerebral edema and atrophy of the brain, which may later lead to hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).The number of term infants with HIE who have survived is lower than those of preterm infants, while the percentage of term infants with HIE who have neuro-developmental issues is higher. Preemies face more problems in their motor development as a result of the brain damage, while term infants suffer from encephalopathy and their cognitive abilities are more affected.We have conducted a study about the effects that asphyxia has on the developmental outcomes in high risk infants. In our study, we did a longitudinal developmental follow-up of 30 high risk infants and an evaluation of their developmental outcome using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales, from the 4th month of life until the end of the 36th month. First, we found that high risk infants had a much lower developmental outcome than the control group during the trial. Finally, we found that asphyxia makes a difference in the developmental outcome of preterm infants without asphyxia who have a very low birth weight, the preterm infants with asphyxia, and the term infants with HIE-II

Znanje, stavovi i uporaba e-cigareta

Aim: Investigate knowledge, attitudes and use of e-cigarettes among Croatian population with validated online questionnaire. Methods: Study included 531 subjects who volunteered to participate and was done using online anonymous questionnaire in 2017; the link to questionnaire was on social media on the University of Applied Sciences Official web site. To limit duplicate responses, one response per IP address was permitted. Specially designed questionnaire using internationally validated surveys: „The young people in Scotland schools omnibus 2014: questions on e-cigarettes“, “Monitoring the future-National survey results on drug results” and The European commission-Special Eurobarometer Report-Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Results: There were 379 (71.4%) women and 152 (28.6%) men in the study. Almost all (97.9%) participants have heard of e-cigarettes. The prevalence rate of the current use of e-cigarettes is (5.8%) of all respondents-9.2% men and 4.5% women. Men know more about e-cigarettes (χ²=8.573, ss=2, p=0.014), and use it more often than women (χ²=4.406, ss=1, p=0.036). The largest number of users are in the age group of 18-30 years, and the largest number of respondents who are seeing advertisements for e-cigarettes see them in social media. People with lower education have tried e-cigarettes more than people with higher level of education (χ²=9.750, ss=3, p=0.020). Cigarettes smokers have more knowledge about composition of e-cigarettes (χ²=7.966, ss=2, p=0.019) and more of them tried e-cigarettes than non-smokers (χ²=5.576, ss=1, p=0.018). Conclusion: Questions related to knowledge show a lack of knowledge of the general population about possible consequences of long-term use e-cigarettes that can be expected. Populations at risk of consuming are younger men, having residency in the city, high school graduates, smokers and former smokers, so public health programs should be created and implemented to that population in cooperation with the educational and health sector.Cilj: Istražiti znanje, stavove i uporabu e-cigareta među stanovništvom u Hrvatskoj koristeći validirani on-line upitnik. Metode: Istraživanje je uključilo 531 ispitanika koji su dobrovoljno ispunili on-line anonimni validirani upitnik 2017. godine; poveznica na upitnik stavljena je na društvene mreže Veleučilišta u Bjelovaru. Za ograničavanje dupliciranih odgovora dopušten je jedan odgovor po IP adresi. Posebno dizajnirani upitnik načinjen je od međunarodno validiranih anketa: “The young people in Scotland schools omnibus 2014: questions on e-cigarettes”, “Monitoring the future-National survey results on drug results”i The European commission-Special Eurobarometer Report-Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Rezultati: U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 379(71,4%) žena i 152(28,6%) muškaraca. Gotovo svi (97,9%) sudionici čuli su za pojam e-cigareta. Stopa prevalencije trenutne uporabe e-cigareta iznosi (5,8%) svih ispitanika - 9,2% muškaraca i 4,5% žena. Muškarci znaju više o e-cigaretama (χ²=8,573, ss=2, p= 0,014), i koriste je češće od žena (χ² =4,406, ss =1, p=0,036). Najveći broj korisnika je u dobnoj skupini od 18-30 godina, a najveći broj ispitanika koji vide oglase za e-cigarete, vidi ih na društvenim mrežama. Osobe nižeg obrazovanja probale su e-cigarete više od osoba s višim stupnjem obrazovanja (χ²=9,750, ss=3, p=0,020). Pušači cigareta imaju više znanja o sastavu ecigareta (χ² =7,966, ss=2, p=0,019), a više njih je probalo e-cigarete od nepušača (χ²=5,576, ss=1, p=0,018). Zaključak: Dio upitnika vezan uz znanje ispitanika pokazuje nedostatak znanja opće populacije o mogućim posljedicama dugotrajne uporabe e-cigareta. Ispitanici pod rizikom za konzumiranje e-cigareta su srednjoškolci, mlađi muškarci koji imaju prebivalište u gradu-urbanoj sredini, pušači i bivši pušači, tako da bi javnozdravstveni preventivni programi trebali biti kreirani i provedeni u toj populaciji u suradnji obrazovnog i zdravstvenog sektora

ENDOMETRIOSIS, PAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic and progressive disease which can significantly affect a woman\u27s personal, as well as intimate and professional aspects of life. The aim of this study was to asses health-related quality of life and mental health status in patients with endometriosis, investigating also their relationship with endometriosis-related comorbid symptoms and conditions, such as pain and infertility. Subjects and methods: An observational cross-sectional study involved 79 women with endometriosis. All patients filled the Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-5), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Their medical data were retrieved from medical records. Data was analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: Of all the patients evaluated in our study, 44.3% presented depressive symptoms and 25.3% presented anxiety, while 31.7% reported stress symptoms. Moderate correlations were found between results on EHP-5 and depression (r=0.515), stress (r=0.558) and VAS score (r=0.565). Furthermore, weak positive relationship was observed between EHP-5 and anxiety (r=0.295) and infertility (r=0.267). Additionally, moderate correlation was found between depression and infertility (r=0.519), while there was weak association between VAS score and stress (r=0.236). Conclusions: This study showed complex relationships between symptoms and conditions manifesting in patients with endometriosis. Due to diversity of symptoms, potentially including mental health issues, it is important to emphasize the need for combined personalized treatment for these patients, taking into account both physical and psychological aspect of the disease

Physique and performance in male sitting volleyball players: implications for classification and training

This study assessed whether anthropometry, physical fitness and sport-specific sprint performance vary across the three groups of sitting volleyball (SV) athletes (athletes with a disability (VS1), athletes with a minimal disability (VS2) and able-bodied SV athletes (AB)) in order to explore the validity of the current system of classification. This study also investigated how the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics of athletes relate to their sprint performance

LAMA2–ASSOCIATED CONGENITAL MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY: CASE REPORT

Introduction: LAMA2 Associated Muscular Dystrophy (LAMA2-RD) is one of the most common forms of congenital muscular dystrophy worldwide. Mutations in the LAMA2 gene affect the production of the α2 subunit of lamin-211 (merosine) and result in partial or complete deficiency of lamin-211. Inheritance is usually autosomal recessive.Case report: We present a patient who is dual heterozygous for two pathogenic variants in the LAMA2 gene, as demonstrated by targeted resection of 4800 clinically significant genes. c.4474dupT, p. (Tyr1492LeufsTer11), inherited from the mother and c.7732C> T, p. (Arg2578Ter), inherited from the father. With this genotype the patient is confirmed autosomal recessive disease, LAMA2-RD. Variant c.4474dupT, p. (Tyr1492LeufsTer11), in exon 31 of the LAMA2 gene, is a change that has not been reported in the literature.Conclusion: Genetic confirmation of the diagnosis is important for genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis for each subsequent pregnancy in the family because the risk of an affected child is 25%.Keywords: LAMA2 associated muscular dystrophy, genetic testing of clinically relevant genes, genetic counseling

A comparison of para, meta, and ortho-carborane centred non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells

[Abstract]: We report the first examples of carborane-containing non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), and their use in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. NFAs employing an A–D–A′–D–A type design centred around a central electron withdrawing carborane unit (A′), using either para, meta, or ortho-carborane isomers are reported. We demonstrate that the nature of the isomer has a major impact on device performance, despite minor differences in optoelectronic and morphological properties, with the use of ortho-carborane resulting in the highest device efficiencies. We further show that end-group fluorination is an efficient strategy to modulate energy levels and improve device performance of such NFAs.Reino Unido. Physics Science Research Council; EP/V048686/1Reino Unido. Physics Science Research Council; EP/T028513/1Arabia Saudí. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; OSR-2019-CRG8-409

Indikacije i liječenje udarnim valom u fizikalnoj medicini i rehabilitaciji - novije spoznaje

Izvantjelesna terapija udarnim valom ima brojne fiziološke učinke, poput smanjenja bola i poticanja cijeljenja tkiva, zbog čega danas ima široku primjenu u mišićno-koštanoj patologiji. Postoje dva osnovna oblika udarnog vala, fokusirani i radijalni, a razlikuju se po tome što fokusirani udarni val najveću energiju postiže u žarištu na željenoj dubini, dok se kod radijalnog udarnog vala najveća energija stvara na mjestu ulaska u tretiranu regiju tijela, te slabi daljnjim prodiranjem u tkivo. Sam mehanizam djelovanja udarnog vala nije do kraja razjašnjen, a pretpostavlja se da mehanička stimulacija dovodi do stanične migracije, proliferacije, diferencijacije ili apoptoze stanica, s tim da visoka razina energije može djelovati i razorno, umjesto da posluži kao mehanički stimulus, zbog čega je nužna prilagodba energije, ovisno o tretiranom području. Modulacija bola objašnjava se „gate control“ teorijom i hiperstimulacijskom analgezijom. Osim ustaljenih indikacija poput epikondilitisa, tendinopatija, plantarnog fascitisa, kalcificirajućeg tendinitisa, udarni val danas nalazi sve širu primjenu, te se upotrebljava i u terapiji spasticiteta, poremećenog cijeljenja kosti, kronične križobolje, smrznutog ramena, osteoartritisa koljena, sindroma trkačke potkoljenice, škljocavog prsta, sindroma bolnoga trohantera, te kod sindroma miofascijalne boli. Međutim, potrebno je provesti dodatna istraživanja kako bi se utvrdila stvarna vrijednost i mjesto udarnog vala u liječenju navedenih bolesti i stanja

Stavovi i navike adolescenata u vezi pušenja

Pušenje je raširena ovisnost u čiju prevenciju se sve više ulaže znatna sredstva. Najčešći začeci ove ovisnosti sežu u adolescentsku dob. U svrhu istraživanja provedene su ankete tijekom 2016. godine s učenicima jedne osnovne i dvjema srednjim školama u Bjelovaru i okolici. Anketu su ispunjavali učenici osnovne škole u Novoj Rači, njih sto trideset i devet, učenici Tehničke škole u Bjelovaru, sto osamnaest ispitanika, te učenici Medicinske škole Bjelovar, sto devetnaest ispitanika. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da je edukacija djece na niskom nivou, te da mladi nisu zainteresirani za dodatnim znanjem o rizicima ove ovisnosti. Iz obrađenih podataka u anketama proizlazi i važnost ovog rada koji pokazuje da je potrebno uložiti puno napora u prevenciji ovisnosti o cigaretama kako bi mladi shvatili njenu opasnost