Balkans in Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District: Helen Delich Bentley and the War in Bosnia

The aim of this paper is to analyze the foreign policy activism of a Republican congresswoman of Serbian descent Helen Delich Bentley during the war in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995. The paper will argue that Bentley was a congressional foreign policy entrepreneur utilizing nonlegislative avenues of foreign policy influence. Her policy aims from 1992 until the end of her term in Congress in 1994 were to establish U.S. neutrality and nonintervention in Bosnia. Though unsuccessful on both fronts, Bentley’s foreign policy activism sheds light on the domestic policy debates over the formulation of U.S. policy towards Bosnia. The paper contributes to the literature on interventions in the Balkans and also to literature on congressional foreign policy entrepreneurship

General Civil Code in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Codification as a Means of Transformation of Legal System

Ovaj rad ima za cilj da skicira najznačajnije obrise recepcije Opšteg građanskog zakonika (OGZ) u Bosni i Hercegovini. Kodifikacija se posmatra kao instrument pravne i društvene transformacije te se u tom teorijskom okviru prati recepcija OGZ-a. Razmatra se vrsta recepcije OGZ-a u Bosni i Hercegovini i utvrđuju njezine glavne karakteristike. Također se raspravlja važenje austro-ugarskog pravnog naslijeđa u pogledu recepcije OGZ-a u jugoslovenskom monarhističkom i socijalističkom periodu historije Bosne i Herecgovine.Between 1839 and 1918 Bosnia and Herzegovina has gone through two modernization projects – Ottoman Tanzimat reforms and Austro-Hungarian modernization of the Central European type. In both cases, the modernization relied on a particular codification for the transformation of the legal system: the Ottoman Civil Code (Mecelle) and the Austrian General Civil Code. Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878) marked its transition from the state of Islamic legal culture to the state of European legal culture. One of the used means was the Austrian General Civil Code. In Bosnia and Herzegovina this codification was used as a subsidiary source of civil law. Its application has been modified in certain legal fields where specific norms of the domestic (Ottoman) law existed. This was the way of the factual reception of Austrian General Civil Code. In 1911, the Provincial Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina instructed the courts not to use the Ottoman Civil Code (as domestic law) if it was found to be contrary to the modern legal views. Since then the systematic reception of the Austrian General Civil Code began. This situation remained unchanged during the monarchist Yugoslavia with a tendency to abolish the remaining Ottoman institutions. These institutions were finally abolished with the beginning of socialist era in post WWII Yugoslavia, since the whole private law was abrogated. However, some rules, i.e. the General Civil Code rules, stayed in force in Bosnia and Herzegovina if there were no new rules that should have replaced them and if the old rules were not in conflict with the principles of the new social order

Lažno pozitivna fenotipska detekcija metalo-beta-laktamaza u Acinetobacter Baumannii

Phenotypic detection of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) in Acinetobacter (A.) baumannii is a serious challenge to clinical microbiologists. MBLs are inhibited by metal chelators such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) (EDTA). Production of MBLs cannot be recognized based on resistance phenotype. Therefore, phenotypic tests using EDTA are recommended. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of inhibitor based tests (EDTA) for detection of MBL. A total of 172 A. baumannii strains (123 carbapenemase positive and 49 carbapenemase negative) were analyzed. Phenotypic detection of MBLs was performed by the combined disk test with EDTA (CDT-EDTA) and EPI-dilution test (EPI-DT). Both tests were positive in all 11 isolates possessing VIM-1 MBL, showing 100% sensitivity. However, false positive results were observed in strains with class D carbapenemases using both tests, i.e. all OXA-23 and OXA-24/40 producing organisms and most OXA-58 positive strains (77% with CDT-EDTA vs. 65% with EPI-DT). False positive results can occur because oxacillinases are converted to a less active state in the presence of EDTA, leading to augmentation of the inhibition zone around the carbapenem disk or reduction of carbapenem minimum inhibitory concentrations. This study showed high sensitivity but low specificity of phenotypic methods in the detection of MBLs.Fenotipska detekcija metalo-β-laktamaza (MBL) u Acinetobacter (A.) baumannii je velik izazov kliničkim mikrobiolozima. MBL su inhibirane metalnim kelatorima kao što je etilendiamin tetraoctena kiselina (EDTA). Produkcija MBL ne može se prepoznati na temelju fenotipa rezistencije. Zbog toga se preporuča primjena fenotipskih testova koji rabe metalne kelatore kao što je EDTA. Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi osjetljivost i specifičnost testova s inhibitorom (EDTA) u otkrivanju MBL u A. baumannii. Analizirana su 172 izolata A. baumannii (123 karbapenemaza pozitivnih i 49 karbapenemaza negativnih). Fenotipska detekcija MBL je provedena metodom kombiniranih diskova (EDTA CDT-EDTA) i EPI-dilucijskom metodom (EPI-DT). Oba testa su bila pozitivna u svih 11 izolata pozitivnih na VIM-1 MBL, što odgovara osjetljivosti od 100%. Lažno pozitivni rezultati su dobiveni u karbapenem-rezistentnim izolatima pozitivnim na klasu D karbapenemaza u oba testa: svi OXA-23 i OXA-24/40 kao i većina OXA-58 pozitivnih sojeva (77% u CDT-EDTA i 65% u EPI-DT). Lažno pozitivni rezultati u testovima s inhibitorom nastaju zbog toga što oksacilinaze prelaze u stanje manje aktivnosti u prisustvu EDTA, što dovodi do smanjenja minimalne inhibitorne koncentracije karbapenema ili do uvećanja zone oko diska karbapenema. Studija je pokazala visoku osjetljivost, ali nisku specifičnost fenotipskih testova za dokaz MBL u A. baumannii, što ukazuje na neophodnost korištenja molekularnih metoda

Association of HLA-B27 antigen with clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Aim To analyse the association of human leukocyte antigen B27 with clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at the disease onset. Methods A retrospective review of medical records of 25 HLAB27 positive and 25 HLA-B27 negative JIA patients was performed. The diagnosis of JIA was based on the 1997-2001 International League Against Rheumatism (ILAR) criteria. Collected data: age, sex, HLA- B27 antigen presence, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid-factor (RF), antinuclear antibody (ANA), fever, rash, uveitis, enthesitis, inflamed joints and subtype of JIA. Results HLA- B27 positive study group had more boys (p=0.01), higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p=0.038), higher presence of fever (p= 0.025) and enthesitis (p=0.024). Any significant difference in age of the disease onset, CRP, ANA, RF, rash, uveitis, inflamed joint and dactylitis was not noticed. The most common subtype of JIA in the HLA-B27 positive patients was ERA (60%). Conclusion This study showed that the presence of HLA- B27 antigen plays a significant role in determining the presenting clinical and laboratory characteristics in JIA patients

Usporedba dviju različitih metoda za testiranje osjetljivosti na tigeciklin u Acinetobacter baumannii

Tigecycline susceptibility testing (TST) presents a tremendous challenge for clinical microbiologists. Previous studies have shown that the Epsilometer test (E-test) and Vitek 2 automated system significantly overestimate the minimum inhibitory concentrations for tigecycline resistance compared to the broth microdilution method (BMM). This leads to very major errors or false susceptibility (i.e. the isolate is called susceptible when it is actually resistant). The aim of this study was to compare E-test against BMM for TST in carbapenem-resistant and carbapenem-susceptible Acinetobacter (A.) baumannii and to analyze changes in tigecycline susceptibility between two time periods (2009-2012 and 2013-2014), with BMM as the gold standard. Using the EUCAST criteria, the rate of resistance to tigecycline for the OXA-23 MBL-positive, OXA-23 MBL-negative and carbapenemase-negative strains for BMM was 54.5% (6/11), 29.4% (5/17) and 2.7% (1/37), respectively; the OXA-24/40 and OXA-58 producing organisms did not exhibit any resistance. With E-test, all OXA-23 MBL-positive organisms (11/11), 23.5% (4/17) of OXA-23 MBL-negative, and 4.1% of OXA-24/40 (3/74) strains displayed tigecycline resistance; there were no resistant strains among the OXA-58 and carbapenemase-negative isolates. Resistance emerged in the bacterial isolates from 2013 to 2014. Although tigecycline does not display cross-resistance, the highest rates of resistant A. baumannii isolates were observed among those producing VIM MBL, regardless of the testing method. These findings suggest that the commercial E-test does not provide reliable results for TST of A. baumannii. Further confirmation with the dilution method should be recommended, particularly in cases of serious infections.Testiranje osjetljivosti na tigeciklin (TST) je velik izazov za kliničke mikrobiologe. Prethodna istraživanja su pokazala da E-test i Vitek 2 daju veće vrijednosti minimalne inhibitorne koncentracije tigeciklina u odnosu na dilucijsku metodu, što uzrokuje vrlo veliku grešku (engl. very major error, što znači da je rezistentan izolat proglašen osjetljivim). Cilj istraživanja bio je usporediti dvije metode za testiranje osjetljivosti na tigeciklin (E-test i bujonska dilucijska metoda) u karbapenem osjetljvim i karbapenem rezistentnim izolatima Acinetobacter (A.) baumannii s različitim tipovima karbapenem-hidrolizirajućih oksacilinazama i analizirati promjenu u stopama osjetljivosti na tigeciklin u dva razdoblja istraživanja (2009.-2012. i 2013.-2014.). Dilucija u bujonu je bila referentna metoda. Testiranje osjetljivosti na tigeciklin je provedeno E-testom i bujonskom mikrodilucijskom metodom. Prema kriterijima EUCAST-a stopa rezistencije bila je 54,5% (6/11) za OXA-23 MBL-pozitivne sojeve, 29,4% (5/17) za OXA-23 MBL-negativne sojeve i 2,7% (1/37) za karbapenemaza-negativne sojeve uz bujonsku mikrodilucijsku metodu. OXA-24/40 i OXA-58 producirajući sojevi nisu iskazivali rezistenciju. E-testom su svi OXA-23 MBL pozitivni organizmi (11/11), 23,5% (4/17) OXA-23 MBL negativnih i 4,1% OXA-24/40 (3/74) pokazivali rezistenciju na tigeciklin. Svi OXA-58 pozitivni i karbapenemaza-negativni sojevi su bili osjetljivi na tigeciklin u E-testu. Rezistencija na tigeciklin se pojavila u razdoblju od 2013. do 2014. godine. Iako tigeciklin ne pokazuje križnu rezistenciju s drugim antibioticima najviše stope rezistencije su zapažene među VIM-pozitivnim izolatima bez obzira na metodu testiranja. Prema rezultatima našega istraživanja komercijalni E-test ne daje pouzdane rezultate TST u A. baumannii. Potrebna je potvrda dilucijskom metodom, osobito kod teških infekcija

Spatial impact of GMOs

Genetski inženjering čovječanstvu je otvorio mnoge nove mogućnosti, s time i upravljanje genetskim materijalom biljaka. Danas se u velikim količinama manipulira genskim materijalom u svrhu povećanja prihoda i podizanja kvalitete usjeva. U ovom radu biti će prikazane sve prostorne posljedice i mogući rizici proizašli iz toga manipuliranja.Genetic engineering has opened up many new possibilities for mankind, and one of the possibilities is management of plant genetic material. Today, genetic material is being manipulated in large quantities in order to increase income and raise crop quality. This paper will present all the spatial consequences and possible risks resulting from this manipulation

A comprehensive treatment of Islamic criminal law

Review of:Rudolph Peters, Crime and Punishment in Islamic law: Theory and Practice from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-first Century, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2005, XI, 219 p., ISBN 0-521-79670-

Spatial impact of GMOs

Genetski inženjering čovječanstvu je otvorio mnoge nove mogućnosti, s time i upravljanje genetskim materijalom biljaka. Danas se u velikim količinama manipulira genskim materijalom u svrhu povećanja prihoda i podizanja kvalitete usjeva. U ovom radu biti će prikazane sve prostorne posljedice i mogući rizici proizašli iz toga manipuliranja.Genetic engineering has opened up many new possibilities for mankind, and one of the possibilities is management of plant genetic material. Today, genetic material is being manipulated in large quantities in order to increase income and raise crop quality. This paper will present all the spatial consequences and possible risks resulting from this manipulation

The Bosnian Muslims and Islamic International Networks: "The Age of Conventions"

During the period between two World wars several Pan-Islamic conferences were held. This paper aims to investigate a participation of Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) in these conferences and the echo these conferences had in Bosnian public life. Based on contemporary reports in periodicals, documents and relevant literature, it has been found that Bosnian Muslim delegates participated in two of these conferences in Jerusalem in 1931, and in Geneva 1935. They wanted to attend the Congress in Cairo in 1926, but were prevented by the Yugoslav authorities. Pan-Islamic conferences received a wide coverage in Bosnian Muslim press. Surprisingly, there were no detailed information on the activity of Bosnian Muslim delegates. Similarly, there were no tangible results of their participation for Muslims in Bosnia. The participation in these conferences could be seen as one of the manifestations of Pan-Islamism in Bosnia, a tendency which gradually lost its appeal in this country by the middle of the 20th century