Health impact assessment by ingestion of polluted soil/sediment

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a threat to human health as they can easily enter the human body via ingestion of polluted soil/sediment. In order to estimate the bioavailability and assess the health impact on people, measurement of the oral bioaccessibility of a pollutant is crucial. Various laboratory based in vitro tests which mimic human gastrointestinal tract conditions can be used. In order to set up the method for analysing the bioaccessibility of pollutants in soil samples in the Laboratory for the analysis of geological materials at the Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Mineral resources (Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb - RGNF), with regards to the available equipment, an orientation survey was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Biochemical Engineering (Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb - PBF). The digestion of two different samples in synthetic fluids (gastric and intestinal fluid) was performed simultaneously at the RGNF laboratory and PBF laboratory under different extraction conditions according to each laboratory’s ability. Prior to the analysis of bioaccessibility, detailed mineralogical and chemical characterization of the samples was performed. The comparison of two experiments showed that there is a relatively good correlation between concentrations obtained after digestion of the samples in different laboratories, under different conditions. As a result of this study, an efficient and relatively inexpensive method for determining bioaccessibility was set up at Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, which makes this kind of test more accessible and enables a new approach in risk assessment studies

Mandibular nerve block at the oval foramen using reliable landmarks: refinement of a previously described procedure

The aim of this study was to improve the injection technique when blocking the mandibular nerve at the oval foramen by using consistent landmarks. The lower lateral orbital angle (LLOA) and the junction of the external acoustic canal and the mastoid process (AM) proved to be reliable landmarks. Distances between landmarks for the localization of the puncture point (PP), cranial indices as well as the angle of the injection needle to the sagittal plane were calculated on 22 human dried skulls. The PP was found to lie exactly in the middle between the LLOA and AM. The angle of the injection needle to the sagittal plane was 71.86degrees. No correlation was found between the cranial index and the angulation of the needle or the distances for the localization of the PP. From this study a modified puncture technique was developed

10.5937/tehnika1703383L= Development of methods for traffic simulation of telecommunication processes in IRITEL over 45 years

This paper summarizes the programs intended for simulation of traffic processes in different telecommunications systems. These programs are developed, implemented and verified by the members of the Institute IRITEL through numerous scientific papers and doctoral dissertations taken during 50 years of the Institute activities. Two main areas of traffic simulations are related (but not limited) to the analyses of switching systems and mobile telephony systems

"Donor milk banking: Improving the future". A survey on the operation of the European donor human milk banks

BACKGROUND: Provision of donor human milk is handled by established human milk banks that implement all required measures to ensure its safety and quality. Detailed human milk banking guidelines on a European level are currently lacking, while the information available on the actual practices followed by the European human milk banks, remains limited. The aim of this study was to collect detailed data on the actual milk banking practices across Europe with particular emphasis on the practices affecting the safety and quality of donor human milk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based questionnaire was developed by the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) Survey Group, for distribution to the European human milk banks. The questionnaire included 35 questions covering every step from donor recruitment to provision of donor human milk to each recipient. To assess the variation in practices, all responses were then analyzed for each country individually and for all human milk banks together. RESULTS: A total of 123 human milk banks completed the questionnaire, representing 85% of the European countries that have a milk bank. Both inter- and intra-country variation was documented for most milk banking practices. The highest variability was observed in pasteurization practices, storage and milk screening, both pre- and post-pasteurization. CONCLUSION: We show that there is a wide variability in milk banking practices across Europe, including practices that could further improve the efficacy of donor human milk banking. The findings of this study could serve as a tool for a global discussion on the efficacy and development of additional evidence-based guidelines that could further improve those practices

“Donor milk banking: Improving the future”. A survey on the operation of the European donor human milk banks

Background Provision of donor human milk is handled by established human milk banks that implement all required measures to ensure its safety and quality. Detailed human milk banking guidelines on a European level are currently lacking, while the information available on the actual practices followed by the European human milk banks, remains limited. The aim of this study was to collect detailed data on the actual milk banking practices across Europe with particular emphasis on the practices affecting the safety and quality of donor human milk. Materials and methods A web-based questionnaire was developed by the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) Survey Group, for distribution to the European human milk banks. The questionnaire included 35 questions covering every step from donor recruitment to provision of donor human milk to each recipient. To assess the variation in practices, all responses were then analyzed for each country individually and for all human milk banks together. Results A total of 123 human milk banks completed the questionnaire, representing 85% of the European countries that have a milk bank. Both inter- and intra-country variation was documented for most milk banking practices. The highest variability was observed in pasteurization practices, storage and milk screening, both pre- and post-pasteurization. Conclusion We show that there is a wide variability in milk banking practices across Europe, including practices that could further improve the efficacy of donor human milk banking. The findings of this study could serve as a tool for a global discussion on the efficacy and development of additional evidence-based guidelines that could further improve those practices

“Donor milk banking: Improving the future”. A survey on the operation of the European donor human milk banks

Background Provision of donor human milk is handled by established human milk banks that implement all required measures to ensure its safety and quality. Detailed human milk banking guidelines on a European level are currently lacking, while the information available on the actual practices followed by the European human milk banks, remains limited. The aim of this study was to collect detailed data on the actual milk banking practices across Europe with particular emphasis on the practices affecting the safety and quality of donor human milk. Materials and methods A web-based questionnaire was developed by the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) Survey Group, for distribution to the European human milk banks. The questionnaire included 35 questions covering every step from donor recruitment to provision of donor human milk to each recipient. To assess the variation in practices, all responses were then analyzed for each country individually and for all human milk banks together. Results A total of 123 human milk banks completed the questionnaire, representing 85% of the European countries that have a milk bank. Both inter- and intra-country variation was documented for most milk banking practices. The highest variability was observed in pasteurization practices, storage and milk screening, both pre- and post-pasteurization. Conclusion We show that there is a wide variability in milk banking practices across Europe, including practices that could further improve the efficacy of donor human milk banking. The findings of this study could serve as a tool for a global discussion on the efficacy and development of additional evidence-based guidelines that could further improve those practices

"Donor milk banking: Improving the future". A survey on the operation of the European donor human milk banks

BACKGROUND: Provision of donor human milk is handled by established human milk banks that implement all required measures to ensure its safety and quality. Detailed human milk banking guidelines on a European level are currently lacking, while the information available on the actual practices followed by the European human milk banks, remains limited. The aim of this study was to collect detailed data on the actual milk banking practices across Europe with particular emphasis on the practices affecting the safety and quality of donor human milk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based questionnaire was developed by the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) Survey Group, for distribution to the European human milk banks. The questionnaire included 35 questions covering every step from donor recruitment to provision of donor human milk to each recipient. To assess the variation in practices, all responses were then analyzed for each country individually and for all human milk banks together. RESULTS: A total of 123 human milk banks completed the questionnaire, representing 85% of the European countries that have a milk bank. Both inter- and intra-country variation was documented for most milk banking practices. The highest variability was observed in pasteurization practices, storage and milk screening, both pre- and post-pasteurization. CONCLUSION: We show that there is a wide variability in milk banking practices across Europe, including practices that could further improve the efficacy of donor human milk banking. The findings of this study could serve as a tool for a global discussion on the efficacy and development of additional evidence-based guidelines that could further improve those practices