Analiza cerebrospinalne tekućine u pasa s kralježničnim tumorom i hernijacijom intervertebralnog diska

The study presents a retrospective case study. This aim was to determine whether lactate, glucose and total protein in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be used as specific biochemical markers for rapid differential diagnosis between intervertebral disk herniation and spinal tumors. Canine blood (n=9) and cerebrospinal fluid (n=9) were collected for chemistry analysis in nine dogs divided into two groups: intervertebral disk herniation group (IVDHG) (n=6) and spinal tumor group (TG) (n=3). Absorption spectrophotometry was used for quantitative determination of the concentrations of lactate, glucose and total protein in serum and CSF. Lactate concentration in serum and CSF and glucose concentration in CSF were 40-60% higher in subjects in TG compared to the IVDHG group. Serum lactate concentrations in the IVDHG group were 60% lower than physiological values. The results indicate that elevated concentration of glucose, lactate and total proteins in CSF and serum are indicative of a tumor, while a decrease of serum lactate and other parameters within normal range indicate disk herniation.Ovo istraživanje predstavlja retrospektivnu studiju. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ustvrditi mogu li laktat, glukoza ili ukupni protein u serumu i cerebrospinalnoj tekućini biti specifični biokemijski markeri u brzoj diferencijalnoj dijagnostici kralježničnog tumora i hernijacije intervertebralnog diska. U istraživanju je korišteno 9 uzoraka pseće krvi i 9 uzoraka pseće cerebrospinalne tekućine koje su biokemijski analizirane. Ukupno 9 je pasa podijeljeno u 2 skupine: hernijacija intervertebralnog diska (IVDHG) (n=6) i skupina vertebralni tumor (TG) (n=3). Za kvantitativno određivanje koncentracija laktata, glukoze i ukupnih proteina u serumu i cerebrospinalnoj tekućini koristila se metoda apsorpcijske spektrofotometrije. Koncentracije laktatata u serumu i cerebrospnalnoj tekućini i glukoze u cerebrospinalnoj tekućini su bile povišene za 40 do 60 % u pasa s tumorom u kralježnici u usporedbi s psima iz skupine s hernijacijom intervertebralnog diska. Serumska koncentracija laktata u pasa s hernijacijom intervertebralnog diska je bila 60 % niža nego fiziološke vrijednosti. Rezultati ove studije su pokazali da povećane koncentracije glukoze, laktata i ukupnih proteina u cerebrospinalnoj tekućini upućuju na tumor u kralježnici, dok, smanjene ili fiziološke vrijednosti laktata i ostalih mjerenih pokazatelja mjerenih u serumu i cerebrospinalnoj tekućini ukazuju na hernijaciju intervertebralnog diska

Prisutnost alohtone kamenice Crassostrea gigas u Jadranskom moru

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was introduced into the Europe in the late 1960s for aquaculture purposes and has since spread extensively in Mediterranean waters. For the first time, screening of the four ecologically most suitable bays along the Eastern Adriatic coast was conducted to detect the possible presence of non-native oysters. Sequencing analysis of a fragment of mitochondrial 16S rRNA was examined to demonstrate the presence of the exotic species C. gigas in the natural environments of the northern and central coastal areas of the eastern Adriatic. The likely routes of invasion are discussed and the importance of monitoring the distribution of feral C. gigas populations emphasized, with a focus on the potential direct and indirect effects on the native European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis.Japanska ili pacifička kamenica, Crassostrea gigas, uvedena je u Europu kasnih 1960-ih za potrebe akvakulture i od tada se intenzivno proširila po Mediteranu. Po prvi put je izvršen pregled četiriju ekološki najprikladnijih zaljeva istočne obale Jadrana kako bi se utvrdila prisutnost alohtone kamenice. Analiza djelomičnog fragmenta mitohondrijske 16S rRNA je korištena kako bi se molekularno identificirala egzotična vrsta C. gigas u prirodnim staništima sjevernih i središnjih obalnih područja istočnog Jadrana. Mogući invazijski putevi su raspravljani kao i važnost praćenja distribucije populacija C. gigas, s naglaskom na potencijalne izravne i neizravne učinke na autohtonu europsku plosnatu kamenicu Ostrea edulis koja obitava u Jadranskom moru

Mast Cell Tumor in Dogs – Incidence and Histopathological Characterization

Incidence of mast cell tumors, their distribution according to sex, breed, age and localisation in Croatia is not established yet. Also, the statistical significance of the various histopathological parameters according to Patnaik’s scheme, in the diagnostics of the tumor grade was not performed. Investigation analysed mast cell tumors histopathologicaly characterized at the Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology of the Veterinary Faculty Zagreb from January 1st 2002 to Dezember 31st 2006. Sex, age, breed, localisation and tumor grade of each animal with tumor was recorded and statisticaly evaluated. Each histopathological variable was scored and compared with tumor grade. In the analyzed period, totally 1630 tumors were recorded, and mast cell tumors were found in 106 animals or in 6.5% of all cases. With statistically significant difference, this tumor was found in more cases in male dogs, and average age was 6.96 years. Boxers and retrievers were most frequent breeds, and localization was mostly on legs. Grade I tumor was found in 15.09%, grade II in 44.34% and grade III in 28.3% of animals. There were no significant correlations between tumor grade and age, breed, sex or localization. Considering the lesion scores compared with grade, statistically significant differences were found in cell shape, number of nucleoli, anisocytosis, anisokariosis, karyomegaly, mitoses, necroses, hemorrhages, cellularity, cell borders and collagenolysis

TREATMENT OF ANEMIA IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE – POSITION STATEMENT OF THE CROATIAN SOCIETY FOR NEPHROLOGY, DIALYSIS AND TRANSPLANTATION AND REVIEW OF THE KDIGO AND ERPB GUIDELINES

Bubrežna anemija nastaje kao posljedica kronične bolesti bubrega (KBB), a pogoršava se s napredovanjem bolesti. Anemija može biti prvi znak bolesti bubrega. Sve bolesnike s KBB i anemijom potrebno je dijagnostički obraditi čime se može otkloniti druge uzroke bolesti. Dokazana je direktna povezanost koncentracije hemoglobina i stadija zatajenja bubrežne funkcije, a ranija pojava anemije učestalija je u dijabetičara. Rano liječenje anemije moglo bi usporiti napredovanje KBB. Anemija je neovisan činitelj rizika za razvoj srčano-žilnih bolesti u bolesnika s KBB. Liječenje anemije u bolesnika s KBB temelji se na smjernicama. Nedavno je skupina KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) objavila nove smjernice za liječenje anemije u KBB, a skupina ERBP (European Renal Best Practice) osvrt na te smjernice. Hrvatsko društvo za nefrologiju, dijalizu i transplantaciju (HDNDT) već godinama objavljuje vlastite smjernice koje se temelje na preporukama i pozitivnim iskustvima europskih i svjetskih stručnih društava, kao i na vlastitim iskustvima. Posljednja inačica hrvatskih smjernica objavljena je 2008. godine. Od tada do danas, temeljem brojnih istraživanja i kliničke prakse, došlo je do brojnih izmjena u suvremenom shvaćanju liječenja anemije u KBB. Slijedom navedenog, HDNDT objavljuje osvrt na posljednje preporuke međunarodnih stručnih društava, izražava svoj stav za liječenje anemije u KBB kao osnovu za nove smjernice prilagođene sadašnjem trenutku.Renal anemia is the result of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and deteriorates with disease progression. Anemia may be the first sign of kidney disease. In all patients with anemia and CKD, diagnostic evaluation is required. Prior to diagnosing renal anemia, it is necessary to eliminate the other possible causes. Direct correlation between the concentration of hemoglobin and the stage of renal failure is well known. Early development of anemia is common in diabetic patients. Correction of anemia may slow the progression of CKD. Anemia is an independent risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in patients with CKD. Treatment of anemia in patients with CKD is based on current guidelines. Recently, the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) group has produced comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for the management of anemia in CKD patients and ERBP (European Renal Best Practice) group its position statement and comments on the KDIGO guidelines. The Croatian Society of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation (HDNDT) has already published its own guidelines based on the recommendations and positive experience of European and international professional societies, as well as on own experience. The latest version of Croatian guidelines was published in 2008. Since then, on the basis of research and clinical practice, there have been numerous changes in the modern understanding of the treatment of anemia in CKD. Consequently, HDNDT hereby publishes a review of the recent recommendations of international professional societies, expressing the attitude about treating anemia in CKD as a basis for new guidelines tailored to the present time

Koštani morfogenetski proteini (BMP): Od otkrića do razvoja nove autologne koštane naprave koja se sastoji od rekombinantnog humanog BMP6 u autolognom krvnom ugrušku kao nosaču

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are growth and differentiation factors within the TGFβ superfam- ily of proteins. They induce ectopic and orthotopic endochondral bone formation and are involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and mesenchymal-epithelial interactions in critical morphogenetic processes of tissues beyond bone. BMP2 and BMP7 osteogenic devices have been approved for enhancing healing in patients with long bone defects and anterior spinal fusion proce- dures. However, due to a high price and various serious adverse events including heterotopic ossifica- tion, retrograde ejaculation and pain their clinical use have been limited. In this review we discuss the BMP discovery, biology and their use in clinical studies with particular reference to the newly developed BMP6 based autologous bone graft substitute (ABGS). A novel ABGS consisting of an autologous bone coagulum (ABC) carrier with dispersed BMP6 to initiate the differentiation of mesenchymal cells into endochondral bone. The ABC met the conditions for an optimal delivery system for BMP6 due to han- dling simplicity, without an immunogenic and inflammatory response at the implantation site. Addition of allograft or synthetic ceramics to ABGS demonstrated in animal models significantly increased volume and better microarchitecture of the newly formed bone. The first clinical study was conducted in patients with distal radial fractures (Phase I study) and the second in patients undergoing high tibial osteotomy (Phase I/II study) and no serious adverse events have been observed. Finally, in the ongoing OSTEO- proSPINE study ABGS enforced with allograft bone is evaluated in patients with chronic back pain due to degenerative disc diseases. The novel ABGS bone mimetic is a major breakthrough and contribution to bone biology and regenerative medicine of skeletal repair.Koštani morfogenetski proteini (BMP) čine grupu čimbenika rasta i diferencijacije unutar TGFβ nado- bitelji. Oni induciraju stvaranje ektopične i ortotopične endohondralne kosti te su uključeni u regulaciju stanične proliferacije, diferencijacije, apoptoze i mezenhimalno-epitelne interakcije u važnim tkivnim morfogenetskim procesima izvan koštanog sustava. Koštane naprave koje sadrže BMP2 i BMP7 pro- tein odobrene su za poboljšanje koštanog cijeljenja kod pacijenata s defektima dugih cjevastih kostiju i kod prednje spinalne fuzije kralježnice. Međutim, zbog visoke cijene i mnogobrojnih nuspojava koje su uključivale pojavu heterotopičnih osifikacija, retrogradnu ejakulaciju i bol, njihova je klinička prim- jena ograničena. U ovom smo preglednom radu raspravili otkriće BMP molekula, njihovu biologiju i primjenu u kliničkim studijama s posebnim osvrtom na nedavno otkrivenu novu autolognu koštanu napravu (ABGS) koja sadrži BMP6. Novi ABGS sastoji se od nosača autolognog koaguluma (ABC) s otopljenim BMP6 koji je ključan za pokretanje diferencijacije mezenhimalnih stanica u smjeru stvaranja endohondralne kosti. ABC je ispunio sve potrebne uvjete za formulaciju optimalnog nosača za BMP6 isključivo zbog jednostavnosti priprave i primjene te odsustva imunogenog i upalnog odgovora na mjestu implantacije. Uz dodatak alografta ili sintetičke keramike što je potvrđeno na životinjskim modelima došlo je do značajnog povećanja volumena te poboljšanja mikroarhitekture novonastale kosti. Prvo kliničko ispitivanje provedeno je na pacijentima s distalnim prijelomima radijusa (faza I studije), a drugo na pacijentima koji su podvrgnuti visokoj osteotomiji tibije (faza I/II studije) bez uočenih ozbiljnih nuspojava. Trenutno je u tijeku studija OSTEOproSPINE u kojoj se testira učinkovitost ABGS u kom- binaciji s koštanim alograftom u bolesnika s kroničnim bolovima u leđima uzrokovanim degenerativnim promjenama intervertebralnog diska. Nova ABGS koštana naprava značajna je prekretnica i napredak u području koštane biologije te regenerativne medicine koštanog sustava

Autologous blood coagulum containing rhBMP6 induces new bone formation to promote anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) and posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) of spine in sheep

resent study, we evaluated an autologous bone graft substitute (ABGS) composed of recombinant human BMP6 (rhBMP6) dispersed within autologous blood coagulum (ABC) used as a physiological carrier for new bone formation in spine fusion sheep models. The application of ABGS included cervical cage for use in the anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), while for the posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) sheep model allograft devitalized bone particles (ALLO) were applied with and without use of instrumentation. In the ALIF model, ABGS (rhBMP6/ABC/cage) implants fused significantly when placed in between the denuded L4- L5 vertebrae as compared to control (ABC/cage) which appears to have a fibrocartilaginous gap, as examined by histology and micro CT analysis at 16 weeks following surgery. In the PLF model, ABGS implants with or without ALLO showed a complete fusion when placed ectopically in the gutter bilaterally between two decorticated L4-L5 transverse processes at a success rate of 88% without instrumentation and at 80% with instrumentation ; however the bone volume was 50% lower in the instrumentation group than without, as examined by histology, radiographs, micro CT analyses and biomechanical testing at 27 weeks following surgery. The newly formed bone was uniform within ABGS implants resulting in a biomechanically competent and histologically qualified fusion with an optimum dose in the range of 100 g rhBMP6 per mL ABC, while in the implants that contained ALLO, the mineralized bone particles were substituted by the newly formed remodeling bone via creeping substitution. These findings demonstrate for the first time that ABGS (rhBMP6/ABC) without and with ALLO particles induced a robust bone formation with a successful fusion in sheep models of ALIF and PLF, and that autologous blood coagulum (ABC) serves as a preferred physiological native carrier to induce new bone at low doses of rhBMP6 and to achieve a successful spinal fusion

PLANNING OF TRAINING AIRCRAFT FLIGHT HOURS

Maintenance of the training aircraft causes downtime of operations and thereby reduces the operational availability, which is crucial for flight planning in a training organisation. Manual daily planning within the fleet delivers suboptimal results and often causes discontinued flight of several aircraft that have to be maintained at the same time. Optimal maintenance schedule of training aircraft can be obtained by a sliding scale method. This paper presents a mathematical model of the sliding scale formulated by a mixed integer linear problem. Allocation of flight hours is optimised by using AMPL programming language, assuring that a sufficient number of aircraft are always available for training. The model can be used by a flight dispatch department in a training organisation as a basis for optimised planning and reduction of maintenance downtime

Role of diagrams in problem solving: An evaluation of eye-tracking parameters as a measure of visual attention

Typical physics textbook problems often include supportive diagrams that visualize the physical situation although the potential benefits of providing such diagrams is not yet fully established. We used eye tracking to explore the role of supportive diagrams in problem solving. Including a supportive diagram with the text of the problem improved students’ percentage of correct answer in one of the six problems used in the study. Eye-tracking data showed that students typically spent less time on the text of the problem if they were presented with a diagram, but the total viewing time did not change. When a diagram was presented students split their attention between the diagram and the text without speeding up problem solving. Cognitive load theory and dual coding theory suggest that giving information in two formats (verbal and visual) might reduce extraneous cognitive load and leave more cognitive resources available for further steps in problem solving. However, this does not necessarily lead to a higher percentage of correct answers to the problem, because supportive diagrams influence only one step of the complex process of problem solving. In addition to the role of diagrams, we evaluated different eye-tracking measures as measures of visual attention during physics problem solving. It seems that the fixation duration is rather constant, and not always sensitive to the manipulation in the task. On the other hand, dwell time and the number of fixations show more variability across problems and participants, so they seem to be appropriate measures of the visual attention. Since dwell time and fixation number are dependent measures, and they show a similar pattern of responses, in most cases it seems sufficient to report only one of them