Difficulties in initial reading and writing in children younger school age

Danas je sve većemu broju djece dijagnosticiran neki poremećaj učenja. Poremećaji se dijele na poremećaje čitanja, poremećaje matematičkih sposobnosti, poremećaje pismenoga izraţavanja. Svrha je diplomskog rada istraţiti koliko su učitelji upoznati s teškoćama početnoga čitanja i pisanja. Istraţivanje je provedeno metodom ankete na uzorku od 90 ispitanika. Ciljana skupina su učitelji razredne nastave. Analizom rezultata potvrđene su neke od pretpostavki istraživanja, a to su da učitelji poznaju poteškoće koje se javljaju u poĉetnom čitanju i pisanju kod djece mlađe školske dobi; učitelji koriste primjerena sredstva i metode u radu s učenicima s poteškoćama u početnom čitanju i pisanju; učitelji žele saznati ili naučiti nešto novo o poteškoćama; učitelji imaju kreativne ideje o unaprjeđenju rada s djecom s poteškoćama.Nowadays, there is a rising trend of children being diagnosed with some learning disability. We classify these disabilities into dyslexia, which concerns reading problems, dyscalculia, which concerns problems with understanding numbers and math facts and dysgraphia, which concerns problems with handwriting. Purpose of this thesis is to investigate just how well are teachers familiarized with difficulties of starting reading and writing. Research was done though method of survey on a sample of 90 participants. Targeted sample were elementary school teachers. Though analysis of the results, some of the research assumptions were prove true: teachers are familiar with disabilities that occur in begginer's reading and writing with young children, they use appropriate means and methods to work with children affected by disabilities in reading and writing, teachers also seek to learn something new about these disabilities and have various ideas about how to improve working with children affected by these disabilities

The application of innovative preparations for topical treatment of psoriasis

Cilj istraživanja Cilj istraživanja je pregledno opisati raspoložive topikalne pripravke u terapiji psorija-ze, raspraviti probleme adherencije pacijenata pri primjeni takvih pripravaka te predstaviti prednosti i nedostatke novih aktivnih tvari i njihovih nosača koji imaju značajan klinički poten-cijal u liječenja psorijaze. Hipoteze: 1. Razvoj novih aktivnih tvari i/ili nosača s ciljanim učinkom unaprijedit će ishod topikalnog liječenja psorijaze i smanjit će učestalost nuspojava povezanih s dugotrajnom primjenom kortikosteroida. 2. Pravilan izbor topikalnog farmaceutskog oblika i podloge značajan je za osiguravanje dje-lotvornosti aktivne tvari, primjerenih senzornih svojstava i adherencije pacijenata. Materijal i metode Literatura je pretraživana prema temi istraživanja, predmetu istraživanja, autorima i časopisu. Pretraživanje je provedeno od općih prema specijaliziranim člancima pri čemu su odabrani članci relevantni za problematiku ovoga specijalističkog rada. Relevantni članci su proučavani na analitički i kritički način s obzirom na definiranje znanstvenog i/ili stručnog problema, istraživanje postojećih znanja o definiranom problemu (literaturni navodi), obliko-vanje radne hipoteze, odabir metoda za ispitivanje hipoteze, prikaz i analizu rezultata te iz-vedene zaključke. Pri proučavanju relevantnih članaka izdvojeni su najvažniji rezultati, rasprave i zak-ljučci koji su prikazani ovim specijalističkim radom. Pretraživanjem PubMed baze podataka znanstvene literature dat je pregled najnovijih saznanja o patofiziologiji nastanka psorijaze te je načinjen pregledni prikaz topikalnih pripravka za liječenje psorijaze od samih početaka do najnovijih istraživanja za koje se tek očekuje da će postati sastavni dio kliničke prakse. Rezultati Približno 80 % pacijenata s psorijazom ima blagi do umjereni oblik bolesti te se liječi topikalnim pripravcima. Lokalna terapija psorijaze obuhvaća niz topikalnih pripravaka koji imaju različitu djelotvornost i sigurnost primjene te se preporučuju u različitim fazama bolesti. Među takve pripravke ubrajaju se pripravci glukokortikoida, analozi vitamina D te njihove kombinacije koje predstavljaju prvi izbor u topikalnoj terapiji psorijaze. Derivati vitamina A također pokazuju obećavajuću učinkovitost dok katran, ditranol, inhibitori kalcineurina, emoli-jentni i keratolitični pripravci imaju sekundarnu ulogu i rijetko se primjenjuju kao prva linija liječenja zbog upitne učinkovitosti i/ili nepoželjnih nuspojava. Posljednjih godina se razvijaju brojni novi topikalni pripravci s ciljem povećanja učin-kovitosti terapije i postizanja brzog i dugotrajnijeg rezultata liječenja psorijaze. Razvoj novih topikalnih pripravaka se odvija u dva smjera. Napretkom u razumijevanju imunopatogeneze same bolesti otkrivaju se nove terapijske mete i razvija se ciljana terapija. Najbolji primjer su male molekule, unutarstanični modulatori (inhibitori Janus kinaza i fosfodiesteraza) koji spr-ječavaju razvoj i širenja upale u stanici. Alternativa novoj terapiji su novi farmaceutski oblici kao i suvremeni prikladni nanosustavi dostave već postojećih lijekova koji bi postigli kontroli-ranu i lokaliziranu dostavu lijeka, osigurali poboljšanu penetraciju i posljedično doveli do bo-ljeg terapijskog ishoda i povećane adherencije pacijenata. Zaključak S napretkom u razumijevanju patogeneze psorijaze razvijaju se nove molekule koje bi osigurale ciljanu terapiju s boljim sigurnosnim profilom i povećanom učinkovitošću. Početni re-zultati se čine obećavajućima, ali postoji potreba za dugotrajnijim kliničkim ispitivanjima i uspo-rednima analizama koje bi pokazale superiornost novih molekula u odnosu na već postojeće komercijalno dostupne pripravke. Razvoj novih farmaceutskih oblika i suvremenih nanosustava dostave već postojećih lijekova predstavlja obećavajuću metodu unaprjeđenja ishoda topikalnog liječenja psorijaze. Suvremeni topikalni farmaceutski oblici bez okluzivnih osobina osim što povećavaju zadovolj-stvo i adherenciju pacijenata zbog svojih povoljnih kozmetičkih svojstava također osiguravaju brzu i povećanu dostavu lijeka na ciljano mjesto u koži te se sve češće pojavljuju u svakodnev-noj praksi. Suvremeni nanosustavi dostave tradicionalnih lijekova iako u pretkliničkim istraživanjima pokazuju obećavajuće rezultate ciljane i kontrolirane dostave djelatne tvari, povećane bioraspo-loživosti i smanjenja nuspojava, zahtjevaju brojna klinička ispitivanja kojima bi se dokazala nji-hovu učinkovitost u praksi.Objectives The aim of this research is to define in detail available topical preparations for the treat-ment of psoriasis, discuss the problems of patients' adherence through the time of application and to present the advantages and disadvantages of new active substances and its vehicles, which have important clinical potential in therapy of psoriasis. Hypotheses are as follows: 1. Development of new active substances and/or vehicles with targeted effect will improve the outcome of topical therapy of psoriasias and will reduce the frequency of side effects related with longterm use of corticosteroids. 2. The right choice of topical pharmaceutical preparation and vehicle is significant to provide efficacy of active substance, appropriate sensory characteristics, and patients' adherence. Material and methods The literature search was performed by topic of research, case studies, the authors and the journal. The search is conducted from general to more specialized articles which are selec-ted according to relevance of this work. Relevant articles are studied analytically and critically with regard to the definition of the scienti-fic and /or technical problems, the research of existing knowledge on a defined problem (citati-ons), design working hypotheses, choice of methods for testing hypotheses, display and analysis of the results and conclusions drawn. Throughout the research the most important results, discussions and conclusions are selected and presented in this work. Literature search was based on the PubMed scientific da-tabase search and provided an overview of the newest findings of pathogenesis of psoriasis and a review of topical preparations used in therapy from the very beginnings to the latest re-sarch which are still expected to become an integral part of clinical practice. Results Approximately 80% of psoriasis patients have mild to moderate forms of disease and are treated with topical preparations. Local therapy of psoriasis includes a number of topical preparations that have different efficacy and safety, and are recommended in different stages of the disease. Among those preparations, formulations of glucocorticoids, vitamin D analogues, and their combinations can be find, and they represent first-line treatment in topical therapy of psoriasis. Vitamin A derivatives also exhibit promising efficacy while tar, dithranol, calcineurin inhibitors, keratolytics and emollients have a secondary role and are rarely used as first-line treatment because of questionable efficacy and / or undesirable side effects. In recent years, a wide range of efforts has been made to develop new topical agents in order to increase the effectiveness of therapy and to achieve rapid and long-term results of pso-riasis therapy. The development of new topical preparations goes in two directions. New thera-peutic targets and targeted therapy develop in step with progress in understanding of the patho-genesis of psoriasis. The best example are small molecules, intracellular modulators (Janus kinase and phosphodiesterase inhibitors) that prevent development of infection in the psoriatic cell. Alternative to this new treatment are new formulations and novel drug delivery systems of existing drugs that achieve controlled and localized drug delivery, ensure improved penetration and consequently lead to better treatment outcomes and increased patients' adherence. Conclusion With the advancement in understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis, novel thera-peutics which selectively target disease-defining pathogenic pathway with a better safety profile and increased efficiency are in development. The initial results seem promising, but there is need for long-term clinical trials and head-to-head studies with currently available topical thera-pies to adress potential superiority of these new agents. The development of new formulations and novel drug delivery systems of existing drugs is a promising method of improving therapeutic outcomes in topical treatment of psoriasis. Mo-dern topical formulations without occlusive properties not only increase satisfaction and adhe-rence of patients due to its favorable cosmetic profile, but also provide increased drug delivery to the target site in the skin and appear routinely in daily practice. Novel drug delivery systems of exhisting drugs although show promising results in targe-ted and controlled drug delivery to the skin, increased bioavailability and decreased side effects in preclinical studies, require a number of clinical trials which will provide their efficiecy in daily practice

Pregled bolesti u djece turista za vrijeme posjeta Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji

The aim was to determine morbidity of foreign children during their tourist visit to Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The study included medical documentation of 233 foreign children tourists aged under 18 years, hospitalized at Clinical Department of Pediatrics, Split University Hospital Center in the period from January 2007 to December 2013. Demographic data were statistically analyzed. Of 233 children tourists hospitalized at our department, 134 (57.5%) were boys. Most of the children tourists (51.1%) were aged 0-5 years. According to nationality, they were from 30 countries from all over the world, but mostly from Europe (97.9%). The highest number of children tourists were from Germany (14.2%). The highest percentage of children tourists (92.7%) were hospitalized during summer months. The mean length of hospital stay was 4.4±3.3 days. According to the reason for hospitalization, children tourists were mostly admitted to our hospital for nervous system symptoms (32.6%); 43.4% of these had febrile seizures and 39.5% epilepsy. The nervous system symptoms were followed by injury and poisoning (14.6%), respiratory symptoms (14.1%), submersion and heat injuries (9.9%), and digestive symptoms (9.4%). In conclusion, we describe foreign pediatric population hospitalized in the Split University Hospital Center during their vacation in the Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The largest number of children tourists were from Germany and the nervous system symptoms were the most common reason for hospitalization. Therefore, we suggest cooperation between the Croatian health care system and Croatian National Tourist Board for developing prevention strategies regarding morbidity in pediatric tourist population. In particular, prevention and fi rst line therapy for cerebral seizures should be broadly available, such as in hotels, apartments, and even on beaches.Cilj je odrediti morbiditet u strane djece za vrijeme turističkog posjeta Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji, Hrvatska. U istraživanje je uključena medicinska dokumentacija 233-je strane djece turista u dobi do 18 godina, hospitalizirane na Klinici za dječje bolesti KBC Split u razdoblju od siječnja 2007. do prosinca 2013. godine. Demografski podatci su statistički analizirani. Od ukupno 233-je djece turista hospitalizirane na našem odjelu njih 134 (57,5%) bili su dječaci. Većina djece turista (51,1%) bila je u dobnoj skupini od 0-5 godina. Prema nacionalnosti bila su iz ukupno 30 zemalja diljem svijeta, ali većinom iz Europe (97,9%). Najveći broj djece turista bio je iz Njemačke (14,2%). Najviši postotak djece turista (92,7%) bio je hospitaliziran ljeti. Hospitalizacija je prosječno trajala 4,4±3,3 dana. Najčešći razlozi hospitalizacije djece turista bili su neurološki simptomi (32,6%), od toga je 43,4% imalo febrilne konvulzije i 39,5% epilepsiju. Zatim su slijedile ozljede i trovanja (14,6%), od toga su ozljede bile prisutne u 61,8% slučajeva, a trovanja u 38,2%. Blesti dišnog sustava (14,2%) treće su po učestalosti, većina bolesnika imala je upalu donjih (42,4%) ili gornjih (36,4%) dišnih puteva. Potom slijede utapanja i ozljede toplinom (9,9%) te bolesti probavnog sustava (9,4%). Zaključno, opisali smo stranu pedijatrijsku populaciju hospitaliziranu u KBC-u Split za vrijeme turističkog posjeta Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji. Najveći broj djece turista bio je iz Njemačke i najčešći razlog hospitalizacije bili su neurološki simptomi. Stoga predlažemo suradnju između Ministarstva zdravlja i Hrvatske turističke zajednice radi razvoja strategije za prevenciju bolesti, uzimajući u obzir morbiditet u djece turista. Posebice treba naglasiti prevenciju cerebralnih napadaja te činjenicu da bi prvolinijska terapija trebala biti široko dostupna, primjerice u hotelima i apartmanima, pa i na plažama

Influence of fertilization on Miscanthus x giganteus (Greef et Deu) yield and biomass traits in three experiments in Serbia

Miscanthus x giganteus (Greef et Deu) is an agro-energy crop of the second generation cultivated in purpose to obtain annually renewable bio-fuel produced from the aboveground biomass. Cultivation is preferred on marginal lands to avoid occupation of arable lands. Influence of fertilization and soil type Gleysol, Planosol and Technosol (open pit coal mine overburden) on yield and biomass traits of miscanthus were investigated during five years' field experiment. Among biometric characteristics: stem height, length and width of leaves, the number of leaves (dry and green) per stem and number of stems per rhizome, only the last one has a strong positive correlation with yield. Fertilization increased yield during fourth and fifth year of development on Gleysol and Technosol. The highest yield on Gleysol was 23.12 t/ha in 2014, on Planosol 10.16 t/ha, and 4.77 t/ha in 2015 on Technosol. The yield of miscanthus, beside fertilization, depends on weather conditions and weeds. Cultivation of miscanthus is possible on marginal soils with minimum application of agricultural measures only in the year of establishment. Gleysol is a type of soil that can be recommended for miscanthus cultivation

Mechanical Properties of a New Insulation Material Based on Miscanthus x Giganteus

This paper deals with a brand new cost-effective, ecological and energy-efficient insulation material application based on Miscanthus x Giganteus with a reduced cement binder amount enriched with a smaller quantity of zeolite. In order to increase energy efficiency, the use of cement was minimized, as it is considered an extremely energy-inefficient material whose production requires large amounts of thermal energy, accompanied with high carbon dioxide emissions. As the physical-mechanical properties of thermal insulation are of crucial importance the paper deals with physical-mechanical properties of this material. The experimental part consisted of preparation of four mixtures with different component mass ratio, and determination of their physical-mechanical properties. The sample that showed the highest values of compressive and bending strength simultaneously was taken into thermal conductivity control tests. The thermal conductivity was measured by steady state conditions. The proposed composite material showed certain potential for practical and eco-friendly use

Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in the Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Serbia, in the period 2008 to 2012

Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been recognized as the leading cause of diarrhea worldwide. In the last five years, it has become the leading cause of diarrhea in the Clinical Center of Vojvodina (CCV) as well. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology and total cost of treatment for all patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea hospitalized at the Infectious Disease Clinic of the CCV; to analyze the costs of treatment with regard to therapeutic approach; to compare the costs of treatment in each year of the investigated period related to the number of patients, and to analyze the outcome of treatment. The study was retrospective, and the data were collected from the medical records of 472 patients with Clostridium difficile diarrhea treated from 2008 to 2012 and analyzed. Of the total 472 patients with CDAD, 54.23% were female and the average age was 65.84. A statistically significant majority of them had been previously treated in other hospitals and a minority in ambulatory settings (395 inpatients vs. 77 outpatients, p=0.000, p<0.05). Of the 395 previously hospitalized patients, most were from the Clinic of Urology of the CCV (58, 14.68%). When comparing therapeutic options, oral vancomycin was significantly more frequently used than other protocols. The average mortality rate during the study period was 6.51%. In this period, total hospital costs related to Clostridium difficile diarrhea in the Infectious Disease Clinic were $636,679.92. Implementation of infection-control measures and a restricted use of antibiotics would result in a great reduction in material costs

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability of Biofibres-Based Thermal Insulation

Energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings is acutely important as this sector is responsible for approximately 40% of overall energy consumption and around 35% of CO2 emissions (in the European Union). The construction sector has intense environmental footprint due to exploitation of non-renewable material and energy resources, land use and generation of waste materials during construction and demolition. It is therefore important to develop sustainable building structures, practices and materials with minimal resources and energy use. Utilization of energy efficient, sustainable and resource-saving building materials is of particular importance. The study is carried out to investigate possibilities and evaluate effects of application of biofibres-based structures as non-constructive and/or insulating materials in current building practice. Focus is on natural, dominantly cellulose, fibres, traditionally used in the past (hemp, reed, straw, flax, rice hulls, cotton stalks, sunflower, cattail, bagasse, etc) as well as on some promising grass/reed cultures, such as Miscanthus x Giganteus. The experimental examinations of thermal and mechanical properties decisive for the performance of thermal insulation have been undertaken. Expectedly, the thermal conductivity, as the material characteristic primarily responsible for Operational Energy Consumption, has been found mostly worse than in commonly used, mass produced, thermal insulation materials such as expanded or extruded polystyrene, glass or mineral wool, etc. On the other hand, conclusions of Life Cycle Analysis and examination of Embodied Energy advocates the utilization of designated natural biofibres-based thermal insulation as more sustainable and in the long run (Cradle to Grave) energy efficient alternative to the conventional insulation materials