Recommendations for Landslide Hazard and Risk Mapping in Croatia

The preparation of landslide hazard and risk maps is required as a base for rational land use planning and decision-making, in landslide prone areas. In this paper, an inventory was made of the currently available methods for landslide hazard and risk zonation, in order to produce recommendations for the use of specific methods in relation to the scale of analysis. A hierarchical set of activities aimed at obtaining landslide-related information for all levels of land use planning in the Republic of Croatia is constructed. This set encompasses: the establishment of a national landslide inventory on a regional scale (1:5,000)

Prognosis for the Patients with Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Liver Disease

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the role of alcohol in development of progressive liver disease. For this purpose, 41 alcoholic patients were followed up for 5 years. Criteria for alcohol abuse was that the patients were enjoying 20 g alcohol daily in a period of 5 years for females and respectively 60 g daily for males. In the same time a group of 51 nonalcoholic patients with histologically proven chronic liver disease were investigated. In all 92 patients chronic liver disease and progression of the disease was proven by liver biopsy during a 5-years follow-up. In sera of all patients the markers of hepatitis viruses B, D and C were continuously determined and chronic viral hepatitis was excluded. Also, autoimmune chronic hepatitis was excluded. The results of the investigation showed that alcoholics develop cirrhosis hepatitis, in most cases 78.04%. The most progressive chronic liver diseases – cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma –are significantly present among nonalcoholics. In the mentioned investigation a large group of 51 patients with severe chronic hepatitis without a proven ethiology of disease was found and it deserves priority in future research

Prognosis for the Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

The purpose of the research was to determine the influence of the hepatitis B virus on the progression of the chronic liver disease. In the present paper, 127 patients who were followed up for five years and who had histologically verified chronic liver disease, are described. Fifty two of them were carriers of HBsAg, 75 patients were HBsAg negative, but had other markers typical for a previous infection of HBV in the sera. All the patients were nonalcoholics and no drug addicts. In the sera of these 127 patients markers of HBV were prospectively followed up: HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HBe, HBVDNA, antiHCV for C virus and anti-D for D virus. It was proved by these investigations that HBV provokes very severe chronic hepatitis: CAH (chronic active hepatitis) and CH (cirrhosis hepatis). It was also proved that HBV replicated in 44.20 % patients, namely, HBVDNA was positive in the sera of those patients. In 26.08 % of such patients the mutant form of HBV was present. In spite of progressive liver disease and without any antiviral therapy all the patients with chronic HBV cirrhosis hepatis were, after five year-follow-up, in Child-Pugh A grade. It was found that the patients who were HBsAg negative, but had one or more markers of HBV positive in the sera, had also a severe chronic hepatitis. That group of patients remains our object of further research. The five-years follow-up of all these patients demonstrates that it is necessary to find out an efficient medicament against HBV chronic hepatitis. Obligatory vaccination of the risk population against virus B remains the only prevention against this severe disease

Kristalne modifikacije i profil oslobađanja piroksikama

Piroxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with low aqueous solubility which exhibits polymorphism. The present study was carried out to develop polymorphs of piroxicam with enhanced solubility and dissolution rate by the crystal modification technique using different solvent mixtures prepared with PEG 4000 and PVP K30. Physicochemical characteristics of the modified crystal forms of piroxicam were investigated by X-ray powder diffractometry, FT-IR spectrophotometry and differential scanning calorimetry. Dissolution and solubility profiles of each modified crystal form were studied and compared with pure piroxicam. Solvent evaporation method (method I) produced bothneedle and cubic shaped crystals. Slow crystallization from ethanol with addition of PEG 4000 or PVP K30 at room temperature (method II) produced cubic crystal forms. Needle forms produced by method I improved dissolution but not solubility. Cubic crystals produced by method I had a dissolution profile similar to that of untreated piroxicam but showed better solubility than untreated piroxicam. Cubic shaped crystals produced by method II showed improved dissolution, without a significant change in solubility. Based on the XRPD results, modified piroxicam crystals obtained by method I from acetone/benzene were cube shaped, which correlates well with the FTIR spectrum; modified needle forms obtained from ethanol/methanol and ethanol/acetone showed a slight shift of FTIR peak that may be attributed to differences in the internal structure or conformation.Piroksikam je nesteroidni protuupalni lijek male topljivosti u vodi koji ima svojstvo polimorfije. Cilj rada bio je priprema polimorfa piroksikama povećane topljivosti i brzine oslobađanja koristeći smjese različitih otapala i PEG 4000, odnosno PVP K30. Fizikokemijska svojstva modificiranih kristalnih oblika piroksikama ispitivana su difrakcijom X-zraka na praškastom uzorku FT-IR spektrofotometrijom i diferencijalnom pretražnom kalorimetrijom. Profili oslobađanja i topljivosti modificiranih kristalnih oblika proučavani su i uspoređivani sa čistim piroksikamom. Metodom uparavanja otapala (metoda I) dobiveni su igličasti i kubični kristali. Polaganom kristalizacijom iz etanola uz dodatak PEG 4000 ili PVP K30 na sobnoj temperaturi (metoda II) dobiveni su kubični kristali. Igličasti kristali dobiveni metodom I poboljšali su oslobađanje, ali ne i topljivost. Kubični kristali dobiveni metodom I imali su poboljšanu topljivost, ali sličan profil oslobađanja kao i netretirani piroksikam. Kubični kristali dobiveni metodom II imali su poboljšani profil oslobađanja, bez značajne promjene u topljivosti. Na temelju XRPD rezultata, modificirani kristali piroksikama dobiveni metodom I iz smjese acetona i benzena bili su kubični, što dobro korelira s FTIR spektrom; modificirani igličasti kristali dobiveni iz smjese etanol/metanol i etanol/aceton imali su lagani pomak FTIR signala što bi se moglo pripisati razlikama u internoj strukturi ili konformacijama

Overview of JET results for optimising ITER operation

The JET 2019–2020 scientific and technological programme exploited the results of years of concerted scientific and engineering work, including the ITER-like wall (ILW: Be wall and W divertor) installed in 2010, improved diagnostic capabilities now fully available, a major neutral beam injection upgrade providing record power in 2019–2020, and tested the technical and procedural preparation for safe operation with tritium. Research along three complementary axes yielded a wealth of new results. Firstly, the JET plasma programme delivered scenarios suitable for high fusion power and alpha particle (α) physics in the coming D–T campaign (DTE2), with record sustained neutron rates, as well as plasmas for clarifying the impact of isotope mass on plasma core, edge and plasma-wall interactions, and for ITER pre-fusion power operation. The efficacy of the newly installed shattered pellet injector for mitigating disruption forces and runaway electrons was demonstrated. Secondly, research on the consequences of long-term exposure to JET-ILW plasma was completed, with emphasis on wall damage and fuel retention, and with analyses of wall materials and dust particles that will help validate assumptions and codes for design and operation of ITER and DEMO. Thirdly, the nuclear technology programme aiming to deliver maximum technological return from operations in D, T and D–T benefited from the highest D–D neutron yield in years, securing results for validating radiation transport and activation codes, and nuclear data for ITER

2015/16 seasonal vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation with influenza a(H1N1)pdm09 and B among elderly people in Europe: Results from the I-MOVE+ project

We conducted a multicentre test-negative caseâ\u80\u93control study in 27 hospitals of 11 European countries to measure 2015/16 influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) against hospitalised influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and B among people aged â\u89¥ 65 years. Patients swabbed within 7 days after onset of symptoms compatible with severe acute respiratory infection were included. Information on demographics, vaccination and underlying conditions was collected. Using logistic regression, we measured IVE adjusted for potential confounders. We included 355 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 cases, 110 influenza B cases, and 1,274 controls. Adjusted IVE against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was 42% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22 to 57). It was 59% (95% CI: 23 to 78), 48% (95% CI: 5 to 71), 43% (95% CI: 8 to 65) and 39% (95% CI: 7 to 60) in patients with diabetes mellitus, cancer, lung and heart disease, respectively. Adjusted IVE against influenza B was 52% (95% CI: 24 to 70). It was 62% (95% CI: 5 to 85), 60% (95% CI: 18 to 80) and 36% (95% CI: -23 to 67) in patients with diabetes mellitus, lung and heart disease, respectively. 2015/16 IVE estimates against hospitalised influenza in elderly people was moderate against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and B, including among those with diabetes mellitus, cancer, lung or heart diseases