Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the middle Eocene Pazin Basin (Croatia)

Abstrac

Chemotherapieinduzierte Neutropenie und Neutropenie Management in der klinischen Praxis

Neutropenie. Die häufigste myelosuppressive Nebenwirkung einer Chemotherapie und ihre Behandlung

KUMULATIVNA STOPA TRUDNOĆA OSTVARENA NAKON PRIJENOSA ZAMETAKA U SVJEŽEM CIKLUSU I PRVOM NAREDNOM CIKLUSU S ODMRZNUTIM ZAMETCIMA: JE LI VRIJEME ZA PROMJENU PRAKSE?

The aim: was to clarify parameters that contribute to successful pregnancy outcomes from one oocyte retrieval cycle with the least procedure steps. Methods: This retrospective study included 42 stimulated IVF cycles with fresh embryo transfers (fresh ET) and the subsequent 42 frozen embryo transfer cycles (FET) performed between January 2012 and December 2015. Results: The observed clinical pregnancy rate of 21.4% in stimulated cycles with fresh embryo transfers was significantly lower compared with the pregnancy rate of 52.4% in cycles with thawed embryo transfers (p=0.015) indicating impaired endometrium quality in stimulated IVF cycles. Most of the patients (78.6%) failed to achieve pregnancy after fresh ET, but more than half of them (57.6%) succeeded to achieve pregnancy after FET. The cumulative pregnancy rate after fresh ET and the first subsequent FET was 73.8% per initiated cycle. Conclusion: The results suggest that not only the presence of supernumerary good-quality blastocysts but also a receptive endometrium is needed for a successful IVF outcome. Our findings suggest that ovarian stimulation protocol had an impact on the pregnancy rate in the fresh cycle and that a better chance of conceiving was after FET. Thus, IVF outcomes can be improved with a better embryo transfer strategy.Cilj rada je razjasniti parametre koji pridonose uspješnom ostvarivanju trudnoće iz jednog započetog postupka prikupljanja jajnih stanica uz najmanji broj postupaka koji slijede. Metode: U retrospektivnu studiju uključeno je 42 stimulirana IVF ciklusa s prijenosom svježih zametaka (“svježi ET”) i 42 ciklusa prijenosa kriopohranjenih zametaka (“FET”) učinjenih između siječnja 2012. i prosinca 2015. Rezultati: Zabilježena je značajno niža stopa kliničkih trudnoća (p=0,015) nakon prijenosa svježih zametaka u stimuliranim ciklusima (21,4 %) u usporedbi sa stopom trudnoća nakon prijenosa odmrznutih zametaka (52,4 %) što ukazuje na smanjenu kvalitetu/receptivnost endometrija u stimuliranim IVF ciklusima. Ukupna, kumulativna stopa trudnoća nakon “svježeg ET” i FET postupka iznosila je 73,8 % po započetom ciklusu. Zaključak: Rezultati ukazuju da je osim kvalitetnih blastocisti za uspješnost IVF postupka nužan i receptivni endometrij. Uočen je utjecaj protokola stimulacije jajnika u svježem ciklusu na stopu trudnoća i veća uspješnost začeća nakon FET postupka. Stoga bi se uspješnost IVF postupka mogla poboljšati boljom strategijom prijenosa zametak

Impact of the relationship between managers and board of directors on performance of agricultural cooperatives

Abstract Cooperatives operate under a business model that creates unique challenges in financial management, governance, strategy, and communication. There have been a number of efforts to identify challenges, critical issues and success factors for agricultural cooperatives. One of the issues agricultural cooperatives are facing is the relationship between managers and the board of directors. Directors in a cooperative occupy a crucial position between members and hired management. Acting as a group, directors set the objectives for the cooperative and decide what the cooperative will do while the general manager decides how it can best be done, subject to board review. Success of a cooperative mainly depends on good board/ manager relationships. This study was focused on evaluation of impact of the relationship between the board of directors and managers on performance of agricultural cooperatives. Data originated from a mail survey and personal interviews among managers and chairmen of agricultural cooperatives in Texas. The results showed that size of the cooperative had negative impact on performance while more frequent engagement of the managers in strategic planning, higher level of managers' job satisfaction, and organizational commitment positively affect the profitability of a cooperative

LIBS Analysis of Geomaterials: Comparative Study of Basalt Plasma Induced by TEA CO 2

We present a study of the plasma generated by transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO2 laser irradiation of a basalt sample. The plasma was induced in air at atmospheric pressure. The same sample was also analyzed using a commercial LIBS system based on Nd:YAG laser and time-gated detection. The main plasma parameters, temperature, and electron number density were determined and analytical capabilities of the two systems compared. Despite differences in laser wavelength, pulse duration, applied fluence, and signal detection scheme, the two systems are comparable in terms of element detectability and limits of detection. In both cases, all elements usually present in geological samples were identified. The estimated limits of detection for most elements were below 100 ppm, while for Cu, Cr, and Sr they were around or below 10 ppm. The obtained results led to the conclusion that simple, cost-effective TEA CO2 LIBS system can find applications for geological explorations

CROATIAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL EMBRYOLOGISTS – GUIDELINES ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MEDICALLY ASSISTED REPRODUCTION (MAR) PROCEDURES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC REGARDING THE SAFETY OF PATIENTS AND MEDICAL HEALTH WORKERS

Due to the high virulence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the infection rate in the community has led to a state of pandemic, leading to the introduction of new emergency measures all over the world. With the aim of controlling and preventing the SARS-CoV-2 viral epidemic, the health institutions performing medically assisted reproduction (MAR) suspended any new MAR treatments in order to reduce the burden on the health care system and implement current social distancing recommendations. Considering the favorable epidemiological situation in Croatia, our perspective is that it is time to conceive, plan and bring forth guidelines for restarting work in MAR centres, taking into account the selection of patients and organization of good laboratory and clinical practices with emphasis on the safety of patients and health workers. In regard to epidemiological knowledge, it is important to establish the reorganization of work in MAR centres including epidemiological measures of reducing unnecessary stays in closed spaces, the usage of protective gear by patients and health workers and disinfection of the working spaces and equipment

Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Different Extracts of Xanthoparmelia stenophylla Lichen from Stara Planina, Serbia

The aim of this study was to identify some of the secondary metabolites present in acetonic, methanolic, and hexanic extracts of lichen Xanthoparmelia stenophylla and to examine their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity. Compounds of the depsid structure of lecanoric acid, obtusic acid, and atranorin as well as usnic acid with a dibenzofuran structure were identified in the extracts by HPLC. The acetone extract was shown to have the highest total phenolic (167.03 ± 1.12 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid content (178.84 ± 0.93 mg QE/g) as well as the best antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 = 81.22 ± 0.54). However, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm tests showed the best activity of hexanic extract, especially against strains of B. cereus, B. subtilis, and S. aureus (MIC < 0.08, and 0.3125 mg/mL, respectively). Additionally, by using the MTT method, the acetonic extract was reported to exhibit a strong cytotoxic effect on the HeLa and HCT-116 cell lines, especially after 72 h (IC50 = 21.17 ± 1.85 and IC50 = 21.48 ± 3.55, respectively). The promising antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects of Xanthoparmelia stenophylla extracts shown in the current study should be further investigated in vivo and under clinical conditions

Can Depopulation Stop Deforestation? The Impact of Demographic Movement on Forest Cover Changes in the Settlements of the South Banat District (Serbia)

The key problem of rural settlements in the South Banat district lasted into the 21st century through the spread of depopulated areas. Considering that settlements give a cultural landscape its basic features, that they are the main bearers of functional organization, and the hotspots of geo-spatial transformation, based on quantitative-qualitative indicators this paper analyzes the spatial-demographic determinants of the development of 94 settlements, and the impact of depopulation on the changes in the surrounding forest cover. The time span included in the analytical-statistical research of the demographic components and forest dislocation lasted from 1990 to 2018. Geo-spatial data for forest areas were taken from the Corine Land Cover database. The data obtained were then turned into visual representations, or maps, using the GIS ArcMap 10.8. software. The results indicated that total depopulation has been an ongoing, 30-years process in this area on the one hand, while the forest cover in the depopulated settlements located on the outskirts of the Deliblato sands (a special nature reserve) has decreased, and the forest cover in the depopulated settlements in the zone of the Vršac mountains has increased, on the other. These analyses are useful for obtaining more detailed insight into the state of forested areas in this part of Serbia, which is the least afforested one

INTEGRATION OF COMPLEMENTARY BIOMARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH FIRST EPISODE PSYCHOSIS: RESEARCH PROTOCOL OF A PROSPECTIVE FOLLOW UP STUDY

In this project, we recruited a sample of 150 patients with first episode of psychosis with schizophrenia features (FEP) and 100 healthy controls. We assessed the differences between these two groups, as well as the changes between the acute phase of illness and subsequent remission among patients over 18-month longitudinal follow-up. The assessments were divided into four work packages (WP): WP1- psychopathological status, neurocognitive functioning and emotional recognition; WP2- stress response measured by saliva cortisol during a stress paradigm; cerebral blood perfusion in the resting state (with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and during activation paradigm (with Transcranial Ultrasonography Doppler (TCD); WP3-post mortem analysis in histologically prepared human cortical tissue of post mortem samples of subjects with schizophrenia in the region that synaptic alteration was suggested by WP1 and WP2; WP4- pharmacogenetic analysis (single gene polymorphisms and genome wide association study (GWAS). We expect that the analysis of these data will identify a set of markers that differentiate healthy controls from patients with FEP, and serve as an additional diagnostic tool in the first episode of psychosis, and prediction tool which can be then used to help tailoring individualized treatment options. In this paper, we describe the project protocol including aims and methods and provide a brief description of planned post mortem studies and pharmacogenetic analysis