Fifteen years of occupational exposure monitoring in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The personal dosimetry in Bosnia and Herzegovina started in 1960. After a brief interruption in 1990s, the dosimetry service resumed in 1999. Until 2013, the Radiation Protection Centre of the Institute of Public Health of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been the only institution in the country that could provide this service. In 2013, this Center covered more than 70 % (1,485) of all radiation workers in the country. They mostly worked in medical institutions (1,417 or 95.4 %), while others are exposed to radiation sources in industry and veterinary radiology. From 1999 to 2013, the majority of annual doses were less than 1 mSv (96.2 %). There are no registered cases of exceeding the annual dose limit (20 mSv). The results analysis shows the reduction of individual doses in last five years. Newly adopted practices in medicine, such as the positron emission tomography, could cause the increase of doses in the years to come

Evaluation of bone remodelling parameters after one year treatment with alendronate in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Antiresorptive agents are widely used to treat osteoporosis. Both reduction in bone turnover and increase in BMD may be necessary to decrease the fracture risk. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of aledronate on bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The study involved a group of 56 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated with alendronate (70 mg) weekly at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine Clinical Center University of Sarajevo during a 12-months period. Bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine and proximal femur and bone turnover markers (serum β-CrossLaps, urinary N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTx), total serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) and serum osteocalcin) were measured at baseline and after 12 months of the treatment with aledronate. BMD values significantly increased both at lumbar spine by 13.46% and proximal femur by 21.96% during the study period (-3.12±0.24 vs. -2.7±0.19 and -2.55±0.2 vs. -1.99±0.19 respectively; p<0.001). Bone turnover markers significantly decreased during the study period; C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen fragment (β-CrossLaps) 49.0% (0.51±0.05 vs. 0.26±0.028 ng/mL), NTX 33.4% (48.3±4.9 vs. 32.15±3.25 nMBCE/mM Cr), AP 24.3% (81.1±5.2 to 61.43±5.2 IU/L) and serum osteocalcin by 29.7% (34.3±2.65 to 24.1±1.36 ng/mL)(p<0.001). Alendronate treatment increased BMD and reduced the level of bone turnover markers. Therefore, the treatment with aledronate during 12 months period can be recommended in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Lymphoscintigraphy and Radiation – Occupational Exposure During Sentinel Node Assay

Ionizing radiation has many practical applications, but it is also, as it is well known, dangerous to human health. The purpose of this study was to estimate the dose and exposure for medical staff involved in sentinel node assay and to determine how safe this assay really is. The theoretical method was used for calculation. Three groups of medical staff were selected: nuclear medicine specialist, nuclear medicine technologist and a surgeon. The results obtained show that the most exposed staff member is nuclear medicine specialist and that dose received by the surgeon is smaller then the dose limit