Repair of reinforced concrete structure of outlet channel of the Šmartinsko lake

Repair of buildings and civil engineering constructions is a very important stage in their lifetime. By successfully planned and implemented repair procedure of building structures functionality for which they were constructed and original look can be restored. In the thesis I explored the repair procedure of reinforced concrete outlet channel of the Šmartinsko Lake. The result of repair, which began in 2008 and continued in 2013, did not meet the requirements of the designers of repair. Relatively soon after the completion of the construction works first defects were observed on the surface of the RC elements. The main problem in the repair procedure was poor condition of the original surface of the RC elements. The repair execution was further aggravated by further presence of back-water and extreme weather conditions. In the first part of the thesis the procedures of executed repair works are described. The second part is dedicated to errors that occurred because the contractor did not follow the instructions of designers of the repair procedure. At the end a proposal of better repair procedure is given. If this procedure was followed, the identified errors would probably not have occurred

An overlooked benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of muscle-invasive cancer of the urinary bladder

Rak sečnega mehurja predstavlja tretji najpogostejši malignom genitourinarnega trakta, incidenca in umrljivost za rakom sečnega mehurja pa sta v Sloveniji v porastu. V radikalnem zdravljenju mišično invazivnega raka sečnega mehurja je ključnega pomena lokoregionalno zdravljenje, bolniki pa so lahko deležni tudi dodatnih koristi od sistemskega zdravljenja s kemoterapijo. Klinične raziskave faze III so pokazale pomembno podaljšanje skupnega preživetja bolnikov, ki so bili zdravljeni s kombinirano neoadjuvantno kemoterapijo na osnovi cisplatina. Kljub njeni jasno dokazani učinkovitosti se neoadjuvantna kemoterapija v vsakodnevni klinični praksi širom po svetu ni uveljavila v zadostni meri. Vsak bolnik z mišično invazivnim rakom sečnega mehurja, ki je zdravljen z namenom ozdravitve in je kandidat za sistemsko zdravljenje, bi moral biti seznanjen z možnostjo zdravljenja z neoadjuvantno kemoterapijo.Urinary bladder cancer is the third most frequent malignancy of the genitourinary tract, and its incidence and mortality have been increasing in Slovenia. Loco-regional treatment is key in radical treatment of the muscle-invasive cancer of the urinary bladder, and systemic chemotherapy treatment may provide additional benefits to the patients. Phase III clinical trials have demonstrated a significant prolongation of the overall survival of patients treated with neoadjuvant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. However, neoadjuvant chemotherapy has not yet been established sufficiently in everyday clinical practice, despite its clearly demonstrated effectiveness. Every patient with muscle-invasive cancer of the urinary bladder, who is receiving treatment with a curative intent and is a candidate for systemic treatment, should be informed of the possibility of receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment.

Clinical development of new systemic therapies in patients with metastatic prostate cancer

Hormonsko zdravljenje s kastracijo je v začetku navadno učinkovito pri večini bolnikov z razsejanim rakom prostate, vendar bolezen čez čas neizbežno napreduje. Docetaksel v kombinaciji s prednizonom predstavlja standardno zdravljenje v prvi liniji zdravljenja bolnikov z razsejanim, proti kastraciji odpornim rakom prostate (rKORP). Do danes je bilo v kliničnih raziskavah preizkušenih več učinkovin v kombinaciji z docetakselom, vendar se nobena kombinacija ni izkazala za učinkovitejšo od docetaksela samega. Za bolnike z rKORP, pri katerih bolezen napreduje po zdravljenju z docetakselom, predstavljata kabazitaksel in abirateron acetat novi možnosti sistemskega zdravljenja.Hormonal therapy with castration is initially effective in the majority of men with metastatic prostate cancer, but the disease invariably progresses. Docetaxel in combination with prednisone is the standard first-line treatment in men with metatstatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Although several experimental agents have been evaluated in combination with docetaxel to date, none of these combinations improved the efficacy of docetaxel. Cabazitaxel and abirateron acetate are new options for systemic treatment in men with mCRPC who have progressive disease after treatment with docetaxel

Treatment of tongue cavernous haemangioma with direct puncture and sclerotization with ethanol

Background. Haemangiomas of tongue are rare type of malformations. They can be treated mostly conservatively but in some cases they need more aggressive treatment with preoperative intra arterial embolization and surgical resection. Lesions of tongue that are localized superficially can also be treated with direct puncture and injection of sclerosing agent (absolute ethanol). Case report. We present a case of a 48 years old female patient, where we performed embolization of cavernous haemangioma with mixture of absolute ethanol and oil contrast. After the procedure the patient received analgetics and antioedematous therapy. After the sclerotization the planed surgery was abandoned. Control MRI examinations 6 and 12 months after the procedure showed only a small remnant of haemangioma and no signs of a larger relapse. Conclusion. In our case the direct puncture of haemangioma and sclerotherapy with ethanol proved to be a safe and effective method to achieve preoperative devascularization of the lesion. Direct puncture of the lesion is not limited by the anatomy of the vessels or vasospasm, which can occur during the intra-arterial approach

Analiza uspešnosti tehničnih pregledov vozil glede na directive EU in izbrane države EU

Although road accidents caused by defective vehicles are relatively rare, the roadworthiness of vehicles is important for road safety. In the European Union, the technical conditions that need to be fulfilled by the vehicles using public roads are regulated by EU directives. According to these directives, technical inspections are organized in every EU country. Our study analyzed the vehicle technical inspections in Slovenia over four consecutive years. The statistics for passenger cars and commercial vehicles are compared with two other EU countries: Germany and Finland. From this comparison, it follows that certain differences exist between the countries, although vehicle technical inspections are regulated by the same EU directives. Finally, multivariate regression models were built to predict probabilities of various vehicle defects detected during regular technical supervision as a function of the vehicle’s age. It was found that the probability of fault detection can be effectively modelled as a function of vehicle age

Determination of stress-strain behaviour of magnesium alloy AZ31 under variable thermomechanical loading

Growing environmental demands and higher fuel efficiency encourage the use of new light-weight load-bearing materials even for operation under rougher environmental conditions. Consequently, as the materials used in the vital load-bearing components of the chassis, brake system or exhaust system are subjected to thermomechanical fatigue during the operation due to variable mechanical and thermal loads, it is crucial for design engineers and CAE analysts to understand the cyclic behaviour of new materials under such conditions. Here we have analysed the stress-strain behaviour of magnesium alloy AZ31 and the influence of variable thermomechanical loads. A uniaxially loaded flat specimen has been first mechanically loaded at -25°C. The temperature was then increased to 150°C whilst the variable mechanical loading remained unchanged. The tests have been strain-controlled using a video extensometer. The stress-strain behaviour of the magnesium alloy AZ31 has been then investigated considering both variable temperature and variable mechanical load