Changes in Levels of Economic Development among the States Formed in the Area of Former Yugoslavia

After a long period, during the Yugoslav epoch, in which there were o changes in the levels of economic development of the constitutive republics, major changes occurred following the break-up of Yugoslavia. The western republics – today independent Slovenia and Croatia – rapidly advanced and notably diverged from the former eastern republics. The range of differences in development levels became surprisingly large in the area of the former shared state. At the same time, economic cooperation between countries in the ex-Yugoslav area decreased. Most recently there has been an increase in such cooperation, yet its extent is still much lower than before the break-up of Yugoslavia. The present differences in the levels of development between the western and the eastern states (independent countries) will presumably decrease in the future – however, for some time to come, for at least one or two decades, these differences will remain greater than they were during the period before 1990, i.e. when the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia still existed

Ministarska odgovornost: regulacija i praktična pitanja u Republici Srbiji

Given the specific nature of contemporary ministerial functions, the institute of ministerial responsibility has to be regulated by enacting special legislation. However, ministerial responsibility is a complex legal institute whose regulation requires a substantially different approach depending on the type of ministerial responsibility at issue. A well-regulated system of ministerial responsibility is very important for every state. It is also an essential legal presumption for a successful exercise of the ministerial office. In that context, the author points out the diverse options available for regulating the institute of ministerial responsibilities, and explores some practical issues that might have an impact on the regulation of ministerial responsibility.Ima li se u vidu priroda ministarske dužnosti u suvremeno doba institut ministarske odgovornosti treba regulirati posebnim zakonodavstvom. Ministarska je odgovornost složeni pravni institut čija pravna regulacija zahtijeva značajno drugačije pristupe ovisno o komponenti ministarske odgovornosti koja je u pitanju. Dobra pravna regulacija tog instituta od iznimne je važnosti za svaku državu. Napose je ona važan pravni preduvjet za uspješno izvršavanje ministarskih dužnosti. U tom kontekstu autor obrađuje različite varijante pravne regulacije ministarske odgovornosti koje stoje na raspolaganju te istražuje neka praktična pitanja koja bi mogla imati utjecaja na regulaciju ministarske odgovornosti

The Relationships between Burn Pain, Anxiety and Depression

This study examined the interrelationships between anxiety, depression and pain in burn injured patients. Seventy patients with severe burns were interviewed within two weeks of their burn trauma. The short form of McGill Pain Questionnaire and a visual analog scale were employed to measure the pain experienced at rest. Anxiety and depression levels were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. The results showed that significant number of patients had suffered from depressive and anxious symptomatology. Higher levels of anxiety and depression were associated with higher pain scores. Percent of total body surface burned was associated with increased pain scores, anxiety and depression. The authors emphasises the need for accurate multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of pain and psychological disorders in burn injured patients which needs to be highly individualized and frequently adjusted according to the patients specific needs

Treatment of Chronic Non-malignant Pain

Kronična nemaligna bol učestao je i složen klinički problem sa znatnim utjecajem na bolesnikov funkcionalni status i kvalitetu života. Mnogobrojni uzroci zahtijevaju pažljivu diferencijalnu dijagnostiku koja će rezultirati definiranjem etiologije i formiranjem terapijskog plana. U najvećem broju kliničkih slika ona pokazuje svoje dvije komponente, pozadinsku kontinuiranu bol te iznenadnu probijajuću bol visokog intenziteta i obje trebaju biti pojedinačno tretirane. Njezin uspješni terapijski tretman znači individualizaciju svakom bolesniku posebno uz dobru ravnotežu između maksimalno učinkovite analgezije i minimalizacije nuspojava.Chronic non-cancer pain is a common and serious condition, detrimental to a patient’s functional status and quality of life. Because pain has many causes, a careful differential diagnosis is needed to identify underlying disorders and to develop a therapeutic plan. This is made more difficult by the complex nature of chronic pain, which often has two components - baseline persistent pain and breakthrough pain - that must be independently assessed and treated. In particular, this requires that treatment be tailored to individual patients, with the goal of balancing maximal analgesia with minimal adverse events

Quality and Intensity of Low Back Pain in Cronic PTSD Patients

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between chronic low back pain (LBP) in chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with quality and intensity of pain experience. A total of 406 war veterans from 1991–1995 war in Croatia participated in this study. They were divided into four groups, according to psychiatric interview, psychometric testing and the presence of LBP , verified by the imaging of lumbar area, into: (i) war veterans suffering from PTSD and LBP (N=102), (ii) war veterans suffering from PTSD only (N=108), (iii) war veterans suffering from LBP only (N=99) and (iv) healthy controls (N=97). On the basis of medical records, interviews and different types of self-assessment questionnaires the inter-relationship between chronic pain and chronic PTSD was analyzed. PTSD was assessed by TSI-A (Trauma symptom Inventory, whereas pain was measured by Melzack-McGill Pain Questionnaire – short form (MPQ-SF) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The patients with chronic PTSD had significantly higher total pain scores as well as affective and sensory pain components when compared to the patients without PTSD. No significant associa- tion was found between chronic LBP and symptoms of PTSD. Chronic LBP as functional painful syndrome in PTSD could be result of altered neuroanatomical and neurophysiological pain pathway and one of the markers of PTSD

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN EXPERIENCE OF PAIN DURING CHILDBIRTH

Aim: Pain during delivery is unique because it is accompanied by powerful emotions. Emotions that occur in women during labor and delivery are closely tied to upbringing and culture in which they were raised and consequently with the sensation of experienced pain. According to the Melzack-Wall Theory of Pain, general mood is directly related to the intensity and quality of pain and it is therefore justifiable to presuppose that certain psychosocial factors will be linked with the intensity and quality of pain experienced during childbirth. (Melzack et al., 1981). We endeavored to show the effect of psychosocial factors that influence the intensity and quality of labor pain. Methods: Data were collected in a sample of 176 parturient women who delivered without Cesarean sections or epidural anesthesia. The intensity and quality of pain were obtained through the administration of the McGill Pain Questionnaire - Short Form. Psychosocial factors included: number of births, presence of partner, self-evaluation of knowledge of physio-anatomical aspects of birth and the completion of a pregnancy course. Results: Labor and delivery pain is of high intensity and the quality of pain is most frequently characterized as smarting, cramping, exhausting, and sharp. The presence of a partner and the completion of a pregnancy course is exercised by a small number of parturients. Self-evaluation of preexisting knowledge of physio-anatomical aspects of delivery is predictive of the affective component of intensity of childbirth pain. Conclusion: Psychosocial factors have been shown as significant for the intensity and quality of experienced childbirth pain

Mixed-mode resins: taking shortcut in downstream processing of raw-starch digesting α-amylases

Bacillus licheniformis 9945a α-amylase (BliAmy) has been described as potent enzyme for raw starch hydrolysis. Starch represents an inexpensive source for production of glucose, maltose syrups and fructose which are widely used in food industries. Regarding energy costs, effective utilization of natural resources and viscosity problems, direct hydrolysis of raw starch below the gelatinization temperature by using raw-starch-digesting enzymes, such as α-amylase is desirable. In spite of the extensive studies concerning the structure and thermal properties of B. licheniformis amylase and the numerous reports in the literature referring to the molecular mechanism of irreversible thermoinactivation, little attention has been paid to its enzymological characterisation. Detailed knowledge about subsite architecture of B. licheniformis amylase is scarce. No report on kinetics and mode of action of this industrially important enzyme can be found in the literature especially when raw starch is used as a substrate. For mechanistic studies enzyme preparations of high purity are required and improving downstream processing is very beneficial. BliAmy was produced using optimized fed-batch approach in defined media and significant overexpression of 1.2 g L-1 was achieved. These amylases have exposed tyrosine and tryptophan residues as part of their surface binding sites. Mixed mode Nuvia cPrime™ resin is tested as improvement of the downstream processing of raw starch digesting amylases aiming at exploiting hydrophobic patches at their surface. This resin combines hydrophobic interactions with cation exchange groups. Presence of salt facilitates hydrophobic interactions while ionexchange groups enable proper selectivity. Surface response methodology was used to optimize binding and eluting conditions of BliAmy. This single step procedure enables simultaneous concentration, pigments removal and purification of amylase with a yield of 96% directly from fermentation broth

Mixed-mode resins: taking shortcut in downstream processing of raw-starch digesting α-amylases

Bacillus licheniformis 9945a α-amylase (BliAmy) has been described as potent enzyme for raw starch hydrolysis. Starch represents an inexpensive source for production of glucose, maltose syrups and fructose which are widely used in food industries. Regarding energy costs, effective utilization of natural resources and viscosity problems, direct hydrolysis of raw starch below the gelatinization temperature by using raw-starch-digesting enzymes, such as α-amylase is desirable. In spite of the extensive studies concerning the structure and thermal properties of B. licheniformis amylase and the numerous reports in the literature referring to the molecular mechanism of irreversible thermoinactivation, little attention has been paid to its enzymological characterisation. Detailed knowledge about subsite architecture of B. licheniformis amylase is scarce. No report on kinetics and mode of action of this industrially important enzyme can be found in the literature especially when raw starch is used as a substrate. For mechanistic studies enzyme preparations of high purity are required and improving downstream processing is very beneficial. BliAmy was produced using optimized fed-batch approach in defined media and significant overexpression of 1.2 g L-1 was achieved. These amylases have exposed tyrosine and tryptophan residues as part of their surface binding sites. Mixed mode Nuvia cPrime™ resin is tested as improvement of the downstream processing of raw starch digesting amylases aiming at exploiting hydrophobic patches at their surface. This resin combines hydrophobic interactions with cation exchange groups. Presence of salt facilitates hydrophobic interactions while ionexchange groups enable proper selectivity. Surface response methodology was used to optimize binding and eluting conditions of BliAmy. This single step procedure enables simultaneous concentration, pigments removal and purification of amylase with a yield of 96% directly from fermentation broth

Cognitive Functions in Combat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with changes in cognitive functions. The aim of the study was to investigate differences in cognitive abilities between PTSD patients and healthy controls. As PTSD is often accompanied by comorbidity, the PTSD patients with comorbid diagnoses were also included in our study. The study participants in¬cluded 254 Croatian combat veterans (60 PTSD and 194 PTSD plus comorbidity) and control group of 125 healthy Cro¬atian military and civilian pilots. The diagnosis of PTSD was made by clinical scale for PTSD assessment (CAPS), while cognitive abilities were measured by Wechsler intelligence scale (WAIS-III-R) and Rey test (ROCFT). The study results have confirmed that there is a significant difference in cognitive functions between the PTSD patients and healthy controls regarding age and education. The PTSD patients (PTSD only and PTSD with comorbidity) have shown lower general intellectual abilities, reduced capacity of working, numerical and visual memory, and decreased executive functions when compared to healthy controls. These results are an additional contribution to a better understanding and determination of changes in cognitive functions that occur in combat PTSD as a result of traumatic stress