CASE REPORT: Male Laser Circumcision using 2940 nm Er:YAG Laser

Male circumcision consists of the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin (or prepuce) from the penis. It is a very common procedure around the world, with a high degree of prevalence variability. Evaluation of the current evidence indicates that the health benefits of male circumcision outweigh the risks. There are many different techniques for performing circumcision. We started using Er:YAG (2940 nm) laser in our clinic because we can achieve shorter downtime and fewer complications. Here we present a case of a 23-year-old male that underwent Er:YAG laser circumcision without any adverse effects

seznanjanje z jezikom okolja na narodnostno mešanih območjih v Republiki Sloveniji

Prvi koraki pri razvijanju medkulturnega zavedanj

Klasična i molekularna identifikacija termotolerantnih kampilobaktera iz piletine

Poultry meat samples from Slovenian retail market were examined for the presence of thermotolerant campylobacters. The isolates were identified by phenotypic and genotypic methods. ISO 10272 recommendations were followed for phenotypic identification. Different PCR assays, targeting species specific DNA regions in C. jejuni and C. coli, were checked for their applicability in identification. High degree of tested samples was positive (27/33), with significant proportion of C. coli (32 %) among identified strains. High percentage of C. jejuni strains (54 %) were hippurate negative. Phenotypic identification was therefore found to be inconvenient because of the presence of the strains with atypical phenotype and possible misinterpretation of test results. Multiplex PCR, targeting hippuricase gene in C. jejuni and species specific region in C. coli, was found to be an efficient method that allowed fast, simple and accurate identification of C. jejuni and C. coli. FlaA PCR is a reliable method to identify the group C. jejuni/C. coli, but it does not differentiate between the two species. CdtB PCR is inconvenient because of many false negative and some false positive results.Ispitana je prisutnost termotolerantnih bakterija roda Campylobacter u uzorcima piletine sa slovenskog tržišta. Izolirani su sojevi identificirani fenotipskim i genotipskim postupcima. Fenotipska je identifikacija provedena klasičnim postupkom ISO 10272. Da bi se identificirali određeni sojevi, ispitana je primjenjivost različitih PCR postupaka, korištenjem specifičnih DNA regija za vrste C. jejuni i C. coli. Veliki broj ispitivanih uzoraka bio je pozitivan (27/33), sa značajnim udjelom C. coli u tim dvama identificiranim sojevima (32 %). Veliki udjel sojeva C. jejuni (54 %) bio je hipurat negativan. Fenotipska je identifikacija stoga neprikladan postupak zbog prisutnosti sojeva s atipičnim fenotipom, a i zbog mogućnosti pogrešne interpretacije rezultata testova. Multipleks PCR-postupak, koristeći hipurikazni gen u C. jejuni i u specifičnoj regiji za vrstu C. coli, pokazao se uspješnim jer omogućava brzu, jednostavnu i točnu identifikaciju C. jejuni i C. coli. Postupak PCR s lokusom flagelarnoga gena (flaA PCR) pouzdan je postupak za identifikaciju C. jejuni/C. coli, ali se njime ne mogu razlikovati te dvije vrste. Postupak PCR s lokusom gena citoletalnog toksina (cdtB PCR) nije prikladan jer daje puno lažno negativnih, a i nešto lažno pozitivnih rezultata

Local search engine with global content based on domain specific knowledge

In the growing need for information we have come to rely on search engines. The use of large scale search engines, such as Google, is as common as surfingthe World Wide Web. We are impressed with the capabilities of these search engines but still there is a need for improvment. A common problem withsearching is the ambiguity of words. Their meaning often depends on the context in which they are used or varies across specific domains. To resolve this we propose a domain specific search engine that is globally oriented. We intend to provide content classification according to the target domain concepts, access to privileged information, personalization and custom rankingfunctions. Domain specific concepts have been formalized in the form ofontology. The paper describes our approach to a centralized search service for domain specific content. The approach uses automated indexing for various content sources that can be found in the form of a relational database, we! b service, web portal or page, various document formats and other structured or unstructured data. The gathered data is tagged with various approaches and classified against the domain classification. The indexed data is accessible through a highly optimized and personalized search service

Low Voltage Nanoelectromechanical Switches Based on Silicon Carbide Nanowires

We report experimental demonstrations of electrostatically actuated, contact-mode nanoelectromechanical switches based on very thin silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires (NWs). These NWs are lithographically patterned from a 50 nm thick SiC layer heteroepitaxially grown on single-crystal silicon (Si). Several generic designs of in-plane electrostatic SiC NW switches have been realized, with NW widths as small as ~20 nm and lateral switching gaps as narrow as ~10 nm. Very low switch-on voltages are obtained, from a few volts down to ~1 V level. Two-terminal, contact-mode “hot” switching with high on/off ratios (>10^2 or 10^3) has been demonstrated repeatedly for many devices. We find enhanced switching performance in bare SiC NWs, with lifetimes exceeding those based on metallized SiC NWs

Klasična i molekularna identifikacija termotolerantnih kampilobaktera iz piletine

Poultry meat samples from Slovenian retail market were examined for the presence of thermotolerant campylobacters. The isolates were identified by phenotypic and genotypic methods. ISO 10272 recommendations were followed for phenotypic identification. Different PCR assays, targeting species specific DNA regions in C. jejuni and C. coli, were checked for their applicability in identification. High degree of tested samples was positive (27/33), with significant proportion of C. coli (32 %) among identified strains. High percentage of C. jejuni strains (54 %) were hippurate negative. Phenotypic identification was therefore found to be inconvenient because of the presence of the strains with atypical phenotype and possible misinterpretation of test results. Multiplex PCR, targeting hippuricase gene in C. jejuni and species specific region in C. coli, was found to be an efficient method that allowed fast, simple and accurate identification of C. jejuni and C. coli. FlaA PCR is a reliable method to identify the group C. jejuni/C. coli, but it does not differentiate between the two species. CdtB PCR is inconvenient because of many false negative and some false positive results.Ispitana je prisutnost termotolerantnih bakterija roda Campylobacter u uzorcima piletine sa slovenskog tržišta. Izolirani su sojevi identificirani fenotipskim i genotipskim postupcima. Fenotipska je identifikacija provedena klasičnim postupkom ISO 10272. Da bi se identificirali određeni sojevi, ispitana je primjenjivost različitih PCR postupaka, korištenjem specifičnih DNA regija za vrste C. jejuni i C. coli. Veliki broj ispitivanih uzoraka bio je pozitivan (27/33), sa značajnim udjelom C. coli u tim dvama identificiranim sojevima (32 %). Veliki udjel sojeva C. jejuni (54 %) bio je hipurat negativan. Fenotipska je identifikacija stoga neprikladan postupak zbog prisutnosti sojeva s atipičnim fenotipom, a i zbog mogućnosti pogrešne interpretacije rezultata testova. Multipleks PCR-postupak, koristeći hipurikazni gen u C. jejuni i u specifičnoj regiji za vrstu C. coli, pokazao se uspješnim jer omogućava brzu, jednostavnu i točnu identifikaciju C. jejuni i C. coli. Postupak PCR s lokusom flagelarnoga gena (flaA PCR) pouzdan je postupak za identifikaciju C. jejuni/C. coli, ali se njime ne mogu razlikovati te dvije vrste. Postupak PCR s lokusom gena citoletalnog toksina (cdtB PCR) nije prikladan jer daje puno lažno negativnih, a i nešto lažno pozitivnih rezultata

Diagnostic value of planar myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in patients with coronary artery disease

Patients with suspected or proven coronary artery disease are investigated using noninvasive and invasive diagnostic methods. Noninvasive myocardial perfusion scintigraphy provides data on myocardial perfusion during stress andat rest. Coronary angiography is invasive morphologic method, performed before coronary artery dilatation or surgery. Aim of our retrograde analysis of planar thallium myocardial perfusion scintigrams and coronary angiograms was to assess sensitivity and specificity of rnyocardial perfusion planar scanning and to evaluate causes of possible disagreement. Original readings ofmyocardial perfusion scans and coronary angiograms of 156 patients with coronary artery disease were compared. When results of both investigations were partially concordant or discordant, the original studies were reviewed. Concordant results of both examinations were found in 62% of patients. In only3% (5 patierrts) the results were discordant and the reason for disagreement of results of both studies could not be detected. Most of the remaining 55 patients had more pronounced myocardial perfusion defects than was the estinrated severity of cororsary artery stenosis, attributed to the different nature of both irtvestigations. Anonralous coronary artery was foundirt 3% of all patients, tortuous coronary arteries with slow ftow of coritrast media in 9 patients (6% of all) and arterial hypertension with extreme left ventricular wall hypertrophy in one patient. Serrsitivity of the rnyocardial perfusion scintigraphy was l00% and specificity 50%. Positive predictive valrre for coronary artery disease was 96% and negative predictive value was 100 %. We cconclude that myocardial perfusion scintigraphy has a definite role in: diagnosis and follow-up of patients with suspected or provencoronary artery disease. (Abstracts truncated at 2000 characters