Value of ultrasound findings of the scrotum and testes

Ultrazvuk je zbog visoke osjetljivosti i specifičnosti danas zlatni standard u otkrivanju bolesti testisa i skrotuma budući da mnoga stanja ove regije mogu biti obilježena jednakom kliničkom slikom. Ova retrospektivna studija prikazuje sve ultrazvučne nalaze testisa i skrotuma Zavoda za dijagnostičku i intervencijsku radiologiju KBC-a Zagreb ostvarenih u jednoj kalendarskoj godini. Tako je u 2017. pregledano 853 muškaraca, od kojih je 81% bilo mlađe od 50 godina. U većini nalaza, odnosno 79% ispitanika, pronađena su odstupanja od uredne anatomske strukture. Dominantan udio imaju nalazi varikokela prisutni u 35.7% i cisti u 30.1% pacijenata. Lijeva varikokela je zbog anatomskih zakonitosti zastupljena sa 86% udjelom, a izolirana desnostrana u svega 4%. Većina benignih cističnih lezija (92%) je pronađena u epididimisu, a ostatak u testisu. Akutna stanja čine 11% nalaza, među kojima je najviše upala (7.7%), torzija (1.9%), tumora (1%) i stanja traumatske etiologije (0.4%). Značajan je broj orhidektomiranih muškaraca (n=97) u kontroli među kojima većina ima uredan nalaz ostatnog testisa (62%), a od češćih stanja koja odstupaju od normalnog su kalcifikati, varikokele i ciste. Sterilnost muškaraca je sve učestaliji problem u svijetu. 4% pacijenata pregledano je sa uputnom dijagnozom steriliteta i utvrđeno da njih 27% ima uredan ultrazvučni nalaz, dok je u većine nađeno odstupanje. Nalazi varikokela, hipotrofije testisa i kalcifikata su najviše zastupljeni u onih upućenih zbog steriliteta.Nowadays, due to its high sensitivity and specificities, the ultrasound is the golden standard in the diagnosis of the diseases of the testes and scrotum since many conditions of that region can be included in the same clinical picture. This retrospective study provides an overview of all ultrasound findings of the testes and scrotum at the Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology of the UHC Zagreb in the course of one calendar year. In 2017, 853 men were examined, out of which 81 % were below 50 years of age. In most of the findings, namely 79 % of patients, there were deviations from the normal anatomical structure. The findings of varicocele, present in 35.7 % of patients, and cysts, present in 30.1 % of patients, are the most frequent. Due to the anatomical principles, the left varicocele makes up 86 %, while cases of isolated right-sided varicoceles makes up only 4 %. 92 % of benign cystic lesions were found in the epididymis, and the rest of them in the testis. Acute conditions make up 11 % of findings, among which inflammations (7.7 %), torsions (1.9 %), tumours (1 %) and conditions indicative of a traumatic etiology (0.4 %) are prevalent. There is a significant number of orchidectomised men (n=97) in the control group, most of which have a normal result for the remaining testis (62 %), with calcificates, varicocele and cysts being among the most frequent conditions that deviate from the norm. Male sterility is an increasingly frequent problem in the world. 4 % of patients were examined with an incidental diagnosis of sterility, 27 % of them with a normal ultrasound finding, but with a deviation in most of them. Varicocele, hypotrophy of the testes and calcificates are the most prevalent in those patient referred for sterility

Value of ultrasound findings of the scrotum and testes

Ultrazvuk je zbog visoke osjetljivosti i specifičnosti danas zlatni standard u otkrivanju bolesti testisa i skrotuma budući da mnoga stanja ove regije mogu biti obilježena jednakom kliničkom slikom. Ova retrospektivna studija prikazuje sve ultrazvučne nalaze testisa i skrotuma Zavoda za dijagnostičku i intervencijsku radiologiju KBC-a Zagreb ostvarenih u jednoj kalendarskoj godini. Tako je u 2017. pregledano 853 muškaraca, od kojih je 81% bilo mlađe od 50 godina. U većini nalaza, odnosno 79% ispitanika, pronađena su odstupanja od uredne anatomske strukture. Dominantan udio imaju nalazi varikokela prisutni u 35.7% i cisti u 30.1% pacijenata. Lijeva varikokela je zbog anatomskih zakonitosti zastupljena sa 86% udjelom, a izolirana desnostrana u svega 4%. Većina benignih cističnih lezija (92%) je pronađena u epididimisu, a ostatak u testisu. Akutna stanja čine 11% nalaza, među kojima je najviše upala (7.7%), torzija (1.9%), tumora (1%) i stanja traumatske etiologije (0.4%). Značajan je broj orhidektomiranih muškaraca (n=97) u kontroli među kojima većina ima uredan nalaz ostatnog testisa (62%), a od češćih stanja koja odstupaju od normalnog su kalcifikati, varikokele i ciste. Sterilnost muškaraca je sve učestaliji problem u svijetu. 4% pacijenata pregledano je sa uputnom dijagnozom steriliteta i utvrđeno da njih 27% ima uredan ultrazvučni nalaz, dok je u većine nađeno odstupanje. Nalazi varikokela, hipotrofije testisa i kalcifikata su najviše zastupljeni u onih upućenih zbog steriliteta.Nowadays, due to its high sensitivity and specificities, the ultrasound is the golden standard in the diagnosis of the diseases of the testes and scrotum since many conditions of that region can be included in the same clinical picture. This retrospective study provides an overview of all ultrasound findings of the testes and scrotum at the Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology of the UHC Zagreb in the course of one calendar year. In 2017, 853 men were examined, out of which 81 % were below 50 years of age. In most of the findings, namely 79 % of patients, there were deviations from the normal anatomical structure. The findings of varicocele, present in 35.7 % of patients, and cysts, present in 30.1 % of patients, are the most frequent. Due to the anatomical principles, the left varicocele makes up 86 %, while cases of isolated right-sided varicoceles makes up only 4 %. 92 % of benign cystic lesions were found in the epididymis, and the rest of them in the testis. Acute conditions make up 11 % of findings, among which inflammations (7.7 %), torsions (1.9 %), tumours (1 %) and conditions indicative of a traumatic etiology (0.4 %) are prevalent. There is a significant number of orchidectomised men (n=97) in the control group, most of which have a normal result for the remaining testis (62 %), with calcificates, varicocele and cysts being among the most frequent conditions that deviate from the norm. Male sterility is an increasingly frequent problem in the world. 4 % of patients were examined with an incidental diagnosis of sterility, 27 % of them with a normal ultrasound finding, but with a deviation in most of them. Varicocele, hypotrophy of the testes and calcificates are the most prevalent in those patient referred for sterility

Time-varying parameters of Croatian import demand

Ovaj rad ima za cilj ispitati elastičnost potražnje za uvozom u Republici Hrvatskoj na promjene u dohotku i relativnim cijenama, istovremeno dopuštajući vremensko variranje parametara potražnje za uvozom. Uzorak podataka sastoji se od kvartalnih podataka vremenskih serija između prvog kvartala 2000. i trećeg kvartala 2018. godine. Korištenjem modela prostora stanja s vremenski različitim parametrima dobivene su i testirane procjene pristupa. Rezultati su pokazali trajnu i visoku dohodovnu elastičnost uvozne potražnje u Hrvatskoj. Međutim, uloga relativnih cijena promijenila se u promatranom razdoblju i na kraju se ne može razlikovati od nule. Rezultati ovog istraživanja podržali su hipotezu konvergencije cijena u Hrvatskoj prema cijenama u zemljama članicama Europske monetarne unije. Nadalje, rezultati nisu pokazali značajan utjecaj na potražnju za uvozom u Republici Hrvatskoj nakon ulaska Hrvatske u Europsku uniju. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da bi, zbog relativno visoke dohodovne elastičnosti uvozne potražnje i konvergencije uvoznih cijena, trebalo poticati proizvodnju inovativnih i sofisticiranih proizvoda.The paper aims to examine Croatian import demand elasticities to changes in income and relative prices while allowing time variation in parameters of import demand. Data sample consist of quarterly time series data over the period 2000 q1 -2018 q3. Following state space model with time-varying parameters approach estimates were obtained and tested. The results revealed persistent and high income elasticity of import demand in Croatia. However, the role of relative prices has changed over the observed period and eventually cannot be distinguished from zero. The findings from this research supported the hypothesis of prices convergence in Croatia towards the prices within European Monetary Union member countries. Furthermore, results found no significant effect on Croatian import demand when Croatia joined the European Union. The research results indicate that, due to a relatively high income elasticity of import demand and convergence of import prices, production of innovative and sophisticated products should be facilitated

Echoes of the Croatian Spring in Osijek

U članku se raščlanjuju zbivanja koja se mogu podvesti pod zajednički nazivnik hrvatskoga proljeća na lokalnom osječkom području. Pritom se u uvodnom dijelu polazi od terminološkoga i sadržajnoga određenja općega fenomena hrvatskoga proljeća, uz prepoznavanje nekolicine događaja koji su mu prethodili te omogućili razvoj. Zatim slijedi prijedlog periodizacije hrvatskoga proljeća s trima fazama te predstavljanje njegovih triju žarišta, s lokalnim osječkim ekvivalentima (»reformno« krilo OK-a SKH-a Osijek, OMH Osijek i SSO). U nastavku članka u pojedinačnim se poglavljima analiziraju zbivanja u okviru osječkih društveno-političkih organizacija, OMH-a Osijek i osječkoga student-skoga pokreta, koja se mogu staviti u kontekst hrvatskoga proljeća. Utvrđena je izravna povezanost proljećarskih gibanja u Zagrebu s onima koja će uslijediti u Osijeku, pomoću raznih uobičajenih komunikacijskih kanala, poput sudjelovanja članova CK-a SKH-a na sjednicama lokalnih društveno-političkih organizacija ili pak javnih predavanja istaknutih članova MH-a iz Zagreba u organizaciji OMH-a Osijek. Također, u konačnici se pokazalo da je stanje u Zagrebu dobrim dijelom bilo preslikano i na osječko područje u vrijeme kulminacije hrvatskoga proljeća, uzimajući u obzir društveno-političke organizacije, MH i studente, s jedinim izuzetkom nešto kasnije pojave proljećarskih ideja u Osijeku u odnosu na Zagreb.The article analyzes the events that can be subsumed under the common denominator of the Croatian Spring in the local Osijek area. The introductory part starts from the terminological and substantive definition of the general phenomenon of the Croatian Spring, recognizing several events that preceded it and enabled its development. This is followed by a proposal for the periodization of the Croatian Spring with three phases and the presentation of its three focal points, with local Osijek equivalents (the »reform« wing of the Municipal Committee of the League of Communists of Croatia in Osijek – OK SKH Osijek, Matica hrvatska Branch Osijek – OMH Osijek, and the Students League of Osijek – SSO). In the continuation of the article, the individual chapters analyze the events within the Osijek socio-political or-ganizations, OMH Osijek and the Osijek student movement, which can be put in the context of the Croatian Spring. It establishes a direct connection of the Spring movements in Zagreb with those that will follow in Osijek, through various common communication channels, such as the participation of members of the SKH Central Committee in sessions of local socio-political organizations, or the public lectures of distinguished members of MH organized by OMH Osijek. In the end, it also turned out that the situation in Zagreb was largely copied in the Osijek area during the time of the culmination of the Croatian Spring, taking into account socio-political organizations, MH and students, with the only exception of the later emergence of Spring ideas in Osijek than in Zagreb

Minimalno invazivno liječenje idiopatske siringomijelije uporabom ventilacijskih T-cjevčica za bubnjić: prikaz slučaja i operativne tehnike

Syringomyelia is characterized by a fluid-filled cavity within the spinal cord. Expansion of the syrinx often results in the clinical course of progressive neurologic deficit. Surgery for syringomyelia generally aims to treat the underlying cause, if it is known. However, little is known about idiopathic syringomyelia, which requires specific management. In our paper, an alternative, minimally invasive treatment option for large symptomatic idiopathic cervicothoracic syrinx is described and discussed. We present a case of a 44-year-old male without a history of spinal cord trauma, infection, or other pathologic processes, who presented for thoracic pain. Due to progressive pain and left leg paresis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed and revealed extensive septated syringomyelia from T5 to T7 and hydromyelia cranially. We applied minimally invasive technique for shunting the idiopathic syrinx into the subarachnoid space using two Richards modified myringotomy T-tubes. Postoperative MRI revealed significant decrease in the syrinx size and clinical six-month follow-up showed improvement of clinical symptoms. This minimally invasive treatment of syringomyelia was found to be an effective method for idiopathic septated syrinx, without evident underlying cause. However, long-term follow-up and more patients are necessary for definitive evaluation of this technique.Siringomijeliju predstavlja stvaranje šupljina ispunjenih tekućinom unutar kralježnične moždine. Širenje šupljine često dovodi do pojave neuroloških poremećaja koji se postupno pogoršavaju. Operativno liječenje je usmjereno na otklanjanje uzroka siringomijelije, ako je taj uzrok poznat. Međutim, malo se zna o idiopatskoj siringomijeliji koja zahtijeva poseban tretman. U našem članku opisujemo alternativnu, minimalno invazivnu metodu liječenja velike simptomatske idiopatske vratno-prsne siringomijelije. Prikazujemo slučaj 44-godišnjeg bolesnika bez prethodno poznate ozljede, upale ili drugih bolesti kralježnične moždine, koji se žalio na bolove u prsnoj kralježnici. Zbog pogoršanja bolova i slabosti lijeve noge učinjena je magnetska rezonanca koja je pokazala veliku pregrađenu siringomijeliju u razini od 5. do 7. prsnog kralješka i kranijalno posljedičnu hidromijeliju. Primijenili smo minimalno invazivnu tehniku drenaže sirinksa u subarahnoidni prostor uporabom dviju ventilacijskih cjevčica za bubnjić (Richardsove modificirane T-cjevčice). Snimke nakon operacije su pokazale značajno smanjenje sirinksa, a kontrolni pregled nakon šest mjeseci poboljšanje neuroloških simptoma. Ova minimalno invazivna operacija siringomijelije se pokazala učinkovitom metodom u liječenju idiopatskog, membranom pregrađenog sirinksa nepoznate etiologije. Međutim, za konačnu procjenu ove metode potrebno je duže praćenje i veći broj slučajeva

Higher-order block-structured hex meshing of tubular structures

Numerical simulations of the cardiovascular system are growing in popularity due to the increasing availability of computational power, and their proven contribution to the understanding of pathodynamics and validation of medical devices with in-silico trials as a potential future breakthrough. Such simulations are performed on volumetric meshes reconstructed from patient-specific imaging data. These meshes are most often unstructured, and result in a brutally large amount of elements, significantly increasing the computational complexity of the simulations, whilst potentially adversely affecting their accuracy. To reduce such complexity, we introduce a new approach for fully automatic generation of higher-order, structured hexahedral meshes of tubular structures, with a focus on healthy blood vessels. The structures are modeled as skeleton-based convolution surfaces. From the same skeleton, the topology is captured by a block-structure, and the geometry by a higher-order surface mesh. Grading may be induced to obtain tailored refinement, thus resolving, e.g., boundary layers. The volumetric meshing is then performed via transfinite mappings. The resulting meshes are of arbitrary order, their elements are of good quality, while the spatial resolution may be as coarse as needed, greatly reducing computing time. Their suitability for practical applications is showcased by a simulation of physiological blood flow modelled by a generalised Newtonian fluid in the human aorta

Fully integrated mesh generation in fluid-structure interaction

In fluid-structure interaction (FSI), the fluid and solid domains are permantently changing, coupled along a time-dependent, moving fluid-structure interface. The update of the fluid domain, i.e., in the numerical context, the mesh update is critical for robust and efficient simulations. Herein, we propose to inherently embed the mesh generation into the simulation.The FSI domain is defined based on structured building blocks that imply all the relevant information needed for the automatic mesh generation: Topology, geometry, and grading information. Transfinite maps play a crucial role for the definition of sub-meshes with any desired order and resolution in each building block. In every time step, a new mesh is generated, taking into account the deforming FSI interface. This generation is fast compared to the overall work load in each time step which is still dominated by the (iterative) solutions of the systems of equations. It is also very robust and removes any mesh entanglement by construction provided that suitable building blocks are selected once initially. Numerical results confirm the success of the proposed FSI strategy with integrated mesh generation

INSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM OF ‘ORGANISED MINORITY’ AS A POLITiCAL DESTINY OF CROATS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

: Osnovna svrha ovoga rada je pružiti teorijsko promišljanje političkog položaja bosanskohercegovačkih Hrvata. Polazi se od neminovne činjenice političke marginaliziranosti koja je reperkusija procesa tiranije većine. Interpretacijom dvaju suvremenih klasika političke misli Mancura Olsona i Hanne Arendt pokušavamo pokazati da se Hrvati moraju konstituirati u političku formu ‘organizirane manjine’ kako bi kompenzirali činjenicu vlastite demografske inferiornosti. Nadalje, želimo dokazati da je odgovor na hegemoniju većine dodatni demokratski napor koji će rezultirati tzv. kontrademokracijom. Potonja podrazumijeva da će hrvatske političke elite organizirati institucije nad kojima imaju ovlasti na najvišem stupnju učinkovitosti, te će vlastitom kadrovskom politikom osigurati zastupljenost najboljih na svim odgovornim pozicijama vlasti. Organizirana manjina se može konstituirati u nezaobilaznog političkog subjekta koji će biti sastavni akter svih budućih promjena političkog sustava i koji će vlastitom organiziranošću i političkom efikasnošću utjecati na mnijenje većine. Naposljetku, tvrdimo da bi proces stvaranja efikasnih institucija rezultirao svojevrsnim institucionalnim patriotizmom koji bi kompenzirao nedostatak osnovnog konsenzusa o zajedničkoj državnosti i stvorio uvjete za kreiranje pravednije i održive Bosne i Hercegovine.The basic aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical deliberation of a political position of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It starts from the imminent fact of the political marginalisation which is a repercussion of the tyranny of the majority process. By interpreting two contemporary classics of political thought, Mancur Olson and Hanna Arendt, we try to prove that the Croats must constitute themselves into a political form of “organised minority” in order to compensate for their demographical inferiority. Furthermore, we want to prove that the response to the majority hegemony is an additional democratic effort which will result in so called contrademocracy. The later implies that the Croat political elites will organise institutions under their control on the highest efficiency level and that they will ensure the presence of best people in all positions of responsibility by their personnel policy. Organised minority can be constituted into inevitable political subject which will be a constituent subject of all future political system changes and which will influence public thinking of majority by its organisation and political efficiency. Finally, we claim that the process of creating efficient institutions would result in some sort of institutional patriotism which would compensate for the lack of basic consensus about common statehood and create the conditions for the creation of more just and sustainable Bosnia and Herzegovina

DIFFERENCE OF SYMPTOMS NETWORKS IN EARLY AND LATE PHASE SCHIZOPHRENIA; A CROSS-SECTIONAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

Objective: The functional remission or recovery of schizophrenia patients is a challenging task which relies on pharmacotherapy but also on the timing of psychotherapy and other therapeutic interventions. The study aimed to assess the difference in strength and structure of symptoms networks between early and late phase schizophrenia. Our secondary objective was to check whether the overall, positive, negative, and general symptoms severity change over the course of treatment and disorder. Methods: This nested cross-sectional analysis combined the samples from two studies performed during 2014-2016 at University -60 years old diagnosed with schizophrenia, 85 of ect: "Biomarkers in schizophrenia - integration of complementary methods in longitudinal follow up of FEP patients". Results: Median (IQR) age of the participant in the early phase was 36 (32-45) years and in the late phase 44 (38-49) years. Patients in the early phase had significantly higher odds for being in the symptomatic remission compared to the patients in the latephase schizophrenia (OR=2.11; 95% CI 1.09-4.09) and had 10% less pronounced negative symptoms. The global strength, density, and structure of the symptoms network were not significantly different between the two study groups. Conclusions: Negative symptoms severity change with the course of illness and differ from the early to the late phase of schizophrenia. However, the overall network of psychotic symptoms is relatively stable, and overall strengths or density and the partial relationship between particular symptoms do not change significantly. The observed worsening of negative symptoms is probably at least partially caused by the lack of clear guidelines and effective treatment options aimed specifically toward negative symptoms