Examination of central nervous system (CNS) involvement is not routine diagnostic practice in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Therefore, many asymptomatic patients with CNS ...involvement might go undetected. The effect of CNS involvement on the AML disease course is not well defined, with conflicting results regarding clinical outcome. This study aimed to determine the incidence of asymptomatic CNS involvement in AML estimated by multiparametric flow cytometry of cerebrospinal fluid (MFC‐CSF) at diagnosis, the related potential risk factors, and prognosis. In total, 645 patients with de novo AML were screened; 183 (28.4%) of them fulfilled institutional practice for MFC‐CSF analysis based on presence of CNS symptoms and/or clinical features. CNS symptoms and signs were observed in 8/183 (4.4%) patients, but most patients (175/183, 95.6%) were asymptomatic. In the asymptomatic group, 73/175 (41.7%) patients had positive or suspicious cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings categorized as CNS positive (CNSpos) and 102/175 (58.3%) had normal CNS findings categorized as CNS negative (CNSneg). The presence of leukemic blasts was confirmed in 81/183 (44.3%) patients; the total incidence of CNS involvement in the whole AML group was 12.6% (81/645). Compared with asymptomatic patients with CNSneg, those with CNSpos had a significantly higher frequency of lymphadenopathy, white blood cell count ≥30 × 109/L, presence of the monocytic phenotype, and a high percentage of bone marrow (BM) blasts. The multivariate logistic regression model identified monocytic phenotype (p = 0.047) and high percentage of BM blasts (p = 0.042) as predictors for CNSpos. CNSpos did not affect overall survival in patients with AML. There was a higher incidence of CNS involvement in asymptomatic adult patients with de novo AML, emphasizing possible undervalued rates of CNS disease at diagnosis. Prospective studies should determine whether diagnostic lumbar puncture for MFC‐CSF analysis and CNS prophylaxis could contribute to better selection and prognosis in this patient population.
Temperature and pH-sensitive hydrogels, based on
N
-isopropylacrylamide and itaconic acid, with varying comonomer ratios and crosslinking agent content, were prepared by free radical crosslinking ...copolymerization. The immobilization of lipase from
Candida rugosa
was carried out by post-loading entrapment method at different temperatures until equilibrium swelling was achieved. The effects of the hydrogel composition and the immobilization temperature on the hydrogel-binding capacity, immobilized lipase specific activity, as well as the enzyme leakage were studied. It was found that the NiPAAm/IA ratio, crosslinking agent concentration and the temperature at which the entrapment was performed significantly affected the hydrogel-binding capacity. The biocatalysts obtained by entrapment into hydrogel with the highest itaconic acid content at 5 °C exhibited both highest binding capacity and the highest specific activity, but appeared to be less suitable for repeated uses than those obtained at 25 °C.
Trauma with multiple injuries is associated with a high risk of complications, which may be related to excessive stimulation of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses. Although the effects of ...polytrauma on the immune response have been well established at the cellular and molecular levels, there is little information about the changes in the cytolytic potential of immunocompetent cells, including expression of cytotoxic molecules such as perforin. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyse and compare differences in the frequency and perforin expression of leukocyte subpopulations in the peripheral blood of patients with lower limb fracture, thoracic injury, and simultaneous lower limb fracture and thoracic injury.
Forty-five patients with trauma injury (15 patients with lower limb injury, 15 patients with thoracic injury, and 15 patients with simultaneous lower limb and thoracic injury) were included in the study. Peripheral blood of 15 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers served as the control group. Peripheral blood samples were taken from all subjects included in the study and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by gradient centrifugation. The frequency of T lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) and NK T cells, and their subsets, as well as their perforin expression levels were simultaneously detected and analysed by flow cytometry.
There was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of T lymphocytes, NK and NK T cells as well as perforin expression in the patients with simultaneous lower limb and thoracic injury compared with the other two groups, with a predominantly marked decrease in NK and NK T cells.
The decrease in the frequency and cytotoxic potential of peripheral blood lymphocytes is related to the severity of trauma injury, which can explain the underlying mechanism contributing to complication occurrence.
The main goal of this paper is the overview of the scope and dynamics of
biomass production as a renewable energy source for substitution of coal in
the production of electrical energy in the ...Kolubara coal basin. In order to
successfully realize this goal, it was necessary to develop a dynamic model
of the process of coal production, overburden dumping and re-cultivation of
dumping sites by biomass planting. The results obtained by simulation of the
dynamic model of biomass production in Kolubara mine basin until year 2045
show that 6870 hectares of overburden waste dumps will be re-cultivated by
biomass plantations. Biomass production modeling point out the significant
benefits of biomass production by planting the willow Salix viminalis
cultivated for energy purposes. Under these conditions, a 0.6 % participation
of biomass at the end of the period of intensive coal production, year 2037,
is achieved. With the decrease of coal production to 15 million tons per
year, this percentage steeply rises to 1.4 % in 2045. This amount of
equivalent tons of coal from biomass can be used for coal substitution in the
production of electrical energy.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxicity of repeated exposure to isoflurane or halothane and compare it with the genotoxicity of repeated exposure to cisplatin. We also determined the ...genotoxicity of combined treatment with inhalation anaesthetics and cisplatin on peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL), brain, liver and kidney cells of mice. The mice were divided into six groups as follows: control, cisplatin, isoflurane, cisplatin–isoflurane, halothane and cisplatin–halothane, and were exposed respectively for three consecutive days. The mice were treated with cisplatin or exposed to inhalation anaesthetic; the combined groups were exposed to inhalation anaesthetic after treatment with cisplatin. The alkaline comet assay was performed. All drugs had a strong genotoxicity (P < 0.05 vs. control group) in all of the observed cells. Isoflurane caused stronger DNA damage on the PBL and kidney cells, in contrast to halothane, which had stronger genotoxicity on brain and liver cells. The combination of cisplatin and isoflurane induced lower genotoxicity on PBL than isoflurane alone (P < 0.05). Halothane had the strongest effect on brain cells, but in the combined treatment with cisplatin, the effect decreased to the level of cisplatin alone. Halothane also induced the strongest DNA damage of the liver cells, while the combination with cisplatin increased its genotoxicity even more. The genotoxicity of cisplatin and isoflurane on kidney cells were nearly at the same level, but halothane caused a significantly lower effect. The combinations of inhalation anaesthetics with cisplatin had stronger effects on kidney cells than inhalation anaesthetics alone. The observed drugs and their combinations induced strong genotoxicity on all of the mentioned cells.
Surgical treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors Matic, Slavko; Knezevic, Djordje; Ignjatovic, Igor ...
Pancreatology : official journal of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) ... et al.,
06/2015, Letnik:
15, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Results: Parenchyma-sparing resections were performed in 20 patients (29.4%), distal pancreatectomy in 32 (47%) and pylorus-preserving duodenopancreatectomy in 16 (23.5%) patients. 17 patients that ...had liver metastases were treated with liver resection, RFA or TACE.
The determination of nuclear level densities and radiative strength functions is one of the most important tasks in low-energy nuclear physics. Accurate experimental values of these parameters are ...critical for the study of the fundamental properties of nuclear structure. The step-like structure in the dependence of the level densities p on the excitation energy of nuclei E
ex
is observed in the two-step gamma cascade measurements for nuclei in the 28 ≤ A ≤ 200 mass region. This characteristic structure can be explained only if a co-existence of quasi-particles and phonons, as well as their interaction in a nucleus, are taken into account in the process of gamma-decay. Here we present a new improvement to the Dubna practical model for the determination of nuclear level densities and radiative strength functions. The new practical model guarantees a good description of the available intensities of the two step gamma cascades, comparable to the experimental data accuracy.
To overcome the problems of free enzyme application as catalysts in chemical reactions, i.e., high costs of isolation and purification processes, high sensitivity to process conditions, insufficient ...enzyme stability etc., different immobilization techniques need to be used. Immobilization to/within solid support improves enzyme stability decreasing its denaturation. This paper deals with hydrogels of N-isopropylacrylamide and itaconic acid with incorporated nonionic surfactants (Triton X-100, Brij 30 and Tween 80) synthesized in distilled water at room temperature by free radical polymerization. These hydrogels were used as supports for immobilization of enzyme, lipase from Candida rugosa by post-entrapment method. The aim was to investigate the effect of the non-ionic surfactants on the lipase binding capacity, as well as on its hydrolytic activity. In order to characterize the obtained hydrogels, FT-IR analysis has been performed. Further, the swelling behaviour of these samples in buffer solution of pH 6.80 has been investigated. The dynamic-mechanical properties of hydrogels have been studied, too. The immobilized lipase showed somewhat reduced hydrolytic activity, compared to the activity of free lipase as well as in comparison to the lipase immobilized to the reference sample (sample synthesized under the same polymerization conditions, but in the absence of surfactants). It was concluded that the addition of surfactants increased the hydrogel mesh size. The surfactant addition did not affect the dynamic-mechanical properties of the investigated hydrogels. The largest percentage of specific activity and yield of activity were presented by the reference sample, too. It is obvious that the absence of surfactants charged groups has no influence on the lipase binding capacity, and the obtained activity yields are to be expected.
Cystadenomas of the pancreas – 30 Years of experience Matic, Slavko; Knezevic, Srbislav; Knezevic, Djordje ...
Pancreatology : official journal of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) ... et al.,
05/2013, Letnik:
13, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Results: Ideal excision was done in 17 patients (27.4%), with splenectomy in 4 (6.4 %), distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy in 38 (61.2%), with additional anastomosis between pancreatic duct in 1, ...excision of liver cyst in 1 and Whipple procedure also in 3.
Changes in Retail Industry in the EU Renko, Sanda; Knego, Nikola; Knežević, Blaženka
Business, Management and Education,
01/2011, Letnik:
9, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Retail is an important industry of each national economy. In the EU, it is an important source of employment and significantly contributes to the GDP creation. Moreover, almost one fifth of all ...companies are registered in retail industry. In the past decade, retail industry is changing from applying domestically oriented towards internationally oriented business strategies. The importance of large companies is this industry is growing, too. Retail trade concentration process is recognized in all EU countries. In this paper, some of prevailing trends in retail industry are analyzed and explained. The analysis includes EU countries and Croatia as EU candidate country.
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