Advantages and Disadvantages of the Webometrics Ranking System

Today, there are several well-known global ranking lists for ranking universities in the world. While some of them ranked only a few hundreds of best and most influential universities, there are those that include a much larger number of ranking scientific institutions. One such global list which ranks the largest number of scientific institutions and scientists in the world is called Webometrics list. This list is very important for less developed economies and developing countries which have not established a sufficient quality control system of higher education quality, so this list serves as a corrective to the international evaluation of a wide range of universities in the world. In such a complex IT system of ranking an extremely large number of institutions and scientists, this system shows some disadvantages when ranking, which of course can be overcome by introducing certain improvements within the system of ranking. Systems that perform the collection, analysis, and indexing data have their advantages and disadvantages, which can sometimes lead to a misinterpretation of the data collected. Among other things, we will consider the possible solutions which would improve the rating system and prevent possible manipulation and uncertainty in the presentation of current and final results ranking

Role of Imaging in Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease

The small intestine is a challenging organ for clinical and radiological evaluation. The introduction of radiological imaging techniques, which do not significantly disturb patients’ comfort and safety, attempts to obtain an adequate diagnosis and valuable information. The aim is to determine the capabilities and potential of ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) enterography to establish the diagnosis and to evaluate the severity and activity of intestinal inflammation. Conventional ultrasound is a suitable orientation method in the initial evaluation of patients with Crohn’s disease. At the same time, contrast-enhanced MR enterography provides an excellent assessment of disease activity, as well as the complications that accompany it. Contrast-enhanced MR enterography, combined with DWI, allows for excellent evaluation of disease activity and problems or difficulties following it. The examination can be repeated, controlled and can monitor patients with this disease

Scientometrics and academia

The social significance and quality of every human activity are proportional to its usefulness to the social community. Science belongs to the very top of the processes and events in the history of humankind that strongly influenced the development of society, which over time transformed it and contributed to the common good. Science produced new knowledge that made it possible for billions of people to rise out of poverty, develop industrialization and mass communication, eradicate many dangerous diseases for humankind, and enable humans to leave their footprints on the moon. Science is a human activity that produces new knowledge presented through innovations, patents, and publications, aimed at solving the problems facing humanity. Read more in the PDF.

Preventing post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis: What can be done?

Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) is the most common complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The incidence of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis varies substantially and is reported around 1%-10%, although there are some reports with an incidence of around 30%. Usually, PEP is a mild or moderate pancreatitis, but in some instances it can be severe and fatal. Generally, it is defined as the onset of new pancreatic-type abdominal pain severe enough to require hospital admission or prolonged hospital stay with levels of serum amylase two to three times greater than normal, occurring 24 h after ERCP. Several methods have been adopted for preventing pancreatitis, such as pharmacological or endoscopic approaches. Regarding medical prevention, only non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, namely diclofenac sodium and indomethacin, are recommended, but there are some other drugs which have some potential benefits in reducing the incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis. Endoscopic preventive measures include cannulation (wire guided) and pancreatic stenting, while the adoption of the early pre-cut technique is still arguable. This review will attempt to present and discuss different ways of preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis

Minimally invasive treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts

A pancreatic pseudocyst (PPC) is typically a complication of acute and chronic pancreatitis, trauma or pancreatic duct obstruction. The diagnosis of PPC can be made if an acute fluid collection persists for 4 to 6 wk and is enveloped by a distinct wall. Most PPCs regress spontaneously and require no treatment, whereas some may persist and progress until complications occur. The decision whether to treat a patient who has a PPC, as well as when and with what treatment modalities, is a difficult one. PPCs can be treated with a variety of methods: percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD), endoscopic transpapillary or transmural drainage, laparoscopic surgery, or open pseudocystoenterostomy. The recent trend in the management of symptomatic PPC has moved toward less invasive approaches such as endoscopic- and image-guided PCD. The endoscopic approach is suitable because most PPCs lie adjacent to the stomach. The major advantage of the endoscopic approach is that it creates a permanent pseudocysto-gastric track with no spillage of pancreatic enzymes. However, given the drainage problems, the monitoring, catheter manipulation and the analysis of cystic content are very difficult or impossible to perform endoscopically, unlike in the PCD approach. Several conditions must be met to achieve the complete obliteration of the cyst cavity. Pancreatic duct anatomy is an important factor in the prognosis of the treatment outcome, and the recovery of disrupted pancreatic ducts is the main prognostic factor for successful treatment of PPC, regardless of the treatment method used. In this article, we review and evaluate the minimally invasive approaches in the management of PPCs

Analysis of excessive corticosteroid use as an indicator of poor quality of care in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Aim To evaluate the clinical impact of corticosteroids (CS) overuse in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Excessive use of CS could delay more efficacious treatment and may indicate poor quality of care.Method This is a two-phase study that used Steroid Assessment Tool (SAT) to measure corticosteroid exposure in IBD patients. In the first phase data from 211 consecutive ambulatory patients with IBD (91 with ulcerative colitis, 115 with Crohn's disease, and five with unclassified inflammatory bowel disease) were analyzed by SAT. In the second phase, one year after data entry, clinical outcome of patients with cortico-steroids overuse was analysed.Results Of the 211 IBD patients, 132 (62%) were not on corticosteroids, 45 (22%) were cortico-steroid-dependent and 34 (16%) used corticosteroids appropriately, according to the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization guidelines. In the group of patients with ulcerative colitis, 57 (63%) were not on cortico-steroids, 18 (20%) were corticosteroid-dependent, and 16 (16%) used cortico-steroids appropriate-ly; in the group of patients with Crohn's disease 70 (61%), 27 (23%) and 18 (16%), respectively. Overall, 24 (out of 45; 53%) patients with IBD could avoid the overuse of cortico-steroids if they had a timely change of the treatment, surgery or entered a clinical trial.Conclusion An excessive corticosteroid use can be recognized on time using the SAT. We have proven that excessive corticosteroid use could be avoided in almost half of cases and thus the overuse of CS may indicate poor quality of care in those patients

Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients and in First Time Blood Donors in Northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is an issue that is not sufficiently researched and there is a need for studies that would explore this in detail.The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of HCV genotypes in the group of patients with chronic hepatitis C and also in the group of first time blood donors that tested positive for anti HCV antibodies during the blood screening process. Our secondary goal was to compare the proportions of HCV genotypes between these two groups.We analyzed 75 blood samples of patients with confirmed chronic hepatitis C. We also analyzed 13/16082 blood samples of first time blood donors found to be HCV positive during the blood screening process. We also determined HCV genotype in HCV RNA positive samples.We have found that genotype 1b was more prevalent in chronic hepatitis C patients (52/75; 69,3%) than in first time blood donors (6/13; 46,1%), however this difference was not statistically significant (c2=1,721; df=1; p=0,19). Genotype 1a was more prevalent in the group of first time blood donors (3/13; 23,1%) than in the group of chronic hepatitis C patients (3/75; 4%), but this was also with limited statistical significance (c2=3,71; df=1; p=0,054). We have not found any significant difference in prevalence of genotypes 1a (p=0,2) and genotypes 3 (p=0,70) when compared between chronic patients (3/75 and 16/75; respectively) and first time blood donors (3/13 and 4/13; respectively). Our study confirmed domination of genotype 1b in the region of northeastern B&H which is in accordance with HCV genotype prevalence in other countries in our part of Europe

Aterosklerotske promjene krvnih sudova glave i vrata u bolesnika sa sistemskim eritemskim lupusom

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of atherosclerotic plaque of head and neck blood vessels and to determine the dynamics of circulation through the brain blood vessels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In 35 patients with SLE aged 37.67±9.96 and whose disease lasted 3.8±4.51 years, Doppler carotid ultrasonography was used to identify the presence of intima-media thickness or atherosclerotic plaque. Brain perfusion scintigraphy was done in 15 out of 35 patients in order to evaluate the dynamics in circulation through carotid and cerebral media arteries. Measured by Doppler ultrasound, 2/35 of examined lupus patients had a plaque and the 2/35 had an intimal-medial thickness. The results of perfusion scintigraphy in 15 examined patients out 35 with SLE showed that 5/15 had mild circulatory changes in carotidogram. 4/15 patients had mild changes in cerebra media arteries circulation, 1/15 had severe changes in carotid circulation and 5/15 patients had normal brain scintigraphy finding. Some of the patients with SLE have atherosclerotic changes and only the early detection of atherosclerosis may provide an opportunity for therapeutic intervention.Cilj rada je evaluirati prisustvo aterosklerotskog plaka na krvnim sudovima glave i vrata te procjeniti promjene u cirkulaciji kroz krvne sudove mozga u bolesnika sa sistemskim eritemskim lupusom (SLE). U 35 pacijenata sa SLE prosječne životne dobi 37,67±9,96 godina i dužine trajanja bolesti od 3,8±4,51godina uradila se Doppler ultrasonografija karotidnih arterija da bi se ustanovilo eventualno prisustvo zadebljanja intima-media zida krvnog suda ili prisustvo aterosklerotskog plaka. Perfuziona scintigrafija mozga uradi se u 15 od 35 pacijenata sa ciljem procjene promjena u cirkulaciji kroz krvne sudove mozga. Mjereno ultrazvučno 2/35 pacijenata sa lupusom su imali aterosklerotski plak, a 2/35 zadebljanje zida krvnog suda. Rezultati scintigrafije mozga su pokazali blage cirkulatorne promjene na karotidogramu u 5/15 pacijenata, 4/15 pacijenata su imali blage promjene u cirkulaciji kroz aa. cerebri mediae. 1/15 je imao teške promjene u karotidnoj cirkulaciji, dok je u 5/15 pacijenata nalaz bio uredan. U pacijenata sa SLE postoji određen stepen aterosklerotskih promjena te samo rana dijegnoza može doprinjeti pravodobnoj terapijskoj intervenciji