Pathological pregnancy and psychological symptoms in women [Patološka trudnoća i psihički simptomi u žena]

Pregnancy is followed by many physiologic, organic and psychological changes and disorders, which can become more serious in pregnancy followed by complications, especially in women with pathological conditions during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to find out and analyze the prevalence and intensity of psychological disorders in women with pathological conditions during pregnancy and compare it with conditions in pregnant women who had normal development of pregnancy. The research is approved by the Ethical committee of the Mostar University Hospital Center, and it was made in accordance with Helsinki declaration and good clinical practices. The research conducted section for pathology of pregnancy of Department for gynecology and obstetrics of the Mostar University Hospital Center. It included 82 pregnant women with disorders in pregnancy developement and control group consisted of pregnant women who had normal development of pregnancy. The research work was conducted from September 2007 to August 2008 in Mostar University Hospital Center. Pregnant women had Standard and laboratory tests, Ultrasound. CTG examinations were done for all pregnant women and additional tests for those women with complications during pregnancy. Pregnant women completed sociobiographical, obstetrical-clinical and psychological SCL 90-R questionnaire. Pregnant women with pathological pregnancy exibited significantly more psychological symptoms in comparison to pregnant women with normal pregnancy (p < 0.001 to p = 0.004). Frequency and intensity of psychical symptoms and disorders statisticly are more characteristic in pathological pregnancy (61%/40.6%). The statistical data indicate a significantly higher score of psychological disorders in those pregnant women with primary school education (p = 0.050), those who take more than 60% carbohydrates (p = 0.001), those with pathological CTG records (p < 0.001), those with pathological ultrasound results (p < 0.001 to 0.216) and those pregnant women with medium obesity and obesity (p = 0.046). Body mass index (BMI) during normal pregnancy development is lower (p = 0.002) but the levels of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL and LDL in blood are higher Blood pressure in pregnant women with pathological pregnancy was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.001). Diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome were found in 19 pregnant women with the pathological pregnancy. Statistically, in those women, a significantly higher appearance of psychological symptoms and disorders was observed in comparison to the pregnant women without metabolic syndrome (p < 0.001). The research has shown that 87.8% from all pregnant women included in this study have been hospitalized due to premature birth, hypertensive disorders, and diabetes in pregnancy, and also due to bleeding in the second and third trimester of pregnancy

The preparation of dental glass-ceramic composites with controlled fraction of leucite crystals

This work is dealing with synthesis of leucite powder, which can be used for the preparation of dental glassceramic composites by subsequent thermal treatment. Newly developed procedure is based on preparation of dental raw material as a mixture of two separate compounds: the crystalline leucite powder prepared at relatively low temperature and a commercial matrix powder.Hydrothermal synthesis of tetragonal leucite particles (KAlSi2O6) with the average size of about 3 μm was developed in our laboratory. The leucite dental raw material was prepared by mixing of 20 wt.% of synthetic tetragonal leucite with commercial matrix. Dental composites were prepared from the dental raw material by uniaxial pressing and firing up to 960°C. Dilatometric measurements confirmed that the coefficient of thermal expansion increased by 32% when 20 wt.% of the tetragonal leucite was added into the basic matrix. In addition, it was showed that the synthesized leucite powder was suitable for the preparation of leucite composites with controlled coefficient of thermal expansion. High value of the thermal expansion coefficient enables application of prepared composite in metal-ceramics restorations

Relationship between serum lipid concentrations and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in soldiers with combat experiences.

The aim of our study was to assess concentrations of serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides in soldiers with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in comparison with combat-experienced soldiers without PTSD. The second aim of our study was to explore the relationship between PTSD symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance, increased arousal, and serum lipid levels. In 53 soldiers with combat-related PTSD and 49 with combat experiences without PTSD, serum cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides were assayed by an enzyme-assay method. Soldiers with combat-related PTSD were found to have significantly higher concentrations of cholesterol (P = 0.001), LDL-C (P = 0.002), and triglycerides (P = 0.001) than soldiers without current PTSD. HDL-C was statistically lower (P &#60; 0.001) in soldiers with combat-related PTSD than in those without PTSD. A positive correlation was found between increased arousal and cholesterol (r = 0.464; P = 0.039), or LDL-C (r = 0.479; P = 0.021) concentrations.</p

The assembly and use of tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLMs)

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015. Because they are firmly held in place, tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLMs) are considerably more robust than supported lipid bilayers such as black lipid membranes (BLMs) (Cornell et al. Nature 387(6633): 580–583, 1997). Here we describe the procedures required to assemble and test tethered lipid bilayers that can incorporate various lipid species, peptides, and ion channel proteins

Identifikacija krivotvorenih lijekova za erektilnu disfunkciju iz ilegalnog lanca opskrbe

The appearance of counterfeit medicines in supply chains is a global public health problem that may seriously affect patients. Counterfeit drugs do not meet quality standards and do not declare their real composition and/or source for the purposes of fraud. They may be generic or innovative, they may contain genuine constituents in a fake packaging, or wrong ingredients, or inactive ingredients, or an incorrect quantity of the active substance. In Croatia, no cases of counterfeit medicines have been detected so far, but the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices has received 34 samples of medicines and other products for testing from Zagreb City Police. The samples included medicines for erectile dysfunction: sildenafi l, tadalafi l, and vardenafi l. Twenty-three samples of tablets without marketing authorisation in Croatia were tested with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the declared sildenafi l and tadalafi l content. Samples labelled 1 (batch T/33), 3 (batch T/33), 5 (batch 4), 6 (batch M0016J), 10 (batch T-070235), 12 (batch T-070544), 15 (batch 314833201), 16 (batch 832718474), and 17 (batch 504830028) containing sildenafi l and samples labelled 20 (batch 070356), 21 (batch 05668), and 22 (batch T 378 5) containing tadalafi l did not contain the active substance within the acceptable 95 % to 105 % margin of deviation from the declared content. While most samples cannot be described as fake with a reasonable amount of certainty, there is still a suspicion of counterfeit. A correct conclusion can be drawn only with the assistance of the manufacturers and by conducting additional laboratory tests.Pojava krivotvorenih lijekova u lancima opskrbe globalni je javnozdravstveni problem koji može imati ozbiljnih posljedica za pacijenta. Krivotvoreni lijekovi ne zadovoljavaju propisane standarde kakvoće te su u svrhu prijevare drugačije deklarirani u odnosu na njihov stvarni sastav i/ili podrijetlo. Mogu biti generički, ili inovativni, mogu sadržavati ispravne sastojke, ali pogrešno pakiranje, pogrešne sastojke, ne sadržavati djelatnu tvar ili ne sadržavati dovoljnu količinu djelatne tvari. U Hrvatskoj do sada nisu zabilježeni slučajevi krivotvorenih lijekova, ali je Agencija za lijekove i medicinske proizvode od policijske uprave Zagrebačke zaprimila 34 uzorka lijeka i ostalih proizvoda u svrhu ispitivanja. Od lijekova, radilo se o lijekovima za erektilnu disfunkciju sildenafi lu, tadalafi lu i vardenafi lu. 23 uzorka tableta koji nemaju odobrenje za stavljanje lijeka u promet u Hrvatskoj ispitana su metodom tekućinske kromatografi je visokog učinka (HPLC) na deklarirani sadržaj sildenafi la i tadalafi la. Ustanovljeno je da uzorci pod oznakama 1 (serija T/33), 3 (serijaT/33), 5 (serija 4), 6 (serija M0016J), 10 (serija T-070235), 12 (serija T-070544), 15 (serija 314833201), 16 (serija 832718474), 17 (serija 504830028) koji su sadržavali sildenafi l te uzorci 20 (serija 070356), 21 (serija 05668), 22 (serija T 378 5) i 23 (702099) koji su sadržavali tadalafi l, ne sadržavaju djelatnu tvar unutar prihvatljivih granica odstupanja od 95 % do 105 % od deklarirane vrijednosti. Iako se ne može sa sigurnosti za većinu uzoraka reći da se radi o krivotvorini, ipak se može govoriti o sumnji na krivotvorinu, a cjeloviti zaključak može se izvesti jedino uz suradnju i mišljenje proizvođača te provedbom dodatnih laboratorijskih ispitivanja

Aggression in War Veterans Suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Co-morbid Alcoholism

For thousands of years it has been known that aggression as a symptom appears in numerous psychiatric disorders and diseases. During the last decade the appearance of the aggressive behavior related to the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been frequently investigated, often associated with war trauma. The goal of this study is to analyze the impact of alcoholism on a way war veterans suffering from chronic PTSD express and control aggression. The sample included 240 war veterans with chronic PTSD. The subjects were divided in two groups. PTSD group (n=147) and controlled group composed of those suffering from alcoholism in addition to PTSD (n=93). In this study, the following psychological instruments were used: The Harvard trauma questionnaire for PTSD diagnosis (HTQ); the questionnaire for self-evaluation of aggression (STAXI); The Profile Index Emotion (PIE); questionnaire for auto-diagnosis of alcoholism (CAGE). The obtained results indicate that subjects who have PTSD with co-morbid alcoholism are more deprived, aggressive (p<0.001) and oppositional (p<0.05) in comparison to subjects whose PTSD is not combined with alcoholism (PIE). The aggression is statistically more expressed in subjects with PTSD who have also been diagnosed with alcoholism on all subscales in comparison to subjects with PTDS who have not been diagnosed with alcoholism: the current state of aggression, the general state of aggression, aggression towards an unfair treatment, aggression directed inwards and outwards (p<0.001); aggression towards nonspecific provocation and a general way of expressing aggression (p<0.05) (STAXI). Subjects that had PTSD combined with alcoholism show a higher degree of aggression in comparison to subjects with PTDS who are not diagnosed with alcoholism

Expression of Ki-67, P53 and Progesterone Receptors in Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumors. Diagnostic Value

Aim was to investigate expression of Ki-67, P53 and progesterone receptors (PR) in leiomyomas (LM), smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) and leiomyosarcomas (LMS) and to establish possible usefulness of these three parameters in distinguishing between LM and STUMP, and STUMP and LMS. Retrospective study of 51 uterine smooth muscle neoplasm (16 LM, 18 STUMP, 17 LMS) technically acceptable for analyses from years 2002–2007 from Department of Gynecological and Prenatal Pathology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia. Immunohistochemical analysis of Ki-67, P53 and PR expression was performed. Every nuclei stained brown, regardless of shade intensivity, was considered positive. The interpretation of immunohistochemical staining was expressed as number of positive cells in 100 cell count in most active area of the slide. Non-parametric analysis of variance Kruskal-Walis test was performed. Ki-67 expression was negative in all LM and higher than 5% in 12/18 STUMP and 10/17 LMS. Significant differences were observed between LM and STUMP expression for Ki-67 (p=0.000), and LM and LMS expression for Ki-67 (p=0.000).There was no expression of P53 in LM, expression of P53 was found in 7/17 LMS and 5/18 STUMP. Expression of P53 was significant between LM and LMS (p=0.002), and between LM and STUMP (p=0.006). Expression of PR was found in 16/16 LM and 18/18 STUMP, 10/17 LMS did not show PR expression. Expression of PR was significant between LM and LMS (p=0.018) and STUMP and LMS (p=0.004). The findings of our study in concordance with other study results are helpful information establishing more diagnostic criteria and parameters for diagnosis in doubtful cases between three entities. Immunoassaying for Ki-67, P53 and PR are such parameters. The panel of their expression in specific case eases diagnosis

METABOLIC SYNDROME AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN PATHOLOGICAL PREGNANCY

Base: There are numerous studies that indicate the co-morbidity of a metabolic syndrome and mental disorders. Metabolic syndrome and mental disorders in pregnant women are rarely investigated, especially in pathological pregnancy. Goal: To determine a relationship between predisposed factors in pregnancy and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome as well as to determine the occurrence of psychological symptoms and disorders in pregnant women. Subjects and methods: The tested sample consisted of 162 pregnant women (80 with normal and 82 with pathological pregnancy). For the examination, 3 questionnaires were used: clinical, laboratory, ultrasound and radiological scanning. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to WHO criteria, and psychological symptoms by using the SCL 90-R questionnaire. Results: Metabolic syndrome was confirmed in 19 (23.2%) women with pathological pregnancy. These women had a greater prevalence of psychological symptoms (p<0.001). Conclusion: Women with pathological pregnancy who are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome showed significantly more psychological symptoms