Bariatric surgery and brain health: A longitudinal observational study investigating the effect of surgery on cognitive function and gray matter volume

Dietary modifications leading to weight loss have been suggested as a means to improve brain health. In morbid obesity, bariatric surgery (BARS)—including different procedures, such as vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), gastric banding (GB), or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery—is performed to induce rapid weight loss. Combining reduced food intake and malabsorption of nutrients, RYGB might be most effective, but requires life-long follow-up treatment. Here, we tested 40 patients before and six months after surgery (BARS group) using a neuropsychological test battery and compared them with a waiting list control group. Subsamples of both groups underwent structural MRI and were examined for differences between surgical procedures. No substantial differences between BARS and control group emerged with regard to cognition. However, larger gray matter volume in fronto-temporal brain areas accompanied by smaller volume in the ventral striatum was seen in the BARS group compared to controls. RYGB patients compared to patients with restrictive treatment alone (VSG/GB) had higher weight loss, but did not benefit more in cognitive outcomes. In sum, the data of our study suggest that BARS might lead to brain structure reorganization at long-term follow-up, while the type of surgical procedure does not differentially modulate cognitive performance

The role of open innovation and absorptive capacity in innovation performance : empirical evidence from Slovenia

Although research on open innovation practices in larger and smaller organisations has been growing for over a decade, there has been limited evidence on the topic related to new and candidate members of the European Union. Existing studies of open innovation have predominantly focused on the examination of the phenomenon in companies from the most developed European countries (i.e. EU15). In this research, we examine how absorptive capacity and open innovation interact to impact innovation performance, based on a large dataset of companies operating in Slovenia. We contribute to the literature on open innovation by showing how an organisation’s capacity for open innovation can be used to its full potential in order to impact the firm’s performance

PREVENTIVNA ZDRAVSTVENA ZAŠTITA SPECIFIČNIH SKUPINA ZAPOSLENIKA - SLUČAJ TURISTIČKIH VODIČA I TURISTIČKIH PRATITELJA

The article focuses on the question how tourist agencies take care of preventive health care issues of a specific group of employees, tour guides and tour managers. Tour guides and tour managers are due to their work constantly exposed to certain travel diseases. Since tour guides and tour managers in most cases are not employed by tourist agencies, i.e. they are mostly self-employed, tourist agencies do not have the same legal obligation towards them as if they were their direct employees. How ever it is in the interest of any employer to have their employees healthy. Through perspective of professionalism the issue we are exploring shows how well tourist agencies are taking care of their employees. Our research was done among tour guides and tour managers in Slovenia, with a sample of 500, what represents 25.27% of total population. Altogether we received 120 responses what represents 24.00% of all interviewees or 6.06% of the whole population of tour guides and tour managers in Slovenia. We found out that the lack of insufficiently regulated job status of tour guides and tour managers lowers the standard of professionalism when it comes to preventive health care, and threatens the quality of service in tourism sector. How ever we have also found out that those tour guides and tour managers that work more often in potentially high risk environments tend to have more support from the tourist agencies that are providing them their jobs. How ever their support is still not nearly enough to make a substantial difference.Članak se usredotočuje na pitanje kako turističke agencije brinu o pitanju preventivne zdravstvene zaštite specifične skupine zaposlenika, turističkih vodiča i turističkih pratitelja. Turistički vodiči i turistički pratitelji su zbog prirode posla koji obavljaju stalno izloženi određenim bolestima. Budući da turistički vodiči i turistički pratitelji u većini slučajeva nisu zaposlenici turističkih agencija, odnosno uglavnom su samozaposleni, turističke agencije nemaju istu pravnu obvezu prema njima kao da su njihovi zaposlenici. No, u interesu je svakog poslodavca da su mu zaposlenici zdravi. Kroz perspektivu profesionalnosti problem koji istražujemo pokazuje koliko dobro turističke agencije vode brigu o svojim zaposlenicima. Naše istraživanje provedeno je među turističkim vodičima i turističkim pratiteljima u Sloveniji, na uzorku od 500, što predstavlja 25,27% od ukupnog broja te populacije. Sveukupno smo primili 120 odgovora što predstavlja 24,00% svih ispitanika ili 6,06% ukupne populacije vodiča i pratitelja u Sloveniji. Doznali smo da nedostatno regulirani status posla turističkih vodiča i turističkih pratitelja smanjuje standard profesionalizma kada je riječ o preventivnoj zdravstvenoj skrbi, a prijeti i kvaliteti usluga u turizmu općenito. Međutim, doznali smo i da oni vodiči i pratitelji koji često rade u potencijalno visoko rizičnom okruženju imaju veću podršku turističkih agencija koje ih angažiraju. No njihova podrška još uvijek nije ni približno dovoljna da bi činila značajniju razliku

Helichrysum oil from the Balkan Peninsula

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G.Don (Asteraceae) is widespread in the Mediterranean area and represented by several subspecies. Among them Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G.Don subsp. italicum is the main source of commercial Helichrysum oil, used in aromatherapy and natural cosmetics due to antiaging properties.In the recent time, a big cultivation area was established along the Adriatic coastal region, where the plant is native, and the continental area including Bosnia and Hercegovina, Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria.The chemical composition of Helichrysum oil can vary and depends on the subspecies and habitat. The main constituents are: monoterpenes (α- and β-pinenes, limonene), monoterpenes esters (neryl acetate), sesquiterpenes (italicene, α-humulene, β-caryophyllene, α-copaene, α-, β- and γ-curcumenes, α- and β-selinene) and diketones (italdiones)

Thalamic Aphasia: a Review

Purpose of Review Thalamic aphasia is a rare language disorder resulting from lesions to the thalamus. While most patients exhibit mild symptoms with a predominance of lexical-semantic difficulties, variations in phenotype have been described. Overall, the exact mechanisms of thalamic aphasia await empirical research. The article reviews recent findings regarding phenotypes and possible underlying mechanisms of thalamic aphasia. Recent Findings Variations in phenotype of thalamic aphasia may be related to different lesion locations. Overall, the thalamus' role in language is thought to be due to its involvement in cortico-thalamic language networks with lesioning of certain nuclei resulting in the diachisis of otherwise interconnected areas. Its possible monitoring function in such a network might be due to its different cellular firing modes. However, no specific evidence has been collected to date. While recent findings show a more distinct understanding of thalamic aphasia phenotypes and possible underlying mechanisms, further research is needed. Additionally, as standard language testing might oftentimes not pick up on its subtle symptoms, thalamic aphasia might be underdiagnosed

Frequency, clinical presentation and outcome of vigilance impairment in patients with uni- and bilateral ischemic infarction of the paramedian thalamus

Ischemic stroke of the paramedian thalamus is a rare differential diagnosis in sudden altered vigilance states. While efforts to describe clinical symptomatology exist, data on the frequency of paramedian thalamic stroke as a cause of sudden impaired vigilance and on accompanying clinical signs and outcome are scarce. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients admitted to a tertiary stroke center between 2010 and 2019 diagnosed with paramedian thalamic stroke. We evaluated frequency of vigilance impairment (VI) due to paramedian thalamic stroke, accompanying clinical signs and short-term outcome in uni- versus bilateral paramedian lesion location. Of 3896 ischemic stroke patients, 53 showed a paramedian thalamic stroke location (1.4%). VI was seen in 29/53 patients with paramedian thalamic stroke and in 414/3896 with any stroke (10.6%). Paramedian thalamic stroke was identified as causal to VI in 3.4% of all patients with initial VI in the emergency department and in 0.7% of all ischemic stroke patients treated in our center. Accompanying clinical signs were detected in 21 of these 29 patients (72.4%) and facilitated a timely diagnosis. VI was significantly more common after bilateral than unilateral lesions (92.0% vs. 21.4%; p < 0.001). Patients with bilateral paramedian lesions were more severely affected, had longer hospital stays and more frequently required in-patient rehabilitation. Paramedian thalamic lesions account for about 1 in 15 stroke patients presenting with impaired vigilance. Bilateral paramedian lesion location is associated with worse stroke severity and short-term outcome. Paying attention to accompanying clinical signs is of importance as they may facilitate a timely diagnosis

Frequency and phenotype of thalamic aphasia

Background: Aphasia is a recognized presenting symptom of thalamic lesions. Little is known regarding its frequency and phenotype. We examined the frequency of thalamic aphasia following Isolated Acute unilateral ischemic Lesions in the Thalamus (IALT) with respect to lesion location. Furthermore, we characterized thalamic aphasia according to affected language domains and severity. Methods: Fifty-two patients with IALT were analyzed [44% female, median age: 73 years (IQR: 60-79)]. Lesion location was determined using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and categorized as anterior, posterior, paramedian or inferolateral. Standardized language assessment was performed using the validated Aphasia checklist (ACL) directly after symptom onset. Aphasia was defined as an ACL sum score of < 135 (range: 0-148). Results: Of 52 patients, 23 (44%) fulfilled the ACL diagnostic criteria for aphasia, including nearly all lesion locations and both sides. The average ACL sum score was 132 +/- 11 (range: 98-147). Aphasia was characterized by deficits within domains of complex understanding of speech and verbal fluency. Patients with left anterior IALT were most severely affected, having significantly lower ACL scores than all other patients (117 +/- 13 vs. 135 +/- 8; p < 0.001). In particular, aphasia in patients with left anterior IALT was characterized by significantly worse performance in the rating of verbal communication, verbal fluency, and naming (all p <= 0.001). Conclusion: Aphasia occurs in almost half of patients with focal thalamic lesions. Thalamic aphasia is not confined to one predefined thalamic lesion location, but language deficits are particularly pronounced in patients with left anterior IALT presenting with a distinct pattern

Structural investigations in pure-silica and Al-ZSM-12 with MTEA or TEA cations

Two different quaternary ammonium cations, methyltriethyl- (MTEA) and tetraethylammonium cations (TEA) were used as templates in the synthesis of pure-silica as well as aluminosilicate ZSM-12 (MTW-type) frameworks. The distribution of the template cations in the 12-membered rings channels in the 1-dimensional framework topology was studied; thus the as-prepared products were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction, Raman, transmission FTIR, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and elemental analyses and SEM. It was shown that in pure-silica (PS) ZSM-12, TEA cations are well ordered - a superstructure with three-times longer b edge (in comparison to unit cell of empty framework) along the channel is formed, which can be seen by virtue of a few additional peaks in the X-ray powder pattern. Herein we describe that its aluminosilicate counterpart with TEA also contains ordered TEA cations and is isostructural to PS-ZSM-12. Conversely, in both pure-silica and aluminosilicate ZSM-12 frameworks with MTEA, the cations are disordered and no superstructure is formed