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Introduction: During the last two and a half years, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has spread around the world. Most of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are designed to produce anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the viral S-glycoprotein. The aim of this study was to measure the anti-S antibody titres among the medical personnel who had been fully vaccinated with different types of vaccines, and to compare them with those who were COVID-19 convalescents. Material and methods: In this study serum was collected from 261 healthcare workers, of whom 227 were vaccinated, while 34 were recovered participants who were not immunised. Serum samples were collected 21 days after the first dose and 60 and 180 days after the second dose of the vaccines and tested with a commercial ELISA kit. Results: The highest antibody level (12 AU/ml) was measured in the Pfizer-BioNTech group, followed by Sinopharm (9.3 AU/ml), Sputnik V (5.9 AU/ml), Sinovac (4.6 AU/ml) and Oxford/Astra- Zeneca vaccine (2.5 AU/ml) 60 days after the second dose of the vaccines (90 days after the first dose). The seropositivity rate for mRNA vaccine was 88.5%, for vector vaccines 86.2% and for inactivated vaccines 71.4%. When comparing these antibody levels with COVID-19 convalescents, higher antibody titres were found in vaccinated participants (5.76 AU/ml vs 7.06 AU/ml), but the difference was not significant (p = 0.08). Conclusions: Individuals vaccinated with mRNA and vector vaccines had a higher seroconversion rate compared to the group vaccinated with inactivated vaccines, or convalescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to explore howinvestment in r&d, training of employees, branding and reputation, design and acquisition of technology affect business performance measured in terms of turnover growth in firms operating in eu countries at different levels of innovation performance. This study contributes to the literature by identifying activities that lead to business growth of firms in less innovative countries for which r&d is less relevant. Empirical part of the paper relies on survey data from Flash Eurobarometer 433 (European Commission 2016). Research findings reveal rather complex story behind business growth of firms across eu countries. Impact of r&d on business growth indeed varies across eu countries at different levels of innovativeness. In countries at lower level of innovativeness business growth relies on training of employees, branding and reputation as well as acquisition of new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential problems of DNA extraction from formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tissue samples and amplification efficiency of Human papilloma virus (HPV) may occur in the molecular studies of head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC). The aim of this study was to compare HPV detection rate in FFPE tissues of oral, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal cancers using two silica‐based extraction kits and three amplification methods. A total of 50 FFPE specimens from HNSCC tissues were analyzed. The quality and quantity of the extracted DNA were tested by spectrophotometry. HPV DNA was detected using a single polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a nested PCR, and a Real‐time PCR kit. Statistically significantly higher DNA quality and quantity was observed using the QIAamp DNA FFPE Tissue Kit than when using the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit. There was not HPV amplification in any of the 50 FFPE samples using the single PCR and Real‐time PCR kits, whereas HPV DNA was detected in 22% of samples using nested PCR. Comparing results of the three different methods showed that HPV DNA was detected only with nested PCR. The results presented imply that nested PCR is the most appropriate method for the detection of HPV DNA in FFPE samples, along with adequate DNA extraction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim. The oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers are among the most common cancers worldwide with the multifactorial etiology. The aim of this study was to determine the major risk factors among patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal tumors in Serbia. Methods. A total of 63 patients with biopsy proven malignant (33 patients) or benign (30 patients) oral cavity or oropharyngeal lesions were included in this study. The data about gender, age, smoking habits and alcohol consumption were obtained from the routine medical files. The detection and genotyping of human papillomavirus (HPV) was done in paraffin embedded tissue samples using in situ hybridization. Results. Malignant lesions were more frequent in men, smokers and patients who consume alcohol with a statistically significant difference compared to the patients with benign lesions. The prevalence of HPV infection was higher in patients with malignant lesions compared to patients with benign lesions, but without statistically significant difference. High risk genotypes were detected only in patients with malignant lesions of tonsils and base tongue cancer, while low risk types were demonstrated in patients with benign lesions with a highly statistically significant difference. Conclusion. The results point to the significant association of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and high risk HPV genotypes as risk factors for oral cavity and oropharyngeal carcinomas in Serbian patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to explore howinvestment in r&d, training of employees, branding and reputation, design and acquisition of technology affect business performance measured in terms of turnover growth in firms operating in eu countries at different levels of innovation performance. This study contributes to the literature by identifying activities that lead to business growth of firms in less innovative countries for which r&d is less relevant. Empirical part of the paper relies on survey data from Flash Eurobarometer 433 (European Commission 2016). Research findings reveal rather complex story behind business growth of firms across eu countries. Impact of r&d on business growth indeed varies across eu countries at different levels of innovativeness. In countries at lower level of innovativeness business growth relies on training of employees, branding and reputation as well as acquisition of new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a list of references cited in an article titled "Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: biofilm-associated genes, biofilm-eradication potential of disinfectants, and biofilm-inhibitory effects of Selenium nanoparticles." The article discusses the antibiotic resistance mechanisms of Acinetobacter baumannii, a pathogen that causes infections in healthcare settings. The references include studies on the clinical and molecular characteristics of A. baumannii, the role of biofilm formation in disease pathogenesis, and the potential use of Selenium nanoparticles in inhibiting biofilm formation. The references provide a range of perspectives and research findings on the topic. [Extracted from the article]

The slow progress of innovation in transition economies is not related just to firms' decision to invest in innovation activities. Rather, it is worth distinguishing between their decision to increase investment, reduce it, keep their investments at the same level or not invest in innovation activities at all. To understand these decisions we develop and estimate models for post-transition and developed European countries employing multinomial probit. The analysis relies on responses of 2580 firms from 11 post-transition countries and 4058 firms from 18 European countries collected by the Flash Eurobarometer 433 - Innobarometer 2016 survey. We have established that the firms' decision making process in general is mostly related to previous innovation investment experience. In transition countries, the higher the percent of turnover invested in innovation, the lower the probability of an increase in the future. In the firms operating in developed economies, lower turnover from new products is related to the decision to decrease innovation investment in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-transition countries struggle in their attempt to catch-up the more advanced market economies with more or less success. Simultaneously, the business performance of the countries whose innovation indicators lag behind the desired levels seems relatively poor. Often emphasized problems in post-transition countries regard the relations of fi rms with government institutions. We analyze perceptions of innovative and non-innovative fi rms in dealing with government officials, aiming to explore if these two groups of fi rms share similar experiences with tax administration, business licensing and courts officials. The analysis is focused on 17 European post-transition countries that are either EU members or accession countries. The results reveal that corrected for selection mechanism, innovative fi rms do not perceive courts as an obstacle to their business activities more than non-innovative fi rms, although they seem to participate more in court-related procedures. Furthermore, innovative fi rms in these countries are more likely to perceive licensing and tax administration as obstacles to their business. Thus, specific policy measures aimed at creating positive business environment should be designed in order to enhance innovation activities and support long-term growth prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck cancers (HNC) are a heterogeneous group of diseases. Histopathological, these are head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) epithelium of the skin, mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract, pharynx and larynx. HNSCC is the fifth leading cause of cancer worldwide. The most important risk factors are alcohol and smoking. In the recent years, the studies have been conducted in order to prove the role of HPV in HNSCC carcinogenesis. The prevalence of HPV in HNSCC is 30%. HPV is often detected in biological materials of males. People with HPV positive HNSCC respond better to treatment and have a better treatment outcome than patients with no proven HPV. In the future, HPV should be the marker that will influence the choice of therapy in patients with HNSCC, but also the factor that will indicate the outcome of this malignancy in the human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some intestinal nematodes of dogs and cats show zoonotic potential, and therefore they are of public-health significance. In the territory of the city of Banja Luka, 149 samples were examined (131 of dogs and 18 cats), with 40 samples of dog feces collected from two public areas in the city. Parasitological examination (saturated zinc sulfate floatation and determination of larvae and adult parasites in feces) resulted in the following data: Toxocara canis (9.16%), Ancylostomatidae (5.34%), Trichuris vulpis (7.63%), Toxascaris leonina (1.52%), Toxocara cati (33.3%), Trichuris spp. (5.5%) and Hydatigera taeniaeformis (5.5%). On the basis of the obtained results we can conclude that the intestinal nematodes are more widespread than is generally assumed and therefore represent a health problem for dogs and cats in the territory of Banja Luka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]