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Purpose To develop and validate a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire for patients with current or previous coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in an international setting. Methods This multicenter international methodology study followed standardized guidelines for a four-phase questionnaire development. Here, we report on the pretesting and validation of our international questionnaire. Adults with current or previous COVID-19, in institutions or at home were eligible. In the pretesting, 54 participants completed the questionnaire followed by interviews to identify administration problems and evaluate content validity. Thereafter, 371 participants completed the revised questionnaire and a debriefing form to allow preliminary psychometric analysis. Validity and reliability were assessed (correlation-based methods, Cronbach’s α, and intra-class correlation coefficient). Results Eleven countries within and outside Europe enrolled patients. From the pretesting, 71 of the 80 original items fulfilled the criteria for item-retention. Most participants (80%) completed the revised 71-item questionnaire within 15 min, on paper (n = 175) or digitally (n = 196). The final questionnaire included 61 items that fulfilled criteria for item retention or were important to subgroups. Item-scale correlations were > 0.7 for all but nine items. Internal consistency (range 0.68–0.92) and test–retest results (all but one scale > 0.7) were acceptable. The instrument consists of 15 multi-item scales and six single items. Conclusion The Oslo COVID-19 QLQ-W61© is an international, stand-alone, multidimensional HRQoL questionnaire that can assess the symptoms, functioning, and overall quality of life in COVID-19 patients. It is available for use in research and clinical practice. Further psychometric validation in larger patient samples will be performed.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as symptoms, functioning, and other health-related quality-of-life concepts are gaining a more prominent role in the benefit–risk assessment of cancer therapies. However, varying ways of analysing, presenting, and interpreting PRO data could lead to erroneous and inconsistent decisions on the part of stakeholders, adversely affecting patient care and outcomes. The Setting International Standards in Analyzing Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Endpoints in Cancer Clinical Trials-Innovative Medicines Initiative (SISAQOL-IMI) Consortium builds on the existing SISAQOL work to establish recommendations on design, analysis, presentation, and interpretation for PRO data in cancer clinical trials, with an expanded set of topics, including more in-depth recommendations for randomised controlled trials and single-arm studies, and for defining clinically meaningful change. This Policy Review presents international stakeholder views on the need for SISAQOL-IMI, the agreed on and prioritised set of PRO objectives, and a roadmap to ensure that international consensus recommendations are achieved.

PhD Thesis defended in 2014 on Zagreb University, Faculty of Forestry, Department for Ecology and Silviculture under the auspices of mentor Academician Igor Anić, PhD. Thesis is in Croatian language with Summary in English and here is presented together with supporting data that were derived during the research process. ABSTRACT: Single-tree mortality is currently predominant type of the pedunculate oak decline in Croatia with serious negative consequences and problems with regard to the management of these forests. Main characteristics of the process are: (i) dieback of old trees; (ii) final tree death is preceded by the progressive decline of vitality and the reduction of the increment, followed by the progressive decline of foliage in the crow and appearance of the symptoms of insects and fungi; (iii) multiple biotic and abiotic factors are involved in the process of decline with varying intensity and duration. Main goal of this research was to establish the role of the morphological features of pedunculate oak trees in the whole decline process, by means of morphological and dendrochronological comparison of damaged and healthy trees within the same site conditions.Research was done in parts of 10 old forest stands in the forest basin Spačva, with total area of 100 ha. 106 circular plots with total area of 7,5 ha were established and measured, morphological features were recorded for 547 pedunculate oak trees, and 343 increment cores were processed in the dendrochronological part of the investigation. Damaged trees are clearly separated from the healthy trees by those morphological features which indicate the size of the growing space that tree has occupied in the stand, with the most important parameters being the crown diameter and the crown projected area. Regression analysis showed that damaged trees have smaller crown diameters and less growing space for the same tree diameter compared with healty trees. Damaged trees had less volume of living cells (i.e. sapwood) compared to healthy trees, but still managed to have a significantly higher ratio of the sapwood volume per growing space unit area. This result indicates the imbalance of the morphology of damaged trees, i.e. greater demand on carbon than the tree with the space available and limited resources was able to supply. Almost all of the dead trees and the major part of the declining trees had the crown projection area smaller than the critical values established for the self-thinning conditions. Dendrochronological analysis revealed that damaged trees in all investigated stands lagged with radial increment behind the healthy trees for long periods of time. Radial increment of the damaged trees in the period 1945-2007 was 20.1% to 39.8% lower compared to the healthy trees. Large variability and fluctuations of the radial increment, indicative of the growing in unfavorable conditions, was also established in damaged trees. Four negative indicator years were discovered in the increment cores of all investigated stands, suggesting that 1957, 1971, 1979 and 1998 were the years with difficult growth conditions in the whole of the research area. In the process of single-tree pedunculate oak decline, the morphological features have a very prominent role as a predisposing factor. Failure to acquire the necessary share of the potential growing space for the species is the first step in the gradual decline of tree's vitality and its increment. Tree becomes more vulnerable to the negative impacts of inciting factors such as drought, water-logging or defoliation by insects. Impact of the inciting factors, as established in the four negative pointer years, contributes to the further decline in tree's vitality, followed by the attacks of pathogens which in the end eventually kill the tree.

The aim of this paper is to specify the use of clinically proven probiotics in common pediatric gastrointestinal disorders. The PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched in May and June 2018, using the following key words: „probiotics“, „children“, „antibiotic associated diarrhea“, „acute gastroenteritis“, and „functional gastrointestinal disorders“. Only studies published in English and published data were considered. The search included clinical trials, systematic reviews, guidelines and recommendations for clinical practice, and only relevant, high-quality and recent data were taken into account. Probiotics in general are nowadays used for numerous clinical indications and there is also a very large and still growing number of papers addressing this issue. Conclusion – According to current knowledge, two probiotic strains are recommended for antibiotic associated diarrhea prevention and treatment of acute gastroenteritis, LGG and S. boulardii. For the strain L. reuteri DSM 17938 there is a weak recommendation for treatment of acute gastroenteritis. There are still not enough data to recommend the use of probiotics in pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders, with the exception of L. reuteri DSM 17938 for treatment of infantile colic in breastfed infants.

CAN is communication protocol which is used in automotive industry because of its security and reliability. UDS is a diagnostic communication protocol which enables ECU diagnostics over CAN bus. In this paper, UDS program solution for AURIX platform is proposed. The CAN low level driver is configured for CAN Bus connections upon which UDS program solution is implemented. The implementation of the algorithm is written in ERIKA Enterprise operating system and is run on Infineon Triboard TC297A v1.0 experimental board. The evaluation of the proposed UDS program solution has been done by sending requests by PCAN-USB Pro device and by interpreting the received response.

B-Raf serin/threonin kinase, encoded by the BRAF gene, plays a role in regulating the MAP/ERK signaling pathway, which affects cell division and differentiation se. BRAF V600 mutation is correlated with better response to B-Raf inhibitors in patients with metastatic melanoma. Here we find a new mutation L597S which is a target for MEK inhibitors

Introduction: N-terminal prohormone of atrial natriuretic peptide ((proANP(1–98)) has been extensively analyzed in patients with chronic renal failure. It has been found to be closely related to the renal function and to interdialytic hydration status. The clinical relevance of proANP(1–98) and cystatin C, a novel marker of glomerular filtration, has not been investigated in the subgroup of critically ill septic patients with no history of chronic renal impairment. Methods: We measured plasma level ofproANP(1–98) and cystatin C in 29 critically ill septic patients on admittance to the surgical intensive care unit and correlated it with the occurrence of acute renal failure. Results: The proANP(1–98) plasma level was significantly higher in the group of patients who developed renal failure (12,722 ± 12,421 vs. 2,801± 2,023 fmol/ml, p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis shows that proANP(1–98) on the first day in the intensive care unit has a superior predictive value for the occurrence of renal failure to diuresis, calculated creatinine clearance or cystatin C (r = 0.42, p < 0.039). proANP(1–98) is also higher in non-survivors (9,303.8 ± 11,053 vs. 2,448.5 ± 1,803 fmol/ml, p < 0.018). Conclusion: proANP(1–98) is possibly a better predictor of acute renal failure to calculated creatinine clearance or diuresis among critically ill septic patients. Cystatin C was not correlated with occurrence of acute renal failure in this subgroup of patients.

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences of clinical and laboratory parameters between patients with JAK2-V617F positive myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and JAK2 wild type MPNs. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood granulocytes of 106 patients treated at Rijeka University Hospital Center: 41 with polycythemia vera (PV), 43 with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 9 with primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and 13 with myeloproliferative neoplasm- -unclassifiable (MPN-u). The JAK2-V617F mutation was detected using allele specific PCR. Laboratory and clinical parameters were obtained from patient’s medical records. The JAK2-V617F mutation was detected in 69% (73/106) patients with MPNs. The results revealed significantly different prevalence of JAK2-V617F mutation, between MPNs entities: 88% in PV, 58% in ET, 56% in PMF and 54% in MPNs-unclassified disorders. The JAK2-V617F mutation significantly correlated with higher leukocyte count and alkaline phosphatase score in ET group and with higher platelets count, leukocyte alkaline phosphatase score and serum lactate dehydrogenase in PV group. Vascular events were associated with elevated platelets count in wholeMPNs group, with higher platelets and leukocyte count in ET and with splenomegaly in PV patients. Clinical and laboratory data revealed significant contribution of JAK2-V617F mutation to the development of clinical phenotype in patients with distinct subgroups of MPNs.

Tis contribution gives an overview about forest diversity of coppice forests in general and describes the plant species richness, stand structure and protection status by means of examples from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia and Macedonia. Tere is a trend of decreasing tree species richness observed in coppice forests in several countries in Central and South Eastern Europe, which is considered as one of the main shortcomings of this management approach, both historically as well as in recent years. On the other hand coppice forest management can maintain and improve the characteristic habitats and levels of forest diversity. In this context the overall conversion of coppice forests to high forests and/or the strict protection of sites could lead to a loss of forest diversity in the long run. Te authors conclude that there is still lack of information and knowledge regarding the importance of coppice forests in maintaining forest diversity at various levels.

Background and Purpose: Soil pollution is one of the important stress factors which lead to vitality decrease and forest dieback. For this reason, monitoring of the flux of pollutants into the soil is important activity in forestmanagement and protection. This type of monitoring, comprising quantity and quality of throughfall and soil solution in Croatian lowland forests, was started in 1991 in the Forest Research Institute Jastrebarsko, following the ICP Forest method (International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution on Forests). Materials and Methods: This paper relates to monitoring whichwas established on 3 sample plots in pedunculate oak and common hornbeam forests (Carpino betuli-Quercetum roboris, Anic 1956/emed. Raus 1969), in the regions of Bjelovarska Cesma, Pokupski Basin and Repas (all in NW Croatia). Rain-gauges and bulks were set up on the plots under tree crowns, as well as in open space without vegetation (for the purpose of control). Modified Ebermayer lysimeters were installed in the soil profile under the humus horizon at 10– 20 cm, and in the mineral part of soil at a depth of 100 cm. The field sampling was carried out once a month, and selected ions were analyzed in the water (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4 +– N, Cl– , NO3– – N, SO42– – S). Results: The results indicate an increase in the amount of deposited substances in forest ecosystems. According to analyses most chloride was found in lysimeters at a depth of 10 and 100 cm in the region of the Pokupski Basin ; followed by Cesma and then Repas.Most SO42– – S reached lysimeters at a depth of 10 cm in all regions i.e., in Repas, followed by Cesma and Pokupski. An increase in sulfur also occurred in lysimeters at a depth of 100 cm in the region of Pokupski and Cesma, with smaller increase recorded at Repas. Increase of NO3– – N was highest at a depth of 10 cm in the regions of Cesma and Pokupski. Contents of sodium and chlorine increased most in rhe region of the Pokupski Basin, in a lysimeter at a depth of 100 cm. Potassium on average was most abundant at Cesma in lysimeters at a depth of 10 cm, and somewhat less in the region of Pokupski and Repas. Calcium on average wasmost found in the region of Cesma, in lysimeters at a depth of 100 cm, which can be explained by the increased amount of CaCO3 in deep layers of soil profile. Magnesium was most registered in ^esma at a depth of 100 cm, and then at a depth of 10 cm. A somewhat smaller increase occurred in the Pokupski Basin. Conclusions: All three regions are characterized by significant acidification of forest soils, caused by leaching of air pollutants from tree leaves. Chemical composition of soil solution is disturbed due to increased content of chloride, sulfuric and nitrogenous compounds. The buffer capacity of soils was not the same on all three studied regions (minimum at Pokupski Basin and maximum at Repas, which was the probable consequence of site-specific differences in soil characteristics.

Background and Purpose: Regeneration and conversion of pure spruce plantations is a very important task for forest management in Europe. This subject is less marked in Croatia in view of the fact that in Croatia there are only 75, 000 ha of pure coniferous plantations, which are raised on unstocked forest land. In Croatia, no investigation has yet been carried out on the development of the stand structure, succession processes of autochthonous species and methods of reforestation and conversion of spruce plantations. This study is one of the first which deals with the aforementioned problems. Materials and Methods: Since 1956 five successive measurements (d b h and tree heights, tree-crown diameters, height of crown base, condition and position of a tree, horizontal crown projections, density and structure of regeneration, comparison of chemical and physical characteristics of soils between the plantation, natural stand and meadow) have been performed in a 161-year-old spruce plantation on a permanent experimental plot (1 ha), in which no silvicultural treatments were carried out during the last 42 years. Results and discussion: The period of the last 42 years, during which there were no management interventions in the stand, is characterised by the specific development of the stand structure. The fact is that in the old Norway spruce plantation there was a considerable potential for succession of autochthonous European beech and silver fir, at the time of the first measurement in 1956. However, in spite of two thinnings performed at the beginning of the 48-year long period (66 Norway spruce trees per ha) and 110 naturally cleared (removed) spruce trees during the last 42 years (self-thinning), the processes of beech and fir succession were very slow. Conclusions: The results obtained of slowed down development of the stand structure of an old spruce plantation, and slowed down succession processes, related to the absence of management interventions and delayed regeneration, are discussed in accordance with the results of spruce plantation management in Central Europe. Further investigations are necessary of the old spruce stand in two directions ; under regime without silvicultural treatment (natural development) and under regime by different silvicultural methods.

The aim of this study was to analyze the progression of hand osteoarthritis in rural population and to determine the factors which could influence that progression. Participants of both sexes were 54 - 56 years of age at the first visit. Radiographs of both hands, anthropometry and blood pressure measurement were performed at baseline and than repeated 10 years later. Total number of 286 participants completed the study. Radiographs were red according to Kellgren-Lawrence criteria. Distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints were most frequently affected with osteoarthritis at the baseline and after 10 years. The worst deterioration (three grades) was found in DIP joints in women and in proximal interphalangeal joints in men. Grip strength in men was significantly related with progression of the disease, which allow us to conclude that in our population sample mechanical factors, probably occupational workload, are associated with the more rapid progression of the disease.

Recurrent calcium urolithiasis is often associated with disorders of calcium metabolism. The purpose of this investigation was to assess bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) over a period of 1 year in patients with urolithiasis and to determine the factors that could have influenced the changes in bone density during that period.The patient group comprised 34 men aged 41.2 plus minus 7.9 years with recurrent urolithiasis. A wide spectrum of biochemical measurements was performed. Bone mineral density (g/cm(2)), bone mineral content (BMC), and bone area (BA) were measured twice during a period of 1 year at the lumbar spine (L2-L4), femoral neck, Ward triangle, and trochanter, using dual energy absorptiometry. Patient results were compared to those obtained from 30 healthy male controls of a comparable age group.Nine patients were hypercalciuric, while the majority of the remaining metabolic parameters were within the reference values. Bone mineral content and bone areas at all regions were lower in patients comparing to controls, but not significantly. The greatest annual reduction of BMD was noticed at Ward triangle (-5.70% in patients and -2.36% in controls), followed by femoral neck (-4.06% patients, -2.03% controls) and trochanter (-3.06% patients, -1.39% controls). There was no significant decrease of the BMD of the spine. Analyzing the influence of age, body mass index (BMI), metabolic parameters, and dietary calcium intake on the annual reduction of bone density, we found that age, hyperuricosuria, and calcium intake were significantly associated with bone loss in that time period.Bone mass reduction in patients with urolithiasis over a 1-year period did not differ significantly from that in controls and was principally related to age, hyperuricosuria, and calcium dietary restriction but not to increased calcium excretion.

Fluids for hydraulic machines in forestry are an essential component of cutting systems, transmissions, lifting devices, cooling systems, electric units, their maintenance (washing, cleaning), etc. The use of biodegradable oils on cutting bi ad es of chain saws as well as within the motor and hydraulic systems has become a must. Biodegradable oils have to meet different requirements aimed at keeping biodiversityand natural conditions in ecosystems. Possible further requirements arise from safety considerations - the fluid must be fireproof Qr, due to safety at work, it must have only a slight evaporation tendency. In using hydraulic fluids, special consideration is given to technical development, sometimes achievements of high technology. For several decades now, biologically quickly degradable and toxically less dangerous basic fluids have been available. Their use has become quite significant since the mid-1980s. Considerable confusion has arisen among users and producers regarding different environmentally friendly basic fluids. The number of designations currently in use on the market is several times higher than the number of types of basic fluids available in practice. Therefore, this paper gives a survey of biological oils, the so-called bio-oils, hydraulic fluids often used in forestry. The basic data related to content and characteristics of biological oils are given for the most frequent groups. A short survey is given of the impact of lubricant oils on environment. After explaining the basic terms and presenting the features of bio-oils compared to basic fluids they are made of, special reference is given to biodegradable lubricants for chain saws and bio-oils for hydraulic operating systems of forestry machines. The availability of raw materials for processing bio-oils is considered as well as prospects of their use..