Early Dalmatian farmers specialized in sheep husbandry.

The spread of farming in the central and western Mediterranean took place rapidly, linked to the Impressa Ware. The Impressa Ware originated somewhere in the southern Adriatic and spread westwards across the Mediterranean. These early farmers had an economy based on cereal agriculture and caprine husbandry, but there is still little information on how this agropastoral system functioned. This study aims to unravel the farming practices of the early Dalmatian farmers linked to the Impressa culture by using an integrated analysis, combining archaeozoology, palaeoproteomics and stable isotopes, applied to the faunal assemblages of Tinj-Podlivade and Crno Vrilo. The results show: (1) the composition of the flocks was overwhelmingly sheep; (2) sheep exploitation at both sites was similar, focusing on milk and meat; (3) sheep reproduction was concentrated at the beginning of winter, with no reproduction in autumn as in later sites in the western Mediterranean. We conclude that a common animal economy existed at both sites, which could be related to the mobility practiced by these early farming societies throughout the Mediterranean.

A versatile method for gene dosage quantification: multiplex PCR and single base extension for copy number and gene-conversion identification of SMN genes.

A comparison of the individual genomes within a species demonstrates that structural variation, including copy number variation (CNV), is a major contributor to phenotypic diversity and evolutionary adaptation. CNVs lead to the under/over-expression of a gene, according to the changes in the gene dosage, which account for the development of a number of genomic disorders. Thus, the development of efficient, rapid and accurate CNV screening is of fundamental importance. We report a method that enables the simultaneous determination of the copy numbers of several different targets as well as the discrimination among highly similar/almost identical targets that differ by only one single nucleotide variant, which establishes their copy numbers. The PCR co-amplification and single-base extension technologies are used to identify the copy number of a target sequence relative to a reference sequence of known genomic copy number in a given sample. This efficient and accurate quantification platform was successfully used to quantify the copy numbers of the primary spinal muscular atrophy-determining gene, SMN1, and the disease modifier gene, SMN2. The reliability, low-cost and potential for high-throughput make our method suitable for screening large populations as well as for use as a tool in clinical settings for genetic diagnosis/prognosis.

Demonstration of perycriptal fibroblasts in inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic epithelial lesions of the flat colonic mucosa.

The aim of the paper is the definition of perycriptal fibroblasts (PCFs) distribution in inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic epithelial lesions of flat bowel mucosa. The relationship between the presentation of PCFs and the grade of inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic process in the flat colon mucosa is also examined. Biopsy specimens from 270 patients were examined: 74 were classified as inflammatory-regenerative and 196 as dysplastic lesions (108 mild, 58 moderate, and 30 severe dysplasia). The demonstration of PCFs in biopsy specimens was performed by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody for alpha smooth muscle actin, muscle-specific actin (HHF-35), vimentin and desmin, in comparison with normal mucosa and adenocarcinoma. The PCFs were reduced in inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic mucosa. The reduction was significantly related with the grade of epithelial dysplasia. The carcinomas tended to lack PCF network. During inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic process in flat bowel mucosa, PCFs express alpha smooth muscle actin, muscle specific actin, vimentin and desmin, showing the phenotypical growing expression of potentially present smooth muscle differentation features of fibroblasts. These findings suggest that the reduction of PCFs in dysplastic epithelial lesions may relate to the development of dysplasia in flat bowel mucosa. Reduced number of PCFs in dysplastic mucosa may be a marker for the risk of preneoplastic and neoplastic progression in bowel mucosa.

[Effect of pantoprazole, amoxicillin and metronidazole treatment on the level of H. pylori eradication and the histological image of antral gastritis in patients with duodenal ulcer]. / Ucinak tretmana pantoprazolom, amoksicilinom i metronidazolom na stupanj eradikacije H. pylori i histolosku sliku antralnog gastritisa kod pacijenata sa duodenalnim ulkusom.

BACKGROUND: Relationships between Helicobacter pylori infection, inflammatory changes in antral region of gastric mucosa, and duodenal ulcer is well known and documented in a large number of studies. This trial is designed to examine effect of one week regimen of Pantoprazole, Amoxycillinum and Metronidazol to eradication of H. pylori, duodenal ulcer healing and histological changes on gastric mucosa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 30 patients with active duodenal ulcer, H. pylori-positive, 16 male, with average age 47.12 +/- 13.13 yrs (AVG +/- STD) and 14 female patients with average age 44.47 +/- 12.29 yrs were included in trial. Biopsy of gastric antral region were performed in each patient. Patients were given Pantoprazole 40 mg bid, Amoxycillinum 1000 mg bid, Metronidazolum 500 mg bid for 7 days. After 7 days of treatment, control endoscopy was performed with repeated rapid ureasa test for H. pylori and antral biopsy and with verification of duodenal ulcer healing. Patients were followed up for 24.3 +/- 9.7 weeks for occasion of subjective symptoms. RESULTS: 96.67% patients were presented with eradicated H. pylori, complete ulcer healing was found in 83.34% patients after one week regimen (13.33% patients with ulcer reduced on one third of previous described), 73.33% of patients were presented with histologically feature of chronic gastritis turned from active to stationary phase. CONCLUSION: One week regiment with Pantoprazole, Amoxycilline and Metronidazole is effective, and beside a high rate ulcer healing and eradication of H. pylori it provides an improvement of histological feature of antral gastritis.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in colonic inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic epithelial lesions.

AIM: Immunohistochemical study of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) distribution in inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic changes of bowel mucosa. The relationship between the presentation of CEA and the intensity of inflammatory-regenerative and dysplastic processes in the flat colon mucosa was also examined. METHODS: Biopsy specimens from 105 patients were examined: 45 classified as inflammatory-regenerative and 60 as dysplastic (21 mild, 23 moderate, and 16 severe dysplasia). The expression of CEA was assessed on the basis of location, quantity, and intensity of CEA immunostaining, by counting antigen-positive cells, and the presence of antigen in the lumen of crypts and glycocalyx on the surface of the mucosa. Using a semiquantitative method, antigen staining intensity was defined as weak, moderate, and intense. RESULTS: The quantity of CEA in columnar, goblet mucous, and undifferentiated cells, as well as in the glycocalyx on the surface of the mucosa and in the crypts' content increased proportionally with the intensity of epithelial dysplasia. In inflammatory-regenerative lesions, CEA was located in the apical and supranuclear part of the cytoplasm, and in the dysplastic mucosa, in lateral and basal parts of the cells. CONCLUSION: The quantity of immunohistochemically demonstrable CEA and its intracellular distribution changed in the colon mucosa during the transition from regenerative to dysplastic epithelial lesions. The intensity of CEA expression was closely related to the intensity of dysplastic lesion.

[Duodenal polyps of gastric origin]. / Polipi duodenuma zeludacne geneze.

Recently, thanks to the collected knowledge and increased diagnostic abilities we more often meet the diseases that have been considered very seldom. Beside that, we form the new assumptions that must be proved. Today, more often we meet gastric mucosa in duodenum. That according to some researchers, introduces a real possibility for appearance of the polyps, ulcers or cancer on gastric substratum. In the subject patient the two polyps of the gastric origin were found in a duodenum. That could support the assumption that ectopic gastric mucosa presents one of the real possibilities for appearance of polyps, ulcers and cancer.

[Protective effect of zinc in chromium poisoning in rats]. / Protektivni efekt cinka prilikom trovanja hromom kod pacova.

The effect of a toxic trivalent chromium dose on histopathological changes in rat organs was investigated. To evaluate a protective effect of zinc, rats were treated with ZnCl2 two hours before chromium administration. The protective zinc action was best observed in respect to morphological changes in the organs of chromium poisoned rats, particularly in the liver. The lack of areas of focal necrosis on the liver capsule in the protected group of rats was the most evident macroscopic findings. The histopathological changes observed were in accordance with the results of own previous investigation of the changes in lactate dehydrogenase activity in rat organs induced by chromium and zinc. The mechanisms of the zinc protective effect against chromium poisoning are discussed.

[Isolation of viruses from autopsy material during the Coxsackie virus epidemic in Sarajevo in 1985]. / Izolacija virusa iz obdukcionog materijala za vrijeme epidemije coxsackie viroza, u Sarajevu 1985. god.

In this paper were presented results of isolation of vira from some organs of the dead newborn infants during the epidemy Coxsackie B virosis in Sarajevo in 1985. 12 newborn died. Obduction was done in seven newborn. From the seven obducated, in six were isolated Coxsackie B-3 vira from heart, lungs, brain, liquor, blood, heart blood but the attempts of isolation of the vira from intestine and from pericardial liquor did not succeed.

[Morphologic report and clinical evaluation of findings in a case of complete transposition of the great vessels of the heart and tubular hypoplasia of part of the aortic arch]. / Morfoloski prikaz i klinicka evaluacija nalaza kod slucaja kompletne transpozicije velikih arterija srca i tubularne hipoplazije dijela luka aorte.

We present a case of the coexistence transposition of the great vessels, atrial and ventricular septal defects, and extreme tubular hypoplasia of the aortic arch between the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries. Beside the thorough morphological description of that uncommon combined heart malformation, evaluation of clinical analysis is performed and compared with theoretically reconstructed chemodynamismus during patient's life.