Dissecting the components of error in analogue report tasks : Error in analogue report tasks.

Over the last two decades, the analogue report task has become a standard method for measuring the fidelity of visual representations across research domains including perception, attention, and memory. Despite its widespread use, there has been no methodical investigation of the different task parameters that might contribute to response variability. To address this gap, we conducted two experiments manipulating components of a typical analogue report test of memory for colour hue. We found that human response errors were independently affected by changes in storage and maintenance requirements of the task, demonstrated by a strong effect of set size even in the absence of a memory delay. In contrast, response variability remained unaffected by physical size of the colour wheel, implying negligible contribution of motor noise to task performance, or by its chroma radius, highlighting non-uniformity of the standard colour space. Comparing analogue report to a matched forced-choice task, we found variation in adjustment criterion made a limited contribution to analogue report variability, becoming meaningful only with low representational noise. Our findings validate the analogue report task as a robust measure of representational fidelity for most purposes, while also quantifying non-representational sources of noise that would limit its reliability in specialized settings.

Recurrent deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities as a result of compression of large horseshoe kidney cysts in double inferior vena cava - Successfully treatment with sclerotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Horseshoe kidney is a well-known congenital anomaly and the most common anomaly of the upper urinary tract. This condition is rarely associated with anomalous inferior vena cava (IVC). Polycystic horseshoe kidney is a very rare occurrence and however IVC anomalies common with polycistic disease are an increasingly recognized risk factor for iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis. METHOD: We present a case of 75-year-old patient with recurrent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of right leg as a result of compression of large horseshoe kidney cysts in double inferior vena cava. RESULTS: Large renal cyst were successful treated percutaneously punctured for the relief of compression and received injection of acidic solutions of 95% ethanol under ultrasound guidance for prevention against re-accumulation of cyst fluid. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous aspiration with ultrasound guidance with injection of sclerosing solutions as a relatively simple procedure and can be the method of choice for treatment of renal cysts. Also, any recurrent deep vein thrombosis on lower extremity requires additional evaluation in the form of an ultrasound or multidetector computed tomography examination of the abdomen.

Swap errors in visual working memory are fully explained by cue-feature variability.

In cue-based recall from working memory, incorrectly reporting features of an uncued item may be referred to as a "swap" error. One account of these errors ascribes them to variability in memory for the cue features leading to erroneous selection of a non-target item, especially if it is similar to the target in the cue-feature dimension. However, alternative accounts of swap errors include cue-independent misbinding, and strategic guessing when the cued item is not in memory. Here we investigated the cause of swap errors by manipulating the variability with which either cue or report features (orientations in Exp 1; motion directions in Exp 2) were encoded. We found that swap errors increased with increasing variability in memory for the cue features, and their changing frequency could be quantitatively predicted based on recall variability when the same feature was used for report. These results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that swaps are a strategic response to forgotten items, and suggest that swap errors could be wholly accounted for by confusions due to cue-dimension variability. In a third experiment we examined whether spatial configuration of memory arrays in tasks with spatial cueing has an influence on swap error frequency. We observed a specific tendency to make swap errors to non-targets located precisely opposite to the cued location, suggesting that stimulus positions are partially encoded in a non-metric format.

Preoperative Anxiety is Associated With Postoperative Complications in Vascular Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety is associated with increased morbidity and/or mortality in surgical patients. This study investigated the incidence, predictors, and association of preoperative anxiety with postoperative complications in vascular surgery. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing aortic, carotid, and peripheral artery surgery, under general and regional anesthesia, from February until October 2019 were included in a cross-sectional study. Anesthesiologists assessed preoperative anxiety using a validated Serbian version of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale. Patients were divided into groups with low/high anxiety, both anesthesia- and surgery-related. Statistical analysis included multivariate linear logistic regression and point-biserial correlation. RESULTS: Of 402 patients interviewed, 16 were excluded and one patient refused to participate (response rate 99.7%). Out of 385 patients included (age range 39-86 years), 62.3% had previous surgery. High-level anesthesia- and surgery-related anxieties were present in 31.2 and 43.4% of patients, respectively. Independent predictors of high-level anesthesia-related anxiety were having no children (OR = 0.443, 95% CI: 0.239-0.821, p = 0.01), personal bad experiences with anesthesia (OR = 2.294, 95% CI: 1.043-5.045, p = 0.039), and time since diagnosis for ≥ 4 months (OR = 1.634, 95% CI: 1.023-5.983, p = 0.04). The female sex independently predicted high-level surgery-related preoperative anxiety (OR = 2.387, 95% CI: 1.432-3.979, p = 0.001). High-level anesthesia-related anxiety correlated with postoperative mental disorders (rpb = 0.193, p = 0.001) and pulmonary complications (rpb = 0.104, p = 0.042). Postoperative nausea (rpb = 0.111, p = 0.03) and postoperative mental disorders (rpb = 0.160, p = 0.002) correlated with high-level surgery-related preoperative anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Since preoperative anxiety affects the postoperative course and almost every third patient experiences anxiety preoperatively, routine screening might be recommended in vascular surgery.

Correlation Between Proteolytic Activity and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Wall Morphology with Intraluminal Thrombus Volume.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of intraluminal thrombus (ILT) volume on the level of proteolytic activity and the content of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) wall. METHODS: The research was designed as a cross-sectional study at the Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia in the period from April 2017 to February 2018. During this period, a total of 155 patients with asymptomatic AAA underwent open surgical treatment and 50 were included in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Before surgery, patients included in the study were examined by MRI. During the operation, samples of ILT and AAA wall were taken for biochemical analysis. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was found between the volume of the ILT and largest AAA diameter (ρ = 0.56; P < 0.001). The correlation of the ILT volume on the anterior wall and the concentration of MMP-9, MMP-2 and NE/ELA in the wall did not find statistical significance. Also, no statistically significant association was found between the volume of ILT and the concentration of ECM proteins (collagen type 3, elastin, proteoglycan) in the corresponding part of the wall. The association of ILT volume with MDA was also of no statistical significance. There was a positive statistical significance found in correlation of volume of ILT and catalase activity in the wall of AAA (ρ = 0.28, P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: The volume of ILT in the aneurysmal sac seemed not to affect the level of proteolytic activity and the content of the aneurysm wall. However, a positive correlation was found between the ILT and the catalase activity. The effect of ILT on the aneurysm wall and its role in the progression of aneurysmal disease should be examined in future studies.

Identification of Risk Factors and Development of Predictive Risk Score Model for Mortality after Open Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Background and Objectives: Despite the relatively large number of publications concerning the validation of these models, there is currently no solid evidence that they can be used with absolute precision to predict survival. The goal of this study is to identify preoperative factors that influenced 30-day mortality and to create a predictive model after open ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) repair. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective single-center cohort study derived from a prospective collected database, between 1 January 2009 and 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify all significant predictive factors. Variables that were identified in the multivariate analysis were dichotomized at standard levels, and logistic regression was used for the analysis. To ensure that dichotomized variables were not overly simplistic, the C statistic was evaluated for both dichotomized and continuous models. Results: There were 500 patients with complete medical data included in the analysis during the study period. Of them, 37.6% were older than 74 years, and 83.8% were males. Multivariable logistic regression showed five variables that were predictive of mortality: age > 74 years (OR = 4.01, 95%CI 2.43−6.26), loss of consciousness (OR = 2.21, 95%CI 1.11−4.40), previous myocardial infarction (OR = 2.35, 95%CI 1.19−4.63), development of ventricular arrhythmia (OR = 4.54, 95%CI 1.75−11.78), and DAP < 60 mmHg (OR = 2.32, 95%CI 1.17−4.62). Assigning 1 point for each variable, patients were stratified according to the preoperative RAAA mortality risk score (range 0−5). Patients with 1 point suffered 15.3% mortality and 3 points 68.2% mortality, while all patients with 5 points died. Conclusions: This preoperative RAAA score identified risk factors readily assessed at the bedside and provides an accurate prediction of 30-day mortality after open repair of RAAA.

SIMON, an Automated Machine Learning System, Reveals Immune Signatures of Influenza Vaccine Responses.

Machine learning holds considerable promise for understanding complex biological processes such as vaccine responses. Capturing interindividual variability is essential to increase the statistical power necessary for building more accurate predictive models. However, available approaches have difficulty coping with incomplete datasets which is often the case when combining studies. Additionally, there are hundreds of algorithms available and no simple way to find the optimal one. In this study, we developed Sequential Iterative Modeling "OverNight" (SIMON), an automated machine learning system that compares results from 128 different algorithms and is particularly suitable for datasets containing many missing values. We applied SIMON to data from five clinical studies of seasonal influenza vaccination. The results reveal previously unrecognized CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets strongly associated with a robust Ab response to influenza Ags. These results demonstrate that SIMON can greatly speed up the choice of analysis modalities. Hence, it is a highly useful approach for data-driven hypothesis generation from disparate clinical datasets. Our strategy could be used to gain biological insight from ever-expanding heterogeneous datasets that are publicly available.

Impact of Bypass Flow Assessment on Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Transit time flow meter (TTFM) allows quick and accurate intraoperative graft assessment. The main study goal is to evaluate the influence of graft flow measurements on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) undergoing bellow the knee (BTK) vein bypass surgery. METHODS: Between January 1st, 1999 and January 1st, 2006, 976 CLTI consecutive patients underwent lower extremity bypass surgery. When applying the exclusion criteria, 249 patients were included in the final analysis. Control measurements were performed at the end of the procedure. Patients were divided according to the mean (more/less than 100 ml/min) and diastolic graft flow (more/less than 40 ml/min) values in four groups. The primary endpoints were a major adverse limb event (male) and primary graft patency. RESULTS: After the median follow-up of 68 months, a group with the mean graft flow below 100 ml/min and the diastolic graft flow below 40 ml/min had the highest rates of male (χ2 = 36.60, DF = 1, P < 0.01, log-rank test) and the worst primary graft patency (χ2 = 53.05, DF = 1, P < 0.01, log-rank test). CONCLUSION: In patients with CLTI undergoing BTK vein bypass surgery, TTFM parameters, especially combined impact of mean graft flow less than 100 ml/min and diastolic graft flow less than 40 ml/min, were associated with an increased risk of poor long-term male and primary graft patency.

Hybrid repair of aortic arch with zone zero endografting-Case series with review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: We present single-institution results of types I and II hybrid procedures for aortic arch disease with 30-day and long-term results and review of the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all patients that underwent zone 0 endografting and open bypass from ascending aorta to the arch vessels at our institution between January 2013 and 2020. The following data for the systematic review were extracted from eligible studies: 30-day/in-hospital mortality, stroke rate, spinal cord ischemia (SCI) rate, renal failure requiring dialysis, development of retrograde dissection, early (<30 days) types I and III endoleak, follow-up length, late (>30 days) endoleak, and late (>30 days) mortality. RESULTS: Twelve patients underwent hybrid aortic arch treatment in our institution. The most common aortic arch pathology was degenerative aortic aneurysm. The rate of retrograde dissection and SCI was 8.33%. Regarding the literature data, a total of 768 patients undergoing types I and II hybrid aortic arch debranching procedure. The pooled rate of 30-day/in-hospital mortality was 10.96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.21-14.06), SCI pooled rate was 2.91% (95% CI, 1.76%-4.33%), and retrograde dissection pooled rate was 3.22% (95% CI, 1.99-4.72). CONCLUSION: Hybrid arch techniques provide safe alternative to open repair with acceptable short- and midterm results.

Influence of preoperative statins and aspirin administration on biological and magnetic resonance imaging properties in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Background: Main objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of statins and/or acetylsalicylic acid on biochemical characteristics of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) wall and intraluminal thrombus (ILT). Patients and methods: Fifty patients with asymptomatic infrarenal AAA were analyzed using magnetic resonance imaging on T1w sequence. Relative ILT signal intensity (SI) was determined as a ratio between ILT and psoas muscle SI. Samples containing the full ILT thickness and aneurysm wall were harvested from the anterior surface at the level of the maximal diameter. The concentration of enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9, MMP2 and neutrophil elastase (NE/ELA) were analyzed in ILT and AAA wall; while collagen type III, elastin and proteoglycan 4 were analyzed in harvested AAA wall. Oxidative stress in the AAA wall was assessed by catalase and malondialdehyde activity in tissue samples. Results: Relative ILT signal intensity (1.09 ± 0.41 vs 0.89 ± 0.21, p = 0.013) were higher in non-statin than in statin group. Patients who were taking aspirin had lower relative ILT area (0.89 ± 0.19 vs 1.13. ± 0.44, p = 0.016), and lower relative ILT signal intensity (0.85 [0.73-1.07] vs 1.01 [0.84-1.19], p = 0.021) compared to non-aspirin group. There were higher concentrations of elastin in AAA wall among patients taking both of aspirin and statins (1.21 [0.77-3.02] vs 0.78 (0.49-1.05) ng/ml, p = 0.044) than in patients who did not take both of these drugs. Conclusions: Relative ILT SI was lower in patients taking statin and aspirin. Combination of antiplatelet therapy and statins was associated with higher elastin concentrations in AAA wall.

Association between Duration of Dialysis and Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Dialysis Patients at the University Clinical Hospital Mostar.

INTRODUCTION: Association of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection with the length of dialysis in dialysis patients is contradictory. This study was conducted in order to determine the association between the duration of dialysis and the HP infection status in the dialysis patients. Furthemore, biochemical parameters were monitored in two subject groups that were included in this study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 51 patients on chronic hemodialysis program who had gastrointestinal symptoms. The subjects were divided in two groups per the length of dialysis treatment. In this study we analyzed age, gender, the time period since the onset of the chronic hemodialysis program, body mass index, biochemical parameters, and whether the patients have arterial hypertension and/or diabetes. The presence of HP antigen was determined in the stool samples with use of he UlcoGnost AG test plate. RESULTS: The incidence of HP infection in hemodialysis patients, with some of the gastrointestinal symptoms, was 25.5%. Patients on hemodialysis for less than 24 months had lower incidence of HP infection than those on hemodialysis program for more than 24 months. HP positive and HP negative subjects were also compared by gender, age, biochemical parameters and body mass index. There was no statistical significant difference between the groups in any of those characteristics. When comparing the HP status of the subjects with the presence of arterial hypertension and diabetes, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. CONCLUSION: This study showed negative correlation between HP infection and the length of hemodialysis program. Analysis of age, gender, body mass index, biochemical parameters, presence of arterial hypertension and/or diabetes showed no statistically significant difference was found between the hemodialysis patients who were HP positive and those who were HP negative. Additional studies are needed to elucidate the correlation mechanism between the HP infection and the duration of dialysis, in order to examine how long the dialysis time period is the most susceptible to HP infection, and then to improve the prognosis of patients with renal disease.

Inappropriate Use of Topical Corticosteroides in the Dermatology Outpatient.

INTRODUCTION: Topical corticosteroids are group of drugs which have anti-in?ammatory, immuno-suppressive, anti-proliferative and vasoconstrictive effects and are among the most commonly prescribed medication, important and efficacious for management of various dermatological disorders. Strict implementation of the existing regulations is the need of the hour to prevent their widespread abuse. Aim of the study was to investigate the usage of topical corticosteroids therapy with the recipe of a doctor and without it. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The subjects were patients who visited Pharmacies in Mostar from April to July 2020 and were buying topical corticosteroids with or without a recipe or medical report from the doctor. 80 subjects completed a questionnaire themselves included: the way of buying a topical corticosteroids, the information about using topical corticosteroids earlier, the information about subject's visits to the doctor; the length of time using topical corticosteroids, the type of topical corticosteroids used, the part of body the topical corticosteroids was applied on. RESULTS: A total of 80 subjects were treated in the observed period, 58.8% were female. 72.5% subjects had already used local corticosteroids, 62.50% purchased the drug at the recommendation of the pharmacist, 66.30% had no recent diagnosis or no diagnosed disease at all, 21.25% used the drug for more than a month, the most often purchased one was moderate potent local corticosteroid Betamethasone diproprionate 0.05%. Most commonly subjects applied local corticosteroids on arms (50%). CONCLUSION: Strict regulations regarding only prescription-based dispensing of local corticosteroids must be put into practice. This will hopefully bring down both the extremes of ever increasing cases of steroid-induced dermatoses in everyday dermatology practise on one hand and the irrational fears of using TCs in well justified indications on the other.

An Isolated Aneurysm of the Abdominal Aorta in a Patient with Marfan Syndrome-A Case Report.

We present a case of successfully treated abdominal aortic aneurysm in a 24-year-old patient with Marfan syndrome. After initial physical and ultrasound examination, the multislice computed tomography (MSCT) scan revealed infrarenal aortic aneurysm of 6 cm in diameter, 10 cm long, along with slightly dilated iliac arteries. However, dimensions of aortic root, aortic arch, and descending suprarenal aorta were within normal limits. Further on, because the patient presented with signs of impending rupture, an urgent surgical intervention was performed. The patient was discharged in good general medical condition 7 days after surgery. After 6 months of follow-up, the patient's condition was satisfying and no MSCT signs of further aortic dissection/aneurysm were identified. To the best of our knowledge, a case of successful management of a patient with Marfans syndrome and truly isolated infrarenal and symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm has not been described in the literature before.

Internal but not external noise frees working memory resources.

The precision with which visual information can be recalled from working memory declines as the number of items in memory increases. This finding has been explained in terms of the distribution of a limited representational resource between items. Here we investigated how the sensory strength of memoranda affects resource allocation. We manipulated signal strength of an orientation stimulus in two ways: we varied the internal (sensory) noise by adjusting stimulus contrast, and varied the external (stimulus) noise by altering the within-stimulus variability. Both manipulations had similar effects on the precision with which the orientation could be recalled, but differed in their impact on memory for other stimuli. These results indicate that increasing internal noise released resources that could be used to store other stimuli more precisely; increasing external noise had no such effect. We show that these observations can be captured by a simple neural model of working memory encoding, in which spiking activity takes on the role of the limited resource.

Combined Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease and Contrast Induced Acute Kidney Injury on Long-term Outcomes in Patients with Acute Lower Limb Ischaemia.

INTRODUCTION: Acute lower limb ischaemia (ALI) is the sudden onset of decreased arterial perfusion with imminent threat to limb viability. Contrast induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is one of the complications that increases mortality in patients who undergo contrast imaging in coronary procedures. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CI-AKI on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ALI undergoing lower limb revascularisation. METHODS: A total 1017 consecutive patients with acute lower limb ischaemia who were admitted between July 1, 2006, and January 1, 2017, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had end stage renal disease, those who had end stage heart and malignant disease and died within 7 days of limb revascularisation, and those who did not undergo angiography were excluded. Thus 546 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients were classified as with or without CKD and were then subdivided according to the presence or absence of the development of CI-AKI, defined as an increase in serum creatinine of ≥0.5 mg/dL or by ≥25% from the baseline value within the first 72 h after contrast exposure. The primary end point was all cause mortality and secondary major adverse limb event (MALE). RESULTS: Both CKD and CI-AKI were associated with the highest rate of all cause mortality (chi square = 55.77, d.f. = 1, p < .01, log rank test) and MALE (chi square = 79.07, d.f. = 1, p < .01, log rank test). The presence of CKD and CI-AKI were significant risk factors associated with long-term all cause mortality (HR = 2.61, p < .01) and MALE (HR = 2.87, p < .01). CONCLUSION: In patients with ALI undergoing lower limb revascularisation, both CKD and CI-AKI were significantly associated with poor long-term outcomes compared with either CKD or CI-AKI alone. Further studies are required to assess this association and to confirm the combined effect of CKD and CI-AKI on long-term clinical outcomes.

Associations Between Croatian Adolescents' Use of Sexually Explicit Material and Sexual Behavior: Does Parental Monitoring Play a Role?

The use of sexually explicit material (SEM) has become a part of adolescent sexual socialization, at least in the Western world. Adolescent and young people's SEM use has been associated with risky sexual behaviors, which has recently resulted in policy debates about restricting access to SEM. Such development seems to suggest a crisis of the preventive role of parental oversight. Based on the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model, this study assessed the role of parental monitoring in the context of adolescent vulnerability to SEM-associated risky or potentially adverse outcomes (sexual activity, sexual aggressiveness, and sexting). Using an online sample of Croatian 16-year-olds (N = 1265) and structural equation modeling approach, parental monitoring was found consistently and negatively related to the problematic behavioral outcomes, regardless of participants' gender. While SEM use was related to sexual experience and sexting, higher levels of parental monitoring were associated with less frequent SEM use and lower acceptance of sexual permissiveness. Despite parents' fears about losing the ability to monitor their adolescent children's lives in the Internet era, there is evidence that parental engagement remains an important protective factor.

Correction to: Associations Between Croatian Adolescents' Use of Sexually Explicit Material and Sexual Behavior: Does Parental Monitoring Play a Role?

The versions of Figures 2-4 presented in the original version of this article were incomplete. In all three figures, structural paths were omitted. The article has been updated to provide the correct figures, which are also presented here.

Seat-Belt Abdominal Aortic Injury-Treatment Modalities.

Blunt abdominal aortic injuries are extremely rare, diagnosed in less than 0.05% of all trauma admissions. Aortic injury caused by a seat belt during a car accident is often referred as "seat-belt aorta". We present a case of an 18-year-old woman, restrained back passenger involved in a vehicular collision, sustaining vertebral column and multiple rib fractures, mesenterium and colonic injury, and infrarenal aortic contusion with localized dissection and partial thrombosis.

Activity of fosfomycin against nosocomial multiresistant bacterial pathogens from Croatia: a multicentric study.

AIM: To determine in vitro susceptibility of multiresistant bacterial isolates to fosfomycin. METHODS: In this prospective in vitro study (local non-random sample, level of evidence 3), 288 consecutively collected multiresistant bacterial isolates from seven medical centers in Croatia were tested from February 2014 until October 2016 for susceptibility to fosfomycin and other antibiotics according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute methodology. Susceptibility to fosfomycin was determined by agar dilution method, while disc diffusion was performed for in vitro testing of other antibiotics. Polymerase chain reaction and sequencing were performed for the majority of extended spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and carbapenem-resistant isolates. RESULTS: The majority of 288 multiresistant bacterial isolates (82.6%) were susceptible to fosfomycin. The 236 multiresistant Gram-negative isolates showed excellent susceptibility to fosfomycin. Susceptibility rates were as follows: Escherichia coli ESBL 97%, K. pneumoniae ESBL 80%, Enterobacter species 85.7%, Citrobacter freundii 100%, Proteus mirabilis 93%, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 60%. Of the 52 multiresistant Gram-positive isolates, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus showed excellent susceptibility to fosfomycin (94.4%) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus showed low susceptibility to fosfomycin (31%). Polymerase chain reaction analysis of 36/50 ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates showed that majority of isolates had CTX-M-15 beta lactamase (27/36) preceded by ISEcp insertion sequence. All carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter and Citrobacter isolates had blaVIM-1 metallo-beta-lactamase gene. CONCLUSION: With the best in vitro activity among the tested antibiotics, fosfomycin could be an effective treatment option for infections caused by multiresistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains in the hospital setting.

Influence of the Type of Plateletpheresis on the Value of Corpuscular Elements in the Blood Donors.

INTRODUCTION: During the plateletpheresis procedure the number of trombocites in the donor's blood significantly decreases, and the levels of the other components of blood as hematocrit, hemoglobin, and leukocyte diminish as well. Influence of the type of procedure DN-CFCS and SN-ICFS it is one of the factors that affects the decrease of the levels of HCT, Hgb and WBC. In this study, our goal was to see the difference in the value of HCT, Hgb, WBC, and platelets after the plateletfphresis process between DN-CFCS and SN-IFCS on the same cell separator - Fenval AMICUS. DONORS AND METHODS: The criteria for participation: men between age of 25-45. Two groups were formed. Group I 112 separation done with the method SN-ICFS and Group II 180 separation done with the method DN-CFCS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: To confirm the statistical difference we used Student t-test for independent or dependent samples, as well as Mann-Whitney U test as non parametric alternative. The possibility of errors were accepted for α<0.05, and the difference between groups were accepted as statistical relevant for p<0.05. RESULTS: Statistically significant lower values were observed of all researched parameters after separation for the donors on the equipement Amicus DN, and for donors on Amicus SN. A significant higher value of HCT before procedure was found in the AM DN group, in the researches of the other variables there were no significant differences. The resultst for the comparison of variables after procedure procedure for DN and SN procedure. A significant higher value of HCT and a significant higher level of Hgb, as well as a significant lower level of WBV after procedure in the AM DN group, while for the levels of PLT there were no significant differences. CONCLUSION: On the decrease of the value of the observed parameters the type of procedure has an influence that means DN-CFCS or SN-IFCS, continuous or discontinuous flow.