Enver Zerem

Sonographically Guided Percutaneous Treatment of Liver Abscesses in Critically Ill Patients

The management of liver abscess (LA) has shifted toward intravenous broad‐spectrum antibiotics and image‐guided percutaneous needle aspiration (PNA) or percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD).

Simple uninvestigated dyspepsia: age threshold for early endoscopy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Objective To establish an optimal age threshold for endoscopy referral in patients with simple uninvestigated dyspepsia in the setting of European developing country (Bosnia and Herzegovina) with low availability and high workload of endoscopy units. Methods We reviewed patient information on all upper endoscopies performed during a 6-year period (2000–2005). Different age thresholds were evaluated in terms of their predictive power for absence of malignancy. Results A total of 82 of 4403 (1.86%) dyspeptic patients had upper gastrointestinal (GI) malignancy. Age cutoffs of 40 years for men and 45 years for women had the best predictive power, without any cases of upper GI malignancies below those thresholds. Age cutoffs of 45 years for men and 50 years for women also had excellent negative predictive values (99.7 and 99.9%, respectively) with 1.45 and 0.98 cases of missed upper GI malignancies per 1000 endoscopies, respectively. A total of 1709 of 4403 (38.8%) of endoscopies might have been avoided in men of less than 45 and women of less than 50 with uninvestigated dyspepsia. Conclusion (i) Age thresholds for endoscopy referral are lower than in Western countries and should be different for men and women. (ii) Cutoff values of 40 and 45 years for men and women, respectively, are completely safe to use. (iii) Thresholds of 45 years for males and 50 years for females have a small level of risk of missing upper GI malignancy, but are acceptable to use in areas of low availability of endoscopy.

Plasma D-dimer as a predictor of the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm

Essentials D‐dimer could provide important information about abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression. The greatest diameter of the infrarenal aorta and the value of plasma D‐dimer were determined. AAA progression is correlated with increasing plasma D‐dimer levels. The increasing value of plasma D‐dimer could be a predictor of aneurysm progression.

Risk factors for intrafamilial spread of hepatitis B in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Background: Accurate estimations of hepatitis B virus transmission risk for any region in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not clearly established. We aimed to determine levels of risk associated with intrafamilial transmission of hepatitis B infection within families in our region. Patients and Methods: Family members of 81 chronic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (>6 months positive and considered as index case) were tested for hepatitis B markers. For family members, we recorded their age, sex, and family relationship to the index case, and vaccination status. Results: The proportion of HBsAg positive family members was 25/207 (12.1%), while the proportion of family members with evidence of exposure to HBV was 80/207 (38.6%). Only 17/207 (8.2%) family members had evi--dence of past HBV vaccination. Age was found to be a significant predictor of HBV exposure of family members (odds ratio 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.07, P< .001). In a multivariate analysis, HBsAg positivity was associated with a female index case (odds ratio 11.31, 95% CI 3.73-34.32, P< .001), HBeAg positivity in the index case (odds ratio 5.56, 95% CI 1.80-17.23, P< .005) and being a mother of the index case (odds ratio 9.82, 95% CI 2.43-39.68,P< .005). A female index case (odds ratio 4.87, 95% CI 2.21-10.72, P< .001), HBeAg positivity in the index case (odds ratio 3.22, 95% CI 1.15-9.00, P< .05) and being a mother of the index case (odds ratio 3.72, 95% CI 1.19-11.64, P< .05) were also risk factors for HBV exposure among family members. The combination of HBeAg positivity and female index case was a significant predictor for HBsAg positivity of family members (odds ratio 70.39, 95% CI 8.20-604.61, P< .001). Conclusions: Children of HBeAg positive mothers are at highest risk for becoming chronic carriers them--selves and generally, the combination of female sex and HBeAg positivity dramatically increases the chances of HBV transmission within the family.

The ranking of scientists based on scientific publications assessment

It is generally accepted that the scientific impact factor (Web of Science) and the total number of citations of the articles published in a journal, are the most relevant parameters of the journals significance. However, the significance of scientists is much more complicated to establish and the value of their scientific production cannot be directly reflected by the importance of the journals in which their articles are published. Evaluating the significance of scientists accomplishments involves more complicated metrics than just their publication records. Based on a long term of academic experience, the author proposes objective criteria to estimate the scientific merit of an individuals publication record. This metric can serve as a pragmatic tool and the nidus for discussion within the readership of this journal.

Splenic Localization of Primary Hydatid Cyst in a 27-Year-Old Sportsman Treated by PAIR Technique: Imaging Anatomy Assessment -

Introduction: In this paper, we report our experience with a case of primary hydatid cyst involving only the spleen in a 27-year-old sportsman treated by PAIR technique. Case Report: Five years before, a 27-year-old handball player being admitted to our hospital, it was detected the cyst in his spleen which size was 35 x 30 mm in diameter, by abdominal ultrasound during a systematic examination. There was no pain or any other symptoms at that time. Tests on the presence of echinococcus cysts were negative. After a period of 5 years, and regular check-ups, the patient began to feel a dull pain in the left upper quadrant area. The Echinococcus test was again negative. Puncture and aspiration of content was performed and sent to cytological analysis that confirmed the presence of Echinococcus. The CT finding showed the spleen in a normal position, shape, enlarged, 185 mm in longitudinal diameter (splenomegaly), with inhomogeneous parenchyma on the expense of rounded area with hyperdense halo, which did not opacify after contrast, located in the dorsal area of the spleen, 100x98 mm in diameter and which corresponded to the echinococcal cyst in differential diagnosis–clean dense contents (protein / haemorrhagic). Conclusion: The reported case is very specific, considering that handball is contact sport, where it is almost impossible to avoid the physical contact between players, which is sometimes even rough. Due to rough contacts, spleen trauma is something we should be very aware about, especially in cases of splenomegaly with hydatid cyst, where the spleen rupture might lead to fatal outcome. According to all this, careful follow up of this patient is necessary.

The First Mediterranean Seminar on Science Writing, Editing and Publishing, Sarajevo, December 2-3, 2016.

The First Mediterranean Seminar on Science Writing, Editing & Publishing (SWEP 2016) was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina from 2nd to 3rd December 2016. It was organized by Academy of Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, running concurrent sessions as part of its Annual Meeting titled “ “Days of AMNuBiH - Theory and Practice in Science Communication and Scientometrics”. Hotel Bosnia in the city centre was the chosen venue. On the first day, nineteen presentations on various issues of science writing and publication ethics were delivered by speakers from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the UK (Asim Kurjak, Milivoj Boranić, Doncho Donev, Osman Sinanović, Miro Jakovljević, Enver Zerem, Dejan Milošević, Silva Dobrić, Srećko Gajović, Izet Mašić, Armen Yuri Gasparyan, Šekib Sokolović, Nermin Salkić, Selma Uzunović, Admir Kurtčehajić, Edin Begić and Floreta Kurti). Each presentation had a take-home message for novice and seasoned authors, encountering numerous problems in non-Anglophone research environment. Lecturers, who were internationally recognized editors of regional journals, generously shared their experience of adhering to the best ethical guidance. Elegant presentations by Srećko Gajović (Editor-in-Chief of the Croatian Medical Journal) and Armen Yuri Gasparyan (past Chief Editor of the European Science Editing) showcased their accomplishments that strengthened ties between authors from all over the world. Gasparyan reflected on educational resources of editorial associations, such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and called not just to declare the adherence to, but also to enforce their ethical guidance in daily practice. Editors of Medical Archives, Croatian Medica Journal, Vojnosanitetski Pregled, Psychiatria Danubina, Acta Informatica Medica, Materia Socio-Medica, The Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstretics and Gynecology, Acta Medica Saliniana and Medicinski Glasnik presented their editorial strategies aimed at attracting best authors and resolving problems with authorship, conflicts of interest, and plagiarism. Topical education on science writing and editing was considered as an inseparable part of continuing professional development in biomedicine. Armen Yuri Gasparyan (UK) was offered an opportunity to interact with more than 70 participants, attending the SWEP 2016 on the second day. The lecturer talked about author contributions, disclosures of conflicts of interests, plagiarism of ideas and words, research performance and impact indicators, and targeting ethical journals. Topics were presented in a way to help non-Anglophone authors, reviewers and editors avoid common ethical problems. Dr Gasparyan stressed the importance of regularly arranging such meetings across Balkan and Mediterranean countries to eradicate plagiarism and other forms research misconduct. The organizers of the SWEP 2016 awarded selected keynote speakers with certificates of lifetime achievement in journal editing, and decided to run the Seminar annually with support of Balkan and Mediterranean editors and publishers. The SWEP 2016 marked a turning point in the process of regional developments since all attending editors opted for nurturing enthusiasm of the organizers and launching the Mediterranean Association of Science Editors and Publishers (MASEP). The Seminar was a great success with its impressive scientific and social activities. It attracted more than 100 students, researchers, editors, and publishers from Bosnia & Herzegovina and neighbouring countries. Proceedings, in the form of short reports, were published in Acta Informatica Medica and archived in PubMed Central. New friendships were forged between regional experts in editing and young specialists during those unforgettable two days of intensive discussions and informal interactions (a-y).

What is the optimal treatment for hepatic abscess and infected biloma

of ERCP underperformed compared with the primary investigator, with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 69%, 78%, and 53%, respectively. This is not surprising, given the limited data that were transmitted by electronic packages. We did this analysis to estimate routine clinical care without pCLE. Dr Balderramo also asked whether prior stenting of the common bile duct has an impact on the performance of pCLE. This was previously addressed in a separate study that showed slightly better performance in unstented patients. For the purposes of this response, we calculated the performance of ERCP plus pCLE in patients with prior stents (accuracy 80%, sensitivity 89%, specificity 71%) and in patients without prior stents (accuracy 85%, sensitivity 88%, specificity 79%) and found a nonsignificant trend toward better accuracy of pCLE in patients who had not been previously stented. Finally, we agree with Dr Balderramo that the accuracy of ERCP with pCLE should be compared with the accuracy of ERCP and tissue sampling. In our study, this could be done only by comparing data obtained from the treating physician who performed pCLE with data from the blinded second investigator, as shown inTable 3 of our article. This difference in accuracy between these 2 groups was not significant (82% for ERCP plus pCLE vs 79% for ERCP plus tissue sampling). We standbyour conclusion that the additionof pCLE to clinical impression and tissue sampling may allow for more accurate assessmentofpatientswith indeterminatebiliary strictures.