Background: Various factors can affect the survival of patients with laryngeal cancer (LC). In this retrospective study, we assessed clinicopathological features, their prognostic value, and treatment modalities for patients with confirmed squamous cell LC. Methods: We collected patient data on demographics, clinicopathological characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), disease-free survival (DFS), and locoregional control (LRC). We assessed survival using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression model analyses of potential prognostic parameters. Results: After a median follow-up of 76 months, 28 (33.3%) patients had a recurrence. The median OS was 78 months, with an event recorded in 50% of patients. The DSS median was not reached (NR) with a survival rate of 72.6%, the DFS survival rate was 66.7% with median NR, and the LRC survival rate was 72.6% with median NR. After conducting a multivariate analysis of significant variables, we found that only recurrence and lymphatic invasion had an independent effect on OS and recurrence in DSS, while subsite impacted DFS and LRC. Conclusions: Survival trends were consistent with other studies, except for OS. Recurrence, lymphatic invasion, and subsite location were significant factors that impacted patient survival.

Introduction: The unrecognized cases of cauda equina syndrome (CES) and the lack of epidemiological data in Bosnia and Herzegovina about this neurosurgical emergency, including the Zenica-Doboj Canton, contribute to the lack of awareness among health-care professionals, potentially leading to delayed diagnosis and referral for surgical decompression. Aim of this study is to analyze gender-related epidemiological characteristics of CES in Zenica-Doboj Canton in 10 years period. Methods: The study was conducted in the Zenica-Doboj Canton, and data were obtained from the time period between 2012 and 2022. The study included a total sample of 1709 patients diagnosed with disc herniation who underwent surgical decompression. In total, 48 patients developed CES. Results: The analysis unveiled noteworthy gender disparities, with male predominance (79.2% vs. 20.8%, p < 0.001) and varying employment distributions (males: 23.7% unemployed, 63.2% employed, 13.1% retired; females: 40.0% unemployed, 20.0% employed, 40.0% retired, p < 0.001). The calculated OR for 2012-2022 was 2.969 (95% CI: 1.576-5.593), signifying a substantial gender-incidence relationship for CES. CES-I incidence ranged 0.80–1.60/100,000 and CES-R ranged 0.25-0.83/100,000. Highest CES incidence was 4.17/100,000 (2015); the lowest was in 2019 with no CES-R cases reported. Male incidence peaked at 2.64/100,000 (2018), and the lowest was 1.06/100,000 (2013, 2017). For females, the highest was 1.17/100,000 (2018, 2021), with no cases reported in certain years. The affected level demonstrated gender differences, with L4/L5 prevalence in males (47.4%) and L3/L4 in females (50%, p = 0.165). Conclusion: This study revealed a higher incidence of CES in males compared to females in the Zenica-Doboj Canton. The heterogenicity of data regarding CES occurring due to the lumbar disc herniation is significant. This indicates a clear need for additional research and epidemiological studies that would highlight the population of patients that have a higher risk of CES onset.

Background and Objectives: Rehabilitation is a part of the comprehensive treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). If present, psychological reactive states limit the results of the rehabilitation. The objectives were to determine the impact of psychological reactive states in these patients on the functionality obtained by rehabilitation and QoL, and to determine the connection between the objective and subjective evaluation. Materials and Methods: Based on the Hospital anxiety and depression scale, the patients were divided into a group with anxious and/or depressive reactive state and a group without the reactive state. The values of functional scores—the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), as well as the parameters of the QoL-Physical health Component Score (PCS) and the Mental health Component Score (MCS)—were determined at the beginning and at the end of the rehabilitation. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the BBS, EDSS, PCS, and MCS groups at the beginning and the end of the rehabilitation in both groups. A statistically significant difference at the beginning and the end of the rehabilitation between the groups was found only in PCS and MCS. A highly statistically significant correlation between EDSS and PCS, and EDSS and MCS, was found only in the group without the reactive state. Conclusions: Although rehabilitation leads to an objective improvement of functionality in patients with MS, the presence of the anxious and/or depressive reactive state limits the results of rehabilitation and leads to discrepancies in the aforementioned objective assessment and the patient’s subjective experience through the evaluation of their QoL.

Background/Aim: Superior colliculi have an important role in the visual system, some motor functions and behaviour. Branches of the posterior cerebral artery and surrounding vessels form a collicular arterial network, which gives rise to several penetrating vessels for superior colliculi. The aim of the study was to determine relative stereological parameters (volume, surface and length density) of the vascular network in superior colliculi and to correlate those parameters with age. Methods: Ten adult brainstems, both male and female, were cut transversally at the middle of superior colliculi in three-millimetre-thick strata. Every stratum was cut in 4 µm thick semiserial sections stained with Mallory method. Images of every fifth section (5, 10, 15, 20) of superior colliculus were taken with "Leica" DM 1000 microscope and "Leica" MC 170HD camera under x 400 magnification and analysed by ImageJ software with A 100 grid. Statistical analysis was performed by the SPSS software with 5 % level of significance using methods of descriptive statistics, Spearman's and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The average volume density of vascular network in superior colliculi was 0.0203 mm 0 , surface density 6.133 mm-1 , and length density 205.357 mm-2. All those parameters decreased with ageing, but statistically significant change was seen only in length density (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Compared to the structures at the same transversal level, the vascular network of superior colliculi has an average density. With ageing, blood vessels become less tortuous.

Introduction. Median and ulnar nerves are mixed upper limb nerves. The aim of the research was to determine refer ence values, and influence of aging and limb dominance on electrophysiological parameters of these nerves. Methods. In 46 women and 14 men, aged 24 to 81, we de termined the conduction velocity (CV), the amplitude, and the distal motor latency (DML) on both nerves and their change with aging and limb dominance. In the group of women the influence of the postmenopausal period on the electrophysiological parameters of the median nerve was observed. Results. With aging, there was a significant decrease in the CV of sensitive fibers, amplitude of the motor part and DML of both nerves. In the median nerve, there was the decrease in the CV of motor fibers. On the dominant limb, there was the significant decrease in the CV of sensitive fibers of medi an nerve and amplitude of the sensitive part of ulnar nerve. On the dominant limb, aging caused the decrease of CV and the amplitude of the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve, and CV of the motor fibers and DML of the median nerve. In postmenopausal women, the amplitude of the motor part of the median nerve decreased on the non-dominant limb. Conclusion. There is the influence of age and dominance on the electrophysiological parameters of the investigated nerves. The postmenopausal period in women, apart from the influence of aging, does not represent a specific influ encing factor on the investigated parameters.

Various factors can affect the survival of patients with oropharyngeal cancer. We assessed the expression of protein p16INK4a, Flotillin2, epidermal growth factor receptor, and other clinicopathological features and their prognostic value for this type of cancer. We gathered patient data on demographics, clinicopathological characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes. Histologically and by immunochemistry staining we determined expression of prognostic factors and molecular biomarkers. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression model analyses of potential prognostic parameters. After a median follow-up of 78 months, the median OS was 41 months, with an event recorded in 77.8% of patients. Median DFS was 22 months, 37 patients (51.4%) had disease relapse. The DSS survival rate was 58.3% with a median survival of 68 months. In regards to molecular biomarkers previously mentioned, there was no statistical significance for survival categories. After conducting a multivariate analysis of significant variables, we found that only recurrence, vascular invasion, and surgical intervention remained as factors with independent effects on both OS and DFS. Recurrence and the N stage were identified as independent prognostic factors for DSS. Our analysis underscores the complexity of factors that collectively influence survival following the diagnosis of OPSCC. Several factors were found to be statistically significant. These factors included the type of surgical procedure, disease relapse, vascular invasion, lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, advanced T stage of the disease, N stage of the disease, and smoking status. The significance of these factors may vary across different types of survival. This analysis did not find any significant impact on survival from the growth factors tested, namely epidermal growth factor receptor, Flotillin2, and p16INK4a, in the applied regression models.