Leukoaraiosis is a change in brain white matter with characteristic manifestation in MR and CT head scans. Common leukoaraiosis risk factors include aging and arterial hypertension. A quarter of symptomatic ischemic infarcts belongs to small blood vessel disease group and could be presented as lacunar infarcts. These two crucial pathophysiological mechanisms are in the root of cognitive dysfunction related to small blood vessel disease. 60 lacunar infarct patients were examined and parameters for groups with and without leukoaraiosis were determined. It was found that leukoaraiosis incidence was highest in the group of women older than 70. Neurological assessment was scored on NIH-NINDS scale, functional status was scored with Barthelo index, and cognitive status was determined using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale Late (ADAS-L). Correlation analysis of these parameters on significance level of *p<0.05, **p<0.01, suggests decrease in neurological status and cognitive performance.

Disturbances of thyroid function are often accompanied by cognitive and affective disorders. Assessment of cognitive status in the patients with subclinical hypothyroidism represents a possibility for early diagnostics of cognitive impairment and timely introduction of necessary pharmacotherapy treatment. The aim of this study was to quantify whether there are P3 event related potential (ERP) deviations as electrophysiological markers of cognitive activity in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. P300 potentials were examined in thirty patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and in 30 healthy subjects of the control group. P300 was recorded using the classic auditory oddball paradigm, with 20% of target and 80% of non-target stimuli. The results analysis showed a significantly longer latency P300 and reduced amplitude P300 in subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism compared to euthyroid subjects. There is also a statistically significant negative correlation between the results of a mini mental state examination and the P300 latency at Fz electrode (r= -0.47, p <0.01) and Cz electrode (r= -0.43, p =0.017). P300 ERP is important in the evaluation of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, due to the sensitivity in the detection cognitive disorders.

The belief in the inability of neurogenesis, that is the inability to create new neurons after embryonic and early postnatal development of the central nervous system, was rejected in the mid-nineties, when the existence of neurogenesis in restricted areas of CNS adult mammals, including humans, was discovered.Transplantation of stem cells or their derivatives into respective tissues or organs is considered as one of the most promising remedies for many incurable diseases.In this review, we summarized current knowledge and present and future perspectives andchallenges regarding stem cells treatment for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, as the most common age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

One of the best-studied responses of cognitive evoked potentials is a so-called “P300”, the late positive wave complex that occurs about 300-500 ms after the stimulus. It is obtained when the subject’s attention is focused on a signal that is rare, especially if the signal has a motivational or emotional meaning. In the study of P300 potential, we followed the variations of potential amplitude and latency, so the objective was to examine whether there is a difference in Fz and Cz amplitudes of auditory induced cognitive evoked P300 potential depending on the performance of oddball tasks, both in male and female subjects. The study included 60 subjects (30 female respondents and 30 male respondents). P300 potential is induced by the auditory "oddball" paradigm with 80% of non-target and 20% of target stimuli that are presented to the patient through headphones. The target tones are high tones of 2000 Hz. The standard, 1000 Hz tones the respondent should ignore but when he hears the target tones the respondent should press the button on the special handle. The value of Fz and Cz amplitudes both in male and female subjects obtained in the classical "oddball" paradigm when the subject reacted to the signal by pressing the key with the dominant (right) arm were statistically significantly lower (p>0,05) than the values of Fz and Cz amplitudes obtained when the key was pressed by the non-dominant hand. Based on this experiment it can be concluded that both in male and female subjects the performance of oddball tasks does not affect the amplitude of P300 cognitive evoked potentials.

Uz tradicionalne faktore rizika smatra se da i inflamacija doprinosi nastanku ishemičnog moždanog udara (IMU). U toku inflamacije neutrofilni leukociti se degranulišu, kada može doći do oslobađanja njihovog enzima mijeloperoksidze (MPO) u ekstracelularni prostor. Osim peroksidazme MPO poseduje i hlorinišuću aktivnost kojom stvara hipohlornu kiselinu i dugoživeće oksidanse hloramine. U ovoj studiji je određivana hlorinišuća aktivnost MPO i koncentracija ukupnih hloramina u serumu. U studiju je bilo uključeno 29 pacijenata sa akutnim IMU, starosti 69.0 godina (64.2–78.0), i 25 ispitanika kontrolne grupe bez IMU, starosti 69.0 godina (67.0–72.0). Nađeno je da je u grupi sa IMU broj neutrofilnih leukocita u perifernoj krvi značajno veći od kontrolnih vrednosti (4.56±1.76 vs. 7.74±3.35 × 109/L, u kontrolnoj grupi i kod pacijenata; p<0.05). Takođe je i hlorinišuća aktivnost MPO seruma bila veća u grupi sa IMU (67.2 U/L vs. 92.3 U/L, kod kontrole i kod pacijenata; p<0.05). Iako je koncentracija ukupnih hloramina bila nešto veća kod IMU nego u kontrolnoj grupi, razlika nije bila statistički značajna (p=0.178). Aktivnost MPO je značajno korelirala sa koncentracijom triglicerida (p<0.05). Korelacija između hlorinišuće aktivnosti MPO i ukupnih hloramina nije bila značajna (p=0.402), dok su korelacije MPO aktivnosti i broja neutrofila (p=0.071) odnosno MPO aktivnosti i prisustva aritmije (p=0.094) bile nešto veće. Rezultati ove studije ukazuju da MPO verovatno ima ulogu u patogenezi IMU, što se delimično može zasnivati na hlorinaciji biološki značajnih molekula vaskularnog kompartmana.

Uloge endotelina u kardiovaskularnoj fiziologiji i patofiziologiji od njegovog otkrića do danas su neosporne. U srcu endotelini su značajni za procese razvoja, rasta i remodelovanja kao i za kontrolu kontraktilnosti i ritmičnosti. Srčane endotelne ćelije u endokardu i miokardnim kapilarima predstavljaju glavni izvor endotelina, a kardiomiociti su njihova primarna meta. Endotelin-1 je jedna od najpotentnijih poznatih supstanci sa pozitivnim inotropnim efektom, stoga endotelini imaju ključnu ulogu u srčanoj endotelno-miokardnoj interakciji. Endotelini su familija peptida od 21 amino kiseline koju čine endotelin-1, endotelin-2 i endotelin-3. Ostvaruju svoje efekte aktivacijom endotelinskih receptora, ETA i ETB, koji pripadaju familiji receptora vezanih za G proteine. ETA i ETB receptori su gusto distribuirani na kardiomiocitima, ćelijama provodnog sistema srca, koronarno vaskularnim i endokardno endotelnim ćelijama. U fiziološkim uslovima mesto sinteze endotelina su endotelne ćelije ali u patofiziološkim uslovima i veliki broj neendotelnih ćelija u srcu. Endotelin-1 ima pozitivno hronotropno i inotropno dejstvo. Administracija ET-1 uzrokuje koronarnu vazokonstrikciju, dovodi do ishemije miokarda i letalne ventrikularne aritmije. U akutnom infarktu miokarda ET-1 povećava miokardnu nekrozu i aritmije ali ima povoljan efekat na oporavak srca nakon infarkta u početnoj fazi remodelovanja srca. ET-1 preokreće acidozom indukovan negativan inotropan i luzitropan efekat, bez povećanja intracelularnog kalcijuma. Endotelin može da se suprotstavi aritmogenim efektima kateholamina. Tako, male koncentracije endotelina imaju protektivni efekat na srce. Osnovne indikacije za primenu antagonista endotelina jesu srčana insuficijencija, plućna hipertenzija i rezistentna arterijska hipertenzija. Dobro i pažljivo dizajnirane kliničke studije su potrebne za verifikaciju terapeutskih potencijala novih klasa lekova u kardiovaskularnoj medicini.

Danas gojaznost predstavlja globalni epidemiološki problem koji tokom vremena postoji sve veći. Međutim, efekti gojaznosti na respiratorni sistem često su neuvaženi. U ovom članku biće sagledani mehanički efekti gojaznosti na fiziologiju pluća kao i funkcija masnog tkiva kao endokrinog organa na produkciju sistemske inflamacije i uloge na centralnu kontrolu disanja. Gojaznost igra ključnu ulogu u razvoju opstruktivne apnee u spavanju i opstruktivnog hipoventilacionog sindroma. Bolje razumevanje efekata gojaznosti na respiratorne bolesti i pružanje adekvatnih mera zdravstvene zaštite je od vitalnog značaja u sprečavanju ovog sve značajnijeg problema.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) and venous thromboembolism are two clinical manifestations of a single entity - venous thromboembolism. PE usually occurs through due thrombi from the lower veins, and in 10-15% of cases are due thrombus from upper veins or right heart failure. Significance is mainly determined by the frequency (1/1000 per year in the adult population; less in younger but significant increase with increasing age), the risk of mortality is important in acute and chronic diseases that are associated with this clinical manifestation. Acute pulmonary embolism is often fatal, with a mean annual mortality of about 30% in untreated. Many deaths occur because of recurrent PE within the first few hours after the initial event. In the nineteenth century, Virchow the mechanism of thromboembolism categorized into three groups: changes in the blood vessel wall, a reduction of blood flow (path) and changes in the composition of the blood (hypercoagulable, prothrombotic). Modern interpretation of the pathogenesis of thromboembolism, which is processed corresponds Virhovljevom concept. In general thromboembolic events can be a result of complications of individual risk factors as increased thrombotic potential.

Anatomy of the liver does not correspond to its functional anatomy, and does not include parts of portal triad and hepatic venous system and therefore is not adequate in clinical practice, especially in terms of planning eventual surgical resection. Couinaud's classification of liver segments, modified by the Bismuth, is used for a rapid, ultrasound evaluation, in which the liver is divided into eight segments. The possibility of a functional-anatomic segmentation of the liver, based on respect for the system of portal triad and hepatic vein, undoubtedly gives ultrasonography great importance to the planning of possible resection of liver segments, affected by the pathological process, with sparing of the remaining liver parenchyma.

Aterogeneza je postepen proces koji započinje u ranom životnom periodu, odvija se lagano, decenijama i može biti prepoznat tek kada se razviju infarkt srca, mozga ili periferna vaskularna bolest. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se utvrdi učestalost i zastupljenost faktora aterogeneze kod pacijenata sa moždanim infarktima u graničnoj supratentorijalnoj arterijskoj distribuciji. Istraživanje je sprovedeno u sedmogodišnem periodu, kod 30 bolesnika, kao prospektivna studija. Kao faktori aterogeneze definsisani su pacijenti sa kardiovaskularnim oboljenjima, dijabetes mellitusom i pušači, a kod svih ispitanika verifikovana je koncentracija holesterola. U grupi ispitanika sa infarktom moždanog tkiva u prednjim partijama, u odnosu na bolesnike sa moždanim infarktom u zadnjim partijama, utvrđen je statistički značajno veći broj bolesnika sa kardiovaskularnim bolestima (p=0,025). Grupa pacijenata kod kojih je utvrđen infarkt moždanog tkiva u prednjim partijama imaju značajno veći broj bolesnika sa diabetes mellitusom (p=0,023), veći broj pušača (p=0,021), a utvrđena je i statistički značajno veća koncentracija holesterola (p<0,0001). Pacijenti sa prednjim moždanim infarktom imaju statistički značajno veći aterogeni potencijal.