Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). It is characterized by loss of myelin, the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects nerve fibres allowing them to conduct electrical impulses. Recent data indicate that oxidative stress (OS) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to estimate level of serum total antioxidative capacity in patients with multiple sclerosis. Our cross-sectional study included 33 patients with MS and 24 age and sex matched control subjects. All our patients had a Poser criteria for definite diagnostic categories of multiple sclerosis. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured by quantitative colorimetric determination, using Total antioxidant Capacity-QuantiCromAntioxidant Assay Kit (BioAssay systems, USA; DTAC-100). Mean serum TAC in multiple sclerosis group of patients was 119.2 mM Trolox equivalents and was significantly lower (p<0.001) compared to the control group of subjects (167.1 mM Trolox equivalents). Our results showed that oxidative stress plays an important role in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. This finding, also, suggests the importance of antioxidants in diet and therapy of MS patients.

Background:Advanced paternal and/or maternal age is a classic risk factor for Down syndrome. The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of Down syndrome types in children and its association with maternal and paternal age in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Subjects and Methods:The cross sectional, observational study included 127 children, 49 girls and 78 boys, aged 1-180 months suspected to have Down syndrome, admitted to the Centre for Genetics, Faculty of Medicine University of Sarajevo, for cytogenetic analysis and differential diagnosis of Down syndrome during the period from January 2010 to May 2015. Standard method of 72 hours cultivation of peripheral blood lymphocytes has been applied. The accepted level of statistical significance was p<0.05.Study Results:The most common type of Down syndrome was standard trisomy (86.6%), comparing to translocation and mosaicism (7.1%; 6.3%, respectively). The highest frequency of Down syndrome cases was in mother and father’s group from 30-39 years old (57; 57 children, respectively) compared to mother and father’s groups with younger than 30 (44; 29, respectively) and 40 and older (26; 41, respectively). The significant difference was found in maternal age between translocation and mosaicism groups (p=0.036). Difference between parental years and type of Down syndrome was significant when Standard trisomy 21 and translocation (p=0.045), as well as mosaicism and translocation (p=0.036), were compared.Conclusion:The most common type of Down syndrome was standard trisomy 21, with highest occurrence in parents from 30 to 39 years old. Parents were the youngest in translocation group. Obtained results suggest that multidisciplinary approach to identifying the trigger for trisomy appearance and the influence of maternal age is required.

Cardiovascular diseases are leading cause of morbidity in the world. Measurement of the level of biochemical markers in the serum is one of World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Non-specific clinical state of patients and insufficiently sensitive electrocardiographic (ECG) diagnostics, at patient's hospital admission time, point out the importance of biochemical markers in acute myocardial infarction diagnosis. Technology development and new diagnostic methods lead to the invention of highly sensitive and specific marker as myocardial damage evidence. Cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) is specific marker for myocardial damage1. Its elevation in the serum within myocardial ischemia symptomatology is important in diagnosis of myocardial infarction.

Introduction:Serum uric acid (SUA) is the final product of purine metabolism in humans.Aim:The present study aimed to identify a potential association between serum UA and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels and to find out whether uric acid could differentiate patients presenting with the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina pectoris (UAP) in hyperuricemic and normouricemic acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.Methods:Eighty ACS patients, aged 50-83 years, were enrolled in the study, 40 of them presenting with AMI and 40 with UAP. Frequency of patients with serum uric level over threshold for hyperuricemia was investigated and two groups of patients were formed such as hyperuricemic and normouricemic groups (A and B groups, respectively) independently of type of ACS. Those groups of patients were also subjected to cTnI measurement.Results:Levels of SUA are associated with the type of ACS in the hyperuricemic ACS patients (AMI versus UAP, 499(458-590), 425(400-447) mmol/L, p=0.007, respectively). Uric acid correlated significantly with cTnI, moderate positively in the group A (rho=0.358, p=0.038) and moderate negatively in the group B (r=-0.309, p=0.037) of ACS patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that cTnI and age were independently associated with the SUA levels in the group A of ACS patients.Conclusions:Serum uric acid differentiates AIM and UAP patients in hyperuricemic group of acute coronary syndrome. Therefore it can be used as nonspecific parameter for evaluation of the myocardial lesion extent only in hyperuricemic ACS patients. This is supported by finding that cTnI along with age predicts SUA level in hyperuricemic ACS patients.

In our investigation,we used short-time model of myocardial infarction of rats induced by high dose of isoproterenol (ISP). We investigated cardiac troponin T blood level (cTnT) and histological characteristics of rat myocardium. ISP, single, intraperitoneal dose 250 mg/kg was given to male, adult, Wistar rats (n=12). Rats were distributed depending on their body weight in subgroups: ISP I (BW 260-280g) and ISP II (BW 250-400g).Control group (n=9) was treated with intraperitoneal dose of 0,95% NaCl. Cardiac TnT was measured by electrochemiluminiscence (ECLA) sandwich immunoassay in rat serum 4 hours after ISP application. Rats' hearts were dissected and examined by qualitative histological method (HE). Statistical significance was set at 0,05. There was significant difference in cTnT of ISP II (p=0,0001) vs. control and ISP I (p<0,05) vs. control. Significant difference was between ISP I and ISP II subgroups (p<0.001). The accent of histological changes of myocardium was on nuclei of cell. Cells showed acidophilic changes and nuclei disappearance as signs of coagulative necrosis development. Extensivity of histological changes were different between ISP I and ISP II subgroup. Used dose of ISP induced development of myocardial necrosis in rats. Subendocardial portion of myocardium was more vulnerability than subepicardial portion. Rats of ISP II had more extensive histological changes than these in ISP I. Administered doses of ISP enabled cTnT utilization as a marker of myocardial necrosis.