There are differences in the number of ganglion cells among different parts of the human digestive tract. The differences range from a few to several tens of thousands of neuron/cm2. The myenteric nervous plexus of the esophagus was characterized by a significantly smaller number of neurons but their bodies and nuclei are significantly larger compared to other parts of the digestive tract.

Aging does not induce changes in size and surface of neurons in the ganglia, but it decreases the number of neurons. The nerve structures in the elderly are partly emptied of bodies of nerve cells ("empty ganglions"), which indicates the existence of changed myenteric ganglia in the duodenum. These changes could be related to the duodenum motility disorder associated with aging.

Background/Aim. Neuroendocrine (NE) cells are one of the epithelial populations in the prostate. It is well-known that the focal neuroendocrine differentiation (FNED) in prostate cancer (PC) is an aggressive subtype that most commonly evolves from preexisting PC which does not respond to hormone therapy (androgen independed PC). The incidence and clinical importance of FNED in PC is not clearly understood because of conflicting results in the studies, and evaluation of FNED is not routinely performed in clinical practice. The aim of the present study is to determine the importance of FNED presence in the examined prostate changes with special reference to the relationship of FNED degree in PC with some parameters of predictive value [Gleason score, preoperative serum total prostata specific antigen (PSA) value, tumor volume and tumor stage]. Methods. The study included the biopsy material from 100 untreated consecutive prostate pathological changes: 70 PC, 20 prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and 10 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The patients with PIN and BPH were the control groups. A block containing part of

Background/Aim. Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, affecting different countries disproportionally. Effective diagnosis and treatment of TB saved an estimated 43 million lives between 2000 and 2014. The aim of our study was to show sociodemographic influences, risk factors for the morbidity and clinical characteristics of tuberculosis among residents of northern Kosovo, Serbia, between two decades at the beginning of the 21st century. Methods. A prospective study was conducted at the Department for Pulmonology of the Clinical-health Centre, Kosovska Mitrovica, included all tuberculosis patients treated during two three-year periods, between 2000?2002 and 2012?2014. In total, 134 patients with tuberculosis were treated, 91 in the first observed period and 43 in the second period. Results. In both observed periods, male patients suffered from tuberculosis more frequently. In the first observed period, younger and middle age (18?49) persons suffered from tuberculosis more frequently (p = 0.014). In relation to the place of residence, in the first reporting period there were more patients from urban areas, while in the second, there were significantly more patients from rural areas (p = 0.008). In the second observed period, TB was significantly more associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 0.001) and comorbidities with TB were significantly more frequent (p = 0.006). During the 2000?2002 period, there were more severe clinical forms, with severe radiological changes, bilateral parenchymal and cavernous forms (p = 0.08). Mild unilateral parenchymal lesions were more common in the last 3 years (p = 0.02). Conclusion. Social determinants, older age and comorbidities are the most important risk factors for the persistent number of patients, and therefore this target group needs attention during active approach in TB screening.

Introduction Spontaneous splenic rupture is a rare but potentially fatal complication of infectious mononucleosis (IM). It occurs in only 0.1-0.5% of cases of this disease. The aim of this paper was to present a case with spontaneous splenic rupture after IM. Case outline A 22-year-old female patient was feeling better one month after she was treated for infectious mononucleosis, and started training volleyball. Two weeks after starting the training, she felt severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis of rupture was confirmed with computer tomography. Splenectomy was successfully performed. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient recovered with no need for blood transfusion. Conclusion Timely diagnosis and setting indications for surgical treatment are crucial in healing. Patients should wait to start with sport activities at least two months if the size of the spleen is within normal range.