Results of National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in Croatia(2007-2011)

AIM:To study the epidemiologic indicators of uptake and characteristic colonoscopic findings in the Croatian National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.METHODS:Colorectal cancer(CRC) was the second leading cause of cancer mortality in men(n = 1063,49.77/100 000),as well as women(n = 803,34.89/100 000) in Croatia in 2009.The Croatian National CRC Screening Program was established by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,and its implementation started in September,2007.The coordinators were recruited in each county institute of public health with an obligation to provide fecal occult blood testing(FOBT) to the participants,followed by colonoscopy in all positive cases.The FOBT was performed by hypersensitive guaiac-based Hemognost card test(Biognost,Zagreb).The test and short questionnaire were delivered to the home addresses of all citizens aged 50-74 years consecutively during a 3-year period.Each participant was required to complete the questionnaire and send it together with the stool specimen on three test cards back to the institute for further analysis.About 4% FOBT positive cases are expected in normal risk populations.A descriptive analysis was performed.RESULTS:A total of 1 056 694 individuals(born between 1933-1945 and 1952-1957) were invited to screening by the end of September 2011.In total,210 239(19.9%) persons returned the envelope with a completed questionnaire,and 181 102 of them returned it with a correctly placed stool specimen on FOBT cards.Until now,12 477(6.9%),FOBT-positive patients have been found,which is at the upper limit of the expected values in European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in CRC Screening and Diagnosis [European Union(EU) Guidelines].Colonoscopy was performed in 8541 cases(uptake 66%).Screening has identified CRC in 472 patients(5.5% of colonoscopied,3.8% of FOBT-positive,and 0.26% of all screened individuals).This is also in the expected range according to EU Guidelines.Polyps were found and removed in 3329(39% of colonoscopied) patients.The largest number of polyps were found in the left half of the colon:64%(19%,37% and 8% in the rectum,sigma,and descendens,respectively).The other 36% were detected in the proximal part(17% in the transverse colon and 19% in ceco-ascending colon).Small polyps in the rectum(5-10 mm in diameter),sigmoid and descending colon were histologically found to be tubular adenomas in 60% of cases,with a low degree of dysplasia,and 40% were classified as hyperplastic.Polyps of this size in the transverse or ceco-ascending colon in almost 20% had a histologically villous component,but still had a low degree of dysplasia.Polyps sized 10-20 mm in diameter were in 43% cases tubulovillous,and among them,32% had areas with a high degree of dysplasia,especially those polyps in the cecoascending or transverse part.The characteristics of the Croatian CRC Screening National Program in the first 3 years were as follows:relatively low percentage of returned FOBT,higher number of FOBT-positive persons but still in the range for population-based programs,and higher number of pathologic findings(polyps and cancers).CONCLUSION:These results suggest a need for intervention strategies that include organizational changes and educational activities to improve awareness of CRC screening usefulness and increase participation rates.

The Outcomes of the Co-branding Strategy

The objective of this study is to investigate the outcomes of co-branding strategy in the assessment of the brand managers of analysed companies on European market and verification if a co-branding gives the opportunities for internal and external development. The analysis of correlation between the outcomes of co-branding and two major categories of co-branding strategy （ingredient branding and symbolic co-branding） are also important. In the paper the results of empirical studies are presented. Recent primary research （2009-2011） was conducted in 50 companies which are present in minimum three countries of Europe and have realized co-branding strategy for three years. Questionnaire surveys were carried out throughout all 120 identified companies. As a result, data from 50 companies were obtained, which amounted to 41.7% of all companies polled. The analysis of findings indicates the different outcomes in case of two major categories of co-branding strategy. The results show the general evaluation of the co-branded projects as well as the possibilities of the internal and external development. The results also emphasize the significance of symbolic character of the co-branding strategy. The recommendations in this study are set forth, of course, with the caveat as to the limitations of the sample. Nonetheless, it is believed that the results of this study will alert companies to the potential outcomes of co-branding taking into account the category of cooperation. This research has resulted in practical contribution. From the substantive stand point, this research has shed light on the outcomes of co-branding. This information can be useful for managers to understand which effects can be expected. From a theoretical and practical standpoint, this research contributes to brand alliances research and has provided a better understanding of outcomes of co-branding and the correlations between the possibilities of internal and external development and chosen category of co-branding strategy. This text may contribute to further research in this area and as a kind of motivator for further discussion on this topic.

Bitmap lattice index in road networks

A novel technique called the bitmap lattice index(BLI) is proposed, which combines the advantages of a wireless broadcasting environment with a road network. Existing road networks are based on the on-demand method: a server's workload increases as the query request increases when a server sends a client information. To solve this problem, we propose the BLI. The BLI denotes an object and a node as 0 and 1 in the Hilbert curve(HC) map. The BLI can identify the position of a node and an object through bit information; it can also reduce the broadcasting frequency of a server by reducing the size of the index, thereby decreasing the access latency and query processing times. Moreover, the BLI is highly effective for data filtering, as it can identify the positions of both an object and a node. In a road network, if filtering is done via the Euclidean distance, it may result in an error. To prevent this, we add another validation procedure. The experiment is conducted by applying the BLI to kNN query, and the technique is assessed by a performance evaluation experiment.

Colorectal cancer screening in Europe

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the second most frequent malignant disease in Europe.Every year,412 000people are diagnosed with this condition,and 207 000patients die of it.In 2003,recommendations forscreening programs were issued by the Council of the European Union(EU),and these currently serve as thebasis for the preparation of European guidelines forCRC screening.The manner in which CRC screening iscarried out varies significantly from country to countrywithin the EU,both in terms of organization and thescreening test chosen.A screening program of onesort or another has been implemented in 19 of 27 EUcountries.The most frequently applied method is testing stool for occult bleeding(fecal occult blood test,FOBT).In recent years,a screening colonoscopy hasbeen introduced,either as the only method(Poland)orthe method of choice(Germany,Czech Republic).

The Choice of Gender Roles and the Perceptions of Gender Violence in Regions of Armenia

This article describes results of the fieldwork study concerning the reasons of gender roles＇ choice and the possible violence in Armenian families that occur from the gender roles. I have completed field study encompassing nine, out of 11, administrative regions of Armenia. The purpose of this study is to understand the perception level of domestic violence, child abuse and society＇s approach to the latter by conducting quantitative survey. These findings may be useful for the experts specialized in the gender violence and working on adapting the value system of EU countries in Armenia.

Climate change and plague history in Europe

Previous research that reported the linkage between climate change and plague activity primarily refers to the immediate effect of short-term climatic variation. Yet, decades of discussion about the climate-plague association cannot determine the precise role of climate in shaping plague dynamics. One reason for this discrepancy originates from the narrow selection of spatio-temporal settings for comprehensive analysis of the correlation, leading to a limited consideration of the complexity of possible dynamics.By analyzing a 414-year long record of plague outbreak in pre-industrial Europe and the corresponding climatic data in multi-scale,we find little evidence to support climate-plague correlation in(1) both climatic variations and large-scale climatic phenomena,(2)both country scale and continental scale,(3) annual to inter-annual scale, and(4) both linear and non-linear analytic approaches. The null-result should not be viewed as a general rejection of other recent findings related to climate-plague association; nevertheless,it suggests that a wider consideration of scales, sensitivity checks and consideration of contexts should be included in explaining and predicting plague transmission under contemporary global climate conditions.