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Abstract: Background Polyvascular disease (PVD) is an increasingly recognised form of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) with heightened prognostic implications. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence, risk factors, and prognosis of PVD in Slovenia. Methods We conducted an observational retrospective cohort study using national-level reimbursement data from The Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2023. The study considered all adults who were hospitalised for coronary, cerebrovascular, or lower extremity peripheral arterial disease with diagnoses defined using ICD-10 codes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify cardiovascular risk factors for PVD. Patients were grouped by the number of affected vascular beds. The primary outcomes were all-cause death, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), major adverse limb events (MALE), and major bleeding. In outcome analysis, a landmark of 90 days was considered. Cause-specific survival analysis was performed, and associations with the primary outcomes was assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, and prescribed medication. Findings The study included 91,917 adults hospitalised for ASCVD. Of these, 85,703 (93.2%) had atherosclerosis in one vascular bed, 5878 (6.4%) in two, and 336 (0.4%) in three; the latter two groups (6214; 6.8%) were classified as having PVD. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors were strongly associated with PVD, with chronic kidney disease (odds ratio [OR] 1.96; 95% CI 1.81–2.11; p < 0.0001), diabetes (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.48–1.66; p < 0.0001), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a surrogate indicator of tobacco use (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.40–1.74; p < 0.0001) emerging as the strongest predictors. Compared to patients with ASCVD in one vascular bed, patients with two affected beds had adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.24 (95% CI 1.09–1.42) for all-cause death, 1.51 (95% CI 1.24–1.83) for MACE, 2.52 (95% CI 2.08–3.05) for MALE, and 1.27 (95% CI 1.05–1.54) for major bleeding. Patients with three affected beds had adjusted HRs of 1.69 (95% CI 1.40–2.03), 2.70 (95% CI 2.23–3.28), 4.24 (95% CI 3.49–5.14), and 2.31 (95% CI 1.45–3.68), respectively. Interpretation Patients with PVD face a high overall disease burden, with adverse event rates increasing in proportion to the number of affected vascular beds. Accurate assessment of individual risk profiles is essential, as patients with the highest baseline risk are most likely to benefit from intensified preventive strategies. Potential underreporting inherent in administrative claims data, along with our selective criteria for defining leading diagnoses, may have somewhat limited the number of identified patients with PVD. Nonetheless, even after adjusting for group size, comorbidities, and prescribed medication, PVD independently predicted not only all-cause death and ischaemic events but also major bleeding. Further research is needed to define optimal treatment strategies in this high-risk population.
Keywords: atherosclerosis, polyvascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, risk factors, survival analysis
Published in DiRROS: 22.12.2025; Views: 6; Downloads: 5
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Abstract: In an age increasingly shaped by digital mediation, technological abstraction, and reductive conceptions of the human body, this article explores the concept of Christian embodiment as an important counter-narrative. Drawing on biblical anthropology, Jewish thought, and Christian doctrines such as the incarnation and resurrection, it asserts that the body is not merely a technical obstacle or biological fact, but a place of gift, relation, and vocation. it is through the body that human personhood is expressed, love is enacted, and communion with others becomes possible. The article critically engages with contemporary cultural tendencies such as transhumanism, posthumanism, and digital self-optimization, while offering a theological vision in which the fullness of life is realized not through the transcend-ence of the body, but through its transfiguration in love. Rooted in gratitude and relationship, Christian embodiment encourages a renewed ethic of presence in a world increasingly threatened by disembodiment.
Keywords: Christian antropology, embodiment, digital culture, transhumanism, incarnation, relationality
Published in DiRROS: 22.12.2025; Views: 10; Downloads: 9
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Abstract: The genomic data of Central European populations is underrepresented in the publicly available databases. We present the comprehensive genomic variation of the Slovenian population, based on the genomic sequencing of 9425 non-related individuals, i.e. more than 0.44% of the Slovenian population. Over 30 million unique single nucleotide and small indel (30.8 million), copy number (217.6 thousand), and mitochondrial variants (3.3 thousand) were uncovered and annotated by analysing the whole genome of 619 individuals and the whole exome of 8806 individuals. This population variation, including 3,9 million novel variants, is presented in a publicly available genome variant browser, the SloGenVar (https://slogenvar.si). We used this newly developed resource to reveal the population frequency of pathogenic variants in the genes associated with recessive conditions. The Slovenian genome database and browser offer the largest and the most comprehensive publicly available Central European population genomic variant resource, providing an important asset for genomic studies and as a control variant database for variant interpretation in the region and beyond.
Keywords: population genomic variation, whole genome sequencing, genome browser, Slovenian genome database
Published in DiRROS: 22.12.2025; Views: 5; Downloads: 2
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Abstract: Background: Recent research in male infertility genetics has identified numerous candidate genes, some of which were also involved in DNA repair. Mismatch repair (MMR) genes, such as MSH4 and MSH5, have been linked to male infertility due to their role in meiosis, suggesting that other MMR genes may also contribute to impaired spermatogenesis. To investigate the role of MMR genes in male infertility, we first conducted a systematic review focusing on their involvement in impaired spermatogenesis, which was followed by a multicenter cohort study assessing the occurrence of rare deleterious variants in MMR genes among men with severely impaired fertility. The present study aimed to assess the contribution of MMR genes to male infertility and to evaluate their potential clinical utility in the diagnostic workup of men with severely impaired fertility. Methods: A systematic review was conducted through a PubMed database search with a focus on the role of MMR genes in spermatogenesis. We additionally prepared a cohort study, including whole-exome sequencing data from 244 infertile men presenting azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia (< 5 million spermatozoa/ml). Rare, deleterious variants in MMR genes were classified using the ACGS Guidelines for Variant Classification 2020. Results: Following a systematic review of the literature, we gathered robust evidence supporting the strong involvement of MSH4 and MSH5 variants in male infertility, moderate evidence for MLH3, and limited evidence for other MMR genes. From our cohort, we identified likely pathogenic or pathogenic variants in two individuals: one with two MSH4 variants and another with a PMS2 variant. Conclusions: The present study identifies MSH4 and MSH5 as strong candidate genes for male infertility, supporting the integration of their testing into the clinical diagnosis of infertile men, particularly those exhibiting non-obstructive azoospermia. Although current evidence suggests that genetic variants in most MMR genes do not cause infertility, genetic defects in MMR genes can still impair spermatogenesis due to their critical role in sperm DNA repair and maintenance of genome integrity.
Keywords: male infertility, spermatogenesis, mismatch repair, gens, MSH, MLH
Published in DiRROS: 22.12.2025; Views: 6; Downloads: 7
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Abstract: Olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars often exhibit genotype-specific responses to micronutrient management. In this study, we investigated the metabolic leaf fingerprinting of three cultivars ‘Rošinjola’, ‘Leccino’, and ‘Istarska bjelica’ at two sampling periods (SP-I = 64 days after treatment (DAT) and SP-II = 118 DAT), following boron foliar fertilisation (+B = 41.62 mM B; −B = 0 mM B) applied 50 days after anthesis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide such a detailed evaluation of boron-induced shifts in phenolic metabolism in olive leaves. At harvest (SP-II), all three cultivars showed higher concentrations of total identified phenolic compounds in +B plants compared with the −B controls. Notably, the concentration of verbascoside at harvest was higher in +B plants of ‘Istarska bjelica’ and ‘Leccino’, but not in ‘Rošinjola’. Oleuropein content increased in +B plants at harvest to a level higher than 4870 mg/100 g DW, irrespective of cultivar. Conversely, apigenin-7-glucoside declined from SP-I to SP-II in ‘Leccino’ regardless of treatment, whereas in ‘Istarska bjelica’, this decrease occurred only in control plants, with boron preventing the seasonal decline. These findings confirm the prolonged effect of boron foliar fertilisation on phenolic metabolism in olive leaves and highlight cultivar-specific differences in metabolic responses. Further research is needed to clarify how these metabolic shifts relate to primary plant metabolism and how they influence olive oil quality traits among cultivars grown under Croatian conditions.
Keywords: plant metabolism, olive leaves, oleuropein, Istrian cultivars
Published in DiRROS: 22.12.2025; Views: 20; Downloads: 15
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