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The objective of this paper is to estimate percent of the human population in the City of Novi Sad (CNS) annoyed by road traffic noise according to two methods (ISO 1996-1: 2016, and National norm from 2010). 24-hour noise measurements data in the area of the city center and city roads in the CNS from 2012 to 2016 are obtained from the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina (IPHV). Both methods show similar results, although with varying precision within the different noise range. Night noise stands out as a problem due to the fact that the expert recognize it as a significant factor responsible for the non-auditory effects of noise on human health and because the results of measurements of the IPHV confirm that the night-time noise is increased by 98% of measurements in the city traffic area.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate heavy metal(loid)s (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, and As) in lung cancer patients in order to elucidate their role as lung cancer environmental risk factors. Sixty-three patients of both sexes with adenocarcinoma stage IIIB or IV were enrolled in this research. The heavy metal(loid) urine concentrations were measured using ICP-MS. Arsenic was quantified above 10 μg/L in 44.44% of the samples. Nickel urinary concentrations above the ToxGuide reference levels were found in 50.79% of the samples, while lead was quantified in 9.52% of the urine samples. The urinary chromium levels were above the mean ToxGuide levels in 41.27% of the patients and were significantly higher in men in comparison with women (p = 0.035). The chromium urinary concentrations were positively associated with the CRP serum levels (p = 0.037). Cadmium was quantified in 61.90% of the samples with levels significantly higher in females than in males (p = 0.023), which was associated with smoking habits. Mercury was measured above the limit of quantification in 63.49% of the samples and was not associated with amalgam dental fillings. However, the Hg urinary concentrations were correlated positively with the ALT (p = 0.02), AST (p < 0.001), and GGT (p < 0.001) serum levels. In 46.03% of the samples, the Mo concentrations were above 32 μg/L, the mean value for healthy adults according to the ToxGuide, and 9.52% of the patients had Mn levels higher than 8 μg/L, the reference value for healthy adults based on ToxGuide data. The obtained results are preliminary, and further studies are needed to have a deeper insight into metal(loid) exposure's association with lung cancer development, progression, and survival prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Salt intake above 5 g/person/day is a strong independent risk factor for hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Published studies indicate that the main source of salt in human diet is processed ready-to-eat food, contributing with 65-85% to daily salt intake. Objective. The aim of this paper was to present data on salt content of ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad, Serbia, and contribution of the salt contained in 100 g of food to the recommended daily intake of salt for healthy and persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Methods. In 1,069 samples of ready-to-eat food, salt (sodium chloride) content was calculated based on chloride ion determined by titrimetric method, while in 54 samples of bottled water sodium content was determined using flame-photometry. Food items in each food group were categorized as low, medium or high salt. Average salt content of each food group was expressed as a percentage of recommended daily intake for healthy and for persons with CVD risk. Results. Average salt content (g/100 g) ranged from 0.36±0.48 (breakfast cereals) to 2.32±1.02 (grilled meat). The vast majority of the samples of sandwiches (91.7%), pizza (80.7%), salami (73.9%), sausages (72.9%), grilled meat (70.0%) and hard cheese (69.6%) had a high salt profile. Average amount of salt contained in 100 g of food participated with levels ranging from 7.2% (breakfast cereals) to 46.4% (grilled meat) and from 9.6% to 61.8% in the recommended daily intake for healthy adult and person with CVD risk, respectively. Average sodium content in 100 ml of bottled spring and mineral water was 0.33±0.30 mg and 33±44 mg, respectively. Conclusion. Ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad has high hidden salt content, which could be considered as an important contributor to relatively high salt consumption of its inhabitants.

Increased usage of herbal food supplements by both the paediatric and adult populations prompted a health risk assessment study. The elemental profiles of 52 supplements collected in Serbia were obtained using ICP-MS. The calculated contribution to permitted daily exposure was in compliance with the guidelines for elemental impurities: up to 46.8% for Pb (infants), 67.2% for Cu (toddlers), 6.8% for As (preschool children), and 8.0% for Hg (adolescents). Hazard quotients indicated high exposure of toddlers to Cu (100.9%) and Zn (112.7%), although by only one supplement, for which hazard indices ranged from 229 to 105% (aligning from toddlers to adolescents). Based on the margin of exposure, As and Pb were not of safety concern. Conversely, the proportion of supplements exceeding the acceptable level of lifetime cancer risk due to As exposure varied from 41.9% in adolescents to 54.3% in adults. Simultaneous use of multiple supplements over a prolonged period of time could further deepen health concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe drinking water is one of the basic conditions for life on our planet, necessary for all vital processes in the biosphere. Pollution of water sources, largely from wide-scale agricultural fertilizer use, has resulted in nitrate and nitrite contamination of drinking water. Aim: To determine the concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite in drinking water as potential hazards in the settlements of the South Bačka administrative district of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (northern part of Serbia). A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2019. We analysed 8434 drinking water samples (7319 purified chlorinated, 386 untreated but chlorinated, and 729 untreated). For assessing the concentration of ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite in drinking water, samples were analyzed by a certified laboratory at the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina using spectrophotometric method. After analyzing samples of purified chlorinated, untreated chlorinated, and untreated water, the exceedance of the prescribed values of ammonium were found in 0.45%, 64.77% and 68.45%, and for nitrites in 0.04%, 5.96% and 0.82% of the samples, respectively. The concentration of nitrate in drinking water concerning the degree of water purification (purified chlorinated and untreated water) exceeded the prescribed value in 0.01% and 5% of the samples, respectively. Determined exceedances of the prescribed limit values for nitrite concentrations recorded in purified chlorinated, untreated chlorinated, and untreated drinking water as well as for nitrate mainly in untreated drinking water, could be considered as potential hazards for human health, especially for the sensitive population group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Investigations have brought evidence that salt intake is positively related to systolic blood pressure and that children with higher blood pressure are more susceptible to hypertension in adulthood. In developed countries the main source of salt is processed food. Objective The aim of this paper was to determine total sodium chloride (NaCl) in average daily meal (breakfast, snack and dinner) and in each of three meals children receive in kindergarten. Methods. From kindergarten, in the meal time, 88 samples of daily meals ( breakfast, snacks and dinner) offered to children aged 4-6 years were taken. Standardized laboratory methods were applied to determine proteins, fats, ash and water in order to calculate energy value of meal. The titrimetric method with AgNO3, and K2CrO4 as indicator, was applied in order to determine chloride ion. Content of NaCl was calculated as %NaCl = mlAgNO3 × 0.05844 × 5 × 100/g tested portion. NaCl content in total daily meal and each meal and in 100 kcal of each meal was calculated using descriptive statistical method. Student’s t-test was applied to determine statistical differences of NaCl amount among meals. Results. NaCl content in average daily meal was 5.2±1.7 g (CV 31.7%), in breakfast 1.5±0.6 g (CV 37.5%), in dinner 3.5±1.6 g (CV 46.1%) and in snack 0.3±0.4 g (CV 163.3%). NaCl content per 100 kcal of breakfast was 0.4±0.1 g (CV 29.5%), dinner 0.7±0.2 g (CV 27.8%) and snack 0.13±0.19 g (CV 145.8%). The difference of NaCl content among meals was statistically significant (p

Background/Aim. According to the literature that has been published over the last two decades Campylobacter spp i Listeria monocitogens can be identified as causes of numerous diseases derived by consuming food of animal origin. The purpose of this paper was to find out how established national microbiological criteria of the Republic of Serbia on food safety in retailed food of animal origin could contribute to consumer's protection against exposition to foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. Methods. During a routine microbiological safety control of randomly selected 60 samples of fresh poultry meat, 30 samples of other fresh meat readymade for grilling, 30 samples of sausage products, 37 samples of heattreated meat, 39 samples of toppings for fast food of animal origin and 31 samples of dairy products a national food safety criteria (Escherichia coli, aerobic plate count, Salmonella spp., coagulasa positive Staphylococcus, Proteus spp., sulphitoreducting Clostridia) were applied and, as well as, testing to Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocitogens. In determination of Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, food quality control methods of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were applied, while in determination of the other above motioned bacteria, national provisions on microbiological methods were applied who are adjusted to the FAO ones. Results. Related to the national criteria on microbiological food safety, 88 (38.8%) samples, out of the total 227 tested, were rejected. When to these results, the results of laboratory tests on Listeria monocytogens were added, a terminal number of rejected samples were not changed. When to these results, the results of Campylobacter spp. testing were added, 91 (40.1%) out of the 227 samples were unsatisfied. Results of logistic regression model with occurrence of Escherichia coli as dependent variable indicated that Escherichia coli was 4.5 times likely to occur among samples with Campylobacter spp. than among samples without Campylobacter spp. (OR = 4.515, 95% CI: 1.019-20.002). Sensitivity of the fitted model (Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.268) was 76.8% and its specificity was 75.0%. At the same time Escherichia coli was confound in all (100%) food samples that were contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes. Conclusion. Statistical analysis indicated that Escherichia coli was completely sensitive to identify all samples contaminated with Listeria monocytogenas and highly sensitive to identify samples contaminated with Campylobacter spp. Nevertheless, 3 (1.3%) of the tested samples were not covered with Escherichia coli.

The available data on the impact of air pollution on acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are inconsistent. We investigated the influence of air pollution on the number of severe AECOPD hospitalizations of non-infectious etiology in patients residing in Novi Sad, Serbia. In this time-series, we used a quasi-Poisson generalized linear model in conjunction with distributed lag non-linear models, after controlling for lag days, seasonal and long-term trends, and meteorological factors (air temperature and humidity), to estimate the relative risk (RR) of AECOPD hospitalization for each increase of 10 μg/m3 in the air pollutant concentration. A total of 552 AECOPD hospitalizations were registered during 2017–2022. With each 10 μg/m3 increase in the selected air pollutants' concentration, the cumulative RR (lags0–7) in single-predictor models for AECOPD admission were 1.52 (95% CI 0.98–2.35) for PM10, 1.44 (95% CI 0.93–2.25) for PM2.5, 1.13 (95% CI 0.87–1.47) for SO2, and 0.99 (95% CI 0.69–1.42) for NO2. Similar results were found in multi-predictor models as well as in group analyses between smokers and non-smokers. In conclusion, no significant associations between exposure to air pollutants and the daily AECOPD admissions were found. There is an obvious need for additional research on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the greatest global public health challenges. Acute exacerbations of COPD lead to the accelerated deterioration of lung function, reduced quality of life, a higher number of hospitalizations, and increased mortality. The factor causing the exacerbation is usually an infectious agent, but the impact of environmental factors is being studied more thoroughly. Among them, meteorological factors are the least examined. Multiple studies have shown that lower temperatures during the cold season, as well as sudden temperature changes regardless of the season, have the most significant negative effect on patients with COPD. However, higher temperatures, especially during summer heatwaves, can also cause COPD exacerbation and it is expected that this will be an even more important health problem in the future considering climate changes. The effects of other meteorological factors on acute exacerbation of COPD, such as atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, rainfall, wind speed, and humidity are far less investigated and opposing results have been obtained in different studies. Thus, there is a need for further research in this area that would result in clinical recommendations and public health interventions that could decrease the global burden of COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities is a priority at the global, national, and local levels. To inform improvements planning, conditions of WASH, waste management, and environmental cleaning were assessed in 81 facilities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, as part of a nationally representative survey in 2019. The survey included on-site checks, structured interviews, and drinking-water quality analysis. WHO/UNICEF indicators for WASH service levels and an advanced service level defined at the national level were applied. The results showed that all investigated facilities provided basic water services; 94% of facilities provided basic hygiene and waste management services; 58 and 2%, respectively, provided basic cleaning and sanitation services. Only 1% of investigated facilities met the basic level for all five WASH dimensions. Advanced service levels were only met for hygiene, waste management, and/or cleaning in 15-38% of facilities. In 33% of health care facilities, drinking-water quality was not in compliance with the national standards. The results revealed that there is a need for increased awareness and efforts to ensure basic provisions for sanitation, environmental cleaning, and drinking-water safety.

Background: The aim of this study has been to examine the association between climate conditions (CC) and hospital admissions for the subcategories of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), according to patients' age., Material and Methods: From January 2010 through December 2011, the daily number of hospital admissions for angina pectoris (AP), essential hypertension (EH), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and ischemic heart diseases (IHD) for adults (19-64 years old) and the elderly (≥ 65 years old), as well as for the CC (N = 728 days) was collected for multivariate Poisson regression analysis, confounding with season and weekends. The results were expressed by using the relative risk with the corresponding 95% confidence interval., Results: The risk for the AMI among the adults and the elderly is significantly higher for 41.8% and 38.9%, respectively on the days with lower ambient temperature and lesser for 32.7% and 29.8%, respectively on the days with lower air pressure values. The risk for the IHD among the elderly is significantly higher on the days with lower ambient temperature and lower relative humidity for 50.6% and 37.4%, respectively., Conclusions: Our findings explain how the CC and subcategories of CVD are associated, which could be used for adequate public awareness of the risk for hospitalization due to climate conditions. Med Pr 2017;68(2):189-197., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

From August to September 2014 a water quality study was conducted on five popular public Danube beaches in Vojvodina, Serbia. To assess the safety of Danube water for bathing, physical, chemical, bacteriological tests were performed. While many parameters for monitoring the quality of water are regulated by law, there are neither national nor international legislations addressing the presence of viruses in recreational waters. In this study, we performed analyses that surpassed national requirements, and investigated if adenovirus, enterovirus or rotavirus genetic material was present in samples of recreational water collected for quality monitoring. Of 90 water samples obtained during the study, enterovirus material was not found in any sample, but adenovirus and rotavirus genetic materials were respectively detected in 60 and 31 samples. Statistical analyses showed a significant correlation between adenovirus DNA and total coliforms in the water. Even when water samples were adequate for recreational use, adenoviruses were detected in 75% (57/76) of such samples. Our results indicate that implementation of viral indicators in recreational water might be helpful to better assess public health safety. This might be particularly relevant in areas where urban wastewater treatment is insufficient and surface waters affected by wastewater are used for recreation.

Introduction: Salt intake above 5 g/person/day is a strong independent risk factor for hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Published studies indicate that the main source of salt in human diet is processed ready-to-eat food, contributing with 65-85% to daily salt intake., Objective: The aim of this paper was to present data on salt content of ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad, Serbia, and contribution of the salt contained in 100 g of food to the recommended daily intake of salt for healthy and persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk., Methods: In 1,069 samples of ready-to-eat food, salt (sodium chloride) content was calculated based on chloride ion determined by titrimetric method, while in 54 samples of bottled water sodium content was determined using flame-photometry. Food items in each food group were categorized as low, medium or high salt. Average salt content of each food group was expressed as a percentage of recommended daily intake for healthy and for persons with CVD risk., Results: Average salt content (g/100 g) ranged from 0.36 ± 0.48 (breakfast cereals) to 2.32 ± 1.02 (grilled meat). The vast majority of the samples of sandwiches (91.7%), pizza (80.7%), salami (73.9%), sausages (72.9%), grilled meat (70.0%) and hard cheese (69.6%) had a high salt profile. Average amount of salt contained in 100 g of food participated with levels ranging from 7.2% (breakfast cereals) to 46.4% (grilled meat) and from 9.6% to 61.8% in the recommended daily intake for healthy adult and person with CVD risk, respectively. Average sodium content in 100 ml of bottled spring and mineral water was 0.33 ± 0.30 mg and 33 ± 44 mg, respectively., Conclusion: Ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad has high hidden salt content, which could be considered as an important contributor to relatively high salt consumption of its inhabitants.

Introduction: Investigations have brought evidence that salt intake is positively related to systolic blood pressure and that children with higher blood pressure are more susceptible to hypertension in adulthood. In developed countries the main source of salt is processed food., Objective: The aim of this paper was to determine total sodium chloride (NaCl) in average daily meal (breakfast, snack and dinner) and in each of three meals children receive in kindergarten., Methods: From kindergarten, in the meal time, 88 samples of daily meals (breakfast, snacks and dinner) offered to children aged 4-6 years were taken. Standardized laboratory methods were applied to determine proteins, fats, ash and water in order to calculate energy value of meal. The titrimetric method with AgNO3, and K2CrO4 as indicator, was applied in order to determine chloride ion. Content of NaCl was calculated as %NaCl = mlAgNO3 x 0.05844 x 5 x 100/g tested portion. NaCl content in total daily meal and each meal and in 100 kcal of each meal was calculated using descriptive statistical method. Student's t-test was applied to determine statistical differences of NaCl amount among meals., Results: NaCl content in average daily meal was 5.2 +/- 1.7 g (CV 31.7%), in breakfast 1.5 +/- 0.6 g (CV 37.5%), in dinner 3.5 +/- 1.6 g (CV 46.1%) and in snack 0.3 +/- 0.4 g (CV 163.3%). NaCl content per 100 kcal of breakfast was 0.4 +/- 0.1 g (CV 29.5%), dinner 0.7 +/- 0.2 g (CV 27.8%) and snack 0.13 +/- 0.19 g (CV 145.8%). The difference of NaCl content among meals was statistically significant (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: Children in kindergarten, through three meals, received NaCl in a quantity that exceeded internationally established population nutrient goal for daily salt intake. The main source of NaCl was dinner, a meal that is cooked at place.