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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the hypolipidemic effects of carnosine and a commercial carnosine supplement on lipid status, liver and kidney function, and inflammation associated with dyslipidemia in rats with high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on adult male Wistar rats, divided into control and experimental groups. Animals were kept in standard laboratory conditions and according to groups were treated with saline, carnosine, carnosine dietary supplement, simvastatin, and their combinations. All substances were prepared fresh every day and used by oral gavage. RESULTS: Treatment with a carnosine-based supplement significantly improved total and LDL cholesterol levels in serum, especially in the combination with simvastatin as a conventional drug in dyslipidemia treatment. The effect of carnosine on the metabolism of triglycerides was not as evident as in the case of cholesterol. Nevertheless, the values of the atherogenic index showed that the combinations of carnosine and carnosine supplement with simvastatin were the most effective in lowering this comprehensive lipid index. Dietary carnosine supplementation resulted also in anti-inflammatory effects, as demonstrated by immunohistochemical analyses. Besides, the good safety profile of carnosine in terms of its effect on liver and kidney functions was also confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of carnosine supplements in preventing and/or treatment of metabolic disorders requires further investigations into the mechanisms of action and potential interactions with conventional therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the monitoring of the entire process of an installation of a smart autonomous production system, and continuous analysis of its operation. The smart production system consists of an industrial robot and a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. Research is focused on the industrial robot subsystem; an implementation of a fuzzy logic method for end effectors is applied, and results regarding relevant clamping force are presented. The grippers and magnetic switches are described in more detail, and devices for measuring the clamping force are shown and analyzed. After installation and levelling of the machine, it is necessary to perform calibration - the correction of movement along the axis of the CNC machine. In theory, if the CNC machine is programmed to follow an ideal circular path, when the positioning accuracy of the machine and its tooling is perfect, then the actual curve that the machine produces, would correspond exactly to the ideally programmed circle. In practice, many factors affect CNC machine performance causing deviations from the ideal circuit. Factors influencing the accuracy are various, stemming from machine geometry, through the control system, to machine wear over many years of the operation. A possible upgrade of the existing system, in order to increase the autonomy, and reduce the need for a human operator, would include the installation of a 3D camerasensor. The robot would take the correct pieces in accordance with production or assembly process, from the box next to it. The box is being filled with preparations from a conveyor belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients suffering from cholelithiasis have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, particularly ischemic myocardial disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), already used in clinical practice for the treatment of cholelithiasis and related conditions, has proven antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of UDCA pre-treatment on isoprenaline-induced myocardial injury in rats. Male Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups. Animals were pre-treated for 10 days with propylene glycol + saline on days 9 and 10 (control), 10 days with propylene glycol + isoprenaline on days 9 and 10 (I group), 10 days with UDCA + saline on days 9 and 10 (UDCA group), and 10 days with UDCA + isoprenaline on days 9 and 10 (UDCA + I group). UDCA pre-treatment significantly reduced values of high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) cardiac markers ( p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The value of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was also decreased in the UDCA + I group compared to the I group ( p < 0.001). UDCA also significantly increased glutathione (GSH) levels, while showing a tendency to increase levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). The level of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) expression, a key regulatory gene of inflammation, was diminished when UDCA was administered. A reduction of cardiac damage was also observed in the UDCA pre-treated group. In conclusion, UDCA pre-treatment showed a cardioprotective effect on isoprenaline-induced myocardial injury in rats, primarily by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Background/objectives: Most cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) arise from adenomatous polyps. Identifying risk factors for colorectal adenoma (CRA) is critical for CRC prevention. Emerging evidence suggests a link between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and an elevated risk of CRA and CRC, potentially mediated by visceral obesity and adiponectin (APN). We aimed to evaluate the association between different markers of visceral obesity, serum APN, MetS, and the presence of CRA., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, involving 120 patients, aged 40-75 years, who underwent colonoscopy between January 2022 and January 2023. Sixty patients with CRA were compared to 60 controls with normal colonoscopy findings. Visceral fat thickness (VFT) was measured using ultrasound (US), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was used to assess visceral fat area (VFA). Serum APN levels, anthropometric measures, and MetS components were also evaluated., Results: Patients with CRA had significantly higher VFT measured by US (p < 0.05), but no significant differences were found in VFA measured by BIA, waist circumference (WC), or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). MetS was significantly more prevalent in the CRA group (55% vs. 31.6%, p < 0.05), and logistic regression confirmed MetS as a significant predictor of CRA presence (OR = 2.6). Serum APN levels were inversely correlated with visceral fat measurements and MetS (p < 0.01), but no significant difference in APN levels was observed between patients with and without CRA., Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of VFT measured by US and the presence of MetS as significant factors associated with CRA.

This study presents a novel approach for improving the interfacial adhesion between Nd-Fe-B spherical magnetic powders and polyamide 12 (PA12) in polymer-bonded magnets using plasma treatments. By applying radio frequency plasma to the magnetic powder and low-pressure microwave plasma to PA12, we achieved a notable enhancement in the mechanical and environmental stability of fused deposition modeling (FDM)-printed Nd-Fe-B/PA12 magnets. The densities of the FDM-printed materials ranged from 92% to 94% of their theoretical values, with magnetic remanence (B r ) ranging from 85% to 89% of the theoretical values across all batches. The dual plasma-treated batch demonstrated an optimal mechanical profile with an elastic modulus of 578 MPa and the highest ductility at 21%, along with a tensile strength range of 6 to 7 MPa across all batches. Flexural testing indicated that this batch also achieved the highest flexural strength of 15 MPa with a strain of 5%. Environmental stability assessments confirmed that applied plasma treatments did not compromise resistance to corrosion, evidenced by negligible flux loss in both hygrothermal and bulk corrosion tests. These results highlight plasma treatment's potential to enhance mechanical strength, magnetic performance, and environmental stability.

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammation are closely related pathophysiological processes, both occurring in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In addition to the standard treatment of T2DM, a potential strategy has been focused on the use of bile acids (BAs) as an additional treatment. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), as the first BA used in humans, improves glucose and lipid metabolism and attenuates oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential metabolic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects of UDCA in patients with T2DM., Methods: This prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study included 60 patients with T2DM, randomly allocated to receive UDCA or placebo. Subjects were treated with 500 mg tablets of UDCA or placebo administered three times per day (total dose of 1500 mg/day) for eight weeks. Two study visits, at the beginning (F0) and at the end (F1) of the study, included the interview, anthropometric and clinical measurements, and biochemical analyses., Results: UDCA treatment showed a significant reduction in body mass index ( p = 0.024) and in diastolic blood pressure ( p = 0.033), compared to placebo. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in waist circumference in the UDCA group before and after treatment ( p < 0.05). Although no statistical significance was observed at the two-month follow-up assessment, an average decrease in glucose levels in the UDCA group was observed. After two months of the intervention period, a significant decrease in the activity of liver enzymes was noticed. Furthermore, a significant reduction in prooxidative parameters (TBARS, NO 2 - , H 2 O 2 ) and significant elevation in antioxidative parameters such as SOD and GSH were found ( p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The eight-week UDCA administration showed beneficial effects on metabolic and oxidative stress parameters in patients with T2DM. Thus, UDCA could attenuate the progression and complications of diabetes and should be considered as an adjuvant to other diabetes treatment modalities. This trial is registered with NCT05416580., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Biljana Lakić et al.)

This research focuses on the surface modification of Nd-Fe-B magnetic powder to enhance its thermal and oxidation resistance without compromising magnetic properties and to improve adhesion to the polymer binder for enhanced mechanical properties. A three-step surface modification process involving phosphatization treatment, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) application, and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) grafting, was applied to the powder, which was then compounded with polyamide 12 and injection-moulded into cylinders and dog-bone-shaped tubes. The resulting magnets exhibited remanence (B r ) of 487.6 mT, coercivity (H ci ) of 727.7 kA/m, and energy product (BH max ) of 39.3 kJ/m 3 . The modified magnets demonstrated exceptional corrosion resistance and thermal stability, with less than 5% irreversible flux loss after exposure to hot water, temperature shock, and pressurised steam. Furthermore, the modified magnets displayed significantly higher tensile strength, elongation at break, and elastic modulus with improvements of 62%, 16.7%, and 19.9%, respectively, compared to the non-modified batch. Additionally, the modified batch showed a notable 52% increase in flexural stress during flexural testing. These findings underscore the potential of silane surface modifications in producing injection-moulded permanent magnets based on Nd-Fe-B alloy, extending their shelf life and enhancing their overall performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

There is little data on the phytochemical/pharmacological properties of Erica spiculifolia Salisb. (syn. Bruckentalia spiculifolia (Salisb.) Rchb.). This study examines the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of different extracts and fractions of E. spiculifolia in vitro on isolated rat peritoneal macrophages, in the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema test, BSA test, and two complementary antioxidant assays. Ethanolic extracts of leaves, flowers, and aboveground parts, and petroleum ether, ether, ethyl acetate, and water fractionations of the ethanol extract of E. spiculifolia applied at doses of 50-200 mg/kg p.o. exhibited dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity comparable with indomethacin. All tested samples, except for the petroleum ether fraction, exerted excellent in vitro antioxidant activity, and all of them exhibited significant and similar inhibition of BSA denaturation comparable with diclofenac. Ethanolic extract of the aboveground parts obtained by percolation, ethyl acetate and water fractions had the highest efficiency, attenuating inflammation by more than 50% in the lowest applied concentration alongside exceptional radical scavenging activity.

Background: Para-aortic lymphadenectomy is an essential part of gynecologic oncologic surgical treatment. The surgeon should be aware of the complex usual anatomy and its common variants., Methods: Between January 2021 and May 2023, 58 women underwent para-aortic lymphadenectomy for gynecologic malignancies., Results: Vascular and urinary tract anatomic variants were retrospectively reviewed from the prospective institutional database and results were compared with preoperative contrast-enhanced abdominal CT. Of these 58 women, 47 women had no vascular or urinary tract variants. One woman had a double inferior vena cava, two patients were found to have a retro-aortic left renal vein, four had accessory renal arteries, two had a double left ureter, one had a ptotic kidney in the iliac fossa, and one patient had bilateral kidney malrotation. Anatomic variants in the preoperative CT were described by a radiologist in only two patients, and additional vascular and urinary tract variants were found incidentally at the time of surgery., Conclusions: Acknowledgment of vascular and urinary tract variants is helpful for the surgeon to establish an appropriate surgical plan and to avoid iatrogenic surgical trauma.

Pregnancy and childbirth have a crucial impact on a woman's quality of life. In Slovenia, antenatal classes are the main educational tool used to prepare expectant mothers for their new role. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between the duration of antenatal classes and the mothers' quality of life after childbirth. A self-administered, previously validated and tested questionnaire regarding the quality of life after childbirth was completed by Slovenian women. Based on an online survey, data were collected for two groups of mothers. The first group ( n = 1091) gave birth before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second group ( n = 1163) gave birth during the pandemic. Group differences were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Linear regression and correlation coefficients were calculated for the association between quality of life and the duration of antenatal classes. Our study showed a significant decrease in the duration of antenatal classes and a decrease in quality of life after birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also showed that more antenatal education was associated with a higher quality of life. Despite the influence of multiple factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, we defined the correlation between the duration of antenatal classes and postpartum quality of life in a sample of Slovenian mothers. The duration of the antenatal classes is an important factor influencing the quality of life after childbirth.

In this research, the feasibility of additive manufacturing of permanent bonded magnets using fused deposition modelling (FDM) technology was investigated. The study employed polyamide 12 (PA12) as the polymer matrix and melt-spun and gas-atomized Nd-Fe-B powders as magnetic fillers. The effect of the magnetic particle shape and the filler fraction on the magnetic properties and environmental stability of polymer-bonded magnets (PBMs) was investigated. It was found that filaments for FDM made with gas-atomized magnetic particles were easier to print due to their superior flowability. As a result, the printed samples exhibited higher density and lower porosity when compared to those made with melt-spun powders. Magnets with gas-atomized powders and a filler loading of 93 wt.% showed a remanence (Br) of 426 mT, coercivity (Hci) of 721 kA/m, and energy product (BHmax) of 29 kJ/m 3 , while melt-spun magnets with the same filler loading had a remanence of 456 mT, coercivity of 713 kA/m, and energy product of 35 kJ/m 3 . The study further demonstrated the exceptional corrosion resistance and thermal stability of FDM-printed magnets, with less than 5% irreversible flux loss when exposed to hot water or air at 85 °C for over 1000 h. These findings highlight the potential of FDM printing for producing high-performance magnets and the versatility of this manufacturing method for various applications.

This paper presents the result of a combined employment of Analytical Quality-by-Design and Green Analytical Chemistry principles for the development of a robust high-performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous determination of fixed-dose combination of three drugs, perindopril tert-butylamine, amlodipine besylate and indapamide. Optimum conditions were achieved on ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size), the mobile phase comprising acetonitrile and phosphate buffer (30 mM, pH 2.7) in the ratio 34:66 (v/v), the flow rate of 1 mL min-1, injection volume of 10 μL and UV detection at 210 nm. By assigning the design space from the overlay plot, the regions within which the robustness of the method is achieved were defined and confirmed by Dong's algorithm calculations. The proposed method was validated and shown to be applicable for the determination of the three drugs in commercially available tablets. In addition, the impact of the method on the environment was assessed through four different analytical tools: National Environmental Methods Index, Analytical Eco-Scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index and Assessment of Green Profile. The proposed method was determined to be greener, with minimal impact on the environment with regard to waste production, energy consumption and use of hazardous chemicals., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Water-polo is an official competitive olympic sport with high energy and technical-tactical demands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cognitive performance and specific swimming capacities on the selection of youth water polo players to the national water polo team., Methods: There were 83 youth water polo players (mean age 13.61±0.67 years) who attended the Croatian Water Polo Foundation training camps included in this cross-sectional study. Testing included anthropometric measurements, specific swimming capacities and cognitive performance (Stroop test)., Results: Among 83 youth water polo players included in this study there were 13 goalkeepers, 13 center-defenders, 13 centers, 31 perimeter players and 13 wings. Selected players (N.=40) performed faster in OffTime (selected 62.99±10.21 s vs. non-selected 69.98±8.93 s, P=0.002) and OnTime (selected 75.61±15.85 s vs. non-selected 86.01±15.40 s, P=0.004) of the Stroop test than non-selected players (N.=43). Logistic regression analysis showed significant association between selection of youth water polo players to the national team and swimming results in 400 m crawl and 100 m crawl, as well as OffTime, OnTime and OnTime minus OffTime on the Stroop test., Conclusions: The results of this study showed that psychomotor ability, inhibition, motor speed and cognitive flexibility were found to be the most important predictors for the selection of youth water polo players to the national water polo team. Furthermore, selected water polo players demonstrated better psychomotor abilities, inhibition, and motor speed, as well as better results in all specific swimming tests in comparison to non-selected players.

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-COVID-19 era. CDI patients treated at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Serbia during 2017-2019 ( n = 304) were compared with COVID-19/CDI patients treated in period September 2021-September 2022 ( n = 387). Groups were compared by age, gender, comorbidities, previous medications, laboratory findings, and outcome within 30 days. In the CDI/COVID-19 group, we found: greater percentage of males 59.8% vs. 42.6% ( p ≤ 0.001), older age 72.8 ± 9.4 vs. 65.6 ± 11.7 ( p ≤ 0.001), higher Charlson comorbidity score (CCS) (3.06 ± 1.54 vs. 2.33 ± 1.34 ( p ≤ 0.001), greater percentage of chronic renal failure (33.9% vs. 23.4% ( p = 0.003), malignances (24.3% vs. 13.5% ( p ≤ 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (22.7% vs. 15.5% ( p = 0.017), higher usage of macrolide (38.5% vs. 8.6% ( p ≤ 0.001), greater percentage of patients with hypoalbuminemia ≤25 g/L (19.6% vs. 12.2% ( p ≤ 0.001), lower percentage of patients with elevated creatinine (≥200 mmol/L) (31.5% vs. 43.8%) ( p = 0.002), and greater percentage of lethal outcome 29.5% vs. 6.6% ( p ≤ 0.001). In the prediction of lethal outcome multivariate regression analysis extracted as an independent predictor, only higher CRP values in the non-COVID-19 group and in the COVID-19 group: older age ( p ≤ 0.001), CCS ( p = 0.019) and CRP ( p = 0.015). COVID-19 changes the disease course of CDI and should be taken into consideration when managing those patients.

Background : This study aimed to investigate the clinical form, risk factors, and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and Clostridioides difficile co-infections. Methods : This retrospective study (2 September 2021-1 April 2022) included all patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and COVID-19 infection who were admitted to the Covid Hospital of the University Clinical Center of Vojvodina. Results : A total of 5124 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the Covid Hospital, and 326 of them (6.36%) developed hospital-onset CDI. Of those, 326 of the CDI patients (88.65%) were older than 65 years. The median time of CDI onset was 12.88 days. Previous hospitalizations showed 69.93% of CDI patients compared to 38.81% in the non-CDI group ( p = 0.029). The concomitant antibiotics exposure was higher among the CDI group versus the non-CDI group (88.65% vs. 68.42%, p = 0.037). Albumin levels were ≤ 25 g/L among 39.57% of the CDI patients and 21.71% in the non-CDI patients ( p = 0.021). The clinical manifestations of CDI ranged from mild diarrhea (26.9%) to severe diarrhea (63.49%) and a complicated form of colitis (9.81%). Regarding outcomes, 79.14% of the CDI patients recovered and 20.86% had fatal outcomes in-hospital. Although a minority of the patients were in the non-CDI group, the difference in mortality rate between the CDI and non-CDI group was not statistically significant (20.86% vs. 15.13%, p = 0.097). Conclusions : Elderly patients on concomitant antibiotic treatments with hypoalbuminemia and with previous healthcare exposures were the most affected by COVID-19 and CD co-infections.

Objective: Plants and plant extracts are of great scientific interest due to the chemical diversity and pharmacological properties of present bioactive molecules. The Geranium L. species are widely used in ethnomedicine. In the current study, the total phenolic and tannin content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts of eight Geranium species were investigated., Materials and Methods: The total phenolic and tannin content were determined by the FC method. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated in FRAP, DPPH, and biochemical assays, while antimicrobial activity was examined using the broth microdilution method., Results: The high total phenolic (170.64-636.32 mg GAE/g dry extract) and tannin content (37.80-414.02 mg GAE/g DE), along with significant total antioxidant (FRAP values 1.13-8.80 mmol Fe2+/g) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (SC50 values 4.24-34.52 µg/mL) were observed. The prominent antioxidant capacity was confirmed in biochemical assays (OS values -1.47 - -13.02). The extracts exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against ATTC strains (MICs dominantly in the range of 12.5-200 µg/mL) as well as against clinical isolates of E. coli (MICs mostly 50 and 100 µg/mL). The pronounced antioxidant and antimicrobial activity can be due to the high phenolic content, particularly due to the presence of hydrolyzable tannins., Conclusions: Based on the high content of polyphenols, pronounced antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, the examined extracts are promising natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents with the potential medicinal purpose and use as a functional food.

BACKGROUND Small cell ovarian carcinoma, hypercalcemic type is an uncommon malignant ovarian tumor entity with an unfavorable prognosis and a short overall survival rate. It mainly affects women of childbearing age. CASE REPORT We report a case in which a 31-year-old woman with small cell ovarian carcinoma, hypercalcemic type presented with unspecific symptoms. We emphasize the importance of treatment planning and address fertility-sparing surgical procedures, which remain a therapeutic dilemma. CONCLUSIONS The occurrence of unspecific abdominal symptoms, unilateral tumor masses, and hypercalcemia may indicate the presence of malignant ovarian neoplasm in young adults. Histopathological examination of the mass should be performed by an experienced gynecological pathologist. A misdiagnosis can lead to inadequate surgical and adjuvant treatment. Adjuvant multi-agent chemotherapy and high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue may prolong the progression-free interval and overall survival.

Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecological malignancy and the fifth most common malignancy in women. The worldwide incidence is 15.9 new cases per 100,000 women per year, and the incidence in Europe is 22.7 new cases. Minority of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. Cutaneous metastases are very rare with a prevalence of 0.8%. If cutaneous metastases are present, the prognosis is poor with an overall survival of up to 12 months. In this review, we presented clinical data on treatment of gynecological cancers with electrochemotherapy, with focus on treatment of cutaneous vulvar metastases from endometrial cancer. Further, we present our data on the case of a 64-year-old woman with recurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma with vulvar skin metastases. Treatment of endometrial carcinoma metastases is multimodal with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. There is still no consensus about the specific treatment of cutaneous metastases from endometrial cancer, in particular in order to release symptoms. Electrochemotherapy may be a treatment option to reduce pain and bleeding and a safe option to treat multiple skin metastases.

(1) Background: Verticillium wilt (VW) of hop is a devastating disease caused by the soil-borne fungi Verticillium nonalfalfae and Verticillium dahliae . As suggested by quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and RNA-Seq analyses, the underlying molecular mechanisms of resistance in hop are complex, consisting of preformed and induced defense responses, including the synthesis of various phenolic compounds. (2) Methods: We determined the total polyphenolic content at two phenological stages in roots and stems of 14 hop varieties differing in VW resistance, examined the changes in the total polyphenols of VW resistant variety Wye Target (WT) and susceptible Celeia (CE) on infection with V. nonalfalfae , and assessed the antifungal activity of six commercial phenolic compounds and total polyphenolic extracts from roots and stems of VW resistant WT and susceptible CE on the growth of two different V. nonalfalfae hop pathotypes. (3) Results: Generally, total polyphenols were higher in roots than stems and increased with maturation of the hop. Before flowering, the majority of VW resistant varieties had a significantly higher content of total polyphenols in stems than susceptible varieties. At the symptomatic stage of VW disease, total polyphenols decreased in VW resistant WT and susceptible CE plants in both roots and stems. The antifungal activity of total polyphenolic extracts against V. nonalfalfae was higher in hop extracts from stems than those from roots. Among the tested phenolic compounds, only p -coumaric acid and tyrosol markedly restricted fungal growth. (4) Conclusions: Although the correlation between VW resistance and total polyphenols content is not straightforward, higher levels of total polyphenols in the stems of the majority of VW resistant hop varieties at early phenological stages probably contribute to fast and efficient activation of signaling pathways, leading to successful defense against V. nonalfalfae infection.

Background/aims: With the growing popularity of water polo across the world, there has been rising awareness of the risks for orofacial injures in water polo. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of water polo coaches regarding dental trauma, dental emergency procedures and awareness about prevention of such injuries., Materials and Methods: A specific questionnaire comprising 25 questions regarding knowledge, experiences, and behaviors following dental trauma was distributed to 62 water polo coaches during the license renewal seminar held by the Croatian Water Polo Federation, in February 2018 in Split, Croatia. Chi-square with Yates correction when necessary, and Fisher's exact tests were used in statistical analysis, and the results were considered statistically significant when P < .05., Results: There were 51 water polo coaches who participated in this study. Their ages ranged from 19 to 60 years. Most of the coaches (90.2%) have seen a dental injury in their players during their coaching careers. Concerning the procedure with handling an avulsed tooth, there were 68.6% coaches who would maintain the avulsed tooth in a handkerchief or gauze along with four coaches (7.8%) who would rinse the avulsed tooth under water and wrap it in a handkerchief or gauze afterward. Only one participant (2%) would maintain the avulsed tooth in saline solution before its replantation. None of the coaches would use milk for maintaining the avulsed tooth. Only seven coaches (13.7%) have previously had education about sports-related dental injuries, dental emergency procedures, and prevention of such injuries., Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated poor level of knowledge of water polo coaches about dental injuries and dental emergency procedures. Their knowledge and attitudes could be improved by educational programs on dental injuries and dental emergency procedures, as well as sports-related dental injuries management., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: This study aimed at investigating poverty and other correlates of childhood underweight and obesity in two urban regions with lower (Podgorica, Montenegro) and higher economic development (Osijek, Croatia)., Study Design: Comparative study., Methods: A comparative study was conducted on 693 children (52% boys), aged 7 years old (224 from Podgorica and 469 from Osijek). Parents completed the study-specific questionnaire on relevant factors for children's nutritional status. We measured children's height and weight and calculated their body mass index (BMI). International Obesity Task Force cut-off values of BMI were used to assess children's nutritional status. Subjective social position was assessed by the Mac Arthur scale., Results: There were more underweight children in Osijek compared with Podgorica, both among boys (5.5% vs. 1.6%) and girls (6.9% vs. 1.0%). Obesity was more frequent in Podgorica than Osijek, both among boys (11.3% vs. 5.9%) and girls (10.0% vs. 4.3%). However, poverty in two cities diminished observed differences in children's nutritional status. The odds for child underweight decreased by 12.2%, while the odds for obesity increased by 3.6% per each paternal BMI unit. The frequency of child obesity was lowered per each step higher on the Mac Arthur scale and with breastfeeding by 23.2% and 68.0%, respectively., Conclusions: We show that a higher economic development is related to less obese children but more underweight children. However, poverty seems to impact nutritionally all children equally, regardless of the regional economic development. Paternal and not maternal BMI is relevant for both extremes in children's nutritional status. Breastfeeding and higher social position independently protect from child obesity., (Copyright © 2020 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: While medicine shortages are complex, their mitigation is more of a challenge. Prospective risk assessment as a means to mitigate possible shortages, has yet to be applied equally across healthcare settings. The aims of this study have been to: 1) gain insight into risk-prevention against possible medicine shortages among healthcare experts; 2) review existing strategies for minimizing patient-health risks through applied risk assessment; and 3) learn from experiences related to application in practice., Methodology: A semi-structured questionnaire focusing on medicine shortages was distributed electronically to members of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action 15105 (28 member countries) and to hospital pharmacists of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) (including associated healthcare professionals). Their answers were subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis (Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and IBM SPSS Statistics ® ) with descriptive statistics based on the distribution of responses. Their proportional difference was tested by the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test for independence. Differences in the observed ordinal variables were tested by the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test. The qualitative data were tabulated and recombined with the quantitative data to observe, uncover and interpret meanings and patterns., Results: The participants (61.7%) are aware of the use of risk assessment procedures as a coping strategy for medicine shortages, and named the particular risk assessment procedure they are familiar with failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) (26.4%), root cause analysis (RCA) (23.5%), the healthcare FMEA (HFMEA) (14.7%), and the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) (14.7%). Only 29.4% report risk assessment as integrated into mitigation strategy protocols. Risk assessment is typically conducted within multidisciplinary teams (35.3%). Whereas 14.7% participants were aware of legislation stipulating risk assessment implementation in shortages, 88.2% claimed not to have reported their findings to their respective official institutions. 85.3% consider risk assessment a useful mitigation strategy., Conclusion: The study indicates a lack of systematically organized tools used to prospectively analyze clinical as well as operationalized risk stemming from medicine shortages in healthcare. There is also a lack of legal instruments and sufficient data confirming the necessity and usefulness of risk assessment in mitigating medicine shortages in Europe., (Copyright © 2020 Miljković, Godman, Kovačević, Polidori, Tzimis, Hoppe-Tichy, Saar, Antofie, Horvath, De Rijdt, Vida, Kkolou, Preece, Tubić, Peppard, Martinez, Yubero, Haddad, Rajinac, Zelić, Jenzer, Tartar, Gitler, Jeske, Davidescu, Beraud, Kuruc-Poje, Haag, Fischer, Sviestina, Ljubojević, Markestad, Vujić-Aleksić, Nežić, Crkvenčić, Linnolahti, Ašanin, Duborija-Kovačević, Bochenek, Huys and Miljković.)

Self-perceived stress during undergraduate medical training could influence forthcoming career choices. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and potential differences between 1 st and 6 th year students regarding aspects of medical training and career plans. As many as 570 students in 1 st and 400 in 6 th year of studies at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, were recruited on December 2-9, 2013. Data were acquired through a self-administered questionnaire. Students in both years rated "Helping other people" as the most important reason to study medicine. Freshmen rated statistically significantly higher 'good incomes' and 'social status' as reasons to study medicine (p=0.003 and p=0.037, respectively). The most desirable fields of specialization were surgery and internal medicine (36.4% and 18.7% for 1 st year, and 26.3% and 36.6% for 6 th year, respectively). Significantly more freshmen would prefer working abroad (χ 2 =3.891, p=0.029). In terms of careers abroad, students in both years expressed the highest interest in working in western and northern Europe. Desires for specialty training among medical students follow the pattern of the most frequent disciplines in the Serbian physician population, with gender differences comparable to other populations. A certain percentage of students would likely emigrate.

The present paper describes environmental and seasonal-related chemical composition variations, vasorelaxant and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activities of essential oil from aerial parts of Seseli pallasii Besser. The composition was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Monoterpenes were found to be the most abundant chemical class with α-pinene (42.7 - 48.2%) as the most prevalent component. Seseli pallasi essential oil relaxed isolated endothelium-intact mesenteric arteries rings precontracted with phenylephrine with IC 50  = 3.10 nl/ml (IC 50  = 2.70 μg/ml). Also, S. pallasii essential oil was found to exhibit a dose-dependent ACE inhibitory activity with an IC 50 value of 0.33 mg/ml. In silico evaluation of ACE inhibitory activity of the individual components showed that spathulenol exhibited the best binding affinity with ACE, and the lowest binding energy of -7.5 kcal/mol. The results suggested that combination of vasorelaxing and ACE inhibitory effects of the analyzed S. pallasii essential oil might have the potential therapeutic significance in hypertension., (© 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Plant specialised metabolites like essential oils are highly variable depending on genetic and various ecological factors. The aim of the present work was to characterise essential oils of the species Seseli rigidum Waldst. & Kit. (Apiaceae) in various organs on the individual and populational levels. Geographical variability and the impact of climate and soil type on essential oil composition were also investigated. Individually sampled essential oils of roots, aerial parts and fruits of plants from seven populations were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The investigated populations showed high interpopulational and especially intrapopulational variability of essential oil composition. In regard to the variability of essential oils, different chemotypes were defined. The essential oils of S. rigidum roots represented a falcarinol chemotype, oils of aerial parts constituted an α-pinene or α-pinene/sabinene chemotype and fruit essential oils can be characterised as belonging to a complex sabinene/α-pinene/β-phellandrene/falcarinol/germacrene B chemotype. At the species level, analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) showed that the plant part exerted the strongest influence on the composition of essential oils. Climate had a high impact on composition of the essential oils of roots, aerial parts and fruits, while influence of the substrate was less pronounced. The variations in main compounds of essential oils based on climate or substrate were complex and specific to the plant part., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The mechanisms that lead to sex and age differences in biological responses to exposure to ionising radiation and related health risks have still not been investigated to a satisfactory extent. The significance of sex hormones in the aetiology of radiogenic cancer types requires a better understanding of the mechanisms involved, especially during organism development. The aim of this study was to show age and sex differences in genome damage between prepubertal and adult mice after single exposure to gamma radiation. Genome damage was measured 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after exposure of 3-week and 12-week old BALB/CJ mice to 8 Gy of gamma radiation using an in vivo micronucleus assay. There was a significantly higher genome damage in prepubertal than in adult animals of both sexes for all sampling times. Irradiation caused a higher frequency of micronuclei in males of both age groups. Our study confirms sex differences in the susceptibility to effects of ionising radiation in mice and is the first to show that such a difference occurs already at prepubertal age.

We report on the combined experimental and computational study of imidazole- and benzimidazole-based corrosion inhibitors containing methyl and/or mercapto groups. Electrochemical measurements and long-term immersion tests were performed on iron in NaCl solution, whilst computational study explicitly addresses the molecular level details of the bonding on iron surface by means of density functional theory calculations (DFT). Experimental data were the basis for the determination of inhibition efficiency and mechanism. Methyl group combined with mercapto group has a beneficial effect on corrosion inhibition at all inhibitor concentrations. The beneficial effect of mercapto group combined with benzene group is not so pronounced as when combined with methyl group. The latter is in stark contrast with the behaviour found previously on copper, where the effect of methyl group was detrimental and that of mercapto and benzene beneficial. Explicit DFT calculations reveal that methyl-group has a small effect on the inhibitor-surface interaction. In contrast, the presence of mercapto group involves the strong S-surface bonding and consequently the adsorption of inhibitors with mercapto group is found to be more exothermic.

The emphasis of modern neurobiological theories has recently shifted from the independent function of brain areas to their interactions in the context of whole-brain networks. As a result, neuroimaging methods and analyses have also increasingly focused on network discovery. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a neuroimaging modality that captures neural activity with a high degree of temporal specificity, providing detailed, time varying maps of neural activity. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis is a multivariate framework that can be used to isolate distributed spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity that differentiate groups or cognitive tasks, to relate neural activity to behavior, and to capture large-scale network interactions. Here we introduce [MEG]PLS, a MATLAB-based platform that streamlines MEG data preprocessing, source reconstruction and PLS analysis in a single unified framework. [MEG]PLS facilitates MRI preprocessing, including segmentation and coregistration, MEG preprocessing, including filtering, epoching, and artifact correction, MEG sensor analysis, in both time and frequency domains, MEG source analysis, including multiple head models and beamforming algorithms, and combines these with a suite of PLS analyses. The pipeline is open-source and modular, utilizing functions from FieldTrip (Donders, NL), AFNI (NIMH, USA), SPM8 (UCL, UK) and PLScmd (Baycrest, CAN), which are extensively supported and continually developed by their respective communities. [MEG]PLS is flexible, providing both a graphical user interface and command-line options, depending on the needs of the user. A visualization suite allows multiple types of data and analyses to be displayed and includes 4-D montage functionality. [MEG]PLS is freely available under the GNU public license (http://meg-pls.weebly.com)., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To assess final year medical students' self-perception of their practical skills., Methods: The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade during compulsory practical sessions in the period December 2-9, 2013 and 390 students agreed to participate (response rate 77.8%). The questionnaire included questions on demographic characteristics, 21 questions on students' self-perception of their practical skills, and 1 question on students' self-perceived readiness to start working with patients., Results: Cronbach's α for the entire scale was 0.891. Students felt most confident about measuring arterial pulse and blood pressure and taking patients' history (average score 10 for all three skills) and least confident about placing a urinary catheter (average score 1) and suturing a wound (average score 2). They rated their readiness to work with patients with 5.0 out of 10.0 points. The total score did not correlate with students' average mark (Spearman's ρ=0.039; P=0.460) and the average mark did not correlate with the self-perceived readiness to work with patients (Spearman's ρ=-0.048; P=0.365)., Conclusion: Our study suggests that medical students lack confidence to perform various clinical procedures, particularly those related to surgical interventions. To improve students' confidence, clinical curriculum should include either more hours of practical work or ensure closer supervision of practical training in wards.