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A method is described for quantitative analysis of four glycolipids in brain. The combination of a thin-layer chromatographic system, which makes the previous separation of glycolipids by column chromatography unnecessary, with the orcinol reaction carried out in the presence of silica gel, permitted a rapid and simple determination of cerebrosides, sulphatides and monogalactosyl diglyceride with as little as 50 mg of brain tissue. Somewhat modified procedure was applied for a semi-quantitative determination of glycolipids in liver.

Normal human brain tissue and that of experimental animals contains a major group of four well defined gangliosides and a large number of small molecular species having a sufficient degree of structural similarity with each other. A fraction between G3 and G2 gangliosides which Korey and Gonatas (1963) and Suzuki (1967) denoted ganglioside G2a was observed during ganglioside separation using thin layer chromatography in various solvent systems. Dominick and Gielen (1968) named this fraction the substance X. However, chemical characteristics of the ganglioside mentioned are not known to a sufficient extent. Knowledge of this ganglioside chemical structure has a great importance for understanding of interrelations between the less and the more complex gangliosides during their biosynthesis.

DJORDJEVIC, M., et al.: Circadian Variations of Heart Rate and STIM-T Interval: Adaptation for Nighttime Pacing. In order to determine the optimal pacing rate for pacemaker patienfs at night, 150 normal subjects with regular sinus rhythm and free of manifest heart disease, were studied using 24-hour Rolter monitoring. Minimum and average heart rates were analyzed on an hourly basis. The study group was divided into six age groups, 25 subjects each, ranging from 20–29 years to 60–69 years. The minimum heart rate during the night was found to be lower than 65 ppm for all groups. The youngest subjects showed the largest variation in the minimum heart rate. The results suggest that an automatic lowering of the pacing rate during the night would allow for longer periods of sinus rhythm, thereby improving hemody-namic performance and reducing pacemaker power consumption. Suitable sensors for automatic lowering of the pacing rate include inbuilt 24-hour clock systems and the QT interval that lengthens during sleep.

The global financial crisis has been threatening the banking world since 2007. The erosion of profits and rising losses of banks have been the inevitable consequence of this crisis. "The decline in bank profits was a global phenomenon" (BIS, 2009). Consequential decline in profitability during 2008 was dramatic (ECB, 2009). A significant reduction in profitability was also recorded in the countries of Southeastern Europe (SEE), as well as in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The exception is Serbia, whose banking sector achieved remarkable growth of ROA and ROE profitability in 2008 - for over 20% compared to last year, though the banks from Serbia were among the most successful in Europe in 2007. Investigation of this paradox represents the topic of this work. The plan of the article is accommodated to this topic: 1. the global financial crisis and banking profitability; 2. banking profitability in Southeastern Europe (2005-2008); 3. paradoxical growth of banking profitability in Serbia during the crisis; 4. conclusion.