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Ljiljana Jeličić,1,2 Svetlana Janković,3,4 Mirjana Sovilj,2 Ivana Bogavac,1,2 Anđela Drobnjak,2 Aleksandra Dimitrijević,5,6 Miško Subotić1 1Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Research and Development Institute “Life Activities Advancement Institute”, Belgrade, Serbia; 2Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Institute for Experimental Phonetics and Speech Pathology, Belgrade, Serbia; 3Department of Acute Perinatal Pathology, Belgrade University Medical School, Belgrade, Serbia; 4Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics Narodni Front Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; 5Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia; 6Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Clinical Centre of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, SerbiaCorrespondence: Ljiljana Jeličić, R&D Institute “Life Activities Advancement Institute”, Institute for experimental phonetics and speech pathology, G. Jovanova No. 35, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia, Tel +381 11 3208 519 ; +381 64 22 14 295, Fax +381 11 2624 168, Email lj.jelicic@add-for-life.com; lilijen@ymail.comAim: The COVID 19-pandemic affects people differently, while pregnant women are among the most sensitive populations. The data about maternal mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak are in some ways consistent but also country-specific.Purpose: The study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women’s anxiety and identify its associated factors.Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included a sample of 358 pregnant women during the first and second waves of the pandemic in Serbia. An anonymous survey included basic demographic questions, pregnancy-related background questions, the question of self-reported COVID-19-related fear, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).Results: The study revealed no pregnant women with low anxiety levels measured by STAI-T and STAI-S, while the STAI-S and STAI-T scores indicated high anxiety in 32.4% and 42.7% of pregnant women, respectively. The obtained results pointed out the nonlinear dependence of state anxiety on observed associated factors and their complex interactions, including the data collecting period.Conclusion: Our findings reveal that COVID-19 affects pregnant women’s mental health and makes it necessary for psychological monitoring and support for pregnant women, which may be reflected in their mental health but also the development of their offspring.Keywords: maternal mental health, pregnancy, first and second wave of coronavirus, anxiety, social support, COVID-19 related fear

The materials based on BaTiO3 can be controlled using different technological parameters and different additives. The influence of different temperature levels of sintering (1320°C, 1350°C and 1380°C) on the size of contact area for 0.1% Ho2O3 doped BaTiO3-ceramics has been investigated. Microstructural investigations were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (JEOL-JSM 5300) equipped with EDS (QX 2000S) system. Grain size distribution was determined by quantitative metallography method. The new correlation between microstructure and dielectric properties of doped BaTiO3-ceramics based on fractal geometry and contact surface probability is recently developed. The presented results indicate that statistical model of contact surfaces is important for the prognosis of BaTiO3-ceramics microstructure and dielectric properties. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172057: Directed synthesis, structure and properties of multifunctional materials i br. III44006]

The paper investigated the production properties of three sorghum genotypes: NS-Džin (forage sorghum), Zora (Sudan grass) and Siloking (interspecies hybrid) in terms of different nitrogen rates used in side dressing in 2009 and 2010. The subject of study was green biomass and dry matter yield in the stages of intensive growth and tasseling. The results have shown that there have been significant fluctuations in production indicators between the genotypes. In the total average, the lowest yield was recorded for the Sudan grass (85.41 t ha-1). Significantly higher yields were recorded for the interspecies hybrid (90.22 t ha-1) and the forage sorghum (93.51 t ha-1). Although the effect of nitrogen rates depended on weather conditions, i.e. rainfall distribution, the optimal nitrogen rate in both years was 180 kg ha-1.

Cannabis is one of the most widely used intoxicants; almost half of all 18 year olds in the USA and in most European countries admit to having tried it at least once, and ~10% of that age group are regular users. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, produces euphoria and relaxation and impairs motor coordination, time sense, and short term memory. In the hippocampus, CBs inhibit GABA release from a subset of interneurons and inhibit glutamate release from principal neurons. Cannabinoids are reported to produce both rapid and long-term changes in synaptic transmission. Our study was carried out on ten male rats out of which brains of six of them were used as the representative sample for electron microscope analysis, while 4 were used for light microspcopy performed by Golgi method. Three were exposed to THC and 3 were controls. Axodendric synapses in the core and shell of the accumbens nucleus (AN) were studied under electron microscope. The results have shown widening of the synaptic cleft in the shell of AN. This result is a leading point to our further investigations which are going to involve a behavioral component, and different aspects of morphological studies. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 41020]

In this study, in order to establish grain shapes of sintered ceramics, new approach on correlation between microstructure and doped BaTiO3 -ceramics properties based, on Voronoi model and mathematical statistics calculations on fractal geometry, has been developed. BaTiO3-ceramics doped with Yb2O3 (from 0.1 to 1.0wt% of Yb) were prepared by using conventional solid state procedure and were sintered from 1320°C to 1380°C for four hours. The microstructure of sintered specimens was investigated by Scanning electron microscope JEOL-SEM-5300. For better and deeper characterization and understanding of the ceramics material microstructure, the methods which include the fractal nature structure, and also Voronoi model and mathematical statistics calculations, are applied. In our research the Voronoi is one specific interface between fractal structure nature and different stochastically contact surfaces, defined by statistical mathematical methods. Also, the Voronoi model practically provided possibility to control the ceramics microstructure fractal nature. Mathematical statistic methods enabled establishing the real model for the prognosis based on correlation: synthesis-structures-properties. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172057 i br. III44006]

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is considered one of the bacterial species of etiological importance in periodontitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serotype of A. actinomycetemcomitans in the subgingival biofilm in subjects with periodontal health and disease. Pooled samples of subgingival plaque were taken for culture-based identification of microorganisms. Colonies suspected to be A. actinomycetemcomitans were selected for molecular identification using either multiplex or conventional PCR in serotype-specific genotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In silico analysis showed that most selected colonies belong to the genus Campylobacter, although positive signals for serotypes of A. actinomycetemcomitans were obtained with these samples. Identification of A. actinomycetemcomitans by conventional PCR for 16S rRNA with one species-specific and one universal primer was inconclusive because an almost identical signal with Campylobacter gracilis was obtained. Although PCR-based methods for the identification of A. actinomycetemcomitans are more rapid, sequencing should not be omitted. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 41008 and br. 173048]

Congenital anomalies are the cause of 20.0-25.0% of cases of perinatal death, while 3.0% of children are born with malformations of varying size. We examined the predictive values and defined the credibility ratio of the combined test results. Sensitivity of the test is 94.0%, and specificity is 99.0%. The positive likelihood ratio [likelihood ratio test (LR+)] is 94.00; a negative likelihood ratio [likelihood ratio test (LR-)] is 0.06. The pretest probability that pregnant women carry a fetus with chromosomal abnormality is 1:250. Posttest odds after the combined test to discover this abnormality are 0.3760, and probability of the same case is 0.2732 if it happens that the test result is positive. The result of our study confirms the justification of combined test usage in routine clinical practice, since the posttest odds rate in the case of a positive screening increases several times over (almost 90 times); the probability of detecting a chromosomal abnormality was about 70 times.

The presence of the signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, in waterbodies of Europe is of high concern due to its potentially major ecological impact on invaded ecosystems and native crayfish. In this study, we examined population characteristics and spatial dynamics of a recently established signal crayfish population near the edge of its invasive range in the Mura river (Croatia), by analyzing population density, fecundity, and sex and size structure, as well as movement patterns. The obtained results revealed that the examined population is characterized by relatively low population density, balanced sex and size structure of adult crayfish, and high spatial activity of examined individuals, with an average daily movement of 28 m/day. Pleopodal fecundity was in a similar range to other signal crayfish populations in Europe. The large minimal size of caught mature females (85 mm total length), coupled with the estimated low population density (0.8–1.2 crayfish.m-2), suggested that the examined population has not reached its maximum density yet. Obtained results represent baseline information for the development of monitoring procedures and management strategies aimed at signal crayfish control within the Mura and Drava catchments and also highlight the importance of understanding local factors controlling invasive species’ population dynamics and productivity.

New fixed point results for a pair of non-self mappings defined on a closed subset of a metrically convex cone metric space (which is not necessarily normal) are obtained. By adapting Assad-Kirk's method the existence of a unique common fixed point for a pair of non-self mappings is proved, using only the assumption that the cone interior is nonempty. Examples show that the obtained results are proper extensions of the existing ones.

Nowadays, climate changes induce deviations in the composition of honey varieties characteristic of a specific geographic region. Therefore, according to Codex Alimentarius for honey, the slight variations in values of determined parameters cannot be strictly regarded as a sign of its adulteration. Here, modified methods are presented for preparing honey samples for inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis and the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to use them as fast and reliable methods in the food industry. ICP-OES analysis suggested that all analysed honey samples are natural, and HPLC-DAD (diode-arrray detection) analysis on the flavonoids showed that one sample is probably not natural. Invertase activity showed an overlap with this HPLC-DAD finding but suggested more samples as possibly adulterated, which can be neglected due to possible thermal treatment of those natural samples, causing a decrease in invertase activity. Therefore, results obtained from the analyses of investigated honey samples based on the mineral content, number, and quantity of flavonoids, together with the invertase activity, indicated that the combination of analyses could be a reliable tool for determining the quality of honey samples.

The pharmacokinetics of meropenem are significantly altered in critically ill patients. A population pharmacokinetic study was designed to estimate typical values of meropenem clearance in critically ill patients and evaluate potential factors of influence.

Our aim was to compare the costs and efficacy of ambroxol in combination with imiglucerase with the costs and efficacy of imiglucerase only in the treatment of Gaucher disease type 2 (GD2) in the socio-economic settings of the Republic of Serbia, an upper-middle-income European economy.

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness with a poor quality of life (QoL). The main aim of this study was to measure the QoL and factors that affect the QoL of patients with schizophrenia placed in a social welfare institution. This cross-sectional study included 287 patients with schizophrenia who were treated in a long-stay social care institution in which QoL was assessed using five different instruments: the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale, the EuroQoL Five-Dimension-Five-Level scale (including the visual analog scale), the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire – Short Form, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. To determine the impact of patients’ characteristics on score values, multiple linear regression using backward elimination was employed. Due to non-normality in the distribution of the dependent variables, a Box–Cox power transformation was applied to each dependent variable prior to conducting multiple linear regression analysis. Results revealed that patients with schizophrenia have lower QoL. Our study revealed that age, level of education, type of accommodation, type of pavilion, age of onset of the disease, number of prescribed antipsychotics, number of psychiatric comorbidities, duration of therapy, and the number of daily doses of antipsychotics are dominant contributors to the QoL in patients with schizophrenia who were treated in social welfare institution.

Globalization is term that is gaining more and more importance every day, so we are witnesses that it is happening very often through the media. Many of them have heard for this term, but the question is how did everyone understand the meaning of it? Although, there isn't unique definition of this term, a large number of theorists agreed that is about the processes of economic, political and cultural activity which tends to unite the planet. The work is conceived in such way that even someone who is not professionally oriented towards the mentioned topic, to provide satisfactory answers, because there are rare who aren't affected by the situation in which we live. The goal of this work is to provide to the reader as much information as possible about the global connection of people through media. A significant part of work is devoted to the impact of globalization to spread the media and how much the media initiate and support the process of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Platelets play an important role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Therefore, their parameters vary in different stages of the disease. The importance of plateletcrit in COVID-19 is not well known. Objective: To examine the diagnostic value of plateletcrit in COVID-19. Methods: From January to March and September-December 2021. during their initial visit to the COVID outpatient clinic at the Primary Healthcare Center Nis, we examined 440 patients who were experiencing possible COVID-19 symptoms. Following the examination, a complete blood count was performed, and they tested positive for COVID-19. We analyzed the plateletcrit in every lab sample collected during their first visit. The control group consisted of 60 patients from the "green zone" from January to December 2021, as well as 48 patients from the pre-COVID period, before 2020. Results: Lower plateletcrit was found in 48,4% of women and 63,3% of men in the first period. Out of the total of 111 patients, lower plateletcrit was found in 54,9%. in the second period lower plateletcrit was found in 72,2% of women and 85% of men. Out of the total number of 329 patients, lower plateletcrit was found in 78,7%. In the control group, from the "green zone" lower plateletcrit was found in 8,3% of 60 patients, and no decrease in plateletcrit levels was observed in 48 patients from the pre-COVID-19 era. Conclusion: Plateletcrit levels are decreased in many patients during their initial visit due to COVID-19. Symptoms. Therefore, variations in plateletcrit levels could raise concerns about potential COVID-19 infection.

Background/Aim. The cause of eosinophilia often remains unelucidated. The aim of the study was to analyze causes and treatment approaches in children with eosinophilia in pediatric tertiary care hospital. Methods. The medical records of children investigated for eosinophilia (based on the International Classification of Diseases code D72.1) were retrospectively reviewed in the University Children’s Hospital, Belgrade, Serbia, from December 2011 to December 2022. A total of 105 children (62 boys; male:female ratio was 1:4) aged one month to 16.5 years (median 7.7 years) were diagnosed with eosinophilia. After excluding 15 of them due to incorrectly assigned diagnosis based on relative eosinophil number only, the remaining 90 children were grouped according to the severity of eosinophilia (mild, moderate or severe). Results. Serological analysis con-firmed toxocariasis in six (6.7%) patients, while two (2.2%) had a confirmed nematode infestation (Ascaris lumbricoides and Enterobius vermicularis, respectively). Thirty-two (35.6%) children with eosinophilia and three with no true eosinophilia were diagnosed with helminthiasis ex juvantibus. Eosinophilia was ultimately explained by allergic/atopic conditions [19 (21.1%)], drug reactions [four (4.4%)], bacterial infections [nine (8.9%)], hematological problems [five (5.5%)], autoimmune disorders [three (3.3%)], unrelated congenital disorders (one), or as an isolated finding [seven (7.8%)]. In addition, one of the children without an increased absolute eosinophil number was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis. A total of 56 (53.3%) children received anthelminthic treatment: 9 (90.0%) with severe eosinophilia, 19 (51.4%) with moderate, 23 (53.5%) with mild, and 5 (33.3%) children with no true eosinophilia. Most (42) of the children were given mebendazole only, while the remaining 14 (eight with severe, three with moderate, and three with mild) were also initially treated with mebendazole but subsequently shifted to albendazole due to the persistence of eosinophilia. In all treated children, eosinophilia and other relevant findings (if any) subsided in a matter of a few days to a few weeks after initializing treatment. Conclusion. Our results support the recommendation that unexplained eosinophilia of all levels of severity requires a standardized diagnostic approach. The results also provide some support for a potential rational basis for ex juvantibus administration of anthelminthic drugs in a fraction of children with eosinophilia without an obvious etiological explanation.

Introduction: Blood transfusion is the process of donating blood or blood components from a donor to a recipient of blood or blood components. Clinical pharmacology is a medical discipline created in the 20th century, that implies the most effective application of drugs, and it could be considered the culmination of all therapeutic procedures in medicine, or simply in the preservation of human health. Methods: Online search of pharmacology and transfusion literature was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases. Topic: Patient blood management (PBM) is a multidisciplinary multimodal patient-centered approach designed to minimize the use of allogeneic blood components in order to improve the clinical outcome of patient treatment. PBM consists of 3 main pillars with specific clinical goals. 1) First pillar: increasing red cell mass including clinical-pharmacological correction such as erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESA) - iron and another drugs and optimizing the time for surgical intervention in relation to achieving the required hemoglobin value; 2) Second pillar: minimize blood loss through an adequate selection of surgical and anesthetic techniques, treatment with tranexamic acid (TXA) and autologous blood salvage, and the use of blood substitutes, 3) Third pillar: increasing the patient's tolerance to anemia through maximum improvement of pulmonary and cardiac function, optimizing ventilation, oxygenation and restrictive application of blood components. Clinically it is clear that clinical transfusiology and clinical pharmacology are part of each other originating from the fact that the use of classical medicine as well as the therapeutic use of blood achieves a therapeutic effect in order to improve the clinical status of the patient. Conclusion: Patient blood management implies health teams composed of clinical pharmacologist and clinical transfusiologist with other health care specialists making successful healthcare institutions. The most important thing is to monitor the development of new drugs, new transfusion solutions, and in this area, be especially careful when applying new drugs because of serious side effects that may occur. The agility of PBM is reflected in three pillars that must be harmonized and require continuous team education.

Obesity is a chronic, complex, relapsing disease impacting healthcare systems and the economy worldwide. We aim to analyze the utilization trends of antiobesity drugs, and their reimbursement status on drug lists of health insurance funds (HIF) in selected European countries. The DDD/1000 inhabitants/day methodology is used for utilization trend analysis, where data from official national utilization reports were used. For the reimbursement status analysis of 5 antiobesity drugs (orlistat, semaglutide, liraglutide, naltrexone/bupropion, setmelanotide), the websites of national health insurance funds (HIF) of 22 European countries were screened. Trend analysis revealed fluctuation for almost all antiobesity drugs (the highest decrease seen for orlistat in Serbia, and the highest increase for liraglutide in Croatia). Novel antiobesity drugs show an increasing utilization trend in almost all the countries. In two out of three European countries, 437 antiobesity drugs are not covered by the HIF. Slovenia and Denmark reimburse most of the antiobesity drugs. The Netherlands is the only country where the cost of setmelanotide is paid by the HIF. Our results emphasize the importance of prioritizing the introduction and implementation of new strategies and reimbursement scheme models in global and national antiobesity policies.

Peltate trichomes have been the focus of botanical research for decades as the main secretory structures responsible for the production of essential oil and other specialized metabolites. For this study, samples of the plant material were obtained from the collection of the Institute for Medicinal Plant Research “Dr. Josif Pančić”. This study was conducted to perform morphological characterization, determination of the diameter and analysis of the distribution of peltate trichomes on leaves and calyces of selected commercial Lamiaceae species. In addition, the density of peltate trichomes on the leaves was determined. The analyses were carried out using a stereomicroscope and a scanning electron microscope. The leaves of all plant species bear peltate trichomes on the adaxial and abaxial leaf sides, with the highest density observed in Origanum heracleoticum (24.3 and 17.4 per mm2, re­spectively). Density was generally higher on the adaxial surface, with the exception of Mentha × piperita (higher density on the abaxial side) and Satureja montana (equal density on both leaf sides). The largest diameter of peltate trichomes was observed in leaves and calyces of S. montana (88.79 μm and 90.57 μm, respectively), while the smallest diameter was noticed in Origanum vulgare (about 65.00 μm). The plant species studied differ in appearance, diameter, distribution and density of the peltate trichomes. The results obtained indicate that micromorphological features could be valid parameters for the microscopic authentication of aromatic plants of which the representatives of the Lamiaceae are of par­ticular commercial importance.

The paper considers the sense of using the blank promissory note as a means of securing of consumer loan, while also questioning its purpose as means of security. The initial hypothesis is the legal absurdity of the same person being a debtor under the two different legal basis -promissory note and consumer loan. The same person is the guarantor for themselves - by signing the blank note they guarantee the performance of the consumer loan contract. That arrangement seems tautological having in mind that the same person, through two legal basis but with the same property, guarantees the performance of the underlying contract manifested in a consumer loan. This is the core proof of the absurdity of using the blank promissory note as collateral security.

Introduction: Making good teams are the base of management in general. A multidisciplinary medical team (MDT) is a group of health and care staff who are members of different professions and organizations (e.g. GPs, social workers, nurses), that work together to make decisions regarding the treatment of individual patients and service users. MDTs are engaged in both health and care settings. Methods: In this paper, the authors present information and views from valid professional-scientific sources (papers, books, brochures) about the basic principles and development of teams for medical healthcare that contribute to the development of the implementation of new concepts in health management (MH) for and against teamwork in this areas. Topic: A successful team relies on a well-composed human resource. Each of the member of team added their knowledge and skills to the prescribing process, so that decisions about the best therapy option, for example choice of antibiotics and dosages were made based on more evidence from the medical literature than if they were made by just one person. Clinical pharmacologists will certainly be necessary participants in such teams, because their knowledge of pharmacokinetics, side effects and efficacy of the selected drug is required. For successful personnel management in a team that is able to handle all the challenges and obstacles that multidisciplinary teamwork brings, appropriate education and professional skills of the main manager are required. An example of MDT in a modern therapeutic approach is the collaboration between hospital pharmacology and hospital transfusion. Teamwork has its advantages and disadvantages that a good leader can use or overcome. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary health teams often have the problem of immeasurable investments in order to achieve satisfactory therapeutic results. The formation of multidisciplinary teams in healthcare is a mandatory type of work in a successful healthcare institution. In addition to continuous medical education, it is desirable to introduce education for work in all positions in the health team. The most important goal of MDT is the well-being of the patient, which requires high ethical and professional qualities of the staff.

By examining debates on the Anthropocene era ignited by new materialist and posthumanist scholarship, this paper aims to discern how these perspectives can reframe the human-nature nexus. It also considers how various “developmentalist” approaches might assume the role traditionally held by the concept of human nature. The first section highlights concerns raised by posthumanist and neomaterialist scholars about the marginalized status of “nature”, life, and biology within dominant constructivist viewpoints. A central argument posits that notions like “denaturalization” and biopolitics amplify societal dominance over nature, pushing social theory towards an anthropocentric and potentially biologically indeterminate stance. Contrasting this, the second section delves into modern interpretations of the planet in social theory, inspired by the emergence of the Anthropocene. This lens reveals a dynamic, co-constitutive relationship, tilting less towards the unilateral commands of “nature” and more towards understanding the evolution of human life and societal structures within Earth’s expansive temporal and spatial realms. The third section further unpacks these developmental ideas by juxtaposing the theories of Bruno Latour and Tim Ingold. The paper contends that both approaches endeavor to illuminate the complex processes underpinning the evolution of life forms, underscoring the significance of culture. In conclusion, the intricate postnatural landscape of the Anthropocene necessitates a more integrated human-nature relationship. This calls for not only discarding dehumanizing facets of human nature, but also fostering a renewed sensibility - a deeper form of humanizing that acknowledges and celebrates our shared existence with other species and entities.