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Summary The purpose of this study is to assess the repellent activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil (EO), grown in Serbia under greenhouse conditions, against four prevalent stored product pests: Plodia interpunctella (larvae), Sitophilus oryzae, Acanthoscelides obtectus and Tribolium castaneum (adults). The lemongrass EO repellency was tested using filter paper in Petri dishes and a Y-tube olfactometer. According to the repellency index (RI), the lemongrass EO repellency was divided into 5 classes. Prior to biotesting, the chemical characterization of lemongrass EO was performed and the following main compounds were detected: myrcene (31.0%), geranial (30.0%), and neral (23.6%). The C. citratus EO considered was found to exhibit the Class III repellent activity against P. interpunctella larvae only at the highest concentration (namely 0.5%). This is the very first report on the C. citratus EO repellent activity against this pest. The lemongrass EO examined showed strong repellency (Class IV) against S. oryzae (0.2% and 0.5% of EO), A. obtectus (0.1% and 0.2%), and T. castaneum (0.05-0.1%). Moreover, higher lemongrass EO concentrations (0.5%) were found to exhibit extreme repellency (Class V) against A. obtectus and T. castaneum. The results obtained were confirmed in the bioassays performed, indicating the great potential of lemongrass EO as a bio-repellent when applied in higher concentrations to all the insects considered, regardless of the exposure period.

Salvia sclarea L. or clary sage is cultivated worldwide in temperate and sub-tropical climates, as an ornamental and essential oil (EO) bearing plant. EO is obtained from fresh spikes in full flowering stage and is recognized as an important commercial product for food, beverage and cosmetic industries. This study investigated the EO composition of S. sclarea grown in Serbia (Southeast Europe) obtained by two different methods, steam (SD) and hydrodistillation (HD). GC-MS analysis identified oxygenated monoterpenes as the main class of compounds for all EOs (between 81.8% and 88.2% depending on the distillation process). The most abundant oxygenated monoterpenes were linalyl acetate and linalool. In addition, in vitro antimicrobial (modified resazurin microtitre-plate assay) and antioxidant activities (DPPH· assay) and total polyphenol content of obtained EOs were also evaluated. According to the assay used for the evaluation of the antibacterial activity, Gram-negative bacteria were more sensitive to S. sclarea EO in comparison to Gram-positive bacteria. EOs exhibited low antioxidant capacity, below 3% neutralized DPPH· radicals, reaching up to approximately 400 µg AAE mL-1. This study also investigated a possibility for predicting retention indices (RIs) of compounds isolated from EOs. In total, 78 experimentally obtained RIs were applied to construct the prediction model. The quantitative structure-chromatographic retention relationship (QSRR) model was used to anticipate the experimentally obtained RIs. Five molecular descriptors were selected by factor analysis and genetic algorithm to predict RIs. The obtained accuracy of the QSRR model reached r2 = .912, which showed that these models might be applied for predicting retention indices. This is the accepted peer-reviewed version of the published article [https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.3684]. Due to publisher`s embargo it will be available after 2 November 2022.

Introduction: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has the highest risk for overt disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), with reported incidence of DIC of up to 90%, as compared to 10-40% in other AML types. The influence of DIC on early death in non-APL AML patients has not been evaluated so far. Aim: The aim of our study was to analyze the incidence of DIC, its clinical and laboratory characteristics, and the impact on the survival and early death of patients with non-APL AML. Materials and methods: A total of 176 patients with non-APL AML, diagnosed and treated at the Clinic for Hematology of the Clinical Center of Serbia, between 2015 and 2020, were evaluated retrospectively. The diagnosis of DIC was made on the basis of ISTH (International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasias) criteria. Results: The mean age of our patients was 53.8 ± 14.6 years, with 99/176 patients being men (56.2%). DIC was present in 74/176 patients (42.05%), who had a significant prevalence of the hemorrhagic syndrome (p = 0.01). The risk factors for overt DIC were the following: older age (p 0.05). No difference was found in early mortality, outcome, and the survival of non-APL AML patients, with and without DIC (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Older age at diagnosis, comorbidities, leukocytosis, and high LDH concentrations are found to be adverse risk factors for overt DIC in non-APL AML patients. If treated promptly, with immediate, adequate and intensive use of blood derivates and components, DIC has no negative impact on early mortality, outcome, and survival.

© 2020, © 2020 Har Krishan Bhalla & Sons. A total of 26 experimentally obtained retention indices on a logarithmic scale (log RI) from Thymus serpyllum essential oil were used to build a robust predictive model. The selected descriptors were used as inputs of an artificial neural network model to build a predictive quantitative structure-retention time relationship model. The coefficient of determination for the training cycle was 0.977, indicating that this model could be used for the prediction of retention indices for T. serpyllum essential oil compounds. These 26 compounds comprise about 99.8 % of the total oil, but among them only 6 compounds had the average relative concentration over 1 percent: geraniol (63.4 %), nerol (or cis-geraniol) (18.9 %), geranyl acetate (4.7 %), trans- caryophyllene (4.6 %), β-bisabolene (2.0 %) and geranial (1.2 %). According to these results, it can be concluded that T. serpyllum from village Sesalac (Serbia) belongs to geraniol chemotype, in total 82.3 % in both, trans and cis forms (63.4 % and 18.9 %, respectively).

Nepeta nuda L. (syn. N. pannonica L.) is a herbaceous perennial plant, is the most widespread species of the genus Nepeta , the largest genera in Lamiaceae family. However, N. nuda is well spread worldwide, and divided into four subspecies according to morphological differences which occur within large geographical range of distribution: subsp. nuda , subsp. albiflora , subsp. lydiae and subsp. glandulifera . In this review, previous reports on N. nuda concerningits botanical description and systematics, phytochemistry, use in traditional medicine, pharmacology, and posibilities for other applications were critically summarized. This paper includes data about N. nuda phytochemical compounds, ethnomedicinal uses, pharmacological properties, and prospect of it being applied as a natural herbicide an in management of plant diseases. All of this contributes to N. nuda being a highly promising plant in food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in agriculture for the development of natural pesticides.

This paper is a study of the chemical composition of Hyssopus officinalis ssp. officinalis grown during three years (2017–2019) at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad (Vojvodina Province, Serbia). Furthermore, comparisons with ISO standards during the years were also investigated, as well as a prediction model of retention indices of compounds from the essential oils. An essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS was isopinocamphone chemotype. The gathered information about the volatile compounds from H. officinalis was used to classify the samples using the unrooted cluster tree. The correlation analysis was applied to investigate the similarity of different samples, according to GC-MS data. The quantitative structure–retention relationship (QSRR) was also employed to predict the retention indices of the identified compounds. A total of 74 experimentally obtained retention indices were used to build a prediction model. The coefficient of determination for the training cycle was 0.910, indicating that this model could be used for the prediction of retention indices for H. officinalis essential oil compounds.

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a syndrome mostly diagnosed by subjective patients’ symptoms after excluding organic, systemic and metabolic diseases. Aim: The goal of this study is to evaluate gastric emptying in patients with functional dyspepsia, by measuring the antral area (cm2) after the intake of a test meal using ultrasonography as an objective and widely applicable method. Material and Methods: This study included 30 patients (mean age of 46.53 ±9.73 years) with symptoms of FD according to the ROMA IV criteria and 30 healthy individuals (mean age of 42.87 ±4.42 years). A 5 MHz ultrasound probe was used to measure the stomach antral area at 6 different time points: in the fasting state, following the meal intake at 5, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min postprandially. Results: The antral area was statistically significantly larger after a 30-minute postprandial period in patients with FD comparing to healthy controls (p

The aim of this study was the prediction model of retention indices of compounds from the aboveground parts of Achillea clypeolata Sibth. & Sm. essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC–MS. The quantitative structure–retention relationship analysis was applied in order to anticipate the retention time of the obtained compounds. The selection of the seven molecular descriptors was done by a genetic algorithm. The chosen descriptors were uncorrelated and were used to construct an artificial neural network. A total of 40 experimentally obtained retention indices was used to build this prediction model. The coefficient of determination for the training, testing and validation cycles were: 0.950, 0.825 and 1.000, respectively, indicating that this model could be used for prediction of retention indices for A. clypeolata, essential oil compounds. Cilj ove studije bio je izrada modela za predviđanja retencionog vremena hemijskih jedinjenja iz esencijalnog ulja nadzemnih delova biljke Achillea clypeolata Sibth. & Sm., dobijenog hidrodistilacijom i analiziranog GC–MS tehnikom. Kvantitativna analiza hemijske strukture i predviđanja retencionog vremena (quantitative structure – retention relationship – QSRR) je primenjena da bi se predvidelo vreme zadržavanja hemijskih jedinjenja dobijenih korišćenjem GC–MS analize. Izbor sedam molekulskih deskriptora izvršen je korišćenjem faktorske analize i genetskog algoritma. Primećeno je da izabrani deskriptori nisu bili u međusobnoj korelaciji, pa su korišćeni kao ulazni podaci pri izgradnji veštačke neuronske mreže. U izgradnji modela predviđanja retencionih vremena korišćeno je ukupno 40 eksperimentalno dobijenih retencionih vremena. Koeficijent determinacije tokom ciklusa pripreme, testiranja i validacije dostigao je vrednosti 0,950; 0,825 i 1,000, redom, što ukazuje na to da se ovaj model može koristiti za predviđanje retencionih vremena hemijskih jedinjenja dobijenih iz esencijalnog ulja A. clypeolata.

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is a perennial shrub or subshrub violet-blue flowers in verticillasters and spicy taste with a pungent flavour. Besides being used as a culinary herb for flavouring and food preservation, this plant is also an ornamental, bee attracting plant and a traditional remedy for respiratory diseases and digestive disturbances. Hyssop is an essential oil-bearing plant, and its essential oil (Hyssopi aetheroleum) is used in the pharmaceutical, perfume and cosmetics industries as well as in aromatherapy. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of essential oil of hyssop CV. "Domaći ljubičasti", grown in Serbia, and investigate its antimicrobial activity against 16 bacteria, mainly pathogens in the food industry. A total of 61 compounds were detected in the hyssop essential oil. The bicyclic monoterpene ketones CIS-pinocamphone (43.8%) and trans-pinocamphone (18.3%) were the most abundant, comprising 62.1%, followed by b-pinene (6.3%) and pinocarvone (6.1%). Hyssop essential oil expressed antibacterial activity against: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Proteus hauseri, Listeria monocytogenes, Rhodococcus equi, Listeria ivanovii, Salmonella Enteritidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria innocua and Bacillus spizizenii. Hyssop essential oil did not express antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, Klebsiella aerogenes and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Results of this study show that hyssop essential oil has potential for using as natural supplement for control of foodborne diseases of microbiological origin, as well as flavor compositions (herbaceous, camphor-like odour with warm and spicy undernotes), especially for meat products, sauces, soups and seasonings. Miloduh (Hyssopus officinalis L., Lamiaceae) je višegodišnji žbun ili polužbun aromatičnog i oštrog mirisa zbog čega se koristi kao začinska biljka. Takođe je i ukrasna i medonosna biljka, ali i tradicionalni lek za bolesti organa za disanje i kod poremećaja varenja. Miloduh je cenjena eterično-aromatična biljka, a etarsko ulje se koristi u farmaceutskoj, parfimerijskoj i kozmetičkoj industriji kao i aromaterapiji. Cilj ovog istraživanja je bio da se determiniše hemijski sastav etarskog ulja miloduha kultivara „Domaći ljubičasti“ gajenog u Srbiji, i da se ispita antimikrobna aktivnost na 16 bakterija, uglavnom patogena u prehrambenoj industriji. Ukupno 61 komponenta je detektovana u etarskom ulju, pri čemu su monoterpenski ketoni cis-pinokamfon (43.8%) i trans-pinokamfon (18.3%) bili najzastupljeniji, čineći 62.1%, a potom slede β-pinen i pinokarvon. Etarsko ulje miloduha je ispoljilo antibakterijsku aktivnost na: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Proteus hauseri, Listeria monocytogenes, Rhodococcus equi, Listeria ivanovii, Salmonella Enteritidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria innocua i Bacillus spizizenii, dok nije delovalo na Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, Klebsiella aerogenes i Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate wild growing Satureja kitaibelii, Thymus serpyllum, Origanum vulgare, Achillea millefolium and Achillea clypeolata with respect to their essential oil (EO) content, composition and antimicrobial activity. The five species were collected at Mt. Rtanj and the village of Sesalac, Eastern Serbia. The main EO constituents of Lamiaceae plants were p-cymene (24.4%), geraniol (63.4%) and germacrene D (21.5%) in Satureja kitaibelii, Thymus serpyllum and Origanum vulgare ssp. vulgare, respectively. A. millefolium EO had multiple constituents with major ones being camphor (9.8%), caryophyllene oxide (6.5%), terpinen-4-ol (6.3%) and 1,8-cineole (5.6%), while the main EO constituents of A. clypeolata were 1,8-cineole (45.1%) and camphor (18.2%). Antimicrobial testing of the EO showed that Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) was more sensitive to all of the tested EOs than Escherichia coli (Gram-negative). S. kitaibelii EO showed the highest antimicrobial activity against both tested bacterial strains. This is the first study to characterize the EO composition and antimicrobial activity of these five medicinal species from Eastern Serbia in comparison with comprehensive literature data. The results can be utilized by the perfumery, cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries, but also for healing purposes in self-medication.

Hydrolates, also referred to as hydrosols, floral or distillate waters, as well as aromatic waters, are produced in the same isolation process with essential oils by steam distillation. A small amount of essential oil constituents is dissolved in hydrolates providing specific organoleptic properties and flavor, as well as biological activity which makes them useful as raw material in many industries. Their popularity is still on the rise, especially in aromatherapy. The objective in this review is to analyze the chemical compositions of hydrolates and their corresponding essential oils, as well as biological activity of hydrolates (antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiinflamatory) and potential uses, not only in food industry for flavoring, and preservation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, but also as functional (soft) drinks. However, hydrolates can be used in aromatherapy and cosmetics, as well as in organic agriculture and aquaculture. Hidrolati, koji se takođe nazivaju i hidrosoli, cvetne ili aromatične vode, kao i destilati, proizvode se u procesu destilacije etarskih ulja vodenom parom. Mala količina etarskog ulja nalazi se rastvorena u hidrolatima dajući im specifične organoleptičke osobine i ukus, kao i biološku aktivnost, što ih čini korisnim kao sirovinu u mnogim industrijama. Njihova popularnost poslednjih godina raste, posebno u aromaterapiji. Cilj ovog preglednog rada je da se analizira hemijski sastav hidrolata i njihovih etarskih ulja, kao i biološku aktivnost hidrolata (antimikrobna, antioksidativna i antiinflamatorna), ali i mogućnosti upotrebe, ne samo u prehrambenoj industriji kao prirodnih aroma i konzervanasa sveže isečenog voća i povrća, ali i funkcionalnih (bezalkoholnih) napitaka. Takođe, hidrolat i mogu da se koriste u aromaterapiji i kozmetici kao i u organskoj poljoprivredi i ribarstvu.

Analysis of composition of CH2Cl2 surface extract of leaves of Amphoricarpos neumayeri Vis. revealed 16 sesquiterpene lactones with guaianolide skeleton, so called amphoricarpolides, typical for this genus. Four of them, 13–16, were new derivatives and their structures were elucidated by detailed analyses of IR, NMR and MS data. Amphoricarpolide (9), its 15-O-acetyl derivative (5), and two 9β-hydroxyamphoricarpolides, 3,15-di-O-acetyl- and 3-O-acetyl-15-O-isovaleroyl derivatives (3 and 6, respectively) were tested for in vitro protective effect on chromosome aberrations in peripheral human lymphocytes using cytochalasin-B blocked micronucleus (CBMN) assay. The tested compound exerted a beneficial effect by decreasing DNA damage of human lymphocytes.

Analysis of composition of CH

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L. syn. Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert) is a herb widely used in the form of dried flower heads (Matricariae flos) infusion tea and steam-distilled essential oil (Matricariae aetheroleum). The subject of this study is to determine the chemical composition of essential oil obtained from dry chamomile flowers of three tetraploid cultivars (‘Zloty Lan’, ‘Manzana’ and ‘Lutea’) grown in North Banat region, Serbia. Essential oil has been obtained by hydrodistillation process on Clevenger apparatus. Qualitative and quantitative composition of the oil was determined by GC-MS and GC-FID analysis. From 48 compounds detected in total, the most abundant class was sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. In ‘Zloty Lan’ and ‘Lutea’ the major compound was trans-β-farnesene while in ‘Manzana’ it was α-bisabolol.

Metabolomics generate a profile of small molecules from plant extracts, which could be directly responsible for bioactivity effects. Using dry-column flash chromatography enabled a rapid and inexpensive method for the very efficient separation of plant extract with a high resolution. This separation method coupled to NMR and FTIR-based metabolomics is applied to identify bioactive natural products. OPLS multivariate analysis method, was used for correlation the chemical composition of the plant extracts, Amphoricarpos autariatus, with the results of cytotoxic activity against Human cervical adenocarcinoma cell line (HeLa) and epithelial lung cancer cell line (A549). In this way, the highest contribution to the cytotoxic activity was recorded for the guaianolide sesquiterpene lactones named amphoricarpolides. The compounds indicated as bioactive after metabolomics analysis were tested, and their cytotoxic activity were confirmed. Supplementary material: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3349]

PubMedID: 30949986 The number of children with acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring dialysis is increasing. To date, systematic analysis has been largely limited to critically ill children treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). We conducted a survey among 35 European Pediatric Nephrology Centers to investigate dialysis practices in European children with AKI. Altogether, the centers perform dialysis in more than 900 pediatric patients with AKI per year. PD and CRRT are the most frequently used dialysis modalities, accounting for 39.4% and 38.2% of treatments, followed by intermittent HD (22.4%). In units treating more than 25 cases per year and in those with cardiothoracic surgery programs, PD is the most commonly chosen dialysis modality. Also, nearly one quarter of centers, in countries with a gross domestic product below $35,000/year, do not utilize CRRT at all. Dialysis nurses are exclusively in charge of CRRT management in 45% of the cases and pediatric intensive care nurses in 25%, while shared management is practiced in 30%. In conclusion, this survey indicates that the choice of treatment modalities for dialysis in children with AKI in Europe is affected by the underlying ethiology of the disease, organization/set-up of centers and socioeconomic conditions. PD is utilized as often as CRRT, and also intermittent HD is a commonly applied treatment option. A prospective European AKI registry is planned to provide further insights on the epidemiology, management and outcomes of dialysis in pediatric AKI. © 2019, Italian Society of Nephrology.

The presence of n -alkanes, free alcohols and free acids in leaf epicuticular wax extracts of 22 samples of 11 Euphorbia L. species belonging to the sections Paralias , Esula , Myrsiniteae and Helioscopia , 10 of which were never examined before, were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and n -alkane C27 was detected as the principal component of leaf epicuticular waxes in the majority of the examined species, while the most abundant free alcohol was C26. Three Euphorbia species belonging to section Helioscopia were characterized by a predominance of alcohol C28. Free acid (C16) was the major component in 21 investigated samples. The usefulness of n -alkanes and free alcohols and free acids as potential chemotaxonomic markers is briefly discussed. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS180608041K Received: June 8, 2018; Revised: August 31, 2018; Accepted: September 12, 2018; Published online: September 21, 2018 How to cite this article: Krstic G, Aljancic I, Stankovic J, Cvetkovic M, Marin P, Janackovic P, Tesevic V. Leaf epicuticular waxes of eleven Euphorbia species (Euphorbiaceae) from the Central Balkans: Impact on chemotaxonomy. Arch Biol Sci. 2019;71(1):21-6.

The essential oil content in cumin samples from Serbian market ranged between 2.0 and 4.0%, with 22 identified compounds, among which the most abundant were cumin aldehyde, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, γ-terpinene-7-al and p-cymene. Postdistillation cumin seeds waste material that remained after the essential oil extraction contains total polyphenols of between 30.1 and 47.5 mg GAE/g dry extract, as estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, as well as glycosides of flavonones and flavonoles, are the dominant polyphenols. However, according to DPPH method, the antioxidative potential of cumin postdistillation seeds waste was poor and it ranged between 0.02 and 0.04 mM TE/g. Further research will be focused on agro-food implementation of postdistillation waste material of cumin and other plants which are used for the essential oil production.

Simultaneous hydrodistillation and extraction of Pinus cembra needles from Slovakia was done (via Likens Nickerson apparatus) for the first time. In essential oil extracts 55 compounds were identified, comprising 99.6% of the extract. The most abundant were monoterpene hydrocarbons (71.0%). In the terpene profile α-pinene, limonene/β-phellandrene, germacrene D, β-pinene, and δ-cadinene dominated (53.2%, 11.4%, 9.4%, 4.6%, and 4.3%, respectively). Seven new compounds for P. cembra, such as methyl daniellate (0.5%), 1,8 cineole (0.2%) and trans-cadina-1(6),4-diene (0.2%), etc. were found. In needle cuticular wax of P. cembra the amount of nonacosan-10-ol was 75.8%. n-Alkanes ranged from C20 to C35 with the most dominant C31, C 29 and C33 (33.4%, 16.9%, and 9.6%, resp.). Differences in terpene profiles between Slovakian and Greece from one side and Romanian and Polish cembran pines on the other side could be the consequence of its disjuncted areal in Carpathian Mountains caused by glaciation and survival of species in different ecological niches. Obtained differences in n-alkane profiles among our and literature results could be the consequence of different age of trees.

Terpene compounds of Tanacetum macrophyllum as 1) essential oils, obtained by hydrodistillation (HD), 2) essential oil extracts, obtained by simultaneous' hydrodistillation and extraction (SDE) and 3) volatiles, obtained by Static Headspace GC-MS analysis (HS) were processed. Monoterpenes were the most dominant (49.2%, 49.5% and 90.4%, respectively). Profiles of essential oils obtained by HD and SD were quite similar, with oxygenated monoterpenes (39.3% and 39.4%) being the most abundant. In HS volatiles oxygenated monoterpenes also dominated (57.4%). Total sesquiterpenes were abundant in HD and SDE volatiles (38.2% and 39.2%, resp.), where sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were prevalent (27.3% and 28.7%, resp.). Germacrene D was dominant in HD and SDE oils (22.0% and 23.3%, resp.) and 1,8-cineole in HS volatiles (34.3%). To our knowledge, this is the first use of Headspace technique on T macrophyllum. Furthermore, this is the first comparison of different techniques of volatile extraction in T. macrophyllum. Supplementary material: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3313]

Background: The interindividual variability of cyclosporin A (CsA) pharmacokinetics might be explained by heterogeneity in the cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) subfamily. Altered CYP3A enzyme activity was associated with variant allele of P450 oxidoreductase gene (POR*28). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of age, CYP3A5*3, CYP3A4*22, and POR*28 alleles on CsA pharmacokinetics in pediatric renal transplant recipients. Methods: Renal transplant patients receiving CsA (n = 47) were genotyped for CYP3A5*3, CYP3A4*22, and POR*28. Results: CYP3A5 nonexpressers had higher overall dose-adjusted predose concentration (C0/dose; ng/mL per mg/kg) compared with expressers (31.48 +/- 12.75 versus 22.44 +/- 7.12, P = 0.01). CY-P3A5 nonexpressers carrying POR*28 allele had a lower overall dose-adjusted concentration (C2/dose) than those with POR*1/*1 genotype (165.54 +/- 70.40 versus 210.55 +/- 79.98, P = 0.02), with age as covariate. Children aged 6 years and younger had a lower overall C0/dose (18.82 +/- 4.72 versus 34.19 +/- 11.89, P = 0.001) and C2/dose (106.75 +/- 26.99 versus 209.20 +/- 71.57, P LT 0.001) compared with older children. Carriers of CYP3A5*3 allele aged LT = 6 years required higher dose of CsA and achieved lower C0/dose and C2/dose, at most time points, than older carriers of this allele. Carriers of POR*28 allele aged # 6 years required higher doses of CsA, whereas they achieved lower C0/dose and C2/dose, at most time points, in comparison to older carriers of this allele. The significant effect of age (P LT 0.002) and CYP3A5 variation (P, 0.02) was shown for overall C0/dose, whereas age (P LT 0.00001) and POR variation (P = 0.05) showed significant effect on C2/dose. Regression summary for overall C2/dose in patients aged 6 years younger showed a significant effect of both CYP3A5 and POR variations (P LT 0.016). Conclusions: Younger age, POR*28 allele, and CYP3A5*3 allele were associated with higher CsA dosing requirements and lower concentration/dose ratio. Pretransplant screening of relevant polymorphisms in accordance with age should be considered to adjust therapy.

Field experiments were carried out during two growing seasons with annual caraway, at three localities, in order to determine the effect of different environmental conditions on the quality of seed as reproductive material. During the experiment, it was found that the quality of caraway seed was significantly lower in the hotter and drier year in comparison to the year with moderate conditions. Unfavourable weather conditions caused premature ripening and consequently thousand seed weight was low and lower amounts of essential oils were stored in the seed. By applying the linear regressions method it was established that the total variability of both thousand seed weight and the amount of essential oil per seed were due to its association with harvest index. Because of better characteristics of seed during the moderate year, the germination energy and total germination were significantly higher, and reproductive material was of good quality.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is aromatic plant from Apiaceae family. There are two types that have commercial importance, sweet fennel Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce, and bitter fennel – Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of essential oil of the fruits of these two varieties. Plants were grown in the experimental field in Mosorin for two years and from the produced fruits, essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation method according to Clevenger apparatus, while the essential oil components were determined through GC/MS.Sweet fennel (variety “Fino”, Austrosaat AG, Austria) and bitter fennel (variety “Vojvođanski”, Dr Josif Pancic, Serbia) grown in Serbia, as most abundant compound of the essential oil had trans-anethole. In the var. dulceits part was from 77.2-80.0%, while the content of methyl-chavicol was 2.22.7 %, and fenchone 3.9-5.1%. The var. vulgarehad 61.1-67.1 % trans-anethole and fenchone 22.6-26.6 % depended on the year.

Although all ground beetles have pygidial glands homologous in structure and function, there are many differences among species, often significant, in terms of chemical composition of the secretion and morphology of the gland components. In this paper, two predatory ground beetle species of the genus Carabus, namely C. (Tomocarabus) convexus and C. (Procrustes) coriaceus, were subjected to chemical, morphological and histological study of their pygidial glands and the glands’ secretions. Altogether, three carboxylic acids were isolated, and the pygidial gland reservoir and other glandular parts are morphologically described in the study. We also tested whether there exist differences in chemical content of the secretion obtained by upsetting the beetles in a traditional way and that obtained directly from intact reservoirs. Detailed data on morphology of the pygidial glands of both species are presented, as well as updated information about the chemical components of the glandular secretions. Apart from tiglic and methacrylic acids, which are typical for Carabus pygidial secretions, we also found benzoic acid as a minor component of the secretion in both species. In addition, a chemotaxonomic overview of Carabus taxa is given in the paper. Journal of Natural History (2017)

Roots of wild growing Angelica archangelica L. from Mt. Ozren (Serbia) were subjected to hydrodistillation and GC-MS analysis. The roots contained 0.10% of essential oil with alpha-pinene (29.7%), delta-3-carene (14.2%), and a mixture of beta-phellandrene and limonene (13.2%) as main compounds. The modified resazurin microtiter-plate assay was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the essential oil against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 14.2 mu L/mL for S. aureus and 28.4 mu L/mL for E. coli, while the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were 56.8 mu L/mL and 113.6 mu L/mL, respectively. According to the obtained results, the angelica root essential oil can be applied as a natural preservative in food and as a natural antibiotic for the treatment of several infectious diseases caused by these two bacteria.

Analysis of composition of sesquiterpene lactone fraction of leaf cuticular neutral lipids of Amphoricarpos complex from two different localities in north Montenegro, i.e., canyon of river Tara (A. autariatus ssp. autariatus) and mountain Zeletin (A. autariatus ssp. bertisceus) afforded sesquiterpene lactones with guaianolide skeletons (17 compounds), so called amphoricarpolides, typical for this genus. Nine of them, 9-17, were new compounds, and their structures were elucidated by detailed analyses of IR, NMR, and MS data.

Background and Purpose: Poplar clones grown in Serbia are fast growing tree species important for many different purposes in forestry and industry. In this study chemical content of the surface resins of three poplar clones grown in Serbia - M1, B229 and PE 19/66 was analyzed, aiming at their potential usage as a source of natural products important for pharmacy and chemotaxonomy. Materials and Methods: Using HPLC/MS-TOF we gained the first information on chemical compounds which comprise of resins on terminal twigs cuttings of commonly grown poplar clones. Provided from the nursery of the Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment (Serbia), terminal twigs cuttings with leaves of different development stage from two year old seedlings of M1 poplar clone (Populus euramericana L.), PE 19/66 clone and B229 clone (both belonging to Populus deltoides) were sampled. The washing of the surface resins from terminal twigs cuttings of every sample was done with methylene-chloride until the samples were prepared for HPLC/MS-TOF analysis. Results: Out of 38 different compounds which were identified, M1 clone qualitatively differed for 14 compounds as compared to two other clones. Generally, the results showed that the composition of the resins consisted of different phenolic acids, phenolic esters, flavonoids and other contents. Conclusion: These three poplar clones are potent producers of pharmacologically and chemotaxonomically potent compounds in forest ecosystems, especially M1 clone.

Use of current intensive chemotherapy protocols in pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in high-income countries resulted in event-free survival (EFS) rates ranging from 80 to 90%. The results are inferior in less privileged countries with limited resources for medical care. There are no reports about comprehensive data analysis in pediatric NHL in Serbia. A retrospective study was carried out at University Children's Hospital, Belgrade, in children aged less than 18 years diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma from 1997 to 2011. Fifty-seven children were eligible for analysis. Fourteen were diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma, 38 with mature B-cell NHL (B-NHL), and 5 with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Mean age at diagnosis was 9.2 years, with male to female ratio 2.35:1. Children were treated according to Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (BFM) protocols. With median follow-up of 59.3 months, 5-year probability of EFS was 84.1% for all patients, whereas overall survival was 93%. These results with BFM protocol administration, although inferior to leading international groups, reflect good treatment outcome in our patients. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this article presents the first results regarding treatment and survival of childhood NHL in Serbia.

Introduction. The choice of empiric therapy of acute pyelonephritis (APN) in children should be based on the knowledge of Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the most common uropathogen and its antibiotic sensitivities considering that nowadays ESBL-producing [ESBL (+)] E. coli is on the rise worldwide. Objective. To examine in vivo susceptibility of ESBL (+) E. coli to ceftriaxone (CTX), and to evaluate the options for empiric therapy for APN in children. Methods. Retrospective study of CTX empiric therapy of APN in children treated at the University Children?s Hospital in Belgrade from January 2005 to December 2009. ESBL phenotypic confirmatory test with ceftazidime, CTX and cefotaxime was performed for all urine isolates by disc diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar plates. In vivo sensitivity of CTX documented by clinical response to empiric CTX therapy was compared between two groups of children: group I with ESBL (+) E. coli and group II with ESBL (-) E. coli APN. Results. Group I with ESBL (+) APN consisted of 94 patients and group II of 120 patients with ESBL (-) APN, respectively. All patients received CTX as empiric therapy at a mean dose of 66.9 mg during 7.2?2.6 days of therapy. Clinical effect of CTX was similar in patients with ESBL (+) compared to those with ESBL (-) APN. Conclusions. In vitro resistance of ESBL E. coli to CTX determined by standard methods is not sufficiently predictive for its in vivo sensitivity. Therefore CTX may be used as empiric therapy for acute pyelonephritis in children.

Introduction. Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura (HSP) is the most common vasculitis of childhood. It is characterized by symptoms including nonthrombocytopenic purpura, abdominal pain, haematuria/proteinuria, and arthralgia/arthritis. The pleiomorphism of clinical signs in HSP could be confused with other conditions or other vasculitis forms. Objective. Evaluation of HSP clinical presentation, the onset and severity of renal manifestation in affected children and their outcome. Methods. A retrospective study of 49 patients diagnosed with HSP was conducted from September 1999 to September 2009. Children with severe renal manifestations (nephrotic range proteinuria, with or without nephrotic or nephritic syndrome) have undergone kidney biopsy. Results. Twenty-five patients developed renal manifestations after onset of the disease. In our study child?s older age was a risk factor for association with HSP nephritis. Six of the patients required kidney biopsy. They were successfully treated with various immunosuppressive protocols, as well as three of nine patients with nephrotic range proteinuria. Two patients developed most severe form of HSP nephritis, nephrotic-nephritic syndrome with histology grade IIIb/IVb. During the study period (average follow-up 6 years), all patients had a normal global renal function with mild proteinuria in only two cases. The prognosis of renal involvement was better than reports from other patient series. Conclusion. Long-term morbidity of HSP is predominantly attributed to renal involvement. During the study period, no patient had renal insufficiency or end stage renal disease after various combinations of immunosuppressive treatment. It is recommended that patients with HSP nephritis are followed for longer periods of time with a regular measurement of renal function and proteinuria.

Introduction. Growth retardation is a hallmark of chronic illnesses such as chronic kidney disease in children, and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The growth hormone (GH) resistance observed in uraemia can be overcome by supraphysiological doses of exogenous GH. Objective. We would like to present our first results of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment, mainly in children on haemodialysis. Methods. Sixteen children, aged 4.5-17.1 years (mean age 11.25?3.57) with height below -2.0 standard deviation score (SDS) for age or height velocity below -2.0 SDS for age, were selected to receive rhGH therapy at our Nephrology and Haemodialysis Department. Most of them were on haemodialysis (14 children) with mean spent time 2.88?2.68 years (0-9 years) before the initiation of rhGH therapy. One half of patients were prepubertal (8 children) and the second half were in early puberty (testicular volume between 4 and 8 ml for boys and breast development B2 or B3 in girls). All patients received 28-30IU/m? rhGH per week by daily subcutaneous injection. The year before rhGH therapy served as a control period. Results. During the first year of treatment, mean height velocity in haemodialysis patients increased from 2.25 cm/year to 6.59 cm/year (p

Backround/Aim. Anismus is paradoxal pressure increase or pressure decrease less than 20% of external anal sphincter during defecation straining. This study analyzed the presence of anismus as within a group of patients with the positive Rome III criteria for functional constipation. We used anorectal manometry as the determination method for anismus. Methods. We used anorectal water-perfused manometry in 60 patients with obstructive defecation defined by the Rome III criteria for functional constipation. We also analyzed anorectal function in 30 healthy subjects. Results. The presence of anismus is more frequent in the group of patients with obstructive defecation compared to the control group (a highly statistically significant difference, p

isolation and characterization of nine new sesquiterpene lactones with guaianolide skeleton (structure examples (I)-(III)) along with eight known compounds