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Background and Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic disease with extensive multi- organ involvement, whose extra-hepatic manifestations include diabetes mellitus type 2, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), chronic kidney disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Our hypothesis was that there was a strong psychological component in NAFLD and OSA suffering patients and that psychotherapy would be helpful in the treatment of the mentioned diseases. Methods: Of 144 initially selected patients (with NAFLD, obesity and OSA), 32 patients agreed to undergo psychotherapy, and 31 therapy-naive NAFLD and OSA patients agreed to participate as controls. Results: Psychological evaluation revealed that self-esteem rose significantly after one-year psychotherapy (p=0.005). Body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower after psychotherapy, followed by the changes in laboratory results. Binomial logistic regression revealed that the reduction of BMI in high probability led to self-esteem improvement (p=0.03). Conclusions: Psychotherapy was an efficient supporting method in the treatment of patients with NAFLD, obesity and OSA. It raised self-esteem and stimulated the motivation for further treatment of obesity, as one of the important factors for NAFLD and OSA. Still, it is advisable to use psychotherapy in combination with other clinical methods of treatment.

Objectives: There are scarce data regarding pontine arteries anatomy, which is the basis for ischemic lesions following their occlusion. The aim of this study was to examine pontine vasculature and its relationships with the radiologic and neuro-logic features of pontine infarctions. Materials and methods: Branches of eight basilar arteries and their twigs, including the larger intrapontine branches, were microdis-sected following an injection of a 10% mixture of India ink and gelatin. Two addi-tional brain stems were prepared for microscopic examination after being stained with luxol fast blue and cresyl violet. Finally, 30 patients with pontine infarctions underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to determine the position and size of the infarctions. Results: The perforating arteries, which averaged 5.8 in number and 0.39 mm in diameter, gave rise to paramedian and anteromedial branches, and also to anterolateral twigs (62.5%). The longer leptomeningeal and cere-bellar arteries occasionally gave off perforating and anterolateral twigs, and either the lateral or posterior branches. Occlusion of some of these vessels resulted in the para-median (30%), anterolateral (26.7%), lateral (20%), and combined infarctions (23.3%), which were most often isolated and unilateral, and rarely bilateral (10%). They were located in the lower pons (23.3%), middle (10%) or rostral (26.7%), or in two or three portions (40%). Each type of infarction usually produced characteristic neurologic signs. The clinical significance of the anatomic findings was discussed. Conclusions: There was a good correlation between the intrapontine vascular territories, the position, size and shape of the infarctions, and the type of neurologic manifestations. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Funding: This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant III41020). Background / Aim The sciatic nerve (SN) is a mixed nerve formed in pelvis by joining of L4 - S3 anterior spinal nerve roots. SN can be under the pressure in different regions throughout its course. However, the most frequent site of impingement is under the piriformis muscle which causes the occurrence of piriformis syndrome. High division of SN has its relevance considering the fact that it leads to the compression of nerve resulting in piriformis syndrome. The aim of this study was to determine the connection between anatomical parameters of pelvis and high division of SN, which is considered to be one of the most common causes of piriformis syndrome in both genders. Methods This study was conducted on 28 formalin fixed cadavers of both genders at the Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade (Belgrade, Serbia) and the Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews (St Andrews, United Kingdom). For the measuring of required dimensions, we used a ruler and a caliper. Results A statistically significant difference in the values of bispinal and bituberal lines was observed. A high division of SN was found on 58.33% of the male cadavers and 80% of the female cadavers. A statistically significant difference in the mean value of the bituberal line between the male and female sex was also recognised. Conclusion The connection between the anatomical parameters of the pelvis and the level of division of the SN is confirmed. Although on the basis of the results it could be assumed that people with smaller pelvic dimensions would have greater likelihood of developing a piriformis syndrome, the other factors, such as biomechanics related to a wider 'Q angle' in women that could result in a higher incidence of piriformis syndrome, should also be considered. Publisher PDF

Background/Aim. In-depth knowledge of the vascular net-work of the hand is of great importance in modern medicine. The main vessel of the hand is the superficial palmar arch (SPA). As typically described in anatomical textbooks, it arises as a terminal branch of the ulnar artery, which then anastomoses with the superficial palmar branch of the radial artery. However, the SPA is characterized by remarkable variability, which has been the area of interest of many researchers so far. The aim of this study was to exert a comprehensive examination of the anatomy of the SPA. Methods. The research was conducted at the Institute of Anatomy ?Niko Miljanic? on a total number of 14 cadavers. After careful dissection, variations of the modality of formation of the SPA and its distance of the SPA from Kaplan?s cardinal line were observed on the right hands. Collected data were then analyzed statistically in SPSS 11.0 using the Mann-Whitney U test, with the accepted level of statistical significance of p < 0.05. Results. According to Coleman and Anson?s classification, the higher incidence of the incomplete type (57.14%) of the SPA was observed compared to the complete type (42.86%). In addition to this, a statistically significant difference was discovered in the distance of the SPA from Kaplan?s cardinal line between two groups with complete and incomplete types, respectively. The parameter examined in the group with the complete type took the value of 2.13 ? 0.32 cm, while in the group with the incomplete type measured 3.33 ? 0.87 cm. Conclusion. The present study showed a very important complexity in the domain of anatomy of the SPA with numerous clinical implications. For that reason, a thorough evaluation of the hand circulatory system should be considered while planning surgical procedures in order to avoid operative and postoperative complications.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease which is characterized by extremely complex pathogenetic mechanisms and multifactorial etiology. Some of the many pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the development of NAFLD include oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial metabolism, inflammation, gut microbiota, and interaction between the brain-liver-axis and the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism. The new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of NAFLD are targeting some of these milestones along the pathophysiological pathway and include drugs like agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, sodium/glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists, probiotics, and symbiotics. Further efforts in biomedical sciences should focus on the investigation of the relationship between the microbiome, liver metabolism, and response to inflammation, systemic consequences of metabolic syndrome.

In order to find out the possible earliest biomarkers of Parkinson's disease (PD) cholinopathy, we followed the impact of bilateral pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) lesion in rat on: the cortical and hippocampal sleep/wake states architectures, all sleep states related EEG microstructures, sleep spindles, the basal and stimulated locomotor activity. Sleep and basal locomotor activity in adult Wistar rats were followed during their inactive circadian phase, and throughout the same aging period. The bilateral PPT lesions were done by 0.1M ibotenic acid (IBO) during the surgical procedure for implantation of the electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) electrodes for chronic sleep recording. The cholinergic neuronal loss was identified by NADPH - diaphorase histochemistry. After all sleep and behavioral recording sessions, the locomotor activity was stimulated by d-amphetamine (d-AMPH) and the neuronal activity of striatum was followed by c-Fos immunolabeling. Impaired cholinergic innervation from the PPT was expressed earlier as sleep disorder then as movement disorder, and it was the earliest and long-lasting at hippocampal and thalamo-cortical level, and followed by a delayed "hypokinesia". This severe impact of a tonically impaired PPT cholinergic innervation was evidenced as the cholinergic interneuronal loss of the caudate putamen and as a suppressed c-Fos expression after stimulation by d-AMPH. In order how they occurred, the hippocampal non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep disorder, altered high voltage sleep spindle (HVS) dynamics during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the hippocampus and motor cortex, and "hypokinesia" may serve as the biomarkers of PD cholinopathy onset and progression. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ciric J, Lazic K, Kapor S, Perovic M, Petrovic J, Pesic V, Kanazir S, Saponjic J. Sleep disorder and altered locomotor activity as biomarkers of the Parkinson’s disease cholinopathy in rat. Behav Brain Res. 2018;339:79-92. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.021].

Background: Detailed study of the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) is necessary to completely understand the mechanism of its flexion and extension. Materials and methods: One cadaver head was sectioned in the sagittal plane. Also, in 22 volunteers, examined using the multislice computed tomography (MSCT), 14 parameters and 2 angles were measured in the neutral position, flexion and extension. Results: The obtained measurements showed the anterior part of the occiput to move inferiorly in flexion, and the anterior atlas arch and the tip of the dens to get closer to the basion. At the same time, the opisthion moves superiorly, but the cervical spine bends anteriorly. Consequently, the dens-opisthion diameter and the opisthion-posterior atlas arch distance slightly decrease in length, whilst the arches of the atlas (C1), axis (C2) and C3 vertebra become more distant. Following extension, the posterior part of the occiput moves inferiorly, so that the basion-dens tip, the basion-axis arch, and the basion-posterior atlas arch distances increase in length. In contrast, the distances of the C1–C3 arches decrease in length. The angle between the foramen magnum and the dens tip decreases 1.620 on average in flexion, but increases 3.230 on average in extension. The angle between the axis body and the opisthion also decreases in flexion (mean, 3.360) and increases in extension (mean, 6.570). Among the congenital anomalies, a partial agenesis of the posterior atlas arch was revealed (4.5%), as well as an anterior dehiscence of the C1 foramen transversarium (13.6%). Conclusions: The mentioned measurements improved our understanding of the CVJ biomechanics. The obtained data can be useful in the evaluation of the CVJ instability caused by trauma, congenital anomalies and certain spine diseases.

Multislice CT Study of the Craniovertebral Osseous Anomalies Modern radiologic technologies, including the multislice CT (MSCT) machines, enable a reliable and precise examination of the patients and volunteers. Our aim was to use the mentioned method in order to reveal the potential craniovertebral malformations in a patient with a duplication of the pituitary gland and in a control group of 11 healthy volunteers. The MSCT examination was performed in all of them, including certain linear measurements and 3D reconstruction. The patient presented with a double hypophyseal fossa, the posterior clinoid process, the odontoid process and the axis body, as well as with a broad clivus, the third occipital condyle, a foramen transversarium defect, a partial agenesis of the anterior and posterior atlas arches, and a fusion of the cervical vertebrae. In one volunteer, an unclosed foramen transversarium was noticed, and in another one an isolated agenesis of the posterior atlantal arch. Whereas some of the obtained anomalies are usually an incidental finding in the general population, some others may produce certain symptoms and signs and therefore require a surgical intervention. Hence the data obtained in our study can have important clinical implications.

Background: The aim was to examine the position of the brain stem and cervical cord following the neck flexion and extension. Materials and methods: The serial sagittal T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sections of the cervical cord and brain stem were made in 6 volunteers. The images were mainly used to measure certain distances and angles of the brain stem and cervical cord in the neutral position, and then following the head and neck flexion and extension. Results: The measurements showed that the pons is slightly closer to the clivus following the neck flexion; the medulla oblongata is somewhat distant to the basion but closer to the odontoid process. At the same time, the spino-medullary angle diminishes in size. On the other hand, the upper cervical cord slightly approaches the posterior wall of the spinal canal, the lower cervical cord is closer to the anterior wall, while the angle between them is significantly larger in size. After the cervical cord extension, the rostral pons is somewhat distant to the clivus, whereas the caudal pons and the medulla are slightly closer to the clivus and the basion. At the same time, the spino-medullary angle diminishes in size. The cervical cord is mainly closer to the posterior wall of the spinal canal, whilst its angle is significantly smaller. Conclusions: The obtained results regarding the brain stem and cervical cord motion can be useful in the kinetic MRI examination of certain congenital disorders, degenerative diseases, and traumatic injuries of the craniovertebral junction and the cervical spine.

Stachyoideae; fatty acids; chemotaxonomy. Abstract--Fatty acid composition of nutlet lipids in 28 species from the Stachyoideae, subfamily of the Lamiaceae, have been surveyed. In all species, octadecadienoic acid (18:2) was dominant. Octadecatrienoic acid (18:3) was a minor constituent in most species, except Physostegia virginiana and Lamium spp. The 18:3/18:2 ratio in Physostegia and Lamium ranged from 0.62 to 1.05. This ratio in all other species was signifi- cantly smaller (-0.25). Taxonomic value and phylogenetic implications of results are discussed.

Fatty acid composition of nutlet lipids in 62 species from the Saturejoideae, seven species from the Ajugoideae and four species from the Scutellarioideae have been analysed. Linolenate was the predominant acid in all species from the Saturejoideae but in the Ajugoideae, linoleate and linolenate were the major fatty acids. In the Scutellarioideae, linoleate was the dominant fatty acid. Results showed that the fatty acid composition of nutlet lipids and their linolenate/linoleate ratios may be useful as taxonomic markers for the differentiation of genera belonging to different subfamilies of the Lamiaceae.

Fatty acids were analysed in the seeds of 40 species from 12 genera of the Papaveraceae and 14 species from four genera of the Fumariaceae. Linoleate was predominant in both families; however, its content was 11% greater on average in the Papaveraceae. With Papaver orientale and Corydalis cava intraspecific variability of fatty acid patterns of seed lipids was studied; no large differences between samples were encountered. Triacylglycerols were the dominant lipid class. Members of Papaveraceae show a higher triacylglycerol but lower free fatty acid content than members of Fumariaceae.

Analyses of fatty acids of seed lipids in five species of Mentha from different localities in Serbia are reported.