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This study was conducted to determine the sea fennel essential oil (SFEO) yield, composition, and antioxidant activity of leaves, stem, inflorescences, and umbels from seeds of wild sea fennel (SF) (Crithmum maritimum L.) from the Montenegro coast. The chemical composition of isolated essential oil was determined by GC/MS and GC/FID analyses. The antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH assay. The maximum SFEO yield was found in umbels with seeds (4.77 mL/100 g p.m.). The leaves contained less EO (0.52 mL/100 g p.m.) than immature inflorescence (0.83 mL/100 g p.m.) The minimum EO content was found in the stem (0.08%). Twenty components were isolated from SFEO leaves, twenty-four from inflorescence, thirty-four components from the stem, and twenty-one components from umbels with seeds. Limonene (62.4–72.0%), γ-terpinene (9.5–14.0%), α-pinene (1.4–5.8%), and sabinene (1–6.5%) were found to be the main components of the SFEO from monoterpene hydrocarbons as dominant grouped components (86% to 98.1%). SF plant parts showed differences in chemical profiles, especially in specific and low-represented ingredients. (E)-anethole (4.4%), fenchone (0.5%), and trans-carveol (0.2%) were present only in umbel with seeds, while the β-longipipene (0.5%), (E)-caryophyllene (0.5%), and (2E)-decenal (0.2%) were found only in the stems. The degree of DPPH radical neutralization increased with incubation time. The SFEO isolated from the stems showed stronger antioxidant activity during the incubation times of 20 and 40 min (EC50 value of 5.30 mg/mL and 5.04 mg/mL, respectively) in comparison to the SFEO isolated from the other plant parts. The lowest antioxidant activity was obtained with the SFEO leaves (155.25 mg/mL and 58.30 mg/mL, respectively). This study indicates that SFEO possesses significant antioxidant activities and is animportant component in the food and pharmaceutical industries. It is important to preserve the existing gene pool and biodiversity with rational use SF for the extraction of high-quality essential oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background/Aim. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a model of multiple sclerosis (MS), in which we investigated the neuroprotective effect of agmatine (AGM), known as a primary amine produced via the decarboxylation of L-arginine. Methods. Dark Agouti rats were divided into groups: control (C), Complete Freund`s Adjuvant (CFA), EAE rats decapitated on the 13th day post immunization (dpi) (EAE13) and on the 20th dpi (EAE20), EAE animals given three (EAE+AGM13) and 10 (EAE+AGM20) doses of AGM, and healthy animals ad-ministered three/10 doses of AGM (AGM). Thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS), SH groups (SH), total glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), superoxide dismutase activities (tSOD, MnSOD, CuZ-nSOD) and nitrite/nitrate concentration (NO2+NO3) were assessed in plasma and brain structures [whole encephalitic mass (WEM) and brainstem (BS)]. Results. The obtained results showed that AGM treatment successfully attenuated severe clinical deficits in EAE. Applications of AGM in EAE rats induced normalized TBARS, SH, GSH, GPx and NO in WEM. In BS, AGM expressed less prominent effects, inducing normalized TBARS, GPx and NO, but no effect on SH and GSH. In both brain structures, tSOD activity lowered and normalized at the peak and in the remission phase of the disease, post-AGM treatment. The effect of AGM on the MnSOD in EAE was expressed in WEM/BS only in the remission phase as a reduced activity. Conclusion. Milder clinical form of developed EAE in rats indicates promising therapeutic effect of AGM in MS. The activated antioxidant system and suppressed oxidative/nitrosative stress development may denote a successful blockade of neu-roinflammation initiated by EAE immunization. The study implies the capability of AGM to attenuate oxidative/nitrosative damage at the peak of EAE by modulating antioxidative defense capacity during the time-course of the disease. Thus, AGM may be considered as an agent with a beneficial effect on neuroinflammation in EAE.

Structural changes in agriculture, rural areas and regions, as well as in economic activities related to the production and trade of agricultural products, most often occur as a response to periodic changes in general economic and social conditions. In order to formulate effective policies and strategies, policy makers need adequate information about the main structural changes in agriculture. Therefore, based on the information framework of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the article primarily focuses on changes of agricultural output in Serbia, respectively changes in crop and animal production, and agricultural services. The research aims to analyze changes in the structure of agricultural output in the period from 2007 to 2019 in order to identify its future trend by applying the forecast function. The research results show that the agricultural production of goods and services will keep the positive trend with a dominant share of crop production.

This study determined the content and composition of dill seed (Anethum graveolens L.) essential oil under varying light conditions: non-shaded plants in open fields and plants covered with pearl shade nets (40% shade index). Essential oil was extracted using Clevenger hydrodistillation. The essential oil content was 4.63% for non-shaded plants and 4.81% for shaded plants. GC/MS analysis revealed twenty-one and twenty-two components in dill seed from non-shaded and shaded plants, respectively. The terpenic fraction of essential oil from non-shaded plants consisted mainly of oxygen-containing monoterpene derivatives (53.6%), with carvone (46.1%) as the primary component, followed by monoterpene hydrocarbons (46.4%), predominantly limonene (43.8%). Essential oil from shaded plants contained a higher content of carvone (49.8%) and a lower content of limonene (37.8%) compared to essential oil from non-shaded plants. Non-shaded plant essential oil exhibited stronger antioxidant activity (EC50 value: 26.04 mg mL−1) than shaded plant essential oil (54.23 mg mL−1). Dill seed essential oil showed the most potent antimicrobial activity (disc diffusion method) against Escherichia coli (inhibition zone: 15–18 mm). Shaded plants demonstrated a positive influence of essential oil against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Carvone and its derivatives, as the main components, hold significant potential in the food industry and alternative medicines. A practical implication of this study could be higher plant densities or intercropping of dill, as it thrives with minimal light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia plays an important role in the national economy, making it significantly different from agriculture of developed countries. Its contribution to the national economy is reflected in a still significant share in the gross domestic product, total employment, and trade balance. Despite the insufficient utilization level of available natural resources, agriculture in Serbia is a backbone of the economic development of rural areas. The research goal of the paper is to examine structural changes in Serbian agriculture in the following aspects: changes in the employment structure, plant and animal production, as well as a change in the share of agriculture in the gross domestic product and trade balance of Serbia. The analysis has been carried out in the period from 2002 to 2017 based on the data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Research results show that the Serbian agriculture has suffered significant changes in the analysed areas, resulting in its decreasing share in the overall employment and gross domestic product, but also in the slight increase of its share in the value of exports and imports.

The European Union (EU) is an important player at the international level, which has largely contributed to the smooth development of the world economy. Joining the European Union implies a fulfillment of various conditions. The authors focus on the example of the Republic of Serbia to analyze the legal and economic conditions that are requested for a membership in the European Union. In this regard, the legal conditions laid down in Chapter 23 were analyzed in the first part of the paper, through a review of the current status in the field of judiciary, fight against corruption and fundamental rights. Afterwards, the authors devoted a special attention to the study of some of the economic conditions that the Republic of Serbia must fulfill in the process of the European Union accession.

This study focuses on the behavior of β-carotene and lutein inside multilamellar liposomes under continuous UV-irradiation. The liposomes were obtained by the thin film method and carotenoids (Crts) were incorporated by mixing at various concentrations (0.005, 0.0075, 0.02, 0.07 and 0.5 mol %). Liposomes formation and the presence of Crts inside them were confirmed by SEM microscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy, respectively. The antioxidant/pro- -oxidant activity of Crts inside liposomes was determined by the thiobarbituric acid–malondialdehyde (TBA–MDA) test. The investigated Crts acted more or less unexpected (as pro-oxidants) inside the lipid bilayers, interacting with the UV-produced lipid radicals and simultaneously suffering under the UV-irradiation. Their pro-oxidant activity with liposomes and under UV-irradiation could be explained by the formation of unstable adducts in the reaction with peroxyl radicals, or by Crts-cation radicals formation via the electron transfer mechanism. Such tentatively unexpected behavior of carotenoids should be taken into consideration in further carotenoids-based UV-filters projections in cosmetic formulations for skin protection. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR-34012]

Pregnancy complicated by the diagnosis of intracranial aneurysm is an example of high-risk pregnancy where maternal and fetal mortality caused by rupture of the aneurysm is 5-12% compared to mortality in the general population which is 0.01-0.09%. The main feature is accidental detection due to non - specific resistant headaches. In this case report we discuss the anesthetic management for cesarean delivery of a parturient with an unruptured aneurysm. The anesthetic technique of choice was epidural anesthesia, L3-L4 level and administration of local anesthetic - levobupivacaine 0.5% with opioid adjuvant - fentanyl. The relationship between the mode of delivery and risk for aneurysm rupture is not well defined. The decision on anesthetic management is significantly influenced by the physiological changes of pregnancy because they increase the risk of aneurysm rupture as a result of sudden changes in intracranial pressure. Hemodynamic stability is crucial for safe and secure anesthesia and controlling the risk of aneurysm rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the research is to show the relationship between political parties and voters and its impact on economic situation in the pre and post-election period. The paper points out the interaction between economics and politics, the behaviour of an individual in the economic and political market and analyses the economic models that study the response of voters to different political programmes. An overview of all political elections in the Republic of Serbia since 2000 and the inflation and unemployment rates during the same period is also provided in order to confirm the hypothesis that inflation and unemployment in the pre-election period are in the function of political interests, while in the post-election period they return to their initial level.

We investigate the rate of convergence of the direct-simulation estimator ˆ xp(n) of a large quantile xp of the Pareto and Gamma distributions. The upper bound of the probability P{|xp(n)- xp|>ε is determined. [Projekat Ministartsva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 174020: Geometry and Topology of Manifolds, Classical Mechanics and Integrable Dynamical Systems]

Strawberry is a member of the rose family (Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, tribe Potentilleae) in the genus Fragaria. The cultivated varieties of commercial strawberries usually were designated as Fragaria ananassa. Root, leaf, flower and fruit have the healing properties. The strawberry leaves extract is used for blood cleaning, for treatment of oral inflammation, diarrhea, various gastro-intestinal inflammation, and hemorrhoids, as well as a diuretic. So far, many positive biological effects of strawberries (anticancer, antioxidant and anticoagulant effect) have been proven. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract from cultivated strawberries (Fragariae folium, varieties Senga Sengana) by using different antioxidant assays (DPPH, FRAP, FIC, H2O2 and TBA-MDA). Ethanolic extract from strawberry leaves was obtained by reflux extraction at the boiling temperature. Total phenols and total flavonoids content was determined spectrophotometrically by the method of Folin-Ciocalteu and by method with AlCl3, respectively. In the extract was determined high content of total phenols, while the total flavonoid content is much lower. The concentrations of extract required to neutralize 50% of the initial concentration of DPPH radicals (EC50) after 20 minutes incubation and immediately after adding DPPH radical solution were 7,91 and 19,46 μgcm-3, respectively. Extract was achieved the maximum iron ions chelating ability (67.89%) at a concentration of 2 mgcm-3. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation of 70% was achieved by extract concentration of 0.03125 mgcm-3, while the maximum neutralization of H2O2 (30.47%) was achieved by extract concentration of 0.5 mgcm-3. FRAP value of the investigated extract is 284.51 mgFe/g of dry extract. Presented results of the antioxidant activity show that the obtained extract from the cultivated strawberry leaves is a potential source of natural antioxidants. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 34012: Biljni i sintetski bioaktivni proizvodi novije generacije]

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP), a highly-investigated member of the peroxidase family has been known, among many other biological activities, to catalyze the oxidation of flavonoids and phenolic substrates overall, including quercetin. On the other hand, quercetin is very well known for its antioxidant activities, which in the case of UV external radiation is exibited partly in a preventive manner since it is an excellent UV-absorber. Therefore the aim of this investigation is to study quercetin oxidation by HRP in phosphate buffer under the conditions of UV-stress, i.e. continuous, prolonged UV-B irradiation. The results show that while UV-B irradiation affects the activity of HRP, and the overal rate of quercetin oxidation by HRP, it probably has very little effect on it for longer UV-B-irradiation periods (>30 min). [Acknowledgements. This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia under Project No.TR-34012 and OI-172044]

The aim of this work is to estimate the degradation and change in antioxidant activity of quercetin in the presence of two different mixtures of phospholipids in methanol solution, under continuous UV-irradiation from three different sub-ranges (UV-A, UV-B and UV-C), in the presence and in the absence of selected UV-absorbing photosensitizer, benzophenone. Quercetin is employed to control lipid peroxidation process generated by UV-irradiation, by absorbing part of the UV-incident light, or/and by scavenging the involved, created free radicals. The results show that quercetin undergoes to irreversible destruction, highly dependent on UV-photons energy input, more expressed in the presence than in the absence of benzophenone. In the same time quercetin expresses suppression effect on lipid peroxidation processes in UV-irradiated phospholipid mixtures in both cases - absence or presence of benzophenone (more or less effective, respectively). In UV-C-irradiated mixtures, benzophenone photosensitizing function is significantly reduced due to its strong absorption in the same UV-C spectral range, therefore affecting less antioxidant activity of the remained quercetin.

Irreversible degradation of quercetin and rutin, dissolved in methanol and water, induced by continuous UV-irradiation from two different sub-ranges (UV-B and UV-C) has been studied in this work. The degradation of both flavonoids is related to formation of UV-induced degradation products: both processes follow first-order kinetics. The degradation and products formation rate constants are both dependent on the involved UV-photons energy input in both solvents.