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Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mental disorder that causes alteration of mood states including mania, depression, and euthymia and it is ranked as one of the leading causes of disability and premature mortality, with a prevalence of 60 million people worldwide. BD is a heterogenous illness including diverse genetic, environmental, and biochemical factors and its pathophysiology is still largely unknown. Diagnosis of BD exclusively depends on the subjective recognition of symptoms without any objective methods such as a clinical test of biomarker identification, instigating misdiagnosis, inadequate treatments and deficient clinical outcomes. 1H-NMR-based serum metabolomics of Serbian patients with BD (33) and healthy controls (39) contributed to identification of 22 metabolites for this disease. Threonine, aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, serine, and mannose make a unique biomarker set, and were confirmed for the first time in BD Serbian serum samples. Additional six identified metabolites (3-hydroxybutyric acid, arginine, lysine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and glycerol) are in accordance with the previously determined NMR-based sets of serum BD biomarkers in Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples, while nine identified metabolites (lactate, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, glutamate, glucose, and choline) are the same established biomarkers in three different ethnic and geographic origins (Serbia, Brazil, and China). The same confirmed metabolites are an indicator of the right path in discovery of the universal set of BD biomarkers by NMR.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a brain disease leading to significant functional impairments and premature death, and it affects 20 million people worldwide. Due to the complexity of this disease including different genetic and environmental factors, there is a lack in understanding pathophysiology and diagnosis of schizophrenia. In order to overcome existing gaps, the establishment of a universal set of SCZ biomarkers has a crucial role. Metabonomic study of serum samples of Serbian patients with schizophrenia (51) and healthy controls (39) by 1H-NMR analyses associated with chemometrics, provided the identification of 26 metabolites/biomarkers for this disorder. The biomarker set including aspartate/aspartic acid, lysine, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and acylglycerols was established for the first-time in SCZ serum samples of Serbian patients by 1H-NMR experiments. The other 22 identified metabolites are in agreement with the previously confirmed NMR-based serum biomarker sets of Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples. The same 13 metabolites (lactate/lactic acid, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, asparagine, alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, choline, glucose, glycine and tyrosine) were established in all SCZ samples from three countries of different ethnicity and geographical origins (Serbia, Brazil and China). These results emphasize the crucial role in the possibility of their application as biomarkers for diagnosis of SCZ, reliable monitoring of treatment response and clinical outcomes.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mental disorder that causes alteration of mood states including mania, depression, and euthymia and it is ranked as one of the leading causes of disability and premature mortality, with a prevalence of 60 million people worldwide. BD is a heterogenous illness including diverse genetic, environmental, and biochemical factors and its pathophysiology is still largely unknown. Diagnosis of BD exclusively depends on the subjective recognition of symptoms without any objective methods such as a clinical test of biomarker identification, instigating misdiagnosis, inadequate treatments and deficient clinical outcomes. 1H-NMR-based serum metabolomics of Serbian patients with BD (33) and healthy controls (39) contributed to identification of 22 metabolites for this disease. Threonine, aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, serine, and mannose make a unique biomarker set, and were confirmed for the first time in BD Serbian serum samples. Additional six identified metabolites (3-hydroxybutyric acid, arginine, lysine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and glycerol) are in accordance with the previously determined NMR-based sets of serum BD biomarkers in Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples, while nine identified metabolites (lactate, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, glutamate, glucose, and choline) are the same established biomarkers in three different ethnic and geographic origins (Serbia, Brazil, and China). The same confirmed metabolites are an indicator of the right path in discovery of the universal set of BD biomarkers by NMR.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a brain disease leading to significant functional impairments and premature death, and it affects 20 million people worldwide. Due to the complexity of this disease including different genetic and environmental factors, there is a lack in understanding pathophysiology and diagnosis of schizophrenia. In order to overcome existing gaps, the establishment of a universal set of SCZ biomarkers has a crucial role. Metabonomic study of serum samples of Serbian patients with schizophrenia (51) and healthy controls (39) by 1H-NMR analyses associated with chemometrics, provided the identification of 26 metabolites/biomarkers for this disorder. The biomarker set including aspartate/aspartic acid, lysine, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and acylglycerols was established for the first-time in SCZ serum samples of Serbian patients by 1H-NMR experiments. The other 22 identified metabolites are in agreement with the previously confirmed NMR-based serum biomarker sets of Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples. The same 13 metabolites (lactate/lactic acid, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, asparagine, alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, choline, glucose, glycine and tyrosine) were established in all SCZ samples from three countries of different ethnicity and geographical origins (Serbia, Brazil and China). These results emphasize the crucial role in the possibility of their application as biomarkers for diagnosis of SCZ, reliable monitoring of treatment response and clinical outcomes.

N-doped TiO2/carbon composites (TiO2/CN) with different nitrogen content, were obtained starting from titanium isopropoxide and glucose, and by varying the amount of melamine, added to starting reaction mixture. For com­parison, an undoped sample (TiO2/C) was also prepared. Structural and surface characteristics were determined through scanning electron microscopy, thermo­gravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectro­scopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen ads­orption–desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2/CN com­posites was examined via photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and multiclass pharmaceuticals from water solution. It was found that N doping of TiO2/carbon composites induced changes in structural and surface character­istics of TiO2/CN composites, improving their adsorption, but decreasing photocatalytic efficiency. Nevertheless, TiO2/CN0.05 composite obtained by the hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of glucose and 0.05 g melamine showed the highest efficiency for removing selected pharmaceuticals and methylene blue from aqueous solutions through the combined processes of adsorption in the dark, and photocatalytic degradation under UV and visible irradiation.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a brain disorder that causes changes in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. It has a prevalence of 60 million people worldwide, and it is among the top 20 diseases with the highest global burden. The complexity of this disease, including diverse genetic, environmental, and biochemical factors, and diagnoses based on the subjective recognition of symptoms without any clinical test of biomarker identification create significant difficulties in understanding and diagnosing BD. A 1H-NMR-based metabolomic study applying chemometrics of serum samples of Serbian patients with BD (33) and healthy controls (39) was explored, providing the identification of 22 metabolites for this disease. A biomarker set including threonine, aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, serine, and mannose was established for the first time in BD serum samples by an NMR-based metabolomics study. Six identified metabolites (3-hydroxybutyric acid, arginine, lysine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and glycerol) are in agreement with the previously determined NMR-based sets of serum biomarkers in Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples. The same established metabolites (lactate, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, glutamate, glucose, and choline) in three different ethnic and geographic origins (Serbia, Brazil, and China) might have a crucial role in the realization of a universal set of NMR biomarkers for BD.

In the reaction of 3-aminothymoquinone and aromatic aldehydes, two benzoxazole derivatives viz. 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-methyl-7-isopropyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol (1) and 2-(4-trifluoromethyl)-4-methyl-7-isopropyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol (2) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and 1H, and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Proteus hauseri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Sarcina lutea, Clostridium sporogenes and Bacillus subtilis was tested. Synthesized compounds show the best activity on Sarcina lutea, and the lowest against Proteus hauseri and Clostridium sporogenes. The paper assesses in silico methods of the possible ways selected derivatives bind to the enzyme deoxyribonucleic acid gyrase (1KZN). The docking results were compared with those obtained from in vitro antimicrobial activity. Molecular properties and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion parameters were also calculated for compounds. The difference in the obtained values reflects differences in the derivatives structures. In the future, tests on a number of enzymes crucial for bacterial life as well as a number of derivatives may offer further information on the mechanisms of action of these substances.

The optimized three-step sequential extraction procedure for the fractionation of micro- and macroelements, was conducted to determine fractional characteristics of PTEs (potentially toxic elements) in surface sediments of rivers in the Vlasina watershed. The sequential extraction results, which enable the evaluation of mobility of the studied elements, have indicated that Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and As can be considered slightly mobile, whereas Pb, Mn, Cd, and Co were regarded as possibly mobile elements. Lead was dominantly bounded (specifcally adsorbed or co-precipitated) to iron and manganese oxides (up to 80%) and may be released by reduction. Since the content of the exchangeable fraction (F1) is an indicator for anthropogenic impact on the aquatic environment, a low percentage (0–8%) of studied toxic elements in this fraction indicated that these elements have lithogenic origin in most sampling locations in the area of study. Except for Pb, the substantial positive correlations between Al and other elements showed that studied elements came primarily from terrigenous sources. Although the values obtained for the risk assessment code (RAC) indicated a slightly increased mobility of some elements (up to 22.44%), the values of the modifed risk assessment code (mRAC), which include toxic efects on the environment, showed there is no danger of pollution by studied elements (all values were<1%). Our recommendation is to use mRAC instead of RAC in ecochemical studies and assessment of the degree of sediment and soil pollution, because mRAC includes toxic efects of elements. Based on ATI values, river sediments show no toxic to a low toxic degree. Even though obtained results indicate that there was no considerable risk for river water contamination, the ecological risk for Fe and Pb should be monitored in the future.

N-doped TiO2/carbon composites (TiO2/CN) with different nitrogen content, were obtained starting from titanium isopropoxide and glucose, and by varying the amount of melamine, added to starting reaction mixture. For comparison, an undoped sample (TiO2/C) was also prepared. Structural and surface characteristics were determined through scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2/CN composites was examined via photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and multiclass pharmaceuticals from water solution. It was found that N doping of TiO2/carbon composites induced changes in structural and surface characteristics of TiO2/CN composites, improving their adsorption, but decreasing photocatalytic efficiency. Nevertheless, TiO2/CN0.05 composite obtained by the hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of glucose and 0.05 g melamine showed the highest efficiency for removing selected pharmaceuticals and methylene blue from aqueous solutions through the combined processes of adsorption in the dark, and photocatalytic degradation under UV and visible irradiation.

N-doped TiO2/carbon composites (TiO2/CN) with different nitrogen content, were obtained starting from titanium isopropoxide and glucose, and by varying the amount of melamine, added to starting reaction mixture. For comparison, an undoped sample (TiO2/C) was also prepared. Structural and surface characteristics were determined through scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2/CN composites was examined via photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and multiclass pharmaceuticals from water solution. It was found that N doping of TiO2/carbon composites induced changes in structural and surface characteristics of TiO2/CN composites, improving their adsorption, but decreasing photocatalytic efficiency. Nevertheless, TiO2/CN0.05 composite obtained by the hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of glucose and 0.05 g melamine showed the highest efficiency for removing selected pharmaceuticals and methylene blue from aqueous solutions through the combined processes of adsorption in the dark, and photocatalytic degradation under UV and visible irradiation.

Schizophrenia is a widespread mental disorder that leads to significant functional impairments and premature death. The state of the art indicates gaps in the understanding and diagnosis of this disease, but also the need for personalized and precise approaches to patients through customized medical treatment and reliable monitoring of treatment response. In order to fulfill existing gaps, the establishment of a universal set of disorder biomarkers is a necessary step. Metabolomic investigations of serum samples of Serbian patients with schizophrenia (51) and healthy controls (39), based on NMR analyses associated with chemometrics, led to the identification of 26 metabolites/biomarkers for this disorder. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models with prediction accuracies of 0.9718 and higher were accomplished during chemometric analysis. The established biomarker set includes aspartate/aspartic acid, lysine, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and acylglycerols, which are identified for the first time in schizophrenia serum samples by NMR experiments. The other 22 identified metabolites in the Serbian samples are in accordance with the previously established NMR-based serum biomarker sets of Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples. Thirteen metabolites (lactate/lactic acid, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, asparagine, alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, choline, glucose, glycine and tyrosine) that are common for three different ethnic and geographic origins (Serbia, Brazil and China) could be a good start point for the setup of a universal NMR serum biomarker set for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a widespread mental disorder that leads to significant functional impairments and premature death. The state of the art indicates gaps in the understanding and diagnosis of this disease, but also the need for personalized and precise approaches to patients through customized medical treatment and reliable monitoring of treatment response. In order to fulfill existing gaps, the establishment of a universal set of disorder biomarkers is a necessary step. Metabolomic investigations of serum samples of Serbian patients with schizophrenia (51) and healthy controls (39), based on NMR analyses associated with chemometrics, led to the identification of 26 metabolites/biomarkers for this disorder. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models with prediction accuracies of 0.9718 and higher were accomplished during chemometric analysis. The established biomarker set includes aspartate/aspartic acid, lysine, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and acylglycerols, which are identified for the first time in schizophrenia serum samples by NMR experiments. The other 22 identified metabolites in the Serbian samples are in accordance with the previously established NMR-based serum biomarker sets of Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples. Thirteen metabolites (lactate/lactic acid, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, asparagine, alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, choline, glucose, glycine and tyrosine) that are common for three different ethnic and geographic origins (Serbia, Brazil and China) could be a good start point for the setup of a universal NMR serum biomarker set for schizophrenia. © 2022 by the authors.

Schizophrenia is a widespread mental disorder that leads to significant functional impairments and premature death. The state of the art indicates gaps in the understanding and diagnosis of this disease, but also the need for personalized and precise approaches to patients through customized medical treatment and reliable monitoring of treatment response. In order to fulfill existing gaps, the establishment of a universal set of disorder biomarkers is a necessary step. The investigation of serum samples of Serbian patients with schizophrenia (51) and healthy controls (39), based on NMR analyses based on detection and of low molecular weight components in samples can be difficult due to overlapping signal caused by line broadening characteristics of macromolecules. A way of overcoming this problem could be the exploitation of the difference in relaxation between small molecules and macromolecular species, such as the application of a T2 filter by using the Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) spin-echo pulse sequence, which led to the identification of 26 metabolites/biomarkers for this disorder. The established biomarker set includes aspartate/aspartic acid, lysine, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and acylglycerols, which are identified for the first time in schizophrenia serum samples by NMR experiments. The other 22 identified metabolites in the Serbian samples are in accordance with the previously established NMR-based serum biomarker sets of Brazilian and/or Chinese patient samples. Thirteen metabolites (lactate/lactic acid, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, asparagine, alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, choline, glucose, glycine and tyrosine) that are common for three different ethnic and geographic origins (Serbia, Brazil and China) could be a good start point for the setup of a universal NMR serum biomarker set for schizophrenia.