This article presents the relationship between climate variables in the Durmitor Massif (Montenegro) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). A new climate standard for temperatures and ...precipitation over the last 30 years has been presented. The Debeli Namet Glacier is an indicator of climate change. We have shown that the size of this glacier is affected by the NAO which mainly affects the precipitation in the accumulation period from December to March. During the ablation period from June to September, the influence of the NAO on precipitation and temperatures is less pronounced. El Niño and La Niña events are significant, especially in years with a low NAO index. The relationship between El Niño/La Niña and the NAO is still a subject of scientific debate.
On the occasion of recent centenaries of revolutions in Europe (1917, 1918–19), this article examines, within a general theme of different forms of relationships between revolution and psychology, ...two types of theories. First, this paper analyses Western theories that, while developing under conditions of a missed or lost revolution in Germany, argued for radical social change by referring to Marxism and psychoanalysis as necessary theoretical tools (Frankfurt School and Wilhelm Reich). Second, this paper analyses the influence of the October Revolution on the development of the psychological theory of Lev Vygotsky in the Soviet Union. In sum, psychology under the conditions of missed or lost revolution was conceptualized as a psychology of the unconscious, of the repression of human needs. Psychology under the conditions of accomplished revolution was conceptualized as a historical social psychology of self-mastery of human beings as social beings.
In view of the status of mediation as a long standing and widely used developmental principle, it is clear that theoretical challenging of mediation would have far reaching consequences. Therefore, ...it is assumed that the best strategy to respond to challenge would be to examine the solidity of foundations of both the principle of mediation and the suggested alternative non-mediational position. This strategy has determined the structure of the paper. First, it offers anthropological, cultural-historical, ontogenetic, microgenetic and epistemological foundations of the principle of mediation in order to justify its historical and theoretical status. In the second step, claims which challenge the necessity and fruitfulness of mediation as a developmental principle will be examined. Within the challenging strategy two argumentative patterns will be analysed: first, the validity of interpretation of mediation principle offered by its critics and second, explanatory potentials of non-mediational standpoints. In conclusion, it will be argued that the proposed non-mediational position does not offer sufficient justification for repudiation of mediation principle and adoption of an alternative non-mediational standpoint.
There is growing evidence of the dietary impact on obesity-induced low-grade chronic inflammation and the associated chronic non-communicable diseases modification. We determined changes in body ...composition and cardiometabolic and inflammatory status of participants with obesity after 24 weeks of a dietary intervention based on an energy-reduced anti-inflammatory diet and examined the relationship of these changes with changes in the inflammatory potential of the diet. The anthropometric and body composition parameters of 81 participants (average age of 43 years, 74 women) were assessed. Metabolic status was determined using the glycemic and lipid statuses, and the cardiometabolic index and inflammatory status were determined using the concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). The inflammatory potential of the diet was assessed using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII
). Intervention with an anti-inflammatory diet resulted in a significant reduction in body weight and visceral adipose tissue and caused improvements in the participants' cardiometabolic and inflammatory statuses. The anti-inflammatory diet was shown to be effective regarding obesity management. The study data could advance current scientific knowledge in the field of inflammation and diet, provide guidelines for obesity management, and find its application in routine clinical practice.
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic altered adults’ and children’s lifestyles and habits, causing an increase in body weight. Adolescents are sensitive to habit changes and, because of their insufficient ...capacity to deal with the unexpected COVID-19 changes, were at greater risk of noncommunicable disease development due to the consequences of adopting unhealthy habits. The survey aimed to reveal the changes in nutritional status and lifestyle habits of school children in Croatia and to assess their nutrition knowledge and emotional state and feelings about COVID-19 lockdown. Self-reported data from 1370 school children aged 10 to 15 years were obtained to examine the influence of the lockdown on their nutritional status, lifestyle and emotional status, and to assess their nutrition knowledge. The study revealed that the COVID-19 lockdown has caused an increase in the proportion of overweight and obesity among Croatian school children who changed their lifestyle habits towards being less physically active, spending more time using screen-based media and revealing potential psychological distress. However, the schoolchildren had a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet assessed with the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents KIDMED index and had good nutrition knowledge. Public health programs promoting a healthy lifestyle and involving the whole family, in a school environment, could provide children with a healthy adulthood.
Gentamicin, belonging to the aminoglycosides, possesses the greatest nephrotoxic effect of all other antibiotics from this group. On the other hand, pioglitazone, which represents peroxisome ...proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist recently showed antiinflamatory, antioxidative effects, amelioration of endothelial dysfunction etc. Therefore, the goal of our study was to investigate the effects of pioglitazone on kidney injury in an experimental model of gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. These effects were observed by following values of biochemical (serum urea and creatinine) parametars, total histological kidney score, urine level of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as well as parametars of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase, total oxidant status, total antioxidant status, oxidative stress index and advanced oxidation protein products). It seems that pioglitazone protects the injured rat kidney in a U-shaped manner. Medium dose of pioglitazone (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was protective regarding biochemical (serum urea and creatinine), total histological score and the values of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) (P < 0.05 vs. control group, i.e. rats injected with gentamicin only). This finding could be of great importance for the wider use of aminoglycosides, with therapy that would reduce the occurrence of serious adverse effects, such as nephrotoxicity and acute renal failure.
Background. Associated with epidemics of obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the most prevalent liver disease worldwide. The cornerstone of therapy for NAFLD is lifestyle ...intervention, mainly focused on weight loss. Significant weight loss results from energy-restricted diets, regardless of macronutrient distribution. An anti-inflammatory diet was related to lower odds of NAFLD among daily alcohol drinkers and individuals with metabolic syndrome. This study aims to evaluate the effect of an energy-reduced anti-inflammatory diet on liver status in younger adults with obesity after a 6-month follow-up. Methods. A two-arm randomized controlled trial surveyed 81 participants’ (mean age, 43 years) anthropometric and body composition changes. Metabolic status was determined with glycaemic and lipid status, inflammatory status with hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α, and liver status with liver enzymes, NAFLD-FLS, FLI, and FIB-4 indices. The inflammatory potential of the diet was assessed by the Dietary Inflammatory Index, DII®. Results. Energy-restricted anti-inflammatory diet resulted in significant weight loss (−7.1%, p < 0.001), in reducing the visceral adiposity (−22.3%, p < 0.001), metabolic (HOMA-IR, −15.5%; total cholesterol, −5.3%; LDL-C, −4.6%; triglycerides, −12.2%), and inflammatory biomarkers (hs-CRP, −29.5%; IL-6, −18.2%; TNF-α, −34.2%), with significant improvement of liver parameters (NAFLD-FLS, −143.4%; FLI, −14.3%; FIB-4, −2.5%). Conclusion. The study showed the effectiveness of the anti-inflammatory diet with significant improvement of liver parameters in younger adults with obesity, which may reinforce the effectiveness of nutrition-based lifestyle programs, with an anti-inflammatory dietary approach for the treatment and resolution of NAFLD.
Unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity constitute an emerging public health problem. The working population is of special interest for public health monitoring and evaluation because ...workers' unhealthy lifestyles may lead to reduced work ability. The aim of this study was to determine diet quality and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), according to the level of physical activity, and to detect variables associated with the working population's being highly physically active.
At the Institute for Occupational Medicine 400 full-time workers were examined for obesity factors, filled in the short version of
(IPAQ-short) and a validated food frequency questionnaire for adherence to the Mediterranean diet using
(MDS). The workers were divided into low, moderate and high physical activity groups according to the IPAQ-short scoring protocol. Hierarchical linear regression was performed to determine the variables associated with being highly active.
One-third of the participants were highly physically active and their diet adhered to the MD (Me
= 7). Significant variables associated with a high level of physical activity were gender (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.02), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (p < 0.001), sitting level (p = 0.044) and occupational type (p < 0.001).
It was found that the participants displaying a high level of physical activity had a better quality diet that adhered to the Mediterranean diet but not to a significant degree. The variables associated with a high level of physical activity were male gender, younger age, normal WHR, non-sedentary occupation and reduced sitting time. The study findings could serve the purpose of improving future public health promotion of physical activity and the Mediterranean diet. Med Pr. 2019;70(2):169-76.
The aim of this article is to explore the ways and forms in which history is present, represented and used in Vygotsky’s theorizing. Given the fact that Vygotsky’s theory is usually described as a ...cultural-historical theory, the issue of history is necessarily implicated in the theory itself. However, there is still a gap between history as implicated in the theory and an explicit theorizing of history – both in Vygotsky’s writings and in Vygotskian scholarship. Therefore it is expected that it would be fruitful to shed light on some possible pathways that can bridge this gap. The prevailing theoretical role of history in Vygotsky’s theory is to serve as a general framework which provides tools for the development of higher psychic functions. Thus, history is recognized as a formative context of psychic life. Further, history appears in Vygotsky’s writings also as a projected better future. All these uses of history presuppose an idea of history as linear progress. But Vygotsky also argues for a stronger epistemological claim – that history is the most powerful explanatory principle. After conceptual and theoretical reflection on history, some limitations of Vygotsky’s historicizing of the history of psychic development will be pointed out and related to general epistemological problems of historicizing. Finally, Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory, an edifice built up in the 1930s but relying on the rich philosophical and psychological legacy available up to that time, will be positioned against the pluralistic, postmodern and hermeneutic turn in contemporary social and human sciences.
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