Ecological security, at the local and global levels, is becoming one of the priority tasks of modern civilization. Contemporary world is facing many challenges, among which environmental problems ...have occupied most of the world's attention. Environmental protection is an unavoidable factor of internal stability and security of a country, so it is necessary to discover which factors threaten the environment and have an impact on ecological security. Mining activities have adverse effects on ecological security which, as a consequence, raises the necessity for continuous environmental monitoring in these areas. One of these areas is the municipality of Majdanpek in Serbia, where the principal part of inhabitants is employed in mining. This paper presents a case study on ecological security in the municipality of Majdanpek, through a subjective perception of the inhabitants’ safety and vulnerability in terms of four key indicators: water, air, soil and biodiversity.
Meningococcal disease most often manifests itself as meningitis or sepsis. During the course of these diseases, other clinical events sometimes develop such as pneumonia, pericarditis, arthritis, and ...they are referred to as extrameningeal or systemic manifestations of the meningococcal disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the type and the incidence of particular extrameningeal/systemic manifestations among patients with meningococcal meningitis and sepsis, including time of their onset and the influence on the disease outcome.
The retrospective study of the medical records of 246 patients treated for meningococcal disease over the 25-year period in the Institute for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Belgrade was conducted. The patients, aged 3 months to 82 years both sexes, were divided into two groups.
Out of 246 patients extrameningeal/systemic manifestations were found in 42 (17.1%) patients: 35 (14.2%) occurred during meningitis, and seven (2.8%) during sepsis. Pulmonary manifestations (mostly pneumonia) were the most prevalent, found in 12 (4.9%) patients, followed by heart involvement in nine (3.6%) patients (mostly pericarditis, in seven or 2.8% patients). Various ophthalmic manifestations occurred in seven (2.8%), arthritis in 4 (1.6%) and sinusitis in six (2.4%) patients. Otitis, multiple renal embolisms with hematuria, osteomyelitis and thrombophlebitis were evidenced in one patient, each. Most of the systemic manifestations (30 patients or 71.4%), developed within the initial three days of the disease (p < 0.01), suggesting direct pathogenic mechanism induced by meningococci per se, while only three (7.1%) developed after seven days, when immune-mediated disease was more likely. Even though these manifestations complicate and prolong treatment of the meningococcal disease, they had no major influence on the disease outcome. Lethal outcome occurred in 2 (4.76%) patients, both with the meningococcal type of the disease.
Extrameningeal or systemic manifestations are uncommon complications during the course of both meningococcal meningitis and sepsis. The onset of pneumonia, pericarditis, eye involvement, and arthritis, within the initial seven days of the disease, were most prevalent in the course of meningitis. They had no major influence on the disease outcome.
Species of the genus Monilinia are important causal agents of fruit rot on pome and stone fruits in Serbia. The pathogen is very harmful, especially on small properties and cottage plantations where ...intensive control measures are not applied. Quince is important host for the pathogens of this genus. During spring 2010, intensive occurrence of mummified fruits overwintering on branches of the quince was observed. The pathogen was isolated using standard phytopathological methods. Pathogenicity of eight obtained isolates was tested by artificial inoculation of injured apple fruits. Identification was performed according to pathogenic, morphological and ecological properties, and was confirmed by Multiplex polimeraze chain reaction, PCR. All the isolates studied caused brown rot on inoculated apple fruits. The isolates form light yellow colonies with lobate margins, with single-celled, transparent, elliptical or oval conidia in chains, regardless temperature or light presence. Sclerotia are observed in 14 days old cultures. The highest growth rate of most of the isolates is at 27°C and in dark. Based on studied pathogenic, morphological and ecological characteristics, it was found that the Monilinia fructigena is causal agent of brown rot of quince. Using specific primers (MO368-5, MO368-8R, MO368-10R, Laxa-R2) for detection of Monilinia species in Multiplex PCR reaction, the expected fragment 402 bp in size was amplified, which confirmed that the studied isolates belonged to the species M. fructigena.
Serbia: coronary and structural heart interventions from 2010 to 2015 Stojkovic, Sinisa; Milasinovic, Dejan; Bozinovic, Nenad ...
EuroIntervention : journal of EuroPCR in collaboration with the Working Group on Interventional Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology,
05/2017, Volume:
13, Issue:
Z
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Serbia's interventional community has been facing the multifaceted challenge of an ageing population with cardiovascular diseases as the primary cause of death nationwide, coronary artery disease ...(CAD) being the most prevalent subset. The following two fields of activity have marked the trajectory of progress in the field of interventional cardiology in Serbia: first, the expansion of the infrastructure, mainly through the opening of new catheterisation laboratories across all of the country's administrative regions, which has resulted in better accessibility to coronary interventions for the general population; second, the creation of national platforms for continuous education, training and the promotion of clinical research in interventional cardiology, with close programmatic links to European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI)-based educational initiatives, including the curriculum for interventional cardiology. As growth seems to be inherent to the concept of progress, we report here on the expanding numbers of coronary interventions in the period between January 2010 and December 2015, and the early experiences with structural heart interventions in Serbia.
This research is focused on structural and electrical characterisation of tin oxide (SnO2) applied as a thick film and investigation of its properties as gas sensitive material. Micron sized SnO2 ...powder was milled in an agate mill for six hours to fabricate SnO2 nanopowder, which was afterwards sieved by 325 mesh sieve and characterized by XRD and SEM. This powder was used as functional part in the production of thick film tin oxide paste containing a resin vehicle with 4 wt. % nanosize glass frits acting as permanent binder. The glass frits where additionally milled for twelve hours in the agate mills to nanosized powder and sieved by a 325 mesh sieve as well. The achieved thick film paste was screen printed on alumina and fired at 850oC peak temperature for 10 minutes in air. After the sintering process, thick film samples where characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The reflectivity was measured on the same samples by UV-VIS spectrophotometer: the band gap was determined from the slope of reflectance. After that a matrix of different interdigitated electrode structure of PdAg paste was printed and sintered using the mentioned sintering conditions. The tin oxide thick film was printed over the interdigitated electrodes as a top layer and sintered again under the same conditions. The total electrical resistance was measured as a function of the electrode spacing and temperature. A negative temperature coefficient (NTC) was identified and measured in the range from room temperature (27°C) to 180°C in a climate chamber. Finally the samples were placed into a gas reactor with NOx and CO gas and the resistance was measured in the same temperature range (27°C-200°C).
The aim of this study was to determine whether hyperbaric oxygen (HBo2) treatment influences the expression of transcriptional myogenic factors in denervated rat's extensor digitorum longus muscle. ...Thus, expressing regulatory myogenic factors MyoD and myogenin were analyzed in denervated muscles (up to 30 days). Second group of denervated rats were afterwards treated with HBO2. Normal, innervated muscles were used as controls. Western blot analysis showed a significant upregulation of MyoD and myogenin proteins in denervated muscle during this period. Denervated muscles of rats exposed to HBO2 treatment had also significant upregulation of both transcriptional factors but the treatment had not altered their expression. The immunohistochemical analysis showed MyoD and myogenin protein expression through this period in the denervated, untreated muscles and in denervated muscles of rats treated with HBO2, too. One month denervation caused a reduction in muscle fiber cross-sectional area. The treatment with HBO2 had not reduced the degree of atrophy. The protocol of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) applied in this study had no beneficial effect either on transcriptional myogenic factors or on atrophy of denervated rat muscle.
Context: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantaviruses, is a severe systemic infection, with acute shock, vascular leakage, hypotension, and acute renal failure. Pituitary ...ischemia/infarction and necrosis are known causes of hypopituitarism, often remaining unrecognized due to subtle clinical manifestations. Cases of hypopituitarism after HFRS were previously only sporadically reported.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine, for the first time, the prevalence of hypopituitarism among HFRS survivors.
Subjects and Methods: In 60 adults (aged 35.8±1.3 yr) who recovered from HFRS 3.7 ± 0.5 yr ago (median 2 yr), assessment of serum T4, free T4, TSH, IGF-I, prolactin, cortisol, and testosterone (in males) was followed by insulin tolerance test and/or GHRH+GH-releasing peptide-6 stimulation tests.
Results: Severe GH deficiency was confirmed in eight of 60 patients (13.3%): in five with multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHDs) and isolated in three. Thyroid axis deficiency was confirmed in five of 60 patients (8.3%), all with MPHD. Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis deficiency was observed in six of 60 (10.0%); in five with MPHD and isolated in one. Gonadal axis deficiency was confirmed in seven of 56 male subjects (12.5%): five with MPHD and isolated in two. Overall six patients (10.0%) had a single pituitary deficit (three GH, two gonadal, and one adrenal), and five (8.3%) had MPHD. The prevalence of patients having any endocrine deficiency was 18% (11 of 60).
Conclusion: A high prevalence of hypopituitarism after recovery from HFRS is identified, with magnetic resonance imaging revealing atrophic pituitary and empty sella. Awareness is raised to neuroendocrine consequences of HFRS because unrecognized hypopituitarism significantly affects the physical and psychological well-being.
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