43 research outputs found
In vitro effects of ascorbic acid on viability and metabolism of patientsā osteosarcoma stem cells
Stagnation in novelties of osteosarcoma (OS) treatment indicates the need for new therapeutic methods. OS cancer stem cells (OS-CSC) are taught to have the ability to self-renew and develop mechanisms of anticancer drug resistance, and this is why it is difficult to eradicate them. Their metabolism has been recognized as a potential target of therapeutic action. Ascorbic acid (AA) is considered to act pro-oxidative against OS-CSC in vitro by oxidative effect and by inhibition of glycolysis. This study examined an in vitro impact of AA on OS-CSC metabolism isolated from patients\u27 biopsies, with the aim of better understanding of OS-CSC metabolism and the action of AA on OS-CSC. OS-CSC were isolated using a sphere culture system and identified as stem cells using Hoechst 33342 exclusion assay. Determination of the dominant type of metabolism of OS-CSC, parental OS cells, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) and U2OS OS lineage before and after AA treatment was done by Seahorse XF (Agilent). Cytotoxicity of high-dose AA was confirmed by the MTT test and was proven for all the examined cell types as well as HEK293. Seahorse technology showed that OS-CSC can potentially use both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and can turn to glycolysis and slow metabolic potential in unfavorable conditions such as incubation in AA
HORSE BREEDING IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA - PRESENT SITUATION AND PERSPECTIVES
Ulaskom Republike Hrvatske u Europsku uniju u posljednjih nekoliko godina implementiraju se prilagodbe koje Äe osigurati usklaÄivanje konjogojstva s važeÄim europskim propisima. UnatoÄ globalnoj ekonomskoj krizi i u sektoru konjogojstva, ukupan broj konja se u Hrvatskoj kontinuirano poveÄava i nastavljaju se pozitivni trendovi u uzgoju. No, iako postoji uzlazni trend, posljedice recesije zasigurno Äe ostaviti traga i na brojnom stanju konja u Hrvatskoj. U posljednjem desetljeÄu broj konja pod selekcijskim obuhvatom porastao je za viÅ”e od 72%. SrediÅ”nji registar kopitara vodi centralnu bazu podataka o kopitarima i broji 49 registra pasmina konja i 28 registra uzgojnih tipova. Centralna baza podataka s prilagoÄenim programskim sustavom omoguÄava obvezno elektronsko pohranjivanje podataka koje propisuje Europska unija, a isto se odnosi i na sustav izdavanja Identifikacijskih dokumenata (putovnica). Hrvatska broji ukupno 22.874 registriranih kopitara, od kojih je 20.041 konja. Omjer broja konja pod selekcijskim obuhvatom prema skupinama iznosi za
toplokrvnjake 39%, za hladnokrvnjake 56% i za ponije 5%. Državne potpore u uzgoju autohtonih pasmina konja (hrvatski posavac, hrvatski hladnokrvnjak i meÄimurski konj) te zaÅ”tiÄenih pasmina (lipicanac i magarci) i dalje su aktivne mjere države kroz nacionalni program ruralnog razvoja. Lipicanci, arapski i engleski punokrvnjaci, trakeneri, haflingeri i gidrani uzgojeni u Hrvatskoj su i meÄunarodno priznate pasmine. Snažnija uzgojna udruženja, kao i državne ergele samostalno provode uzgojne programe i u potpunosti nose uzgojno selekcijski rad pasmina za koje imaju ovlaÅ”tenje resornog ministarstva. Uzgoj autohtonih pasmina konja trebao bi davati prednosti ekoloÅ”kim principima proizvodnje te je potrebno brendiranje, u cilju nacionalne karakterizacije autohtonosti i kvalitete. Konji se koriste u rekreacijske svrhe, ali su nezamjenjivi dio tradicijskih kulturnih manifestacija i kulturne baÅ”tine. Intenzivan je trend razvitka svih oblika konjiÄkog sporta, koji posljediÄno uvjetuje i poveÄanje broja grla i poboljÅ”anje njihove kvalitete, kao i koriÅ”tenje konja za terapijsko jahanje. Perspektiva uzgoja konja u Hrvatskoj temelji se s jedne strane na jaÄanju kvalitete sportskih konja kao konkurentnog proizvoda za europsko tržiÅ”te, te s druge strane na brendiranju autohtonih ekoloÅ”kih proizvoda.Owing to the accession of Croatia to the European Union, adjustments required for the harmonization of horse breeding regulations to the European ones, have been implemented in the last couple of years. Despite global economic crisis, also present in the sector of horse breeding, the total number of horses in Croatia is continuously increasing and positive trends are continuing. In spite of positive trends, consequences of the recession will definitely leave trace in the total number of horses in Croatia. In the last decade the number of horses under selection has increased more than 72%. The Central register of horses runs national horse breeding database and has 49 horse breed registers and 28 breeding type registers. The central database with its software allows saving obligatory data which are regulated by the European law. The program also supports issuing process of Identification documents for ungulates. Croatia has 22,874 registered ungulates with 20,041 horses. The proportion of horse groups under selection is 39% of warmblood horses, 56% of coldblood horses and 5% of ponies. National subsidies in the breeding of autochthonous horse breeds (Croatian Posavac, Croatian coldblood and Medjimurje horse) and protected breeds (Lipizza horses and
donkeys) are active state measures in the national program of rural development. Lipizza horses, Pure Arab, Thoroughbred, Haflinger and Gidran horses bred in Croatia are internationally registered breeds. Strong breeding associations and state Stud Farms independently run breeding programs and are carrying out selection programs for breeds authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture. Breeding of autochthonous breeds of horses should prefer ecological production principles which are coming to the market as products where branding is necessary for the goal of national characterization of authenticity and quality. Horses are used for recreational purposes but are also irreplaceable part of traditional cultural manifestations and cultural legacy. Intensive trend of development in all kinds of horse sports is present. It requires the increase in the number of horses and improvement of quality. Using horses for horse therapy is also developing. Perspective in horse breeding in Croatia is based on the one hand in improving horse sport quality as competitive product for the European market, and on other hand on branding of autochthonous ecological products
Preparation of 3D Porous Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering
Inženjerstvo koÅ”tanog tkiva brzorastuÄe je polje istraživanja usmjereno na razvoj bioaktivnih 3D poroznih nosaÄa, kao privremenih izvanstaniÄnih matrica, koji podržavaju prianjanje, umnažanje i diferencijaciju stanica te potiÄu stvaranje koÅ”tanog tkiva in vivo. ViÅ”e od deset godina istraživanja naÅ”e grupe posveÄena su razvoju novih materijala i postupaka za pripravu 3D poroznih nosaÄa za inženjerstvo koÅ”tanog tkiva. Kao moguÄi nosaÄi istraživani su porozni skeleti morskih organizama te kompozitni materijali i hidrogelovi na temelju biorazgradljivih polimera i bioresorbirajuÄe hidroksiapatitne keramike. U ovom radu dan je prikaz naÅ”ih istraživanja i glavnih postignuÄa, objavljenih u meÄunarodnim znanstvenim publikacijama.
Ovo djelo je dano na koriÅ”tenje pod licencom Creative Commons Imenovanje 4.0 meÄunarodna.Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is a fast growing field focused on the development of bioactive 3D porous scaffolds as temporary extracellular matrixes that support cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation, and stimulate bone tissue formation in vivo. Over more than ten years, our group has been devoted to developing new biomaterials and methods to prepare 3D porous scaffolds for BTE applications. The potential of natural porous structures such as marine skeletons, composite materials, and hydrogels based on biodegradable polymers and bioresorbable hydroxyapatite ceramics have been studied. In this paper, an overview of our research and main achievements, published in international scientific publications, is provided.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE ON HEARTBEAT OF SHOW JUMPING HORSES DURING TRAINING
Cilj rada bio je prikazati utjecaj temperature okoliÅ”a na rad srca 14 konja koji se koriste u preponskom sportu prije, tijekom i nakon treninga. Istraživanja su provedena u privatnom uzgoju na pastusima pasmine Holstein i uzgojnog tipa hrvatskog sportskog konja. Konji su uzgajani i trenirani u istim uvjetima. Mjerenje rada srca provedeno je 60, 30 i 15 minuta te neposredno prije treninga, tijekom i nakon treninga (neposredno nakon, 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 i 180 minuta). Konji su istim intenzitetom bili lonžirani, trenirani na traci za trÄanje i skakali prepone u parkuru, u dva ponavljanja, uz nadzor jedne osobe, pri temperaturi od 20 do 25 Ā°C u prvom i od 25 do 30 Ā°C u drugom ponavljanju, a relativnoj vlazi zraka 60-70%. Na temelju dobivenih rezultata istraživanja može se zakljuÄiti da poviÅ”ene temperature okoline utjeÄu na rad srca tijekom i neposredno nakon treninga. Daljnja istraživanja potrebno je proÅ”iriti i na utvrÄivanje drugih fiziÄkih pokazatelja kondicije konja u razliÄitim mikroklimatskim uvjetima.The aim of the study was to determine the effect of environmental temperature on heartbeat of 14 show jumping horses before, during and after training. The research was conducted on a private farm on Holstein stallions, and a breeding type Croatian sports horses. The horses were bred and trained in the same conditions. The measurements of heartbeat were taken before (60, 30 and 15 minutes and immediately before the training), during, as well as after the training (immediately after the training, 5, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 180 minutes). Horses had the same intensity of lunge, running track for horses and hurdle jumping in the parkour in the two repetitions at the temperature of 20-25 Ā°C in the first and 25-30 Ā°C in the second repetition, and relative humidity of 60-70%. Based on the research results it could be concluded that increased environmental temperatures affect the heartbeat of a show jumping horse during and immediately after the training. Further research should also include other physical indicators of horsesā condition under different microclimate conditions
NUTRITIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MINERALS IN HORSE FEEDING
Hranidba konja mora biti optimalna, a obroci pravilno izbalansirani, s dovoljnom koliÄinom hranjivih tvari i energije. Minerali su anorganske tvari, prijeko potrebne za sve bioloÅ”ke procese u organizmu pa je konjima nužno osigurati dovoljne koliÄine
makro i mikroelemenata u obroku, kao i njihov pravilan meÄusoban odnos. Potrebe konja za mineralima ovise o pasmini, neurohormonalnom statusu, tjelesnoj masi, kondiciji, dobi, klimatskim prilikama, zdravstvenom stanju, tjelesnoj temperaturi,
parazitarnim invazijama, probavnim poremeÄajima, intenzitetu rada, Å”portskim natjecanjima, forsiranom rastu ždrebadi te stanju organizma, kao Å”to su ždrjebnost ili laktacija. Minerali su nužni aktivni sudionici biokemijskih reakcija koje se dogaÄaju u tijelu, a sudjeluju u graÄi lokomotornoga sustava. Sudjeluju u prijenosu energije, živÄanih impulsa i kontrakcije miÅ”iÄa. Nijedan tip obroka ne pruža optimalan omjer mineralnih tvari potrebnih organizmu konja, tako da se svakodnevno u obrocima pojavljuje stanovit manjak ovih bioloÅ”ki aktivnih tvari koje se redovito kompenziraju
dodavanjem mineralno-vitaminskih premiksa. Ukoliko doÄe do deficita minerala, smanjit Äe se uÄinkovitost iskoriÅ”tavanja energije iz obroka. Kada se pri nestaÅ”ici minerala u organizmu potroÅ”e zalihe, naruÅ”eni tijek biokemijskih procesa uvjetuje kliniÄke i patomorfoloÅ”ke promjene. Hranom primljene prekomjerne koliÄine minerala u organizmu stvaraju zalihe te može doÄi do pojave simptoma trovanja zbog toga Å”to se nagomilavanjem minerala u pojedine organe naruÅ”ava tok odreÄenih biokemijskih reakcija. OdgovarajuÄi naÄin hranidbe, uz djelovanje nasljedne osnove
te pravilan trening, omoguÄit Äe maksimalno iskoriÅ”tavanje potencijala konja. Sastavljanje pravilnoga obroka, s obzirom na zahtjeve konja, predstavlja velik izazov.Horse feeding must be optimal, and meals properly balanced with the sufficient amount of nutritious substances and energy. Minerals are inorganic substances which are necessary for all biological processes in an organism. It should be ensured that horses get sufficient amounts of balanced macroelements and microelements
in a meal. The horseās need for minerals depends on the breed, neurohormone status, body weight, fitness, age, climate change, health, body temperature, parasites occurrence, digestive disorders, labour intensity, sports competitions, forced growth of foals and the state of organism, such as foaling condition or lactation. Minerals are essential active participants in biochemical reactions which occur
in the body, and participate in the anatomy of locomotor system. They also participate in transmission of energy, nervous impulses and muscle contractions. There is not one kind of meal that offers an optimal range of mineral substances necessary for the horseās organism, so there is a lack of these biologically active substances
in every meal, which is regularly compensated by adding mineral-vitamin mixtures. In case of mineral deficits, the efficiency of obtaining energy from rations will be reduced. When mineral supplies are low due to the lack of minerals in an organism, the disturbed biochemical processes cause clinical and patomorphological changes.
An excessive intake of minerals creates supplies in an organism, thus causing poisoning because of disruption of some biochemical reactions. Adequate feeding, inheritance base and proper training enable maximum use of horseās potentials. Preparing a proper meal, regarding horseās needs, presents a great challenge
Multiphase zinc and magnesium mono-substituted calcium phosphates derived from cuttlefish bone : A multifunctional biomaterials
Biomimetic calcium phosphate (CaP) systems mono-substituted with zinc (Zn2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions were prepared from a biogenic source (cuttlefish bone) by wet precipitation method. The results revealed that the as-prepared powders were composed of calcium-deficient carbonated hydroxyapatite (HAp), octacalcium phosphate (OCP), and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), while the heat-treated powders consisted of HAp, Ī±-tricalcium phosphate (Ī±-TCP), and Ī²-tricalcium phosphate (Ī²-TCP). In addition to Zn2+ and Mg2+ ions, the presence of CO32ā, Sr2+ and Na + ions was detected with elemental analysis, which can be attributed to the use of cuttlefish bone as a natural precursor of Ca2+ ions. The data obtained by XRD study demonstrated the decrease in lattice parameters in the OCP and Ī²-TCP phases for Zn-substitution and Mg-substitution in the HAp, OCP, and Ī²-TCP phases. Zn2+ occupies the Ca(1,3,4,6,7,8) sites in OCP and Ca(1,2,3,4) sites in Ī²-TCP, while Mg2+ occupies the Ca(2) sites in HAp and the Ca(4,5) sites in Ī²-TCP. Phase transformation study under simulated physiological conditions for 7 days showed the transformation of OCP and ACP into the thermodynamically more stable HAp. Characterization of the zeta-potential showed positively charged populations for all prepared CaP powders, while all samples showed high bovine serum albumin adsorption capacity. The culture of human embryonic kidney cells showed that the prepared CaPs are non-cytotoxic and that viability of the cells increases during the culture period. All powders obtained showed antibacterial activity towards Gram-negative Escherichia coli and low antibacterial effect against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, as determined by viability analysis during 48 h. Inhibition zone analysis and observation of the morphology after 24 h showed no antibacterial properties.publishedVersionPeer reviewe
Uticaj dekabromovanog difenil etra na toksiÄnost kadmijuma posredstvom oksidativnog stresa - subakutna oralna studija na pacovima
It is known that kidneys are target tissue for Cd toxicity but there is not enough literature data on kidney effects of BDE-209. Moreover, Cd as toxic metal and BDE-209 as organic halogenated pollutant can share similar mechanism of action like, oxidative stress which is already assumed. However, how will Cd act as prooxidant in presence of BDE-209 is still not investigated, therefore, the objective of this study was to assess this BDE-209 influence. Results of this study indicated slight decrease in MDA in rat's kidney homogenates after subacute exposure to Cd and/or BDE-209, while SOD activity was increased and content of -SH groups decreased. Based on dose-response assessment, BDE-209 did not influence Cd toxicity mediated by chosen oxidative stress parameters, namely the derived CEDL5 values were the same for single Cd and for Cd given in combination with the BDE-209. In conclusion, dynamic of oxidative process has influence on the parameters levels. Co-exposure with polybrominated organic pollutant did not influence Cd effects on oxidative stress parameters. Having in mind that this is pilot study, performed with only one dose of BDE-209, further investigations are necessary, including changes in dose ranges, duration of exposure etc. Moreover, results contributes to the issue of mixture toxicology even BDE-209 did not influenced oxidative stress as mechanism of Cd toxicity.Poznato je da su bubrezi ciljni organ toksiÄnosti kadmijuma, ali je mnogo manje literaturnih podataka o toksiÄnim efektima BDE-209 na bubrege. Kadmijum, kao toksiÄan metal i BDE-209, kao organska halogenovana zagaÄujuÄa supstanca mogu imati sliÄan mehanizam dejstva posredovan oksidativnim stresom. MeÄutim, kako cĢe Cd da deluje kao prooksidant u prisustvu BDE-209 joÅ” uvek nije prouÄavano, te je cilj ovog rada bio da se proceni uticaj BDE-209 na oksidativni stres posredovan kadmijumom. Rezultati ovog istraživanja ukazuju na blagi pad koncentracije MDA u homogenatima bubrega pacova nakon subakutne ekspozicije Cd i/ili BDE-209, dok se aktivnost SOD povecĢava i sadržaj - SH grupa smanjuje. Na osnovu procene odnosa doza-odgovor, BDE-209 nije imao uticaja na toksiÄnost Cd izazvanu posredstvom oksidativnog stresa (posmatrajuÄi odabrane parametre). Potvrda je dobijena i iz izraÄunatih donjih granica pouzdanosti doze od 5% - CEDL5 jer su vrednosti su bile iste za sam Cd i Cd primenjen u kombinaciji sa BDE-209. Može se zakljuÄiti da dinamika oksidativnih procesa ima uticaj na vrednosti parametara oksidativnog stresa, da stoga istovremena ekspozicija Cd i polibromovanom organskom polutantu nije promenila uticaj samog Cd na parametre oksidativnog stresa. ImajucĢi u vidu da je ovo pilot studija, izvrÅ”ena sa samo jednom dozom BDE-209, potrebna su dalja istraživanja, ukljuÄujucĢi i promene opsega doza, trajanje ekspozicije itd. Pored toga, rezultati ove studije doprinose tumaÄenju toksikologija smeÅ”a, iako BDE-209 nije imao uticaja na oksidativni stres kao mehanizam Cd toksiÄnosti za date uslove ekspozicije
Faktori koji utiÄu na cenu antibiotske terapije i ishod kod kritiÄno obolelih pacijenata - 'real-life' studija
Background/Aim. Critically ill patients are at very high risk of developing severe infections in intensive care units (ICUs). Procalcitonin (PCT) levels are eleveted in the circulation in patients with bacterial sepsis and PCT might be useful in guiding antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study was to estimate factors influencing patients survival and treatment cost in ICU with special emphasis on the impact of PCT serum levels use in guiding antimicrobial therapy. Methods. The study was conducted from August 2010 to May 2012 in the Intensive Therapy Unit, Clinic of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Military Medical Academy (MMA), Belgrade, Serbia. All adult critically ill patients with sepsis and/or trauma admitted in the ICU were included in the study. This study included only the cost of antimicrobial therapy in the ICU and the cost for PCT analysis. We used prices valid in the MMA for the year 2012. PCT in serum was measured by homogeneous immunoassay on a Brahms Kryptor analyzer. Results. A total of 102 patients were enrolled. The mean patients age was 55 Ā± 19 years and 61.8% of patients were male. The mean length of stay (LOS) in the ICU was 12 Ā± 21 days. There was a statistically significant difference (p lt 0.001) between the sepsis and trauma group regarding outcome (higher mortality rate was in the sepsis group, particularly in the patients with peritonitis who were mostly women). The patients younger than 70 years had better chance of survival. LOS, the use of carbapenems and PCT-measurement influenced the cost of therapy in the ICU. Conclusions. The obtained results show that age, the diagnosis and gender were the main predictors of survival of critically ill patients in the ICU. The cost of ICU stay was dependent on LOS, use of carbapenems and PCT measurement although the influence of these three factors on the outcome in the patients did not reach a statistical significance.Uvod/Cilj. KritiÄno oboleli pacijenti imaju veliki rizik od razvoja teÅ”kih infekcija u jedinicama intenzivne terapije (JIT). Nivo prokalcitonina (PCT) u cirkulaciji je poviÅ”en kod bolesnika sa bakterijskom sepsom, tako da PCT može biti koristan u praÄenju antibiotske terapije. Cilj ove studije bio je da se ustanove faktori koji utiÄu na ishod i troÅ”kove leÄenja u JIT u naÅ”oj ustanovi sa posebnim naglaskom na uticaj koriÅ”Äenja serumskog nivoa PCT u voÄenju antimikrobne terapije. Metode. Studija je sprovedena od avgusta 2010. godine do maja 2012. godine u Jedinici intenzivne terapije Klinike za anesteziologiju i intenzivnu terapiju Vojnomedicinske akademije (VMA) u Beogradu, Srbija. Svi kritiÄno oboleli sa sepsom i/ili traumom koji su primljeni u JIT bili su ukljuÄeni u studiju. Studijom su obuhvaÄeni samo troÅ”kovi antimikrobne terapije u JIT i troÅ”kovi PCT analize. Koristili smo cenovnik VMA za 2012. godinu. PCT u serumu je meren tehnikom homogenog imunoeseja na Brams Kriptor analizatoru. Rezultati. Studijom su bila obuhvaÄena 102 bolesnika. ProseÄna starost bolesnika iznosila je 55 Ā± 19 godina, a 61,8% bolesnika bili su muÅ”karci. ProseÄna dužina boravka u JIT (lenght of stay LOS) iznosila je 12 Ā± 21 dana. Postojala je statistiÄki znaÄajna razlika (p lt 0.001) izmeÄu ishoda leÄenja u grupi sa sepsom u odnosu na grupu sa traumom. Bolesnici mlaÄi od 70 godina imali su bolju Å”ansu da prežive. Dužina boravka, upotreba karbapenema i merenje PCT uticali su na cenu terapije u JIT. ZakljuÄak. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju da su godine života, dijagnoza i pol bili glavni prediktori preživljavanja kritiÄno obolelih u JIT. Cena terapije zavisila je od dužine boravka u JIT, upotrebe karbapenema i merenja PCT, ali uticaj ovih faktora na ishod leÄenja nije dostigao statistiÄku znaÄajnost