The fungistatic activity of organic selenium and its application to the production of cultivated mushrooms agaricus bisporus and pleurotus spp.

The activity of organic selenium against pathogenic molds and its use as a potential selenium source in the production of enriched mushrooms were examined. The effect of commercial selenized yeast on mycelia growth was examined using a method with mycelia disks and a well diffusion method. For mushroom enrichment, different concentrations of selenium were added to a growth substrate. The results presented in this paper suggest that the most suitable concentration of selenized yeast that inhibits the growth of the mycopathogenic molds is 70-100 mg/kg of selenium. With the addition of this concentration to the substrate, mushroom fruit bodies will uptake a high level of selenium, about 100 mu g/g for Pleurotus spp., and 200 mu/g for Agaricus bisporus in dry weight of the mushroom. Thereby a double effect in the cultivation of mushrooms is achieved

Association between active pulmonary tuberculosis and miRNA-146a: A preliminary study from Serbia

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a significant public health problem. The role of small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), was investigated extensively in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection as well as in a variety of other pathophysiological processes in recent years. It was found that miRNAs act as regulators of both early reaction to MTB infection and in process of adaptation of the host immune cells during latent course of the disease. Molecule miRNA-146a is expressed exclusively in immune cells and it has the most prominent role in modulation of innate immunity. Methodology: We investigated the level of expression of miRNA-146a using an RT-qPCR technique in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 44 patients with active pulmonary TB and 17 healthy individuals. We also analyzed the significance of miRNA-146a rs2910164 SNV for expression profile of miRNA-146a, in order to investigate potential usage of miRNA-146a as a biomarker for TB. Results: There was statistically significant decrease of expression of miRNA-146a in TB group compared to control group. When gender cohorts were analyzed, the expression levels in TB male and TB female subgroup were significantly lower than the expression levels in the same gender control subgroups. Conclusions: Our results indicate that miRNA-146a plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of TB, suggesting that miRNA-146a could be used as a biomarker for active pulmonary TB

The Effects of Microbial Polysaccharides on the Copper Accumulation in Daphnia magna

Copper is one of the leading metal pollutants in the water, which can cause adverse effects when present in high concentrations. The Daphnia magna is a model organism usually used for the determination of ecotoxicological effects of various compounds since it is highly sensitive to toxic compounds [1]. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential application of microbial extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), levan and pullulan, as agents for reducing the copper toxicity to D. magna. The protective effects of EPS were estimated based on the accumulation of copper in the D. magna cells. Levan is a branched fructane EPS [2] and the one used in this study was produced by Bacillus licheniformis NS032. Pullulan, a linear glucan EPS [3], was produced by Aureobasidium pullulans CH-1. The D. magna were exposed to 50 µg/dm3 of Cu (II) or a combination with 50 mg/dm3 and 100 mg/dm3 of levan or pullulan for 48h in the acute test. Additionally, the prolonged test was performed, where the daphnia were exposed to a 10 µg/dm3 of Cu (II) with or without 50 mg/ dm3 of levan or pullulan for 5 days. After the exposure period, the samples were digested and the accumulation of copper in D. magna was analysed using the iCAP Qc ICP-MS (Thermo Scientific, United Kingdom). The results showed that animals exposed to Cu (II) only, accumulated Cu (II) in a greater amount after the prolonged test compared to the acute one, despite the lower concentration. The treatment with EPS during the acute test increased the copper accumulation for both EPS concentrations tested, whereas during the prolonged exposure test, the Cu (II) accumulation was inhibited. Considering that protective effects of levan and pullulan were observed only with lower copper concentrations and 5 days of exposure, additional experiments are necessary to determine the mechanism of EPS action in order to confirm their possible use as protective agents

Genes and metabolic pathway of sarcoidosis: identification of key players and risk modifiers

Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem granulomatous disease with unknown etiology. The interplay of vitamin D deficiency and genetic polymorphisms in genes coding for the proteins relevant for metabolism of vitamin D is an important, but unexplored area. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2R1 (rs10741657), CYP27B1 (rs10877012), DBP (rs7041; rs4588), and VDR (rs2228570) genes and sarcoidosis, as well as the association between these SNPs and 25(OH)D levels in sarcoidosis patients. Material and methods: For that purpose we genotyped 86 sarcoidosis patients and 50 healthy controls using the PCR-RFLP method. Results: Subjects carrying the CC genotype of CYP27B1 rs10877012 have 10 times lower odds of suffering from sarcoidosis. Moreover, DBP rs4588 AA genotype was shown to be a susceptibility factor, where carriers of this genotype had eight times higher odds for developing sarcoidosis. In addition, the A allele of the DBP gene (rs4588) was associated with lower levels of 25(OH)D in sarcoidosis patients. Conclusions: These results suggest that patients with vitamin D deficiency should be regularly tested for genetic modifiers that are related to sarcoidosis in order to prevent development of serious forms of sarcoidosis

Upotrebna vrednost i akumulacija teških metala u krmnim travama odgajenim na pepelištu termoelektrane

The study of five forage grasses (Lolium multiflorum, Festuca rubra, Festuca arundinacea, Arrhenatherum elatius and Dactylis glomerata) was conducted on an uncontaminated cultivated land, of leached chernozem type, and on 'Nikola Tesla A' (TENT A) thermal power station ash deposit. The concentrations of: As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni, Fe and Cu in grasses grown on two media were compared. Grass samples have been collected in tillering stage, when they were in full development. The aboveground biomass was cut in three replications during the vegetative period at about 3-5 cm height, imitating mowing and grazing. The concentrations of As and Ni were elevated in media samples collected from TENT A ash deposit, while the level of all studied elements in soil samples collected from cultivated land were within allowed limits. The variance of certain elements amounts in plant material collected from TENT A ash deposit was less homogeneous; the concentrations of As, Fe and Ni were higher in grasses collected from ash deposit, but Pb and Cu concentrations were higher in grasses grown on cultivated land. The concentrations of Zn were approximately the same in plants collected from the sites, whereas Cd concentrations were slightly increased in grasses grown on the ash deposit. In general, it can be concluded from the results of this study that the concentrations of heavy metals in plants collected from both sites do not exceed maximal tolerant levels for fodder. The use of grasses grown on ash deposit for forage production should be taken with reserve.Pet krmnih trava, ježevica (Dactylis glomerata L.), francuski ljulj (Arrhenatherum elatius Presl.), italijanski ljulj (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), crveni vijuk (Festuca rubra L.) i visoki vijuk (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) su ispitivane na nezagađenom njivskom zemljištu na oglednom dobru 'Radmilovac' u Beogradu, i na odlagalištu pepela termoelektrane 'Nikola Tesla A' (TENT A) u Obrenovcu. Merene su koncentracije As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni, Fe i Cu u zemljištu i pepelu, kao i u tkivima ispitivanih vrsta trava u cilju utvrđivanja zdravstvene bezbednosti u ishrani domaćih životinja. Uzorci trava su prikupljani u fazi klasanja, u punom vegetativnom razvoju. Skidana je nadzemna biomasa u 3 ponavljanja na visini od 3-5 cm, oponašajući ispašu ili kosidbu. Analiza je pokazala visok sadržaj As i Ni u pepelu dok je sadržaj svih elemenata u zemljištu bio u dozvoljenim koncentracijama. Koncentracije As, Cd, Fe i Ni su bile više u travama sa pepelišta, koncentracije Pb i Cu u travama sa njivskog zemljišta, dok su koncentracije Zn bile slične u uzorcima sa oba lokaliteta. Rezultati ispitivanja ukazuju da krma trava sa obe lokacije ne akumulira metale iznad tolerantnog nivoa za ishranu goveda, ali da se mora oprezno pristupiti mogućnosti korišćenja trava sa pepelišta za krmu

Farmaceuti i COVID-19 u Srbiji: promocija vakcinacije u javnim apotekama u Republici Srbiji

Uvod i cilj. Pandemija COVID-19 potvrdila je važnost uloge farmaceuta u očuvanju i unap- ređenju javnog zdravlja. Cilj rada je da prikaže aktivnosti farmaceutskih udruženja u Republici Srbiji u promociji vakcinacije. Metode. Savez farmaceutskih udruženja Srbije (SFUS), Udruženje farmaceuta Beograd, Udruženje farmaceuta Vojvodine, Udruženje farmaceuta Zapadne Srbije 1836, Udruženje far- maceuta Nišavsko-pirotskog regiona, Savez privatnih apotekara Srbije i Inicijativa za farma- ciju organizovali su Webinar posvećen ulozi farmaceuta u imunizaciji. Navedena udruženja inicirala su izradu informativne brošure „Covid-19 vakcine u Srbiji”. Brošuru je izradila Katedra za mikrobiologiju i imunologiju Farmaceutskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Beogradu (FFUB) u saradnji sa Agencijom za lekove i medicinska sredstva Srbije. Dizajn brošure uradila je Nacio- nalna Asocijacija Studenata Farmacije – Srbija. Štampanje brošure omogućilo je Ministarstvo zdravlja Republike Srbije u okviru projekta „Hitan odgovor Republike Srbije na COVID-19“. Rezultati. Webinaru održanom 13.02.2021. prisustvovalo je 594 farmaceuta. Brošura je sadržala najznačajnije podatke o COVID-19 vakcinama u Srbiji, ali i odgovore na neka najče- šće postavljana pitanja od strane građana. Napisana je na osnovu najrelevantnijih dostupnih naučnih podataka, a sadržaj je ažuriran tri puta. Brošura je štampana u 150000 besplatnih primeraka i distribuirana u javne apoteke. Apoteke su bile mesto dalje distribucije brošura za- interesovanim pacijentima. Brošura je takođe bila dostupna u e-formatu na sajtu FFUB, SFUS, i na sajtovima brojnih ustanova javnog zdravlja Srbije., a izazvala je i veliko interesovanje u medijima i na društvenim mrežama. Zaključak. Organizacijom webinara, učešćem u izradi i distribuciji brošure o vakcinama, farmaceuti su aktivno učestvovali u informisanju stanovništva, promociji vakcinacije i tako potvrdili značaj farmaceutske zdravstvene zaštite u uslovima pandemije

Performance assessment of low-cost environmental monitors and single sensors under variable indoor air quality and thermal conditions

Recent technological advancements have enabled the development and deployment of low-cost consumer grade monitors for ubiquitous and time-resolved indoor air quality monitoring. With their reliable performance, this technology could be instrumental in enhancing automatic controls and human decision making. We conducted a comprehensive performance evaluation of eight consumer grade multi-parameter monitors and eight single-parameter sensors in detecting particulate matter, carbon dioxide, total volatile organic compounds, dry-bulb air temperature, and relative humidity. In the controlled chamber, we generated eight air pollution sources, each at two thermodynamic conditions — cool and dry (20 ± 1 °C, 30 ± 5%), and warm and humid (26 ± 1 °C, 70 ± 5%). The majority of tested devices under-reported reference particle measurements by up to 50%, provided acceptable responses for carbon dioxide within 15% and diverging results with poor quantitative agreement for total volatile organic compounds. Despite the reported disparities in quantitative agreements, most of the low-cost devices could detect source events and were strongly correlated with the reference data, suggesting that these units could be suitable for measurement-based indoor air quality management. Most of the tested devices have also proven to competently measure air temperature (within+/-0.6 °C) and relative humidity (within+/-5% RH) and maintained a stable measurement accuracy over the two thermodynamic conditions