Svest stanovništva opštine Bor o uticaju farmaceutskog otpada na zdravlje ljudi i životnu sredinu

The rapid global growth of drugs production and consumption undoubtedly leads to contamination of the environment with pharmaceutical substances, as well as the products of their decomposition and metabolism. Therefore, the ecosystem is exposed to pharmaceutical waste, what may result in various unwanted effects, such as the development of microorganism’s resistance to antibiotics. A brief review of the European Union regulations, as well as the United States of America and Australia amadments, revealed the diversity of approaches and regulatory measures adopted with the purpose of proper hazardous waste handling. However, none of proposed systems show enviable results. We conducted the research in the period of March-May 2020, to find out how citizens of Bor municipality handle the pharmaceutical waste. A total of 226 responses were collected by surveying patients, in person and in electronic form. The obtained results were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS 21.0. The presented results show that the awareness of the potential toxicity of pharmaceutical waste is developed in more than a third of respondents (37.5%), but also low level of knowleadge about the proper way of disposing generated waste. Over 36% of men and 42% of women throw away their medicines together with other household waste, while 9% of men and 11% of women take them to pharmacies. The legal regulations and accompanying guidelines, together with appropriate media campaign, would contribute to a better understanding of the given problem and the adoption of new citizens habits when it comes to hazardous waste handling.Brz rast proizvodnje i potrošnje lekova na globalnom nivou, nesumnjivo dovodi do kontaminacije životne sredine farmaceutskim supstancama, njihovim metabolitima, kao i proizvodima njihove dodatne razgradnje u životnoj sredini. Posledično, živi svet biva izložen uticaju farmaceutskog otpada usled čega dolazi do ispoljavanja različitih neželjenih efekata, kao, na primer, razvoja rezistencije mikroorganizama na antibiotike. Kratkim pregledom regulative zemalja članica Evropske unije, Sjedinjenih Američkih Država i Australije, uočena je različitost pristupa i regulatornih mera donetih u cilju pravilnog rukovanja otpadom, između ostalih i farmaceutskim otpadom, pri čemu ni jedan sistem ne pokazuje zavidne rezultate. Istraživanjem rađenim u periodu mart-maj 2020. godine pokušali smo da dođemo do saznanja koliko je razvijena svest građana opštine Bor, o postojanju farmaceutskog otpada kao posebne kategorije koja može da ugrozi zdravlje ljudi ali i životnu sredinu. Anketiranjem pacijenata, kako ličnim kontaktom, tako i u elektronskoj formi prikupljeno je ukupno 226 odgovora, a dobijeni rezultati analizirani su pomoću statističkog softvera SPSS 21.0. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju da je svest o štetnosti farmaceutskog otpada razvijena kod više od trećine ispitanika (37,5%), ali i postojanje niskog stepena informisanosti o pravilnom načinu zbrinjavanja generisanog otpada. Zbog toga, preko 36% muškaraca i 42% žena lekove baca u komunalni otpad., dok ih 9% muškaraca i 11% žena odnosi u apoteke. Dopuna zakonske regulative kao i pratećih pravilnika, propraćena odgovarajućom medijskom kampanjom doprinela bi boljem razumevanju datog problema i usvajanju novih navika kod građana u načinu rukovanja neiskorišćenim lekovima iz domaćinstva.VIII Kongres farmaceuta Srbije sa međunarodnim učešćem, 12-15.10.2022. Beogra

"In silico" metode u toksikologiji za procenu bezbednosti lekova

While experimental animal investigation has historically been the most conventional approach conducted to assess drug safety and is currently considered the main method for determining drug toxicity, these studies are constricted by cost, time, and ethical approvals. Over the last 20 years, there have been significant advances in computational sciences and computer data processing, while knowledge of alternative techniques and their application has developed into a valuable skill in toxicology. Thus, the application of in silico methods in drug safety assessment is constantly increasing. They are very complex and are grounded on accumulated knowledge from toxicology, bioinformatics, biochemistry, statistics, mathematics, as well as molecular biology. This review will summarize current state-of-the-art scientific data on the use of in silico methods in toxicity testing, taking into account their shortcomings, and highlighting the strategies that should deliver consistent results, while covering the applications of in silico methods in preclinical trials and drug impurities toxicity testing.Ispitivanja na eksperimentalnim životinjama ne samo da su u prošlosti bila smatrana najkonvencionalnijim pristupom za procenu bezbednosti lekova, već su i trenutno osnovna metoda za utvrđivanje njihove toksičnosti. Međutim, ova ispitivanja su skupa, vremenski zahtevna i za njihovo sprovođenje neophodne su etičke dozvole. Tokom poslednjih 20 godina došlo je do napretka u računarskoj nauci i kompjuterskoj obradi podataka, dok se znanje o alternativnim tehnikama i njihovoj primeni razvilo u dragocenu veštinu u toksikologiji. Stoga, primena in silico metoda u proceni bezbednosti lekova neprestano raste. Ove metode su veoma složene i zasnivaju se na saznanjima iz toksikologije, bioinformatike, biohemije, statistike, matematike i molekularne biologije. Ovaj pregledni rad će rezimirati trenutna naučna saznanja koja se tiču upotrebe in silico metoda u ispitivanju toksičnosti lekova, uzimajući u obzir njihova ograničenja i ističući strategije pomoću kojih se mogu dobiti konzistentni rezultati, sa posebnim osvrtom na primenu in silico metoda u pretkliničkim ispitivanjima i ispitivanjima toksičnosti nečistoća u lekovima

Elucidating the influence of environmentally relevant toxic metal mixture on molecular mechanisms involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases: In silico toxicogenomic data-mining

This in silico toxicogenomic analysis aims to: (i) testify the hypothesis about the influence of the environmentally relevant toxic metals (lead, methylmercury (organic form of mercury), cadmium and arsenic) on molecular mechanisms involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) development; and (ii) demonstrate the capability of in silico toxicogenomic data-mining for distinguishing the probable mechanisms of mixture-induced toxic effects. The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD; http://ctd. mdibl.org) and Cytoscape software were used as the main data-mining tools in this analysis. The results have shown that there were 7, 13 and 14 common genes for all the metals present in the mixture for each of the selected neurodegenerative disease (ND), respectively: ALS, PD and AD. Physical interactions (68.18%) were the most prominent interactions between the genes extracted for ALS, co-expression (60.85%) for PD and interactions predicted by the server (44.30%) for AD. SOD2 gene was noted as the mutual gene for all the selected ND. Oxidative stress, folate metabolism, vitamin B12, AGE-RAGE, apoptosis were noted as the key disrupted molecular pathways that contribute to the neurodegenerative disease’s development. Gene ontology analysis revealed biological processes affected by the investigated mixture (glutathione metabolic process was listed as the most important for ALS, cellular response to toxic substance for PD, and neuron death for AD). Our results emphasize the role of oxidative stress, particularly SOD2, in neurodegeneration triggered by environmental toxic metal mixture and give a new insight into common molecular mechanisms involved in ALS, PD and AD pathology

Probiotic reduced the impact of phthalates and bisphenol A mixture on type 2 diabetes mellitus development: Merging bioinformatics with in vivo analysis

Linkage between bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and bisphenol A (BPA) coexposure and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as ability of multi-strained probiotic to reduce DEHP, DBP and BPA mixture-induced oxidative damage in rat pancreas were investigated. The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, Cytoscape software and ToppGene Suite were used for data-mining. Animals were sorted into seven groups (n = 6): (1) Control group: corn oil, (2) P: probiotic: Saccharomyces boulardii + Lactobacillus rhamnosus + Lactobacillus plantarum LP 6595 + Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL9; (3) DEHP: 50 mg/kg b.w./day, (4) DBP: 50 mg/kg b.w./day, (5) BPA: 25 mg/kg b.w./day, and (6) MIX: 50 mg/kg b.w./day DEHP + 50 mg/kg b.w/ day DBP + 25 mg/kg b.w./day BPA; (7) MIX + P. Rats were sacrificed after 28 days of oral exposure. In silico investigation highlighted 44 DEHP, DBP and BPA mutual genes linked to the T2DM, while apoptosis and oxidative stress were highlighted as the main mechanisms of DEHP, DBP and BPA mixture-linked T2DM. In vivo experiment confirmed the presence of significant changes in redox status parameters (TOS, SOD and SH groups) only in the MIX group, indicating possible additive effects, while probiotic ameliorated mixture-induced redox status changes in rat pancreatic tissue

Multi-strain probiotic ameliorated toxic effects of phthalates and bisphenol A mixture in Wistar rats

Phthalates and bisphenol A, to which people are mainly exposed through food, interfere with the body's endocrine system, along with various other toxic effects. Literature data suggest that probiotic cultures might be able to decrease the adverse effects of toxic substances by various mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate if treatment with multi-strained probiotic could reduce the toxicity of phthalates and bisphenol A mixture in Wistar rats. Animals were divided into four experimental groups (n = 6): (1) Control (corn oil); (2) P (probiotic (8.78 * 108 CFU/kg/day): Saccharomyces boulardii + Lactobacillus rhamnosus + Lactobacillus planarum LP 6595+ Lactobacillus planarum HEAL9); (3) MIX (50 mg/kg b.w./day DEHP + 50 mg/kg b.w/day DBP + 25 mg/kg b.w./day BPA); (4) MIX + P. Animals were euthanized after 28 days of daily oral gavage treatment; blood and organs were collected for further analysis. Probiotic reduced systemic inflammation and had protective effects on liver, kidneys, spleen, lipid status and serum glucose level. It almost completely annulled the changes in biochemical, hematological and hormonal parameters and mitigated changes in relative liver size, food consumption and organ histology. These results suggest considering multi-strained probiotics as a dietary therapeutic strategy against toxicity of the investigated mixture

Informed mom, healthy baby - How to live safely with chemicals

Poslednjih decenija prošlog veka naučnici su utvrdili da pojedine hemikalije, mogu uticati na brojne sisteme organa i izazvati štetne efekte po naše zdravlje. Među hemikalijama sa kojima dolazimo u kontakt gotovo svakodnevno, posebno mesto zauzimaju hemikalije koje mogu delovati na endokrini sistem. ...In the last decades of the twentieth century, scientists have observed that exposure to certain, human-made chemicals can affect numerous organ systems and cause harmful effects on our health. Among the chemicals hiding in everyday products, substances of special concern are those that can affect the endocrine system. ..