Depression, emotional intelligence and locus of control

Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi rodne i dobne razlike u depresivnosti, emocionalnoj inteligenciji i mjestu kontrole te provjeriti kakav je odnos između navedenih varijabli. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 426 sudionika (275 žena i 151 muškarac) raspona dobi od 20 do 60 godina. Mjerni instrumenti korišteni u istraživanju bili su Ljestvica za samoprocjenu depresivnosti, Upitnik emocionalne inteligencije i Mjesto kontrole. Rezultati pokazuju značajne rodne razlike u sve tri varijable, dok se dobne razlike nisu pokazale značajnima. Žene su postizale značajno više rezultate od muškaraca u sve tri mjere, što je bilo očekivano. Rezultati hijerarhijske regresijske analize pokazuju značajnu multiplu korelaciju varijabli spola, emocionalne inteligencije i mjesta kontrole s rezutatima na ljestvici depresivnosti. Osobe muškog spola, više emocionalne inteligencije i manje eksternalne osobe iskazuju manju razinu depresivnosti.The aim of the study was to determine gender and age differences in depression, emotional intelligence and locus of control and to investigate the relationship between these variables. The study included 426 participants (275 women and 151 men) age range 20-60 years. Self-rating Depression Scale, Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale and Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale were administered. The results showed significant gender differences in all three variables, whereas age differences were not significant. Women attained significantly higher scores than men in all three measures, which was expected. Results of hierarchical regression analysis showed a significant multiple correlation of gender, emotional intelligence and locus of control with the results on Self-rating Depression Scale. Male participants, people with higher emotional intelligence and less external people reported lower levels of depression

Between fragment and system: short form with moralistic content in italian prose tradition from A. Poliziano and F. Guicciardini to G. Leopardi Между фрагментом и системой: малая художественная форма с моралистическим содержанием в итальянской традиции прозаического слова от А. Полициано и Ф. Гвичардини до ДЖ. Леопарди

U radu ispitujemo, u dijahronijskoj perspektivi, kratku fragmentarnu prozu filozofskoetičkog sadržaja u italijanskoj književnoj tradiciji, čije začetke nalazimo u Ugodnim izrekama A. Policijana, a nastavljače u Napomenama F. Gvičardinija i Zibaldoneu Đ. Leopardija. U okviru italijanske prozne tradicije koja je, kao i lirska, nerazdvojna od istorije jezika, ovaj tok narratio brevis, čini se, javlja se u ključnim trenucima krize i preispitivanja književno-jezičkog i društvenopolitičkog sistema Apeninskog poluostrva, na razmeđi klasičnih i neklasičnih uticaja. Jezičkostilskom analizom složenosti rečenice, upotrebe adverzativno-limitativnog veznika nondimeno/nondimanco i stileme svojstvene lirskoj tradiciji – sinonimnih parova u ovim delima, kao i ispitivanjem njihove otvorene forme, može se zaključiti da je moralizam ovog toka najpre moralizam forme što kao takva, eklektična, čini svojevrstan sistem koji fragmentarnoj strukturi daje postojanost i celovitost, ali kojeg upravo samodovoljnost fragmenata relativizuje, kao što složenost hipotaksičke rečenice relativizuje iskaze, adverzativno-limitativni veznik ukazuje na izuzetke svake tvrdnje, a dvočlane sinonimne strukture predstavljaju sintezu određenih filozofskih pojmova čime se njihovo pojedinačno značenje jednako relativizuje. Dijalektika fragmenta i sistema na planu forme odražava se na planu sadržaja putem dijalektike pojedinačno – univerzalno i kroz autobiografizam, pojedinačno iskustvo što ukazuje na nemogućnost bilo kakvih jednoznačnih i univerzalnih odgovora. Na ovaj način ostvaruje se filozofsko-etička postavka toka koji čitaocu ostavlja krajnji zadatak da protumači po(r)uku. Ispitivanje ove kratke proze ujedno je i pokazatelj razvoja proze tout court u italijanskoj književnoj tradiciji.This thesis uses the diachronic perspective to explore short fragmentary prose of philosophical-ethical content within the Italian literary tradition, the beginnings of which are found in A. Poliziano’s Detti piacevoli, to continue in F. Guicciardini’s Ricordi and G. Leopardi’s Zibaldone. Within Italian prose tradition, which is equally as inextricable from the history of the language as lyrical tradition is, this narratio brevis course seems to emerge at crucial moments of crisis and the questioning of literary-linguistic and socio-political systems of the Apennine peninsula, at the boundary between classical and non-classical influences. Based on a linguisticstylistic analysis of sentence complexity, use of the adversative-limitative conjunction nondimeno/nondimanco, and of stylistic elements characteristic of the poetic tradition – namely, synonymous pairs in the works analyzed, as well as based on an examination of their open form, it can be concluded that the moralism of this course is primarily a moralism of form, which, eclectic as it is, comprises a system of sorts which provides this fragmentary structure with a permanence and completeness at the same time as being relativized by fragment self-sufficiency, just as the complexity of a hypotactic clause relativizes utterances, the adversative-limitative conjunction makes manifest exceptions to each claim, and the two-part synonymous structures represent a synthesis of certain philosophical concepts, which equally relativizes their individual meanings. The dialectic between fragment and system on the form level is reflected on the level of content in the dialectic of individual-universal and in a certain autobiographism, through individual experience which indicates an impossibility of any unambiguous or universal answers. It is thus that the philosophical-ethical premise of the course is realized, entrusting the reader with the ultimate task of interpreting the moral/message. Examination of this short prose also serves as an indicator of the general development of prose in the Italian literary tradition

Antioxidant Protection against Curative and Palliative Doses of Ionizing Irradiation in Human Blood Decreases with Aging

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are independently recognized to play a significant role in radiation-induced damage on healthy tissue and in aging process. However, an age-related alteration of antioxidant (AO) system in radiation response in humans is poorly investigated. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the irradiation effects on the activities and expression of AO system in the blood of healthy women during aging. Blood samples were irradiated with curative and palliative doses of 2 Gy or 9 Gy γ-rays. AO capacity for detoxification of O2•− and H2O2 in response to 2 Gy γ-irradiation decreases in women above 58 years, while in response to 9 Gy shows signs of weakening after 45 years of age. Due to reduction of AO capacity during aging, cytotoxic effects of curative and palliative doses of irradiation, mediated by ROS, may significantly increase in older subjects, while removal of H2O2 excess could reduce them

Information and communications technologies in function of teaching process

This paper, based on the extensive research of relevant professional literature, will present and elaborate possible aspects of influence which information-communications technologies (ICT) have on educational process. Contemporary information-communications technologies and their use in teaching process resulted in numerous enhancements of teaching process altering traditional methods of learning and teaching. With the aim of confirming theoretical postulates researches were conducted on candidates with specific educational degrees in various forms of traditional teaching and teaching with educational software. The survey was conducted on a control and experimental group, on a sample of 1542 candidates. The candidates were observed in a period of approximately five months. The results of this research indicate that the candidates taught by use of educational software have shown far greater level of achieved knowledge and significantly higher motivation for learning. The participants of the experimental group actively participated in the acquisition of their competences. The contribution of this paper is in the new methodological approach to the organization of education, which significantly improves the teaching process, its goals and outcomes

Different behavioral effects of maprotiline and fluxilan in rats

Serotonin and noradrenaline are involved in the mechanisms of action of most antidepressant drugs. We examined the effects of chronic treatment with maprotiline, a selective inhibitor of noradrenaline reuptake, and fluxilan, a selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, on the behavior of unstressed controls and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model rats in the forced swim test (FST) and elevated plus maze test. Both selective reuptake inhibitors resulted in a significant reduction of time spent in immobility. Climbing was significantly increased in maprotiline- and swimming was exclusively elicited in the fluxilan-treated unstressed control and CUMS rats. Maprotiline-treated animals displayed decreased anxiety and fluxilan-treated rats enhanced anxiety. The obtained results suggest that central noradrenergic and serotonergic systems might be affected differently during FST. The results also demonstrate that the anxiogenic effects of chronic fluxilan treatment are similar to those reported by many other studies. These differences observed for the effects of fluxilan in relation to those reported for maprotiline and probably due to the different pharmacological profiles of these drugs

Effects of chronic diazepam treatments on behavior on individually housed rats

The present study analyzed the effects of chronic treatment with low doses of diazepam on body weight, defecations and urinations, vertical rears, the elevated platform test; and self-grooming in male rats exposed for 21 days to social isolation. The rats were treated for 21 days with diazepam (0.2 mg/kg, i.p) or its vehicle. Social isolation led to decreased body weight and vertical rears, more defecations and urinations, increased reluctance to step down from the test platform, shorter duration of grooming, and longer reluctance to start grooming. Chronic diazepam in individually housed rats produced increase in body weight and vertical rears, decrease in the number of defecations and urinations, and shortening of the time of reluctance to step down from the platform. The number of grooming bouts, their duration, and reluctance to start grooming were not altered by diazepam, but it decreased the percentage of incorrect transitions. The obtained data indicate that chronic diazepam treatment of socially isolated rats changes non-grooming behavior and some grooming, behavior parameters

Animal Models for Chronic Stress-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Spleen: The Role of Exercise and Catecholaminergic System

We examined the effects of daily exercise on the gene expression of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes (tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH), and phenyl ethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT)), vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT 2), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), concentrations of catecholamines (noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A)) and malondialdehyde (MDA), activities of monoamine oxidase (MAO), and antioxidant enzymes in the spleen of chronically psychosocially stressed rats. Exposure of chronically stressed rats to exercise increased the levels of PNMT protein by 19%, VMAT 2 mRNA by 100%, NA by 160%, and A by 140%; decreased/unchanged MAO enzyme activity; returned concentrations of MDA to control level; and increased CAT and GPx mRNA levels (50% and 150%, respectively). Exercise induced the accumulation of the catecholamines and a decrease of stress-induced oxidative stress in the spleen, which may significantly affect the immune-neuroendocrine interactions in stress conditions. Also, exercise induced the catecholaminergic system and antioxidant defense to become more ready to a novel stressor, which indicates that exercise may induce potentially positive physiological adaptations. Our combined model of chronic social isolation and long-term daily treadmill running in rats may be a good animal model in the research of therapeutic role of exercise in human disease caused by chronic stress

Changes of Hippocampal Noradrenergic Capacity in Stress Condition

This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on the protein levels of dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH), noradrenaline transporter (NET), vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as well as the concentration of noradrenaline (NA) in the rat hippocampus. The investigated parameters were quantified by Western blot analyses and ELISA kits. We found that CRS increased the protein levels of DBH by 30 %, VMAT2 by 11 %, BDNF by 11 % and the concentration of NA by 104 %, but decreased the protein levels of NET by 16 % in the hippocampus of chronically stressed rats. The molecular mechanisms by which CRS increased the hippocampal NA level are an important adaptive phenomenon of the noradrenergic system in the stress condition. © 2020 Charles University. All rights reserved

Antioxidant Status and Sex Hormones in Women with Simple Endometrial Hyperplasia

Cancer of the reproductive tract is an important source of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide. Factors affecting endometrial cancer and endometrial hyperplasia are known to be similar. Endometrial hyperplasia is abnormal proliferation of the glands and the stroma resulting in architectural and cytological modifications. Due to hormonal changes, this condition is most common among women who are nearing the menopause or have reached the menopause. Antioxidant system has a role in preventing cancer initiation and promotion. Since the carcinogenesis occurs in several stages, it is likely that the antioxidant defense depends on the type of cell and tissue. The objective of this study was to investigate whether antioxidant enzymes activities and lipid hydroperoxides concentration in patients with endometrial hyperplasia are influenced by the changes in sex hormones level (estradiol, progesterone, FSH, and LH) during the menstrual cycle and in postmenopause. The material we used consisted of blood and endometrial tissue specimens of women diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia simplex. Patients were divided in groups depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle: follicular phase, luteal phase and postmenopause. The activities of antioxidant enzymes and the lipid hydroperoxides level were compared among the phases to test the differences and a linear regression model was used to evaluate the associations between hormone levels and antioxidant/oxidant variables. In the blood of examined patients, we observed a phase-related changes of LOOH concentrations. Significant negative correlation between FSH concentration and GR activity (r= -0.42, p<0.05) and significant positive correlation between LH and LOOH concentrations (r= 0.038, p<0.05) was found. In hyperplasia simplex tissue we recorded significant phase-related changes of LOOH level as well as of AO enzyme activities. SOD and CAT had similar activity pattern, which was higher in luteal phase and in postmenopause, compared to follicular phase (p<0.05). GPx and GR activities did not show any statistical difference. Also, negative correlation between progesterone and GR activity (r=-0.036, p<0.05) was observed. Hormonal influence on AO system is of importance in gynecological diseases etiology since they may promote cell proliferation but are also used in conservative therapy, especially for hyperplasia simplex. However, the role of ROS production as a risk factor for endometrial hyperplasia still needs to be clarified as well as the role of AO status in response to gonadotropins and sex steroids

Antioxidant Enzymes in Women with Hyperplasia Complex: Relation with Sex Hormones

Endometrial hyperplasia complex is gynecological disorder characterized by morphological irregularities of glands shape and size. Antioxidant enzymes (AOE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR), have an essential role in preventing oxidative damage in cell caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we examined the AO status in hyperplastic tissue of patients in menstrual cycle (follicular and luteal phase) and in postmenopause, as well as the relationship between sex hormones and AO parameters. The phase-related activity of GPx and GR in examined patients was significantly different than in healthy women. A significant negative correlation between FSH/LH level and GPx activiy was observed. Endometrial hyperplasias are considered as precancerous lesions and are treated either conservatively or surgicaly, and also by radiation therapy. Since the effects of these therapies are associated with AO and hormonal changes, our results may contribute to the prediction of potential therapeutic efficacy and to selection of the most effective treatment for hyperplasia complex.3rd International Conference on Radiation and Applications in Various Fields of Research (RAD), Jun 08-12, 2015, Budva, Montenegr