OSNOVNI PROBLEMI I IZAZOVI U RADU NACIONALNIH PREVENTIVNIH MEHANIZAMA

This Article is analysing and explaining main issues and challenges in the work of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPM), more precisely the problem of torture prevention on national levels. The purpose of this investigation is to outline the existing NPM models and those issues and challenges that NPM is faced with. On the beginning the history of torture prevention is presented, with the focus on the main international torture acts, especially Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which is one of the main international torture prevention acts. What follows is presentation of the existing NPMs in the world, with detailed analysis of every issue and challenge that they are faced with in their work.Rad analizira i daje objašnjenja za glavne probleme i izazove u radu Nacionalnih preventivnih mehanizama (NPM), odnosno problem prevencije torture na nacionalnim nivoima. Razlog ovog istraživanja je prikazivanje postojećih NPM modela i onih problema i izazova sa kojima se oni u svom radu susreću. Rad se sastoji iz istorijskog dela, odnosno istorije prevencije torture, sa fokusom na osnovne međunarodne akte protiv torture, pogotovo Opcioni protokol na Konvenciju Ujedinjenih Nacija protiv torture i drugih surovih, neljudskih ili ponižavajućih kazni i postupaka, koji je jegan od glavnih međunarodnih akata na polju prevencije torture. Prikazuju se postojeći modeli NPM-a u svetu i analizira se posebno svaki problem i izazov sa kojim se susreću

Seeking a new architectural paradigm

This article presents the design methods and results of research conducted by Master's degree students on situating an architectural intervention in the protected natural landscape of Park Forest Košutnjak. The aim was an attempt to put this important, albeit widely neglected, park forest back on the cultural map of Belgrade. This meant that a high level of urbanity could be achieved by way of reorganising its structure, increasing its vitality, attractiveness and accessibility, while preserving its value as heritage landscape. Architecture does not regard nature simply as a physical backdrop for the built structure. The elements and rhythms of complex natural phenomena, through topography, climate and vegetation, become an inspiring part of the architectural discourse. Thus, nature and architecture are allowed to intersect and intertwine, affecting the process of urban living and creating a new cultural landscape. This article suggests that the treatment of protected landscape requires a new architectural paradigm, in which nature and architecture would form a unique place-based system. This approach would contribute not only to resolving the problem of how to revitalise a park forest but also to raising awareness of the adaptive quality that such a place possesses in the context of environmental change

The social paradigm in psychiatry as a link between social work and psychiatry in theory and practice

Social paradigm in psychiatry serves to encompass the definition of an individual as a psycho-social being in this branch of medicine. The "social revolution" in psychiatry has sparked interest in social vectors affecting the aetiology of mental illnesses, as well as rehabilitation and treatment success among psychiatric patients. In line with numerous innovations introduced by the social model in psychiatry, social workers have been integrated into multidisciplinary teams working with psychiatric patients. The social model has underscored the need to view and process the socio-economic and interpersonal aspects of functioning among psychiatric patients, while the methods and theories of social work have become inevitable factors in planning activities directed towards prevention and treatment of mental illnesses. This paper analyses important characteristics of the social paradigm in psychiatry that has facilitated the process of drawing psychiatry and social work closer together. A comparison between practical implications of the three great paradigms in psychiatry is given, followed by an indication of theoretical specificities of social work that has enabled bidirectional interaction between the two related scientific areas. The paper provides an overview of activities that are seen as duties of social workers within multidisciplinary teams who work with psychiatric patients, and that represent a legacy of the convergence between social work and psychiatry

Biomedical students’ attitudes on ethical challenges and the use of social networks

Увод: Друштвене мрежe значајно су измениле савремени свет и његово функционисање и довеле до развоја новог облика професионализма под називом е-професионализам. Циљ рада: Испитивани су ставови студената факултета медицинске групације везани за употребу друштвених мрежа и прихватљиво професионално понашања на друштвеним мрежама као и ставови у вези са етичким изазовима које употреба друштвених мрежа може да има у односима здравствених радника са пацијентима. Додатни циљ био је испитивање ставова везаних за однос факултета према активностима студената на друштвеним мрежама. Материјал и методе: За потребе овог истраживања је креиран Google form упитник. Cелекција испитаника вршена је Snowball техником. За обраду података примењене су методе дескриптивне статистике и инферецијалне статистике. Резултати: Од 327 испитаника, приближно 95% (њих 306) познавало је појам професионализам. Oко 65% испитаника сматрало је да садржај на друштвеним мрежама утиче на мишљење јавности о професији, а 70,03% да факултет нема права да се меша у online активности студената. Готово сви испитаници (97,56%) сматрали су да је недопустиво да здравствени радници податке о пацијентима деле путем друштвених мрежа. Закључак: Свест студената о етичким аспектима и професионализму приликом употребе друштвених мрежа била је висока. Испитаници су већински сматрали да их оnline активности не дефинишу као професионалце, али и да се здравствени професионалци приликом употребе друштвених мрежа не могу у потпуности опустити.Introduction: Social networks have significantly changed the modern world and its functioning and led to the development of a new form of professionalism called e-professionalism. The Aim: To examine the attitudes of medical science students’ related to the use of social networks and acceptable professional behavior on social networks as well as the attitudes related to the ethical challenges that the use of social networks can have in the relationships of health professionals with patients. An additional goal was to examine attitudes related to the faculty's attitude towards students' activities on social networks. Material and Methods: For the purpose of this research Google form questionnaire was created. The selection of respondents was carried out using the Snowball technique. The methods of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for data processing. Results: Of the 327 respondents, approximately 95% (306 of them) knew the term professionalism. About 65% of the respondents believed that the content on social networks affects the public's opinion about the profession, and 70.03% that the faculty has no right to interfere in the online activities of students. Almost all respondents (97.56%) believed that it is inadmissible for healthcare workers to share information about patients via social networks. Conclusion: Students' awareness of ethical aspects and professionalism when using social networks was high. Most respondents believed that online activities do not define them as professionals, but also that health professionals cannot fully relax when using social networks

Risk factors for dysmenorrhea among young adult female university students

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate associated risk factors for dysmenorrhea in a sample of Serbian university students. Methods. A case-control study was conducted among undergraduate students (n = 288) attending lectures during 2014/2015 academic year at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac. Results. The only significant associations were between dysmenorrhea and age at menarche (OR adjusted = 0.74; 95% CI 0.58-0.95; p = 0.017), family history of dysmenorrhea (OR adjusted = 3.39; 95% CI 1.74-6.63; p = 0.000), duration of menstrual flow (OR adjusted = 1.52; 95% CI 1.16-1.99; p = 0.002) and smoking at least one cigarette a day (OR adjusted = 5.09; 95% CI 1.83-14.15; p = 0.002). The factors associated with dysmenorrhea were not interacting with each other. Conclusion. Our results suggest that earlier age at menarche, longer duration of menstrual flow, prior family history of dysmenorrhea and smoking at least one cigarette a day are important risk factors associated with dysmenorrhea. Smoking cessation should be strongly encouraged.

Ranking EU Countries According to Their Level of Success in Achieving the Objectives of the Sustainable Development Strategy

Sustainable development as a concept, is extremely important both at national and international levels. To achieve the goals of sustainable development, international cooperation among countries is of vital importance because no one nation can accomplish these goals independently. In order to implement the sustainable development strategy, first discussed in 1992 at the UN Conference of Environment and Development, the indicators of sustainable development first had to be defined. Considering that the first set of indicators was defined by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), they were entitled CSD indicators. The smaller set of CSD indicators in the European Union countries (EU-28) is observed in this study. These indicators cover three aspects of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. The goal of this study is to rank EU countries according to the level that they were able to achieve the objectives of their respective sustainable development strategies individually, according to the 2013 database. The appropriate statistical I-distance method was used for this purpose. In the first step, the significant indicators are distinguished and ranked according to the quantity and importance of the information they provide for specific research. Subsequently, this method then converts the indicators into a single measure that reflects the level at which each country has achieved the goal

Cost-effectiveness of velmanase alfa vs. bone marrow transplantation or no causal therapy in patients with mild to moderate alpha-mannosidosis

Alpha-mannosidosis is an inherited rare disorder of mannose-containing oligosaccharides metabolism that is currently treated by enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), bone marrow transplantation (BMT), or supportive therapy (ST). However, the relative cost-effectiveness of these treatment options is yet unknown. Our study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of the treatment options for mild to moderate alpha-mannosidosis. The study is based on a modeling approach using a Discrete-Event Simulation model to generate and simulate the course of the disease under the influence of each of the treatment options: ERT, BMT, and ST. The model had a lifetime horizon and was made from the perspective of the Serbian Health Insurance Fund. Currently, available causal therapy of mild to moderate alpha-mannosidosis with velmanase alpha enzyme replacement is not cost-effective compared with supportive therapy (ICER = 941,587,152 RSD) or bone marrow transplantation (ICER = −398,412,755 RSD). Bone marrow transplantation can be cost-effective compared to supportive therapy (ICER = 6,032,689 RSD), but only if the willingness-to-pay threshold is increased to 9 gross domestic products (GDP) per capita per QALY gained. According to the current threshold, velmanase-alfa is not cost-effective compared to BMT or ST. To make alfa-mannosidosis therapy widely accessible to patients, criteria for assessing the cost-effectiveness of orphan drugs must include not only the absolute value of ICER but other aspects like equity weightings of QALYs, risk-sharing, reimbursement of severe forms of a disease only, or availability of dedicated funding

sequence, conformation, stereochemistry, self-assembly or their interplay?

Funding Information: This work utilized resources of the Bura supercomputer facility at the University of Rijeka, Center for Advanced Computing and Modeling. This work was supported by the Croatian Science Foundation [grant numbers UIP-2019-04-7999, DOK-2021-02-3496] and the University of Rijeka [grant number uniri-mladi-intpo-22-32790]. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.The sequence-to-function relationship of peptide-based catalysts remains a challenge, as even subtle modifications at the sequence level can alternate their catalytic activity. A set of linear and cyclic histidine-rich peptides was synthesized to assess the impact of amino acid disposition, cyclization, and incorporation of d-amino acids on their ability to self-assemble, coordinate Zn2+ ions, and show intrinsic hydrolase-like activity. Self-assembly into β-sheets was confirmed for both linear peptides and one cyclic analogue (cy-hh) by FTIR, ThT binding, CD, and AFM. Interestingly, only peptide A demonstrated efficient ester hydrolysis of p-NPA, p-NPB and p-NPO substrates, indicative of its effective Zn2+ coordination. Our findings highlight that increased rigidity of the peptide can hinder metal ion coordination by limiting the necessary conformational adjustments for optimal Zn2+ binding. These insights into the structural changes underlying the function of short peptides offer valuable knowledge for the design of metal-dependent peptide-based catalysts.publishersversionpublishe

The effect of simvastatin in pancreas of diabetic rats

Growing evidences suggest that statins exert several cholesterol-independent pleiotropic effects in diabetes, but there is no consensus whether they are positive or negative. To shed more light on this issue, we examined the effect of simvastatin on β-cell regeneration in a diabetic state. Diabetes was induced in male Mill Hill rats with a single alloxan dose (120 mg/kg). Both non-diabetic and diabetic groups were additionally separated into two subgroups: treated with simvastatin (5 mg/kg/day, i.g., 12 days) and control. Treatment of diabetic animals started after diabetes induction (glucose level ≥ 12 mmol/L). Our findings revealed that there is no increase in the area of insulin-immunopositive cells neither normalization of serum insulin level after simvastatin treatment of diabetic animals, although simvastatin increased nuclear immunopositivity for pancreas duodenum homeobox-1 (PDX-1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The data from this study suggest that 12-day treatment with simvastatin did not improve diabetes- induced disturbances in β-cell mass/function