Comparison of the Chemical Composition of Whey Cheeses: Urda and Ricotta

This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional quality of two types of cheese prepared from bovine whey: Urda and Ricotta. Cheeses were examined for chemical parameters and their amino acids profile was determined. The results revealed that the chemical composition of the observed whey cheeses was highly significantly different (p lt 0.01) from each other. The amounts of dry matter, fat, protein, lactose, ash and salt were higher in Ricotta compared with Urda cheese samples. On the other hand, Urda contained more moisture, fat on a dry matter basis and moisture on a fat-free basis (79.59%, 27.50%, 84.27% versus 69.82%, 21.02%, 74.56%, respectively). Especially higher yield, salt in moisture content and energy values were observed in Ricotta cheese (5.93%, 3.12%, 145.99Kcal/100g versus 4.39%, 2.40%, 108.97Kcal/100g; Ricotta and Urda, respectively). Whey cheeses are a particularly good source of amino acids containing approximately-Ricotta: Leucine (1.60g/100g), lysine (1.17g/100g), phenylalanine (0.78g/100g) and followed by threonine (0.77g/100g), while Urda contained leucine (0.80g/100g), lysine (0.45g/100g), threonine (0.68g/100g) and phenylalanine (0.31g/100g). Both cheese varieties contained glutamic and aspartic acid as the predominant non-essential amino acids (Ricotta: 3.91g/100g and 1.68g/100g versus Urda: 1.65g/100g and 0.80g/100g, respectively). Generally, from a nutritional point of view, the investigated whey cheeses could be considered as cheeses with low salt and fat content, as well as cheeses particularly abundant in branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine). These results also emphasize their advantages as products that present a cost-effective way of dealing with whey as waste material

Middle ear tuberculosis: Diagnostic criteria

Introduction. Tuberculous otitis is a diagnostic problem due to the difficulty to obtain microbiological, histomorphological and cytological confirmation of the disease. Objective. Our objective was to compare clinical and radiological characteristic and development of otogenic complications in patients with tuberculous otitis and otitis with cholesteatoma as the most destructive form of chronic nonspecific otitis in the purpose of establishing the diagnostic criteria for tuberculous otitis. Methods. Medical records of 12 patients with tuberculous otitis and 163 patients with cholesteatoma treated at the Institute of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery in Belgrade during the eight-year period were analyzed. All of the patients underwent otomicroscopic, audiological and radiological examination of the thorax and temporal bone, microbiological examination of the secretion and histomorphological examination of the tissue taken during middle ear surgery. Statistical analysis was done using χ2 test with Yates correction. Results. Otogenic complication as facial palsy and sensorineural hearing loss were more frequent in tuberculous otitis patients, than in cholesteatoma. Also, fistulas of the labyrinth and facial canal bone destruction were also more frequent in tuberculous otitis than in cholesteatoma. A larger extent of temporal bone destruction was noticed on CT scans of the temporal bone in half of the patents with tuberculous otitis. Coexistence with miliary pulmonary tuberculosis was detected in one third of the patients. There were no microbiological or histomorphological confirmations of the disease, except in one case with positive Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Conclusion. Tuberculous otitis media should be considered in patients with serious otogenic complications and with shorter duration of ear discharge, and in association with diagnosed miliary pulmonary tuberculosis and extensive temporal bone destruction. Polymerase chain reaction still is not reliable for diagnosis

Non-coding RNA and cholesteatoma

Objective Cholesteatoma is a challenging chronic pathology of the middle ear for which pharmacologic therapies have not been developed yet. Cholesteatoma occurrence depends on the interplay between genetic and environmental factors while master regulators orchestrating disease progression are still unknown. Therefore, in this review, we will discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) as a new class of regulatory molecules. Methods We have comprehensively reviewed all articles investigating ncRNAs, specifically micro RNAs (miRNAs) and long ncRNAs (lncRNA/circRNA) in cholesteatoma tissue. Results Candidate miRNA approaches indicated that miR-21 and let-7a are the major miRNAs involved in cholesteatoma growth, migration, proliferation, bone destruction, and apoptosis. Regulatory potential for the same biological processes was also observed for miR-203a. The NF-kB/miR-802/PTEN regulatory network was in relation to observed miR-21 activity in cholesteatoma as well. High throughput approaches revealed additional ncRNAs implicated in cholesteatoma pathology. Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) analysis highlighted lncRNA/circRNA that could be “endogenous sponge” for miR-21 and let-7a based on the hypothesis that RNA transcripts can communicate with and regulate each other by using shared miRNA response elements. Conclusion In this review, we summarize the discoveries and role of ncRNA in major pathways in cholesteatoma and highlight the potential of miRNA-based therapeutics in the treatment of cholesteatoma. Level of Evidence: NA

Sequence variability at the internal ribosome entry site of the HCV genome in relation to therapy outcome

Different types of interferon are widely used to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Results obtained in vitro suggest that interferon inhibits internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-mediated translation of the HCV genome. To elucidate the possible effect of the nucleotide sequence of IRES on therapy outcome, we compared HCV isolates from patients with sustained response and non-response to interferon/ribavirin combination therapy. In 56 analyzed HCV isolates, nucleotide changes appeared strictly in the stem-loop IIIb region, the stem part from 243 nt to 248 nt, and the polypyrimidine-II region. The natural sequence variability of IRES in isolates of genotype 3a was significantly higher than in isolates of genotype 1b (p < 0.05). The average number of nucleotide changes in genotype 3a correlated with response to therapy (p < 0.05).Interferonska terapija se danas najčešće koristi u lečenju infekcije virusom hepatitisa tipa C (HCV). In vitro rezultati su pokazali da interferoninhibira translaciju kod ovog virusa preko interakcije sa delom genoma koji učestvuje u inicijaciji translacije tzv. 'unutrašnje ribozomalno ulazno mesto' (IRES). U ovom radu smo ispitivali nukleotidne izmene u IRES-u kod izolata HCV-a dobijenih iz seruma osoba koje su primale kombinovanu terapiju interferon/ribavirin. U analiziranoj grupi od 56 HCV izolata, nukleotidne izmene su utvrđene u: IIIb petlji, regiji između 243 nt i 248 nt i polipirimidin-II regiji. Utvrđena varijabilnost IRES-a kod izolata genotipa 3a značajno je veća u poređenju sa izolatima genotipa 1b (p < 0.05). Prosečan broj nukleotidnih izmena kod izolata genotipa 3a je u korelaciji sa odgovorom na primenjenu terapiju (p < 0.05).Projekat ministarstva br. 143010 i 14301

Изложбе Модерни у Београду: Галерија Колектив, Галерија ФЛУ, Улична галерија, OZON ArtSpace, Коларчева задужбина [награда Ранко Радовић]

Projekat Moderni u Beogradu (MuBGD) okuplja grupu arhitekata (Iva Bekić, Irena Gajić, Dalia Dukanac, Stefan Đorđević, Snežana Zlatković, Mirjana Ješić, Hristina Stojanović, Petar Cigić) sa posebnim interesovanjem i angažmanom u oblasti ilustracije, grafičkog dizajna i likovnih umetnosti. Zajedno su pokrenuli udruženje MuBGD u cilju promocije, ali i kritičke analize arhitektonskog nasleđa Beograda putem inovativnih grafičkih reprezentacija. Koristeći projektantske metodske alate, autori projekta Moderni u Beogradu na inovativan način predstavljaju odabrana arhitektonska dela i prostorne celine nastale u hladnoratovskom periodu na teritoriji Beograda. Niz samostalnih izložbi koju je grupa realizovala tokom 2019. godine izdvajaju pojedine arhitektonske celine istražene kroz vizuelne reprezentacije, a potom su neke od njih i reinterpretirane u tri dimenzije što predstavlja reakciju autora u odnosu na specifično tematizovanu izlagačku sezonu jedne od galerija. Cilj projekta je doprinos razumevanju kanonskih arhitektonskih projekata i objekata i njihovih uloga u širem društveno-političkom, ekonomskom i kulturnom kontekstu, kao kritičkog instrumenta za promišljanje i produkciju savremenog prostora. Samostalne izložbe se tokom 2019. godine nadovezuju jedna na drugu, osmišljene kao jednogodišnji skup prostornih simulacija – autorskih radova članova tima. Svaki crtež, ilustracija ili maketa predstavljaju individualnu reakciju autora na specifične prostorne i estetske karakteristike odabranog dela i fragment je celokupnog projekta. Iako se vizuelni identiteti pojedinačnih priloga međusobno razlikuju u zavisnosti od pristupa autora kao i samog predmeta istraživanja, objedinjeni su medijem reprezentacije u zavisnosti od izložbe do izložbe. Autori koriste različite materijale, tehnike, prostorne odnose i likovne izraze kako bi vizuelno pripovedali o arhitektonskom nasleđu Beograda i približili manje poznate informacije i zanimljivosti široj publici. Likovna sloboda autora, sa druge strane, često podrazumeva spekulativan i fiktivan način reinterpretacija društveno-kulturoloških aspekata odabranh arhitektonskih objekata i prostornih celina. Akcenat izložbi je takođe na savremenoj interpretaciji i digitalizaciji likovne reprezentacije u okviru arhitektonskog diskursa. - „Moderni u Beogradu: crno na belo”, samostalna izložba, galerija O3ONE Art Space, Beograd, novembar-decembar 2019. godine - „Moderni u Beogradu”, Forum Kreativna Evropa, Zadužbina Ilije M. Kolarca, Beograd, novembar 2019. godine - „Moderni u Beogradu: Leto u Beogradu”, samostalna izložba, Ulična galerija, Beograd, jun-jul 2019. godine - „Moderni u Beogradu”, samostalna izložba, Beogradska internacionalna nedelja arhitekture - BINA, Beograd, maj 2019. godine - „Moderni u Beogradu: .33: nešto trodimenzionalno”, samostalna izložba, galerija Kolektiv, Beograd, april 2019. godin

Expression of Toll-Like Receptors 2, 4 and Nuclear Factor Kappa B in Mucosal Lesions of Human Otitis: Pattern and Relationship in a Clinical Immunohistochemical Study

Objectives: The objectives were to detect and compare the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs) 2, 4 and nuclear factor kappa B in mucosal lesions of chronic otitis. Methods: Fifty-five tissue samples obtained from children and adults operated on for otitis were investigated by semiquantitative immunohistochemical methods using polyclonal antibodies for TLR 2, 4 and NFkB. Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Kendalls tau rank correlation tests were used. Results: Stronger expression of TLR2, 4 was found in inflamed mucosa than in the control for children and adults (TLR2: H = 23.86, P LT .001; TLR4: H = 22.80, P LT .001) (TLR2: H = 17.53, P LT .001; TLR4: H = 11.99, P LT .001); in cholesteatoma perimatrix compared to tubotympanic lesions in children (TLR2: H = 11.06, P = .004; TLR4: H = 10.61, P = .005) and adults (TLR2: H = 10.73, P =.013; TLR4: H = 9.65, P = .021). No differences were found in NFkB expression (H = 0.042, P = .99). Significant correlations were found for all pairs of molecules in cholesteatoma and tubotympanic mucosa of adults (TLR2, 4: P = .002, P LT .001; TLR2-NfkB: P = .032, P = .021; TLR4-NFkB: P =.035, P = .0013), only TLR4-NFkB in tubotympanic otitis of children (P = .026). Conclusions: Toll-like receptors 2, 4 and NFkB mediate inflammation in cholesteatoma and mucosal lesions of tubotympanic otitis in children and adults. Significant correlations between all pairs of molecules in all samples were detected in adults, but only TLR4-NFkB in children

Risk factors for the occurrence of undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type: A case-control study

Introduction. The incidence rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Serbia is less than one per 100,000 citizens, which classifies it as a region with low incidence for this disease. Objective. The aim of this study was to test some hypotheses of the risk factors for undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type (UCNT) in the low incidence population. Methods. A case-control study was used for the research. The study included 45 cases with histopathological diagnosis of UCNT and 90 controls. Cases and the controls were individually matched by sex, age (±3 years), and place of residence (city-village). Data were gathered about sociodemographic characteristics, occupational exposure to harmful agents, habits, diet, personal history, and family history. In the analysis of the data, conditional univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied. Results. According to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis UCNT was significantly positively associated with 'passive smoking' of tobacco in the family during childhood, frequent consumption of industrially manufactured food additives for enhancing flavour and frequent consumption of white bread. UCNT was significantly negatively associated with frequent consumption of margarine, olive oil and cornbread. Conclusion. In our low incidence population, an independent risk factor for the occurrence of UCNT was 'passive smoking' of tobacco in the family during childhood, use of industrially manufactured food with additives for enhancing flavour and consumption of white bread. Multicentric study enrolling a greater number of cases would be desirable

Long term complications of ventilation tube insertion in children with otitis media with effusion

Background/Aim. Otitis media with effusion (OME) is characterized by the prolonged presence of fluid (longer than 12 weeks) of different viscosity in the middle ear, without perforation of the eardrum or signs of acute inflammation. The conservative treatment does not always provide satisfactory recovery, so surgical treatment may be unavoidable. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence, type and frequency of complications caused by ventilation tube insertion as a part of treatment for OME in children, and specifically, to evaluate the evolution of these changes over the extended period of time. Methods. During a 5-year period (1986-1991), 84 children with chronic bilateral OME, aged from 6 months to 12 years, were enrolled in the study and treated with ventilation tube insertion. All the patients were periodically checked every 6 months over a 3-8 year period following the intervention (otomicroscopic examination, audiometry, tympanometry), and reexamined in 2013 (22-27 years after the primary surgical intervention). Results. The complications observed in this study (51%) were atrophic scarring of the tympanic membrane, myringo- and tympanosclerosis, retraction of the eardrum, persistent perforations, granulation tissue formations, development of chronic otitis and sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusion. The incidence of complications after ventilation tube insertion was 51% in this study. Atrophic scars and myringosclerosis were the most prominent complications. Despite high complications rate ventilation tube insertion still remains the treatment of choice in children with otitis media with effusion